English GCSE Revision
Astor College
Reading
Astor College offers two different types of entry for GCSE English. There is the Foundation tier and the Highertier. The Foundation tier allows pupils to achieve a grade G-C; the Higher tier allows pupils to achieve a grade D-A*. We carefully monitor each pupil to decide tier they should be entered to sit. This is decided by assessing their predicted grade, current ability, potential and their attitude to learning.
On this page we will explain the examination and also offer tips. We will focus on the Reading examintion here and you can read about the Writing examination by selecting the menu 'GCSE English Language'
The Reading examination lasts for one hour. It tests the ability to read non-fiction texts and locate relevant information. It also tests the pupils ability to communicate this information in a clear and coherent way. This exam is worth 30% of the final GCSE grade.
GCSE English - WJEC Examination Board
Useful Links to help with revision:
Foundation Tier Past Papers
http://pastpapers.download.wjec.co.uk/a12-4171-01a.pdf
http://pastpapers.download.wjec.co.uk/w13-4171-01-a.pdf
Higer Tier Past Papers
http://pastpapers.download.wjec.co.uk/s12-4171-02a.pdf
http://pastpapers.download.wjec.co.uk/w13-4171-02a.pdf
Always remember to PEE on the page!
There is an extremely simple and efficent way to achieve a top grade in the Reading examination. This is called the PEE procedure; PEE stands for POINT, EVIDENCE and EXPLAIN.
POINT - Introduce the main idea of your answer. This only needs to be a single sentence.
EVIDENCE - This is a piece of the text that backs up your answer and acts as proof to your point. This can be a single word, a few words or a sentence.
EXPLAIN - Tell the reader what this means by explaining what this quote means and what it tells us.
I think that Hamlet is unsure about his future life. My evidence for this is that he states 'To be, or not to be, That is the question'. This means that he is considering his options in life and is trying to decide if he wants to continue his life.
Reading Exam Practice
By clicking on the link below you can access revision materials and tasks directly from WJEC. This will help you prepare for the reading section of your examinations. Every task attached to this link is there to help you with all the different types of questions you could encounter in the exam.
