English

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Perhaps the most famous of Old Greshamians is the great twentieth century poet W H Auden. With such a legacy, which also features John Bradburne and Stephen Spender, it is unsurprising that Gresham’s boasts a very strong English department and a vibrant literary culture.

The department has considerable success in examinations, is a popular option in the Sixth Form and pupils choose to study English Literature or Creative Writing at university. We offer qualifications in both English Literature and English Language at IGCSE and GCSE level and in advanced study we offer A Levels and a choice of IB courses.

YEAR 9: We view Year 9 as an opportunity to foster a love of literature and writing and to simultaneously prepare our pupils for the skills required at GCSE level. All Year 9 pupils begin by studying our conflict unit, which immerses pupils in the poetry of conflict and protest from a global perspective, and which encourages them to become involved in performing and writing poetry. The course has also been designed to make cross-curricular links with the History department in preparation for the Year 9 battlefields trip in the Michaelmas term. We are keen to stretch our pupils by exploring the experience of war and global conflict from multiple perspectives, in settings beyond Europe and in a variety of literary forms. Year 9 pupils then follow a programme of study that includes a close exploration of a nineteenth-century prose text, a modern drama text, the skills of imaginative writing and transactional writing, concluding the year with their Shakespeare play in the summer term. We support and encourage pupils to read for pleasure by providing parents and pupils with a termly reading list of recommended texts which complement each term’s unit of work. There are plenty of events for pupils to immerse themselves in such as: theatre trips, the Gresham’s Poetry Recital Competition and performance and workshops with visiting poets and authors.

GCSE: ENGLISH LANGUAGE: GCSE English Language A (4EN1)

Exam Board Pearson Edexcel

The English Language qualification is assessed through two examinations.

Paper 1: Non-fiction texts and Transactional Writing.

This examination includes short and long answer questions on one non-fiction text from Part 1 of the Edexcel anthology and one unseen text. It also features a transactional writing question.

Paper 2: Poetry and Prose texts and Imaginative Writing.

This examination includes two sections – one essay based on one poetry or prose texts from Part 2 of the Anthology and one imaginative writing task.

IGCSE: ENGLISH LITERATURE: IGCSE English Literature (4ET1)

Exam Board Pearson Edexcel

The Literature course is assessed through one examination (60%) and two pieces of coursework (40%).

Examination: Poetry and Modern Prose.
There are three sections in this exam covering unseen poetry, poetry from Part 3 of the blue anthology and the chosen modern prose text.

Coursework: Modern Drama and Literary Heritage Texts. Both are worth 30 marks.

A LEVEL

Exam Board Pearson Edexcel

Entry requirements: Grade 6 in IGCSE English Literature or equivalent.

The skills learnt through advanced level English are central to the skills required for life: the ability to scrutinise and debate, write comprehensively, argue a point, analyse levels of meaning and communicate ideas clearly – all make pupils highly employable in all sectors.

The course consists of three linear examinations sat at the end of two years and a coursework element for Component 4.

Component 1: Drama
This component is worth 30% of the qualification.
Section A is based on your study of one Shakespeare play (either Tragedy or Comedy).

Section B is based on your study of one other drama text (either Tragedy or Comedy). You may take a clean copy of your drama texts into the exam with you.

Component 2: Prose
This component is worth 20% of the qualification.
Your exam is based on the study of two prose texts from a chosen theme. You will answer one comparative essay question on your two texts.
You may take a clean copy of your prose texts into the exam with you.

Component 3: Poetry
This component is worth 30% of the qualification.
You will study a post-2000 anthology of poetry as well as a selection of poetry by a named poet or movement.
Section A of the exam will ask you to compare one unseen poem written post-2000 with one of the named poems from your studied post-2000 poetry anthology.
Section B of the exam requires you to answer one essay question based on your named poet or movement.
You may take a clean copy of your poetry texts into the exam with you.

Component 4: NEA (Coursework)
This component is worth 20% of the qualification.
You have a free choice of texts to study from poetry, prose fiction, prose non-fiction and drama that may be linked by theme, author, movement or period.
Pupils will produce a comparative essay of 2500-3500 words.

IB ENGLISH A: LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

This course allows pupils to experience a wide range of literary and non-literary texts, covering at least six different text types, from around the world, including some not originally written in English. You will be given opportunities to consider a wide range of different reading perspectives in relation to a diverse range of international texts.

Higher Level pupils study six literary works, including two in translation, covering three major literary genres, three periods and three places.

Standard Level pupils study four literary works, including two in translation, covering two major literary genres, two periods and two places.

In addition to studying these literary texts, pupils will also study a wide range of non-literary and media texts of an amount comparable to the number of literary texts in the English A: Literature course.

The three areas of exploration are the same for the two courses. English A; Language and Literature includes the study of non-literary and media texts in addition to literary ones.

Readers, writers and Texts looks at the nature of texts and the relationships formed between all three;
Time and Space looks at the various contexts of literary, linguistic and media production and reception;
Intertextuality aims to connect diverse texts, traditions, creators and ideas.

ACTIVITIES AND SOCIETIES: The pupils enjoy regular trips throughout the year connected to their syllabus, however the department also runs cultural appreciation trips to experience the arts outside of the curriculum. These trips are open to all and this year we have been to see the NT Live screening of ‘Good’, ‘Skylight’ and ‘Dear England’ at Cromer cinema, the RSC production of Julius Caesar as well as attending the Wells Literary Festival to hear Professor John Mullan speak on Dickens. Theatre trips to Norwich are common and pupils have recently enjoyed: The Woman in Black, Macbeth and will shortly see An Inspector Calls.

The Auden Society, our Sixth Form literary society, is pupil-led and very well attended, meeting every month. The society is open to all, whether studying English in the Sixth Form or not, and the breadth and variety of talks given by pupils is inspiring. In the last few years, as well as talks from staff and pupils on such subjects as Shakespeare in the time of plague, writing horror, film studies, the poetic muse and Anglo-Saxon literature, we have enjoyed the poetry and prose written by pupils as well as attending the Norfolk Cambridge Society Lectures.

The English department hosts a variety of competitions over the course of the academic year to showcase the literary talents of our pupil body, including the annual poetry recital competition. Two particular highlights of our social calendar include our celebration of Auden’s birthday and the biannual Burns Night Supper

ALUMNI

Madeleine Howell

JOURNALIST

OAKELEY 2003-2009

“The Library was the jewel in the crown during my time at Gresham’s. The myriad of learning resources available, paired with excellent teaching, nurtured my love of reading, language and literature and allowed me to explore my interests in media and popular culture beyond the curriculum. I trained with the National Council for the Training of Journalists at News Associates and in 2017, I joined The Telegraph as a features writer on the weekend desk, contributing to the Saturday and Sunday supplements and creating content for both print and online.”

JON PUDNEY

HOWSON’s 1923-1925

John Pudney (19 January 1909 – 10 November 1977) was a British poet, journalist, and editor. He befriended W.H. Auden and Benjamin Britten while studying at Gresham’s. After leaving school at 16, Pudney began publishing poetry while working as a journalist for the BBC. His first volume of poetry was Spring Encounter (1933). During World War II, Pudney was commissioned into the Royal Air Force and the Air Ministry’s Creative Writers Unit. During this time, he published “For Johnny,” his best-known and most celebrated poem. After the war, Pudney continued to work as a screenwriter and an editor for several anthologies and collections until his death.

HECTOR ALASTAIR HETHERINGTON

WOODLANDS 1933 – 1938

Hector Alastair Hetherington (31 October 1919 – 3 October 1999) was a British journalist, newspaper editor and academic. For nearly twenty years, he was the editor of The Guardian, and regarded as one of the leading editors of the second half of the twentieth century.

ALUMNI

Madeleine Howell

JOURNALIST

OAKELEY 2003-2009

JON PUDNEY

HOWSON’s 1923-1925

HECTOR ALASTAIR HETHERINGTON

WOODLANDS 1933 – 1938

Sir John Tusa

FARFIELD 1949 – 1954

William Osborne

Old School House 1973 – 1978

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