Student Resources

This page contains various resources for GCSE English, A-level English Language and Communication Studies. They are materials I have put together for my own teaching over a number of years. I have recently overhauled the site to make it clearer and easier to use.

I also post occasional links to articles and other documents that seem to me of interest to A-level English Language students and their teachers: Pick 'n' Mix.

If you're keen on competitive debating, you may like our regular debating blog. It contains information about our weekly debates (including audio), news about competitions, and other stuff from this addictive school activity.

All of the files can be downloaded, by right-clicking on the underlined text and choosing 'save as'.


GCSE A/A* REVISION ARCHIVE

These are the resources I used at this session for GCSE students aiming for that elusive-but-so-satisfying A* grade in English. Note that all GCSE specifications changed from 2016, so these resources may not directly correspond to the examination you are sitting.

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GCSE REVISION ARCHIVE

I've added some PDF resources here from my GCSE revision sessions (especially about moving from C to B to A). Note that all GCSE specifications changed from 2016, so these resources may not directly correspond to the examination you are sitting.


GCSE ENGLISH ADVICE & PRACTICE

I have been testing out various new ideas and resources for developing reading and writing skills with my Year 11 classes. They are collected here. Note that all GCSE specifications changed from 2016, so these resources may not directly correspond to the examination you are sitting.

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GCSE ENGLISH ARCHIVE

Because of the big emphasis on getting as many students as possible to gain C or higher in GCSE English and Maths, I get asked to do lots of talks to students, teachers and school leaders about what are the key ingredients for grade C and grade A/A*.

Since April 2010, I've begun to store all the resources here, and will keep adding to them as I write them. As ever, they're free, but not all will make sense without attending the original talk. Note that all GCSE specifications changed from 2016, so these resources may not directly correspond to the examination you are sitting.

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GCSE REVISION SUMMARIES:

"C in English - guaranteed" handout is a simple and straightforward guide to how to write well. You won't become a C grade writer just by downloading and reading it: you need to practise the advice a bit, to get the approach into your bloodstream.

But if you do that, it will work, and you'll find yourself a more confident and effective writer. In fact, you'll probably end up getting higher than a grade C. Let me know if you do!

Here's the companion handout: "How to get an A* at GCSE". Good luck.


GCSE RESOURCES ARCHIVE:

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A-LEVEL ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARCHIVE

Accent & Dialect:

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Child Language Acquisition:

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Gender:

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Language & Race:

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Language Change:

Misc Theory:

Editorial Writing:

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Revision:

A-LEVEL ENGLISH LANGUAGE

I teach the A2 AQA English Language Change unit. Here are some of the resources I have produced:

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SIXTH FORM LITERACY WORKSHOPS

I have been running a series of 30-minute workshops for Year 12 students (not just English students) on effective writing. The handout is here:


COMMUNICATION STUDIES

Technology:

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Media Ethics:

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Models & Approaches:

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Theory Sheets:

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