The Oxford Team had a fairly large collective To Be Read pile and an impending holiday approaching offering quality reading time. So was any progress made and were there any last minute substitutions? A few members of the team let us know! Susie: The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare “I did not complete the Infernal Devices series! I watched […]
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This much-anticipated holiday is the ideal time to make a start on reading your To Be Read pile! Members of the Oxford English and Secondary Schools marketing team share what they will be reading this festive period. Kirsty: The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead, this Pulitzer Prize winning novel tells the story of Cora and […]
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Part of our series of posts that focus on a key character from exam set texts. Offering alternative interpretations and insights, these are ideal for sharing with students as they revise and prepare for their English Literature exams. ‘Everything’s all right now, Sheila.’ For me, Gerald Croft is in many ways the most interesting character […]
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Part of our series of posts that focus on a key character from exam set texts. Offering alternative interpretations and insights, these are ideal for sharing with students as they revise and prepare for their English Literature exams. “I am the drudge and toil in your delight” When we first meet the Nurse in Act […]
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Part of our series of posts that focus on a key character from exam set texts. Offering alternative interpretations and insights, these are ideal for sharing with students as they revise and prepare for their English Literature exams. “Virtue itself turns nice, being misapplied” When we are introduced to Friar Lawrence, it is via his […]
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Author: Gwen Nelson The literature NEAs involve a comparison of different texts, linked via a theme, form, or authorial method with application of literary criticism. It is a demanding piece of work which is worth 20% of the A-Level as a whole. There are varying approaches across Centres, with some choosing to use one common […]
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Author: Gwen Nelson Reading a set for exam reports for AS and A-Level for different versions of the A-Level course is no mean feat, but nowhere near as difficult as actually doing the marking and leading a bunch of exhausted assistant examiners. So, to all assistant examiners and team leaders, I thank you for a […]
Read more We’re now three years into what is still being referred to as the ‘new spec’, and students, teachers and examiners have settled into a pattern of expectation: most students know what to do in the exam, teachers teach it and examiners examine it. Something is obviously working because results continue to get better year on […]
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It’s now the third time through the A levels for the new (ish) reformed A level specifications, or the fourth time round if you count the AS exams (which are now sat by just a quarter of those who took them 2 years ago). That usually means that teachers and students are getting more used […]
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In September, when school resumes, new shoes pinch and a seastorm of priorities swirl, the following question is posed to English departments across the country by piranha-like headteachers: how will you help students do better in literature next year? There’s no silver bullet, of course, but some golden advice is contained in examiners’ reports. These […]
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