WJEC Eduqas

GCSE English Language

Component 1
Component 1- Aims of the Session
• Brief reminder of Reading and Writing assessment
objectives
• To consider the Principal Examiner’s key messages
and lessons learnt (June 2019 series)
• To focus on Reading skills of analysis (AO2) and
evaluation (AO4)
• To review a number of candidate responses
focusing on Q04, Q05 and Q11 with marking
exercises
• To consider possible approaches to narrative writing
and resources available to support teaching and
learning
COMPONENT 1
ASSESSMENT OBJECTIVES – READING

AO1 Identify and interpret explicit and implicit information and

ideas
(assessed in Question 01)
AO2 Explain, comment on and analyse how writers use language
and structure to achieve effects and influence readers, using
relevant subject terminology to support their views
(assessed in Questions 02, 03 and 04)
AO4 Evaluate texts critically and support this with appropriate textual
references
(assessed in Question 05)

Each Reading question targets ONE assessment objective.

Principal Examiner’s Key Messages: Section A-Reading

• Read the text and the questions carefully

• Identify the focus of the question. This summer some
candidates focused on Jonathan instead of Frances in
Q02 losing them valuable marks
• Track the section of text methodically to help structure
responses to the questions
• Don’t go outside the lines indicated in questions 1-4
• Link comments and inferences to textual evidence
• Avoid unsupported assertions e.g. ‘It is overwhelming as
a father to have kids and try to do everything best for
them and succeed is difficult’ (part of a candidate’s
response to Q05)
 Principal Examiner’s Key Messages: Section A-Reading
• How a writer achieves effects is a matter of content as
well as authorial devices - ‘what’ as well as ‘how’
• Maintain a coherent stance when responding to the
evaluation question (Q05)
• Use of subject terminology should be relevant and
support points made
• Avoid searching for devices as a starting point to
questions that assess AO2 and focus on the text itself
• Time management- answer all the questions ‘Nothing
will come of nothing.’ Don’t spend too long on the five
mark questions at the expense of the 10 mark
questions
WJEC Eduqas
GCSE English Language
Assessment in practice: Component 1
Question 04
AO2 Explain, comment on and analyse how
writers use language and structure to achieve
effects and influence readers, using relevant
subject terminology to support their views.
Component 1 Assessment in Practice
Question 04

What are Frances’ thoughts and feelings in these lines? How does the writer show
her thoughts and feelings?
Candidates should take note
You should write about: of bullet points where they
are given.
[10 marks]
Question spilt into two parts
allowing credit to be given for
understanding Frances’ thoughts
and feelings and authorial
method.

• what happens in these lines

• the writer's use of language

You must refer to the language in the text to support your answer, using relevant
subject terminology where appropriate. A reminder to the candidates of the
importance of selecting appropriate
textual evidence to support points
Any subject terminology used in a response
should be relevant and not just ‘feature
spotting’
Characteristics of a successful Response
• The section of text is tracked carefully
• Dialogue and action is considered as well as
the effect of the omniscient narrator
• There are a range of relevant points
• Points are supported with appropriate
evidence from the text
• Analysis of the writer’s techniques is
focused and coherent.
• Use of subject terminology is relevant and is
embedded in the response
Characteristics of a less successful response
• Points made do not always focus on the
question
• Only one of the bullet points is considered
• The response drifts outside the specified
lines
• Devices are ‘spotted’ with little explanation
of effect
• Little attempt to analyse language
• Range is limited for a 10 mark question
• Too much‘ copying’ and describing rather
than selection and analysis
Question 05
AO4 Evaluate texts critically and
support this with appropriate
textual references.
Component 1 Assessment in Practice
Question 05 Focus of
question
‘The writer presents Jonathan as a failure as a father and a husband.’
Indicates AO4 is being
How far do you agree with this view? assessed
[10 marks]
Give own opinions keeping
You should write about: focus of question in mind

• your thoughts and feelings about Jonathan and how he is presented in the
passage as a whole
• how the writer has created these thoughts and feelings
Opinions should be supported
You must refer to the text to support your answer. with relevant textual
evidence.
Component 1 Assessment in Practice
Activity

• Read the three examples of candidate

responses for Q05 (the evaluation question)

• Rank order them

• Using the marking scheme provided, discuss

on your tables the strengths and weaknesses
of each
Characteristics of a successful response
• The response considers the whole passage
• Clear focus on the statement given
• Opinions are always supported with appropriate
evidence from the text
• The response has a coherent stance
• There is evaluation of authorial methods and how
these methods have shaped the reader’s
opinions, ‘the reader’s perception of the character
developed and changed as the story progressed
to its conclusion’ (excerpt from Principal
Examiner’s Report)
Characteristics of a less successful response
• Points made do not focus on the
statement
• The range of points is limited to a
small part of the text
• Opinions are not fully supported
• Opinions lack clarity of thought
• Limited understanding of how the
writer shapes the reader’s response to
a character
Section B: Creative Prose Writing
‘…it is pleasing to be able to report that
there was more quality in the writing,
particularly in terms of content. Some
pieces were really outstanding.’
(Component 1 Principal Examiner’s
Report 2019)
COMPONENT 1
ASSESSMENT OBJECTIVES - WRITING
WRITING (50% of the overall qualification)

AO5 Communicate clearly, effectively, and imaginatively,

selecting and adapting tone, style and register for
different forms, purposes and audiences;
Organise information and ideas, using structural and
grammatical features to support coherence and cohesion
of texts.

AO6 Candidates must use a range of vocabulary and sentence

structures for clarity, purpose and effect, with accurate
spelling and punctuation. (This requirement constitutes
20% of the marks for the specification as a whole.)
Principal Examiner’s Key Messages Q11
• Choice of titles worked well and gave candidates
opportunities to write from personal experience or to create
imaginative fiction
• Five/ten minutes spent planning the narrative is time well
spent
• The narrative should be coherent and cohesive - don’t lose
the plot
• Description within the narrative helps to develop character,
setting etc. … but a pure description will be self limiting as it
will lack narrative plot and drive
• Structure-importance of paragraphs and openings and
endings
Principal Examiner’s Key Messages Q11
• No novellas - keep the timeline, number of
characters and number of ‘events’ manageable
• Organising a narrative to meet a fixed conclusion
(“Write a story which ends: …) requires thought and
planning. Candidates need to have a clear sense of
where they are going if they opt for this task
• Time should be allocated to check technical
accuracy, especially commas, full stops, and
speech punctuation
• Tenses should be consistent unless there is a valid
reason not to do so
COMPONENT 1: SECTION B - WRITING
24 marks are awarded for communication and organisation; 16
marks are awarded for vocabulary, sentence structure, spelling and
punctuation.

Choice of titles (candidates choose one):

• Write about a time when you broke the rules.

• The Wedding.

• A memory of primary school.

• Write a story which ends:

…and that was the worst job of my life.

[40 marks]
Component 1 Assessment in Practice
Sharing good practice.

1.Look at the additional task specific guidance in your ‘Excerpts from

Marking Scheme’ booklet. How could this be used with pupils to help
them improve their narrative writing?

2. Look at the suggested approach to teaching narrative writing used

by an English department in your Component 1 booklet. On your
table, consider other approaches which have worked well in the
classroom.

3. Match the openings and endings of the four narratives in your

Component 1 booklet. Why might this be a useful activity to do with
pupils?
Characteristics of a successful response
• The narrative clearly links to one of the specified titles
• Whether writing from the imagination or real experience, there
is enough detail and development to give the story a feeling of
authenticity
• The plot has a sense of purpose and direction and engages
the reader
• Characterisation is developed and sustained
• Details and development of plot and character are convincing
• Vocabulary choices are relevant and effective
• Spelling and punctuation is checked and ‘basics’ are used
consistently accurately
• Ideas are linked and the response is cohesive and coherent.
It ‘makes sense’.
Characteristics of a less successful response
• Response isn’t linked to one of the specified titles
• The plot is hard to follow and there is a lack of
cohesion/coherency
• The structure of the narrative is uncertain
• There are too many characters with limited
development
• The ending is abrupt and makes little sense (or feels
like the end of a different story)
• Basic punctuation such as, full stops, commas and
speech punctuation are missing or inaccurate
• Tenses are insecure
 Component 1 Narrative Writing
Possible Approaches

Pupils can have issues with ‘fleshing out’ their ideas. Often their narratives
can become formulaic and become a list of events, ignoring story
conventions.
Exercise 1
Introduce the idea of story techniques/ narrative hooks.
Take a film/ book/play they will be familiar with and reduce it to a sentence
or two. For example:
Titanic = A massive ship hits an iceberg and sinks and lots of people die.
Romeo and Juliet = two teenagers fall in love and can’t be together so they
end up killing themselves!
This can then lead to a discussion about what things are missing. What
makes a story and gets people interested?
 Component 1 – Narrative Writing
Exercise 2: Record ideas as a list to use, adapt
and refer back to.
Possible list of story techniques ( to be adapted according to ability and class
discussion)

1. Structure- a clear idea or purpose to drive the narrative forward

2. Characterisation- primary/main and secondary and their role
3. Consideration of setting and its influence
4. Plot twists- foreshadowing or hinting at a problem or issue
5. Time and sequence- a logical (or not!) progression of events. This may include
flashbacks/flashforwards. (Warning-tense control can be difficult)
6. Introduction of the new! This could be a character or event
7. Atmosphere- a sense of conflict or a building of tension
8. The narrative perspective
9. The narrative voice
10. Effective/convincing openings and endings
 Component 1- Narrative Writing
Exercise 3
Use the clock as a planning tool to try to develop
narrative ideas.

Once the pupils have the list, they can then start to
plan their own ideas using the clock planning
framework.
The idea of this is to spend 5 minutes on each
section but they could write the story using the
headings to guide them.
This can be easily adapted according to ability.
 TASK: Spend 5 Title chosen.
minutes on each Explain why you Structure: Main idea
What happens at the end?
section to plan have chosen it.
your story
Wri
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op e
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g pa
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rap o u
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o
Wh

Perspective: Who is your narrator? Describe the setting

Wha
ry t iss u
b ul a es an
voca T im d pr
tive w! el i ob l e
ms o
e effec n e ne cc ur ?
. Us g of
e re h in ev
os p h et en
Atm s om ts-
wh
wi th at
p h ap
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M ne
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Narrative Writing Resources