I’m a big fan of Charlotte Bronte so this is one of my favourite Paper 2s; via her diary we learn about her hatred for teaching (we’ve all been there, Charlotte). It contrasts with a piece from The Guardian about a student teacher full of enthusiasm for teaching. I’ve included the Word and PDF document so you can tinker with it if you want to, and I’ve put the GCSE boundaries for 2017 and 2018 on the front so that students can see how far away they were from the next grade. Please have a look at my paid resources. The ‘Easy GCSE Mark Scheme’ works very well with this for quick and efficient marking.

This assessment effectively bridges the KS2 and KS4 styles of questions and averts the Year 7/8 dip. Did you know, for example, that KS2 students are not required to comment on the effect of language or structure in their SATs tests? Nor are they required to evaluate texts. It is therefore unsurprising that students often perform badly in KS3 tests that are based solely on GCSE papers. My assessment paper takes elements of the KS2 paper that students are familiar with and works in aspects of the KS4 paper at an appropriate level. The grade boundaries are on the front of the paper and have been based upon 2017 threshold levels (AQA). This is one of the first of a set papers that aims to encourage students to become increasingly independent through their secondary school career and has been designed through a careful investigation into KS2 papers and an in-depth knowledge of GCSE papers. Please follow me if you find this useful and keep a look out for future bundles of assessment papers. Copyright acknowledgement to the author of this extract, who has circulated this first chapter as a free resource. Please do bu her book if you enjoy it.

A lesson that identifies and explores foreshadowing, followed by an opportunity to read a class text and look for examples of foreshadowing. The final task is differentiated and links closely to the demands of the new GCSE spec, so would be useful for both KS3 and KS4. The lesson is concluded with a reflection activity. This lesson is part of a 12 lesson bundle for sale on TES at https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/class-reader-generic-lessons-x-12-bundle-set-1-analysing-the-author-s-craft-11347361 The current TES system won't allow thumbnails of the Powerpoints, but all of the lessons are of this standard.

Here’s an AQA Language Paper 2 on the theme of Refuse Collectors using an extract from Henry Mayhew and The Guardian. Please take a look at my ‘Easy Assessment Sheets’ for GCSE Language. Hope you find this resource useful. It would be great if you could let me know any feedback. Best wishes, Lindsey

A paper that looks at a Guardian report of a recent peaceful gathering of crowds to protest about pollution and a description of attending a hanging by Charles Dickens. Very topical in light of yesterday’s march the People’s Vote and news footage could be viewed to give students some context and to engage the in an initial debate.

These slides have been designed to be used once a week in registration as part of our whole school Literacy drive. They are whole class activities. Some need modifying to suit your school.

This is a resource I developed which aims to guide students through the production of a piece of work that contains most elements required in the English Language GCSE exam (Paper 1 for AQA). Let me know if you give it a go and what the results are. If you find it successful, we could even produce a webpage showcasing the results.

Here are 15 AQA Paper 1 (narrate or describe) style writing assessments that are suitable for both KS3 and KS4.

Simplified mark schemes based on the on-screen drag and drop comments on the AQA Examiner marking software. These much reduced mark schemes help teachers to understand exactly what the examiner is look for, can streamline marking and planning and can be modified to give feedback to students by simply highlighting their areas of competence. A valuable resource.

This lesson explores narrative hooks and how to use them in creative writing. It has a set of lower and higher ability cards for sorting.

A fully differentiated lesson (bronze, silver and gold) that teaches how to describe a character using similes. Included are examples and support and challenge sheets.

This is another lesson that helps students create an effective piece of writing using the DADWAVERS structure, but also incorporating different elements of sentence structures such as embedded clauses and fronted adverbials. The lesson includes a timer on the spinning wheel slides, encouraging students wo work quickly. Suitable for writing portfolio lessons at KS2 and all the way to exam preparation at GCSE level.

This lesson teaches students about anaphora through identification in examples and exploration of the effect. The tasks are fully differentiated to bronze, silver and gold levels, with support and challenge sheets included.

This tracker lists all the skills that need to be taught in English Language throughout KS3 and KS4 on a handy tracker for either whole class or individual student use. The list of skills that need to be taught are linked to the GCSE spec, and has also designed to build on skills at KS2 (the writing grid incorporates the 'I Can' statements at KS2). Simply by covering the skills on this tracker, you can be sure that your students are receiving an adequate diet of English Language skills right from year 7 that builds upon their prior knowledge.

Useful posters with key quotes for each character in An Inspector Calls. Display around the classroom or school, print off pairs of copies and use as a memory matching game with all the quotes of one character face down - students can turn over two cards per turn, or just display on the Powerpoint and discuss or debate. It's always useful to have a set of key quotes.

A sound understanding of the social and historical context of A Christmas Carol is essential to gaining higher grades at GCSE. The new specifications demand that students see the play as a 'construct' and thus need to understand the intended message of the text and the influences upon the author at the time. With this knowledge, students are then able to consider the authorial choices as they read the text. I would advise working through this presentation at the start of the unit and revisiting it after reading the entire text. The presentation can be spread over two lessons.

Lesson 1 of a fully differentiated Creative Writing unit. This lesson (differentiated and includes support and challenge sheets) covers describing a character using picture prompts.

A series of lessons covering all the reading questions on both AQA Language papers, with writing frames, good examples and texts. I have explained what we are looking for as examiners and what we award marks for. I used this as an intervention unit, but could also be used as revision or for Years 7-10 when preparing for a GCSE style reading test.

Here is a lesson I created to explain the subjunctive form. The lesson requires students to make a poster at the end of the lesson, or you could have them creating a short drama using the subjunctive sentence starters displayed on the Powerpoint.

Fun assembly for Y6, KS3 and KS4 that promotes reading through a nostalgic visit to the books students enjoyed when they were younger. Simply print off the final three slides to use as Phone a Friend, Ask the Audience and 50/50 prompts and set up the data projector and you’re away! I recommend surprising a fellow colleague by asking them to come up to the front during assembly and try to win a million pounds; the students will be itching to tell them the answers! Sound is enabled.