English

Why is the subject important?

Our English curriculum at Trinity Academy Halifax equips all students with the functional skills needed for later life, whilst nurturing a passion and love of literature from across the world. We work as a team to ensure that our curriculum is tailored and differentiated to meet the needs of our cohort to allow each of our students the opportunity to thrive in English and beyond.

Through the study of English Literature, our students develop a knowledge of and embrace cultural capital through a variety of well-considered texts across the English cannon; students are exposed to a range of contextual backgrounds and momentous historical events. These underpin and explore our core values as a school.

Through the study of English Language, we foster the analytical thinking of our students in order to develop their inquisitive natures which will empower them to criticise the things that they read, see and hear in the modern world. It is our aim to ensure that students have a comprehensive vocabulary to access and articulate challenging ideas. We endeavour to teach students a range of oracy and literacy skills which make them effective communicators across a range of modes and mediums.

Year 7

What will I be studying?

  • Gothic Horror 
  • Crime  
  • Romance and Violence  

Career Links 

Careers – Career pathways include: drama, performing, the police, detectives, stage director, prop designer, costume designer.

Employability skills – Students will develop the ability to comprehend a variety of writing styles and to critically analyse texts.

How will I be assessed?

There are six assessments over the course of the year. They are broken down into three reading assessments and three writing assessments. 

  • Assessment 1: Writing assessment – Fiction writing assessment linked thematically to Gothic Horror and Darren Shan’s Cirque du Freak. 
  • Assessment 2: Reading assessment – Non-fiction reading assessment linked thematically to crime fiction and Robert Swindell’s Stone Cold. 
  • Assessment 3: Reading assessment – Fiction reading assessment linked thematically to The Hound of the Baskervilles. 
  • Assessment 4: Writing assessment – Non-fiction writing assessment linked thematically to The Hound of the Baskervilles. 
  • Assessment 5: Writing assessment – Fiction writing assessment linked thematically to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. 
  • Assessment 6: Reading assessment – Non-fiction reading assessment linked thematically to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. 

Knowledge Organisers

  • Term 1 – Cirque Du Freak 
  • Term 2 – Stone Cold 
  • Term 3 – The Hound of the Baskervilles 
  • Term 4 – The Hound of the Baskervilles 
  • Term 5 – Romeo and Juliet  
  • Term 6 – Romeo and Juliet 

All Knowledge Organisers are based on knowledge of spelling, punctuation, vocabulary, grammar and text types in relation to the class topics.

Which websites should I use to support my learning?

What will I be studying? 

  • Cultural empathy 
  • Poems of canon, contemporary and culture 
  • Short stories 
  • Mystery 
  • Social Responsibility 

Career Links

Careers – Career pathways include: politics, site managing, tradespeople, investigator, speech writer, motivational speaker.

Employability skills – How to use rhetoric devices within non-fiction writing styles such as articles, letters and speeches.

How will I be assessed?

There are six assessments over the course of the year. They are broken down into three reading assessments and three writing assessments. 

  • Assessment 1: Writing assessment – Non-fiction writing assessment linked thematically to cultural empathy and Benjamin Zephaniah’s Refugee Boy. 
  • Assessment 2: Reading assessment – Non-fiction reading assessment linked thematically to cultural empathy and Benjamin Zephaniah’s Refugee Boy. 
  • Assessment 3: Reading assessment – poetry analysis. 
  • Assessment 4: Writing assessment – Fiction writing assessment linked to the short stories students have been studying. 
  • Assessment 5: Writing assessment – Non-fiction writing assessment linked thematically to J.B. Priestley’s An Inspector Calls. 
  • Assessment 6: Reading assessment – Non-fiction reading assessment linked thematically to Social Responsibility. 

Knowledge Organisers

  • Term 1 – Refugee Boy 
  • Term 2 – Refugee Boy 
  • Term 3 – Poetry 
  • Term 4 – Short Stories 
  • Term 5 – An Inspector Calls 
  • Term 6 – Social Responsibility 

All Knowledge Organisers are based on knowledge of spelling, punctuation, vocabulary, grammar and text types in relation to the class topics.

Which websites should I use to support my learning?

What will I be studying?

  • An Introduction to Tragedy, and Shakespeare’s Othello 
  • Civil unrest* 
  • Global issues 
  • Poetry of the world 

Career Links

Careers – Career pathways include: drama, performing, screenwriting, acting, directing and producing.

Employability skills – Equips students with the empathetic and sympathetic abilities they need to excel in their adult lives.

How will I be assessed?

  • Assessment 1: Reading and analysis – using an extract from Animal Farm, students will be assessed on their ability to understand an extract and analyse language, whilst considering the context of a text to enhance their understanding.* 
  • Assessment 2: Reading and analysis – students will respond to a question based on their knowledge of the whole novel (Animal Farm).* 
  • Assessment 3: Reading and analysis skills – using an extract from Othello, students will be assessed on their ability to understand an extract and analyse language. 
  • Assessment 4: Reading and analysis skills – students will respond to a question based on their knowledge of the whole play (Othello). 
  • Assessment 5: Non-fiction writing based on the students’ own opinions on the Global Issues unit explored this term. 
  • Assessment 6: Poetry analysis.  

*These terms are running differently this year (22–23) due to an alteration to the curriculum. 

Knowledge Organisers

  • Term 1 – Animal Farm 
  • Term 2 – Animal Farm 
  • Term 3 – Othello 
  • Term 4 – Othello 
  • Term 5 – Global Issues 
  • Term 6 – Poetry  

All Knowledge Organisers are based on knowledge of spelling, punctuation, vocabulary, grammar and text types in relation to the class topics.

Which websites should I use to support my learning?

What will I be studying? 

  • AQA English Language Paper 1: Explorations in creative writing and reading
  • AQA English Language Paper 2: Writers’ viewpoints and perspectives

Career Links

Year 10

Careers – Career pathways include: journalism, emergency services, administration, sales, customer service, teaching and hospitality.

Employability skills – The ability to read and write in a variety of registers and make links between texts and the wider world.

Year 11

Careers – Career pathways include: writing, authoring, editor, proofreading, copywriting,
social media content creation and marketing.

Employability skills – Students are developing revision practices and are practicing how to construct convincing arguments, both verbally and in writing.

How will I be assessed? 

Paper 1: Explorations in Creative Reading and Writing

Section A: Reading

  • One literature fiction text

Section B: Writing

  • Descriptive or narrative writing

 Written exam: 1 hour 45 minutes

80 marks

50% of GCSE

Questions:

Reading (40 marks) (25%) – four questions based on one previously unseen fiction text

Writing (40 marks) (25%) – one extended writing question (24 marks for content, 16 marks for technical accuracy)

 

Paper 2: Writers’ Viewpoints and Perspectives

Section A: Reading

  • One non-fiction text and one literary non-fiction text

Section B: Writing

  • Writing to present a viewpoint

 Written exam: 1 hour 45 minutes

80 marks

50% of GCSE

Questions:

Reading (40 marks) (25%) – four questions based on two previously unseen non-fiction texts

Writing (40 marks) (25%) – one extended writing question (24 marks for content, 16 marks for technical accuracy)

Non-examination Assessment: Spoken Language

  • Presenting
  • Responding to questions and feedback
  • Use of Standard English

Which examination board am I following? 

Exam Board: AQA

Specification: 8700

Website: https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/english/gcse/english-language-8700

Which websites should I use to support my learning? 

What will I be studying?

  • English Literature Paper 1: Shakespeare and the 19th century novel
  • English Literature Paper 2: Modern texts and poetry

Studied Content:

  • Macbeth (Shakespeare)
  • A Christmas Carol (19th century novel)
  • Blood Brothers (Modern text)
  • Power and Conflict Poetry (Poetry)
  • Unseen Poetry (Unseen)

Career Links

Year 10

Careers – Career pathways include: journalism, emergency services, administration, sales, customer service, teaching and hospitality.

Employability skills – The ability to read and write in a variety of registers and make links between texts and the wider world.

Year 11

Careers – Career pathways include: writing, authoring, editor, proofreading, copywriting, social media content creation and marketing.

Employability skills – Students are developing revision practices and are practicing how to construct convincing arguments, both verbally and in writing.

How will I be assessed?

Paper 1: Shakespeare and the 19th century novel

How it is assessed:

  • Written exam: 1 hour 45 minutes
  • 64 marks
  • 40% of GCSE

Questions:

Section A: Shakespeare (34 marks): Students will answer one question on their play of choice. They will be required to write in detail about an extract from the play and then to write about the play as a whole.

Section B: The 19th century novel (30 marks): Students will answer one question on their novel of choice. They will be required to write in detail about an extract from the novel and then to write about the novel as a whole.

Paper 2: Modern texts and poetry

How it is assessed:

  • Written exam: 2 hour 15 minutes
  • 96 marks
  • 60% of GCSE

Questions:

Section A: Modern texts (34 marks): Students will answer one essay question from a choice of two on their studied modern prose or drama text.

Section B: Poetry (30 marks): Students will answer one comparative question on one named poem printed on the paper and one other poem from their chosen anthology cluster.

Section C: Unseen poetry (32 marks): Students will answer one question on one unseen poem and one question comparing this poem with a second unseen poem.

Which examination board am I following?

Exam Board: AQA

Specification: 8702

Website: https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/english/gcse/english-literature-8702

Which websites should I use to support my learning?

Ofsted Outstanding Provider
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