Planning and teaching

• Your guide to the changes for 2021 PDF 114KB

• English Language one-year planner This one year curriculum planner provides a suggested approach for schools and FE institutions teaching GCSE English Language to post-16 students, including those taking it as a retake course. PDF 179KB
• Support highlights A comprehensive collection of resources to help you quickly get up to speed in the classroom and support your students in preparing for exams. These materials will focus your teaching on individual abilities of students, help determine their capabilities and above all save you time. PDF 618KB
• English Language and English Literature two-year planner (thematic) This two-year curriculum planner provides a suggested thematic approach for schools co-teaching GCSE English Language and GCSE English Literature. PDF 244KB
• English Language and English Literature three-year planner This three-year curriculum planner provides a suggested approach for schools teaching both GCSE English Language and GCSE English Literature from year 9. The year 9 course of study uses our Living Texts level 1 and 2 coursework qualification as its structural basis to prepare students for KS4. PDF 216KB
• English Language and English Literature two-year planner This two-year curriculum planner provides a suggested approach for schools co-teaching GCSE English Language and GCSE English Literature. It breaks the course down into Language and Literature elements to be studied under particular topic areas. PDF 246KB

Delivery guides (PDF)

Delivery guides (online)

• Scheme of work Sample scheme of work for GCSE English Language. DOC 222KB
• Build scheme of work

• 19th century literature texts: dual identity Supporting activities for 19th century literature texts delivery guide. DOCX 114KB
• 19th century literature texts: marriage Supporting activities for 19th century texts literature delivery guide. DOCX 1MB
• 19th century literature texts: marriage teacher instructions Supporting activities for 19th century literature texts delivery guide. PDF 347KB
• 19th century literature texts: scientific advance Supporting activities for 19th century literature texts delivery guide. DOCX 117KB
• Comparing texts through theme This activity supports the development of comparison skills through the themes of ‘City’ and ‘Children and Crime’. DOC 36MB
• Developing comparison skills This activity supports the development of comparison skills for components 01 and 02. PDF 186KB
• Effective writing skills This teaching activity supports teachers in delivering the writing aspect of the GCSE English Language course. DOCX 106KB
• Effective writing skills teacher instructions This teaching activity supports teachers in delivering the writing aspect of the GCSE English Language course. PDF 301KB

• Spoken language skills: listening and responding to questions This resource provides discussion activities to develop students' effective listening and questioning skills, a requirement of the spoken language endorsement. PDF 567KB

• Accessibility of assessment materials - video Accessibility of assessment materials
• GCSE English Language at a glance A clear and simple overview of the final assessment for the qualification, including the spoken language endorsement. PDF 199KB
• Instructions for conducting and recording audio-visual evidence This document provides guidance on the recording of video evidence for the spoken language endorsement. PDF 180KB
• Language and structure Teacher and student guides, developed to support the understanding of the requirements for Assessment Objective 2 (AO2). The resource offers a range of classroom activities, using texts and questions from past OCR papers.  ZIP 541KB
• Moving from modular to linear qualifications

  The guide provides a general introduction to the differences in the two models (linear versus modular) across GCSE and A Level English and the impact on you as a teaching professional.

  PDF 738KB
• Preparing students for their spoken language assessment teacher guide This guide offers some suggested activities for developing students’ spoken language skills throughout the GCSE course and best practice for selecting topic areas for the spoken presentation. PDF 328KB
• Reading skills teacher guide This guide is produced to support teachers in understanding the skills that students are required to demonstrate in the reading sections of components 01 and 02. PDF 3MB
• Reading skills: comparing and evaluating texts (question 4) Teacher guide to support understanding of the requirements for the highest tariff reading question (question 4) in GCSE (9-1) English Language J351/01 and 02. PDF 1MB
• Skills guides
• Spoken language endorsement This document provides an outline of the requirements for the spoken language endorsement. PDF 65KB
• Spoken language endorsement – students with communication issues and/or hearing needs This document provides guidance on arrangements for the spoken language endorsement for students with communication issues and/or hearing needs. PDF 182KB
• Student checklist This document provides a skills checklist to help students with exam preparation. PDF 130KB
• Student guide to exam preparation A brief and practical guide aimed at students. PDF 2MB
• Suggested wider reading list This document provides a list of contemporary authors to support wider reading for component 02. PDF 127KB
• Teacher checklist This document provides a skills checklist to for teachers to help ensure full skill coverage. PDF 132KB
• The little book of spelling, punctuation and grammar (SPaG) This resource is intended as a handy reference tool for students and teachers alike. It covers usage of key spelling, punctuation and grammar terms, recognising that language usage is constantly changing. PDF 2MB
• Unseen 20th and 21st century literary texts This guide provides a bank of unseen texts, suitable for the teaching and delivery of component 02.  Texts have been thematically linked to replicate exam requirements. PDF 2MB
• Writing skills This guide is produced to support teachers in understanding the skills that students are required to demonstrate in the writing sections of components 01 and 02. PDF 6MB

• Responding to texts Focusing on the topic of responding to texts, this guide looks at the transition from KS3 to KS4 curriculum and includes suggested activities and teacher guidance. PDF 572KB
• Responding to texts checkpoint This task will help teachers assess students' current knowledge level. It is designed to be used with the KS3-KS4 transition guide 'Responding to texts'. DOC 361KB

• Building a mock paper using ExamBuilder Instructions on how to create your own mock papers DOCX 920KB
• Example mock papers Three example mock papers built using the ExamBuilder bank of questions ZIP 1MB

• Improving spelling, punctuation and grammar This document lists external resources that are intended to help learners improve their written communication, with a focus on accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar. PDF 231KB

• What's changed in GCSE English This guide, aimed at parents and students, takes you through the content and assessment of English at GCSE level and explains what’s changed in the new GCSE (9-1) English Language and GCSE (9-1) English Literature specifications. PDF 547KB