United Kingdom · National Curriculum Attainment Targets
Year 11 English
This course prepares students for the terminal GCSE requirements by integrating rigorous textual analysis with sophisticated creative and persuasive writing. Students evaluate how writers manipulate language and structure to influence audiences across diverse historical and social contexts.
Power and Conflict in Poetry
Students analyze a cluster of poems focusing on the representation of war, personal identity, and the power of nature.
Exploring how poets use imagery and metaphorical language to depict the physical and psychological reality of war.
Examining how poets construct a sense of self through their relationship with cultural heritage and geographical landscapes.
Developing the skills to synthesize connections between different poems regarding their thematic concerns and stylistic choices.
Shakespearian Tragedy and Social Order
An in-depth study of a Shakespeare play, focusing on the downfall of protagonists and the disruption of the Great Chain of Being.
Investigating the psychological complexity of the tragic hero and the external forces that drive their decline.
Analyzing how Shakespeare uses motifs of the unnatural to reflect political and moral corruption.
Evaluating the impact of stagecraft and staging choices on the interpretation of key scenes.
The Art of Persuasion
Students master the techniques of rhetorical writing and speaking to influence opinions on contemporary social issues.
Learning to identify and deploy ethos, pathos, and logos within formal speeches and articles.
Adapting tone and register for diverse formats including letters, broadsheet articles, and speeches.
Developing confidence in formal presentation and the ability to respond to challenging questions.
Nineteenth Century Fiction
Exploring the social critiques and narrative conventions of the Victorian era through classic novels.
Analyzing how 19th-century authors use characterization to critique the rigid class structures of their time.
Investigating the use of fear, the sublime, and the uncanny in 19th-century literature.
Examining the mechanics of 19th-century storytelling, including serialization and cliffhangers.
Creative Explorations in Narrative
Students develop their own creative writing skills, focusing on descriptive precision and structural control.
Using sophisticated vocabulary and varied sentence structures to create a vivid sense of place.
Developing realistic characters through subtle 'show, don't tell' techniques and authentic dialogue.
Experimenting with non-linear timelines and cyclical narratives to enhance thematic depth.
Unseen Text Analysis and Synthesis
Synthesizing skills to tackle unfamiliar fiction and non-fiction texts under timed conditions.
Applying analytical frameworks to rapidly identify themes and techniques in new literary excerpts.
Comparing how two different non-fiction texts present the same topic through different lenses.
Bringing together evidence from multiple sources to form a coherent and critical judgment.