Teachers complain of ‘obscure’ English lit GCSE extract
Teachers have warned that GCSE English literature students could be disadvantaged by a “difficult” and “obscure” Shakespeare extract.
Some teachers say they have complained to exam board AQA about the extract from Romeo and Juliet that students were presented with last week.
The extract was from a scene in the play where Juliet waits for her nurse to return with news from Romeo. Students were asked to write about how Juliet’s difficulties are presented in the extract and the whole play.
There are concerns that an extract in the paper from Macbeth was easier to analyse for students who had studied that play, and that those who had studied Romeo and Juliet would therefore be in a worse position when papers are marked.
Melissa Wells, head of English at Stanchester Academy in Somerset, said: “I think the Macbeth extract is one that is commonly explored in depth in GCSE scenes, whereas the Romeo and Juliet one is not so much, and I think AQA could consider the parity of questions and extracts across all of the text in terms of challenge to make it fairer.
“Particularly if you are a weaker student, I think they will have found it more difficult to pick things up.”
GCSE English extract ‘disadvantaged’ students
While teachers “have a responsibility” to ensure that students understand the whole text, a difficult extract “can throw [students] and has an impact on their confidence more than anything else”, Ms Wells said.
The way that grade boundaries are worked out means that students with a more difficult text are “disadvantaged compared to others who may have had a slightly easier one”, she added.
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A deputy head of English at a school in Dorset, who wishes to remain anonymous, told Tes they had filed a complaint to AQA.
The Macbeth extract included “widely considered ‘key’ quotations for Lady Macbeth” and was one that “all students” would know and have “lots of prepared analysis for”, unlike the Romeo and Juliet extract, they said.
“Students liked the question but many said they had to read the extract several times to find something to comment on,” they added.
Students ‘mortified’
The extract also generated debate on social media.
English teacher Grace Johnston posted on X that she had complained about the “lack of parity” between the extract and other texts in the paper, and said she believed students who had studied Romeo and Juliet could be “at a significant disadvantage”.
Have raised a complaint with AQA about the lack of parity between the R+J extract and all other texts on yesterday’s paper. I believe that students who study RJ could be at a significant disadvantage and examiners need to be trained around this to ensure equity #TeamEnglish - Miss Johnston (@Miss_GJohnston) May 14, 2024
Another user posted that students were “mortified” because the extract is “obscure and of very little significance to the whole text”.
A spokesperson for AQA said its subject experts “think carefully when they write exam questions so that they are the same level of difficulty across all options”.
Examiners mark the paper using the same mark scheme, “which makes sure that the same demonstration of skills receives the same reward - regardless of which text a student has studied”, they added.
After students have sat an exam, their performance is analysed across different optional questions to make sure the level of difficulty in the questions was comparable, the spokesperson said.
“If we find that there was a difference in difficulty between two optional questions then we can take this into account before we issue results, making sure that exams are fair to all students, past and present.”
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Use this video to help you improve the thesis statements that you write for your GCSE English literature essays.The sample sentences that you use for many di...
The examination rubric by which GCSE English writing performance is assessed, influenced by a long history of variable 'tastes', may now be said to describe 'good writing' as that which is grammatically accurate, sophisticated, and suited to purpose, genre and audience. ... Watch this thesis statement from a GCSE essay on Music go from ...
Underline the key words of the question. Annotate the exam paper (this is especially great if you are answering an essay question that also includes an extract) Establish your own argument, or viewpoint, based on the key words of the question. Write down your overarching argument (this is often called a "thesis statement") at the top of ...
As Paper 1 requires you to answer two questions in 1hr 45min, you have 52 and a half minutes to plan, write and check your 19th-century novel essay. A good rule of thumb is to spend: 7 minutes analysing the question and the extract. 7-10 minutes of planning. 30-35 minutes of writing.
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Step 2: Write your initial answer. After some initial research, you can formulate a tentative answer to this question. At this stage it can be simple, and it should guide the research process and writing process. The internet has had more of a positive than a negative effect on education.
Revision notes on Structuring the Essay for the AQA GCSE English Literature syllabus, written by the English Literature experts at Save My Exams. ... An introduction with a thesis statement; A number of paragraphs (three is ideal!), each covering a separate point. It's a great idea to start each paragraph with a topic sentence;
Learn how to write a successful thesis statement in Part 1 of our Essay Writing Guide. Read this 2022 update of our popular guide.
If you need to write an essay for your English or English Literature class, you'll need to know how to write a thesis statement. What's a thesis statement, a...
File previews. pptx, 826.38 KB. Works pupils through how to write a thesis statement for GCSE. The purpose of this lesson is to build students' confidence in thesis writing, linking the thesis statement to the body of the essay and encourages students to explore the thought process behind each step. The purpose of this lesson is to ...
A thesis is the main idea of your essay and includes your stance (opinion). A good thesis statement will direct the structure of your essay and will allow the reader to understand the ideas to be discussed within your paper. A thesis is usually stated in the opening paragraphs of a paper, most often in the last sentences of the introduction.
Introduction #1: [give out handout introduction overview] - ask students to read the introduction model and see how the four sections are structured. Highlight how the thesis links to the question, provides the key sections of the essay and provides a stance. Thesis Statements #2: students read through the different structures and 'notice ...
Main Body. There should be at least 3 paragraphs which make up the main body of your essay . You could... Examine relationships between characters (conflict between Mr Birling & the Inspector and class, Eva & Gerald's relationship and gender) Examine a specific character (Sheila and social mobility/gender, Eva the fallen woman/working class)
GCSE; WJEC; Responding to a fiction text - WJEC Structuring an essay - Writing the main body. In an extended response essay to a fiction text you can talk about character, setting, themes and ...
Using evidence. Evidence is the foundation of an effective essay and provides proof for your points. For an essay about a piece of literature, the best evidence will come from the text itself ...
pptx, 9.85 MB. pptx, 3.73 MB. Some really useful resources for helping pupils craft thesis statements at GCSE for English Literature. This can be used for all exam boards and texts! Includes: Printable resources. Full masterclass to deliver to pupils. Thesis statement "hacks" and sentence starters.
This is a short powerpoint guiding students through extended reading responses in English, showing them the core ingredients of good introductions and conlusions, whilst also providing modelled examples of effective and ineffective essay style.
How do you come up with a strong thesis statement in english lit? My english teacher said we should include a big idea in our main point, which is in our thesis statement. E.G if we were asked about Scrooges redemption we could say something like "Dickens uses religion as a vehicle for scrooges redemption", the big idea is religion.
4. Gerald confesses he had an affair with Eva. The Inspector forces Gerald to confess to an affair he had with Eva. Sheila respects Gerald's honesty but returns the engagement ring he gave her. Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like The name Eva, The name Smith, The name Daisy and more.
2. Identify the key words of the question. The key words are the focus of the question: the specific themes or ideas the examiners want you to focus on. For the above question, the key words of the question are "ideas about power and control". This is the theme the examiners want you to explore in your essay.
Model Answer Breakdown. The commentary for the below model answer as arranged by assessment objective: each paragraph has commentary for a different assessment objective, as follows: The model answer answers the following question: Level 6, full-mark answer: In London, William Blake is concerned with how human power can be used to control and ...
After you've figured out your anchor word or phrase, begin to examine the question. In this video, I'm demonstrating a way of engaging with the question and...
Teachers warn exam board AQA that some students were at a disadvantage in this year's GCSE English literature paper. 21st May 2024, 12:40pm. Jasmine Norden. Teachers have warned that GCSE English literature students could be disadvantaged by a "difficult" and "obscure" Shakespeare extract. Some teachers say they have complained to ...
An introduction with a thesis statement; A number of paragraphs (three is ideal!), each covering a separate point. It's a great idea to start each paragraph with a topic sentence; A conclusion; Introduction. Your introduction should aim to clearly, and briefly, answer the question; The best way to do this is to include a thesis statement
Thesis statement. A thesis statement is your overall argument. It should be your personal "take" on the essay question. It forms the whole of your introduction. Topic sentences. A topic sentence is the first sentence of a paragraph. It is a sub-point of your thesis statement (and so should be directly related to it)