Continuing our look at the Examiner’s Reports for the 2018 GCSE English Literature exams, as with English Language, students had much to feel proud about. Examiners were bowled over by the creativity displayed by many candidates and the analysis of their set texts. As always there were areas for improvement and we’ve summarised these below […]
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The dust has finally settled on the 2018 exams; students have received their results and the examiners have now published their reports. This year, although examiners found lots to commend students and saw improvements throughout the English Language and Literature exams, they also identified a number of areas where some students struggled. Below are […]
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This year’s AQA examiner reports for French, Spanish and German GCSE exams were extremely positive, the transition from controlled assessment to exam went well in general and students had been correctly entered into the right tier. Here’s a short summary of their advice to students. Read. Then re-read Some students lost points for mistakes caused […]
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AQA has released its examiner reports for the AQA A Level History exams which took place in the summer. The reports overall have been really positive, with students generally performing well. We have summarized the key issues that the examiners found students needed to improve, and collated some free content that address these issues to […]
Read moreRebecca Geoghegan is a secondary English teacher and former whole school Literacy Lead with 15 years experience of teaching KS3, GCSE and A Level. There are no short cuts to getting good grades in GCSE English Language, but the development of two key areas can support students in feeling confident when they walk into […]
Read moreIn our first blog post we focused our attention on young people’s motivation. What does history have to offer them? If we’re clear about why we’re teaching what we’re teaching (instead of just saying that they ‘need it for their exam’), then we’re much better equipped to plan effectively and help students to engage with new ideas and […]
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This week, I want to add a couple of ideas, just lightly, to what I said last week. I was presenting an argument back then, feeling the urgency of TOK’s goal to engage critically with the world. In a more mellow mood today, I’m recommending much “softer” class materials, with a gentler touch that leaves […]
Read moreThe national school curriculum is changing in Wales, do you know what you should be doing to prepare? In April 2019, Welsh Government will publish the new curriculum documents in draft format. All schools will be expected to use these documents to prepare for their statutory introduction in September 2022. To help you prepare we’ve […]
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The days are getting shorter, the nights are drawing in, and it’s the time of year when things go bump in the night. Don’t be afraid, this month’s reading list is mostly full of monsters that will tickle your funny bone, but we’ve thrown in a few spine-tingling tales, for those who are feeling brave […]
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Science, like every subject, has its own vocabulary. Sometimes it can feel like we are learning a different language, before we can even begin to understand Science. This vocabulary gap can lead students to be disengaged and disruptive in the classroom as well as underachieving in their exams and it is not just EAL students […]
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