International Women’s Day with the fabulous theme #EmbraceEquity
English
Subject update |
Thu Mar 02 12:58:50 UTC 2023
March teaching English update
Dear Colleagues
March sees us celebrate three important dates:
Take a look at my WBD blog in which I reflect on eBooks and audiobooks and their potential to support less enthusiastic readers, or those with access needs.
I love the theme photos. You could get all your students to create one!
Why not mark the day by challenging your KS5 students to read one of the texts in our ‘Pioneering Women Writers’ guide? Or get students to audit the balance of male and female writers in their GCSE/Int GCSE/A level text choices and make recommendations to the Head of English for future groups if changes are needed?
Challenge students to find and share their favourite spring poem, like the classic ‘I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud’ or just note the date and feel joyous at the approach of the more temperate season.
Lit in Colour Pioneers
We’re looking for schools who are ready to diversify their English Literature curriculum at GCSE or A level.
Pioneers receive free access to:
- copies of the chosen set texts for every student in the relevant year group
- a programme of work and series of free resources including CPD training webinars for teachers and school librarians, plus qualification support and training where required
- support programmes of work for each set text including creative content from authors plus videos and a range of resources to support the specification
- a Lit in Colour mini library including 300 free Penguin books by Black, Asian and minority ethnic writers designed for all age groups, together with colourful posters and artwork
Forthcoming training
Take a look at the 22 events for GCSE and A level running from now until the summer. Don’t miss, especially, the text-specific events for our four new A level texts: ‘Home Fire’, ‘Sweat’, ‘Les Blancs’ and ‘The Cutting Season’.
GCSE
Check out the new exemplars from the November 2022 exam series for 1EN0 and 2.0.
International GCSE
Good luck to students, their families and teachers who are receiving their results.
Access grade boundaries on results day
21 March 2023: entry deadline for Int GCSE (UK and international centres), IAL and for GCSE & A level (International centres)
Access a new drama resource that supports students with using drama-specific literary terminology when writing on their modern drama or Shakespeare text. This version has examples from ‘An Inspector Calls’.
Access the recent English Literature network slides and recording.
You can also access February teaching update slides for English language A and a new summary with key tips from the English Language B summer 2022 examiner report (Edexcel Online login needed).
February teaching update slides for English language A
key tips from the English Language B summer 2022 examiner report
Issue 5 (valid until November 2023):
Reflects the move to June and November exam series from now on as well as flagging that all coursework and SLE submissions are now digital.
Issue 6 (valid for students certificating in June 2024 and thereafter):
Reflects the changes to the coursework (correcting 1 error in the marking grids); the move to June and November exam series from now on; and flags that all coursework and SLE submissions are now digital.
Functional Skills
See the new episode of Chris Briggs’ podcast featuring Heather Greatbatch talking about creative writing and autistic learners.
Entry Level Certificate
Please access the submission guidance for summer 2023. The reading assessments remain valid for the coming and future exam series.
A reminder of key dates for the June 23 exam series
21 March 2023: entry deadline for Int GCSE (UK and international centres), IAL and for GCSE & A level (International centres)
12 April 2023: Edexcel Online/Learner Work Transfer (LWT) portals open for the submission of marks/grades/samples for June 2023
15 May 2023: deadline for submission of marks/grades/samples for NEA for the June 2023 exam series
You can attend free online submission support sessions for each qualification group in this period:
Date |
Time |
Title & details |
Booking link |
|---|---|---|---|
20 April 2023 |
08:00-09:00 GMT |
International GCSE English: Submission support for coursework (session runs am and pm to suit UK and other locations) |
|
20 April 2023 |
16:00-17:00 GMT |
International GCSE English: Submission support for coursework (session runs am and pm to suit UK and other locations) |
|
18 April 2023 |
16:00-17:00 GMT |
GCSE English Language: Submission support for the spoken language endorsement |
|
19 April 2023 |
16:00-17:00 GMT |
I wish you much energy for the demands of the run up to Easter and a relaxing break when it comes.
Subject advisor
Clare Haviland
English
Email :
Phone :
(+44) 344 463 2535
(Teaching Services team | Mon - Fri, 9am - 5pm GMT)
Subject updates
-
January 2025 teaching English update
I hope you have enjoyed a relaxing break and are ready for the new term.
Once we are past the winter holidays, it’s full steam ahead towards the June 2025 exam series. -
Driving forward positive change in the English curriculum
Join our conversations on the future of English
Today, we’ve shared a summary of key points from our call for evidence submission as part of the Curriculum and Assessment Review, where we set out our recommendations for how meaningful change can be brought about.