GCSE English changes

In the last two years there have been a number of reforms made to the education system which has included a various changes to the GCSE English exam content and grading structure. Firstly, both GCSE English Literature and Language will be graded from 1-9 with 9 being a grade above the old A*. This is to help further differentiate students at the top end of the grading system. Secondly there have been a number of changes made to the syllabus which has meant the exam boards AQA, OCR and Edexcel have all produced new specifications which will be examined for the first time in the 2017 examination series. Many English teachers and tutors feel that this year's exams are likely to be more difficult than the previous few and indeed the statistics show quite clearly that when a new syllabus and exam structure is introduced the first year exam marks are considerably lower. We think this is due to the unknowns when it comes to the exams. It is no secret that past papers are the key revision resource that all students revise from and these are less effective when the exam and specifications have changed. We encourage all students not to be concerned about the changes and to focus on covering and learning the material that is relevant for the exam. Where the old past papers test the same materials these will still be a useful and an effective revision resource.

If you would like some additional support working through the new GCSE English course then please get in touch with Harrogate Tutors and we can discuss your requirements