In Year 7 - Year 9, students will experience a wide range of literary genres, working with whole novels, plays, poems and non-fiction texts to explore how writers convey meaning, as well as analysing extracts from high quality texts to build a broad understanding of the writer’s craft.

Students put this knowledge into practice through their own writing, developing the skills needed to convey meaning through both creative writing and non-fiction writing. Speaking and Listening skills are developed throughout the key stage, with a variety of different tasks to ensure a broad range of speaking and listening experiences.

Students follow the AQA GCSE English Language and English Literature exam specification, developing a range of skills in reading, writing and analysis. In English Literature, students explore how writers use language and structure to convey meaning and present different contexts and perspectives.

They engage with a variety of texts, including ‘Macbeth’, ‘Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’, ‘An Inspector Calls’ and the AQA Power and Conflict poetry cluster, refining their ability to interpret themes, characters and language. In English Language, students focus on the analysis of literary non-fiction texts as well as crafting their own persuasive and imaginative writing. 

Both English Language and English Literature skills are assessed via exam, with an additional non-examined assessment for Speaking and Listening skills, in which students prepare and deliver a speech on a topic of their choice.