Using a letter penned by Charles Dickens as a survivor of a terrible rail disaster and a newspaper article 15 years after the Paddington rail disaster, the theme of these two non-fiction texts is different perspectives of rail disasters. I have adapted Dickens’ letter ever so slightly, simplifying some vocabulary and sentencing to make it a little more accessible to students whose reading ages are significantly lower than their chronological age, to provide an appropriate point of access to the skills demanded by the new AQA GCSE Language Paper 2A exam paper. Also included is a set of SMART Notebook slides for whole-class interactive teaching of this resource. I have adhered to the phrasing of the exam questions, but the tasks are differentiated thus: Q1 - same as the actual exam paper Q2 - cloze exercise of the summary (this could be easily tweaked to sentence stems) Q3a - highlight and write down 3 relevant examples of language used to convey viewpoint Q3b - cloze exercise of use of language to convey viewpoint and attitude I have not included the Q4 'comparison of methods to convey attitudes' task as it is beyond the ability of the students for whom I have produced this resource. I hope that it might be of some use to others. I've produced 8 of these differentiated papers for Paper 2A now and all are available FREE at my 'shop'. Please help yourself! Matt :)

Using an excerpt from Roald Dahl's autobiography, 'Boy' - The Great Mouse Plot - a booklet of highly differentiated activities which address skills tested by Qs 1 to 3 of the new AQA Language Paper 2A exam paper, but for students whose reading age is significantly lower than their chronological age. It's a good way to introduce the focus of each question, and to get students responding in appropriate ways at a level that is appropriate to their ability. I hope this is useful to you and your students. Matt :)

Using an autobiographical extract from the perspective of a passenger onboard the Titanic and an online fact file written by teens for teens over 100 years later, the theme of these two non-fiction texts is perspectives of the sinking of RMS Titanic. I have adapted the autobiographical text ever so slightly, simplifying some vocabulary and sentencing to make it a little more accessible to students whose reading ages are significantly lower than their chronological age, to provide an appropriate point of access to the skills demanded by the new AQA GCSE Language Paper 2A exam paper. Also included is a set of SMART Notebook slides for whole-class interactive whiteboard teaching. I have adhered to the phrasing of the questions, but the tasks are differentiated thus: Q1 - same as the actual exam paper Q2 - cloze exercise of the summary (this could be easily tweaked to sentence stems) Q3a - highlight and write down 3 relevant examples of language used to convey viewpoint Q3b - cloze exercise of use of language to convey viewpoint and attitude (again, this could easily be tweaked to the sentence stems of PEE paragraphs where pupils supply the point, evidence and explain how language is used to convey the author's viewpoint.) I have not included the Q4 'comparison of methods to convey attitudes' task as it is a skill currently beyond the ability of the students for whom I have produced this resource. I hope that it might be of some use to others. All are available FREE at my 'shop'. Help yourself! Matt :)

Using an extract from George Orwell's non-fiction, "Down and Out in Paris and London" (1933) and an article taken from The Daily Mail online from 2014, the theme of these two non-fiction texts is attitudes towards the homeless in England in different centuries. I have adapted the texts, simplifying a little vocabulary and sentencing to make them a little more accessible to students whose reading ages are significantly lower than their chronological age, to provide an appropriate point of access to the skills demanded by the new AQA GCSE Language Paper 2A exam paper. Also included is a set of SMART Notebook slides for whole-class interactive whiteboard teaching. I have adhered to the phrasing of the questions, but the tasks are differentiated thus: Q1 - same as the actual exam paper Q2 - cloze exercise of the summary (this could be easily tweaked to sentence stems) Q3a - highlight and write down 3 relevant examples of language used to convey viewpoint Q3b - cloze exercise of use of language to convey viewpoint and attitude (again, this could easily be tweaked to the sentence stems of PEE paragraphs where pupils supply the point, evidence and explain how language is used to convey the author's viewpoint.) I have not included the Q4 'comparison of methods to convey attitudes' task as it is a skill currently beyond the ability of the students for whom I have produced this resource. The students I plan to use these resources with have reading ages between 6 years 6 months and 10 years old. I hope that it might be of some use to others. I have produced 8 of these resources now, all FREE at my 'shop'. Help yourself! Matt :)

Using an extract from George Orwell's non-fiction, "Shooting an Elephant" (1936) and an article taken from The Daily Mail online from 2011, the theme of these two non-fiction texts is attitudes towards elephants. I have adapted the texts, simplifying some vocabulary and sentencing to make them a little more accessible to students whose reading ages are significantly lower than their chronological age, to provide an appropriate point of access to the skills demanded by the new AQA GCSE Language Paper 2A exam paper. Also included is a set of SMART Notebook slides for whole-class interactive whiteboard teaching of this resource. I have adhered to the phrasing of the questions, but the tasks are differentiated thus: Q1 - same as the actual exam paper Q2 - cloze exercise of the summary (this could be easily tweaked to sentence stems) Q3a - highlight and write down 3 relevant examples of language used to convey viewpoint Q3b - cloze exercise of use of language to convey viewpoint and attitude (again, could easily be tweaked to the sentence stems of a PEE paragraph where pupils supply the point, evidence and explain how it conveys the writer's viewpoint.) I have not included the Q4 'comparison of methods to convey attitudes' task as it is a skill currently beyond the ability of the students for whom I have produced this resource. I hope that it might be of some use to others. I have produced 8 of these highly differentiated resources, all available FREE at my 'shop'. Please help yourself! Matt :)

Using an extract from Conan-Doyle's non-fiction, "The Edge of the Unknown" and an article taken from the Discovery Channel online newsdesk, the theme of these two non-fiction texts is belief in ghosts. I have adapted the texts, simplifying some vocabulary and sentencing to make them a little more accessible to students whose reading ages are significantly lower than their chronological age, to provide an appropriate point of access to the skills demanded by the new AQA GCSE Language Paper 2A exam paper. I have adhered to the phrasing of the questions, but the tasks are differentiated thus: Q1 - same as the actual exam paper Q2 - cloze exercise of the summary (this could be easily tweaked to sentence stems) Q3a - highlight and write down 3 relevant examples of language used to convey viewpoint Q3b - cloze exercise of use of language to convey viewpoint and attitude (again, could easily be tweaked to the sentence stems of a PEE paragraph where pupils supply the point, evidence and explain how it conveys the writer's viewpoint.) I have not included the Q4 'comparison of methods to convey attitudes' task as it is a skill currently beyond the ability of the students for whom I have produced this resource. SMART Notebook slides are also included for whole-class interactive teaching of the resource. Matt :)

UPDATED: August 19th, 2017 A booklet designed for use with the new AQA English Literature Paper 1: Shakespeare examination. The booklet comprises social, historical and cultural contexts information, a number of detailed character analyses, including: * Macbeth * Lady Macbeth * Banquo * The Weird Sisters and a variety of AQA-style Literature practice exam questions, with some prompts and a suggested essay structure writing frame to stimulate student response for study / revision beyond the classroom. The extract length and exam paper question format adhere to the model provided by AQA in the only official specimen exam paper they have thus far published. I hope it is of some use to you and your students. Matt :)

Attached are a couple of context based exam questions I have mocked up for use with the NEW AQA English Literature Paper 1: 19th C Novel, which invites students to write about the "here" and "elsewhere" to show their understanding of the novel as a whole. One practice paper invites discussion of attitudes to Christmas in the novel The other paper invites discussion of how Dickens presents ideas about poverty in the novel. The length of extract as stimulus and the format and wording of the Qs adheres to the format published by AQA on their specimen paper. Hope they are of some use. Matt :)

Designed for less able students at Key Stage 3 or 4, this is a practice exam paper for the NEW AQA English Language Paper 1A: Reading 20th C Fiction texts. I have adapted an extract taken from Liam O'Flaherty's short story, 'The Sniper' (1923), simplifying a little of the vocabulary to make the text a little more accessible for students whose reading age might be lower than their chronological age. I have also designed a series of SMART Notebook slides for interactive teaching of this highly differentiated practice exam paper Q by Q. The format of the paper is as follows: Q1 - the same Q2 - cloze exercise focusing on how the writer uses language Q3a - sequence a series of statements to show understanding of narrative events / structure Q3b - cloze activity, modelling Q3 response, for pupils to complete. I know that the new GCSE paper is untiered and students will not be given this level of support in the exam. However, this resource is intended to provide an appropriate point of access and opportunities for students whose literacy is a barrier to learning to practise the reading response skills demanded by this exam - and to support the teachers who have to deliver it! I hope that it is of some use to you. If you want others, the following are all available FREE at my 'shop': War of the Worlds, Skellig, Frankenstein, Dracula, The Machine Gunners, Buddy, The Pearl, To Kill a Mockingbird, Z for Zachariah, The Hobbit, The Monkey's Paw and others. I've also uploaded loads of typical specimen new AQA Language Paper 1 and 2s to my shop, all available free of charge. Please leave a review and help yourself! Matt :)

Designed for the NEW AQA (2015 onwards) English Language Paper 2B - WRITING TASK A variety of writing tasks, each linked by theme, to accompany various Paper 2A practice exam resources I have already produced, all available FREE of charge from my 'shop'. Help yourself and leave a review! The 2B tasks in the Word document are designed to accompany the following practice 2A papers I have uploaded: * NURSING - THEN & NOW * CAPITAL PUNISHMENT * RAIL DISASTERS * CRIME & PUNISHMENT * CHILD LABOUR and each writing task follows the format of the published AQA specimen exam paper for Paper 2B. I hope you find these of use to accompany resources you may have already downloaded. Matt :)

A Practice GCSE Paper 1 Section A exam paper, using an extract from Alice Sebold's novel, 'The Lovely Bones', published in 2002. In this extract, the opening of the novel, the narrator - a fourteen years old girl who has been murdered - gives an intriguing and engaging account of the night she was killed. The extract, complete with line numbers and Qs 1 to 4, is produced as a Word document but I have also included a set of SMART Notebook slides to assist you in teaching the 4 exam Qs, question by question. I have included also a model response to Q3 structure, modelling appropriate use of subject terminology and impact on the reader.The SMART Notebook slides can be unlocked and the content easily amended to suit any other text and Qs you might wish to use with your students in the future. I hope these resources are of some use to you. NOTE: I've uploaded LOADS of practice paper 1A and 2A exam papers (and also highly differentiated exam papers for less able students) to my 'shop' here on TES and ALL are FREE! Help yourself and please leave a review - thanks! Matt :)

A practice exam paper for AQA English Language Paper 2: Writers' Viewpoints and Perspectives. The theme of this paper is VIEWPOINTS towards IMPRISONMENT across the centuries and in two different countries, and the two non-fiction extracts used are a 19th C letter written by Oscar Wilde to the editor of an English national newspaper, complaining about the treatment of children in Victorian English prisons and a 20th C newspaper article describing America's latest maximum security prison, Florence Prison. Section B writing task (linked by theme to the topic of the texts in Section A) is also included. The 5 exam questions adhere to the format of those used by AQA on their published specimen paper. NOTE: I've uploaded LOADS of Practice Paper 1 and 2 Language exam papers to my 'shop' and ALL are available FREE of charge, so help yourself - just leave a review. Thanks! I hope this is of some use to you. Matt :)

A practice exam paper for the new AQA GCSE English Language Paper 2: Writers' Viewpoints and Perspectives, using two non-fiction texts based on the same theme or topic. Extracts used here are a 19th C eyewitness account written in the form of a letter by Charles Dickens to a friend, as a fortunate survivor of a terrible rail disaster, in 1865 in which many people were injured and killed with a 21st C newspaper interview with the parents of a woman killed in the 1999 Paddington rail disaster - so the different perspectives here are of someone directly involved in a rail accident and a rail victim's parents struggling to come to terms with their loss 15 years after the rail tragedy. Section B: Writing task (linked by theme to the topic of the texts in Section A) is also included. The 5 exam questions adhere to the format of those published by AQA in their specimen exam papers. NOTE: I've uploaded LOADS of practice Paper 1 AND 2 Language exam papers to my 'shop' and they are ALL FREE of charge so help yourself - just leave a review. Thanks! I hope it is of some use to you. Matt :)

A practice exam paper for the new AQA GCSE English Language Paper 2: Writers' Viewpoints and Perspectives, using two non-fiction texts based on the same theme or topic: here, it is CAPITAL PUNISHMENT in different centuries and in different countries. Extracts used here are a 19th C eyewitness account of a visit to the prison gallows which featured in The Daily Telegraph, 30th November 1881 and an American online newspaper article in defence of the death penalty, published in 2014. The authors display contrasting viewpoints to the topic. Section B: Writing task (linked by theme to the texts used in Section A) is also included. The 5 exam questions adhere to the format of those published by AQA in their specimen exam papers. NOTE: I've uploaded LOADS of Paper 1 and 2 Language exam papers FREE of charge, available at my 'shop'. Help yourself but please leave a review - thanks! I hope it is of some use to you. Matt :)

A practice exam paper for the new AQA GCSE English Language Paper 2: Writers' Viewpoints and Perspectives, using two non-fiction texts based on the same theme or topic, here being: NURSING - THEN AND NOW! Extracts used here are Florence Nightingale's 19th C account of nursing wounded soldiers following the Battle of Balaklava during the Crimean War and a 21st C article taken from Nursing Times about the findings of a survey of NHS nurses regarding pay and conditions. Section B: Writing task (linked by topic to the theme of the texts used in Section A) is also included. The 5 exam questions adhere to the format of those published by AQA in their specimen exam papers. NOTE: I've uploaded LOADS of practice exam Papers 1 AND 2 to my 'shop', ALL FREE of charge. Help yourself - just leave a review! Thank you. I hope this is of some use to you. Matt :)

A practice exam paper for the new AQA GCSE English Language Paper 2A: Writers' Viewpoints and Perspectives, using two non-fiction texts based on the same theme or topic: here, it is AIR POLLUTION in LONDON across the centuries. Extracts used here are a journal entry from a Frenchwoman writing about smog in London in 1839 and a newspaper article about air pollution in London, published by The Independent newspaper in January 2015. The 4 exam questions adhere to the format of those published by AQA in their specimen exam papers. NOTE: I've uploaded LOADS of Practice exam papers for Paper 1 and Paper 2. They are all FREE so help yourself - just leave a review! Thanks. I hope it is of some use to you. Matt :)

A practice exam paper for the new AQA GCSE English Language Paper 2: Writers' Viewpoints and Perspectives, using two non-fiction texts based on the same theme or topic: here, it is the theme of CHILD LABOUR across the centuries and in different cultures. Extracts used here are Lord Shaftesbury's Parliamentary speech in 1842 about the working conditions of children in British coal mines and a newspaper article from 2014 regarding child labour in India. Section B: Writing task (linked by theme to the topic of the texts in Section A) is also included. The 5 exam questions adhere to the format of those published by AQA in their specimen exam papers. (NOTE: I have, on occasion, tweaked the vocabulary or sentencing of Shaftesbury's parliamentary speech ever so slightly, simply to make it more accessible for classroom use.) NOTE: I've uploaded LOADS of Practice exam papers for Paper 1 and Paper 2. They are all FREE at my 'shop' so please help yourself - just leave a review! Thanks. I hope it is of some use to you. Matt :)

A practice exam paper for the new AQA Language Paper 1: Explorations in Creative Reading and Writing The extract is taken from Roald Dahl’s short story, 'The Landlady', written in 1959. UPDATED APRIL 2017: The REVISED SMART Notebook slides are designed to enable you to teach the resource Q by Q and include a new Q3 key terminology matching starter; a model Q3 response and a new Q4 slide. In this extract, a teenage boy named Billy Weaver has travelled from London to Bath to begin a new job, working for a bank. He is looking for a cheap hotel or a Bed & Breakfast to stay in until he can find more permanent accommodation. The text and the format of the exam Qs 1 to 4 follows that of AQA's approved specimen papers. NOTE: I've uploaded LOADS of practice Paper 1s AND 2s to my 'shop', ALL FREE of charge. Please help yourself - just leave a review. Thank you!

Designed for use with the NEW AQA, a practice GCSE Language Paper 1 Section A exam paper, using an extract from Liam O'Flaherty's short story, 'The Sniper', set during the Irish civil war and published in 1923. In this extract, an Irish Republican Army soldier - a sniper - is shooting at the enemy. He has spotted an enemy sniper on a nearby rooftop and takes aim. It is a decision he will live to regret ... UPDATED APRIL 2017: so the extract now contains line numbers AND questions 1 and 2 refer specifically to line numbers, adhering more precisely to the format of the AQA exam paper. Also included is a REVISED set of SMART Notebook slides to assist you in teaching the 4 exam Qs, question by question. I have included also a Q3 key terminolgy matching starter activity, a model response to Q3 structure, modelling appropriate use of subject terminology and a new Q4 slide. The Notebook slides can be unlocked and the content easily amended to suit any other text and Qs you might wish to use with your students in the future. I hope this is of some use to you. Matt :)

In this dramatic opening, the narrator describes a man being thrown from a grounded hot air balloon which then begins to ascend. Alone and terrified, in the basket there is a small boy. I have adapted TES contributor Claire Mesher's resource for use with SMART Notebook, as a series of interactive slides to aid your teaching of this specimen exam paper Q by Q, for Qs 1 to 4. Also, I have added a model response to Q3: Structure demonstrating how pupils can apply subject specific terminology appropriately as this is mentioned in every band on the AQA mark scheme for this question. NOTE: I've uploaded LOADS of Paper 1s AND 2s to my 'shop', ALL FREE. Please help yourself - just leave a review. Thank you! Thanks :)