Course Overview
This is a FREE* course for learners aged 19 or over who need to obtain a GCSE Grade 4/C or above in English Language.
The course will give you the opportunity to improve your speaking, listening, reading and writing skills. It is designed to prepare you for a wide range of occupations and further study.
You will be introduced to a broad range of activities, tasks and stimulus materials, all designed to provide opportunities to practice the skills necessary to be successful in the final examinations.
What will I study?
The course will enable you to develop the skills you need to read, understand and analyse a wide range of different texts covering the 19th, 20th and 21st century time periods as well as to write clearly, coherently and accurately using a range of vocabulary and sentence structures.
How will I be taught and assessed?
You will be taught through classroom-based teaching which will also have an element of individual independent study, supported by the college's Virtual Learning Environment and online resources.
Your progress will be assessed every lesson informally and formally through:
- Class tests and mocks
- Writing imaginative, argumentative and discursive pieces
- Responding to a range of texts
- Preparing a presentation
- Engaging in group discussions.
There will be regular one-to-one sessions with teachers to receive individual feedback and to review targets.
The course offers the attraction of two equally-balanced papers, relating reading sources to the topic and theme of writing tasks. The reading sources act as a stimulus for writing tasks, providing students with a clear route through each paper.
The final exams include three assessments which consist of a presentation/discussion task and two written examination papers that take place in May/June. The exams take two hours each and all texts in the examination will be unseen. Attendance to these exams is mandatory.
Paper 1
Explorations in Creative Reading and Writing, looks at how writers use narrative and descriptive techniques to engage the interest of readers.
Paper 2
Writers' Viewpoints and Perspectives, looks at how different writers present a similar topic over time.
Spoken Language
Our approach to spoken language (previously speaking and listening) will emphasise the importance of the wider benefits that speaking and listening skills have for students. The endorsed unit will draw on good practice to suggest how engaging formative tasks can lead to a single summative assessment.
Entry Requirements
You will be required to complete an initial assessment to ensure that this course is an appropriate starting point.
What could I do next?
A GCSE grade 4/C or above in English Language is essential for certain careers and is well regarded by the majority of potential employers.
You can also go on to study one of the many Access to Higher Education courses at the college in preparation for university.