Two practice AQA GCSE Language Paper 1 Section A examinations. The first uses an extract from the opening of George Orwell’s 1984 and the second uses an extract from JD Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye. Each practice examination fits on two sheets of A4 paper and line numbers are included within the sources.

A 21 page reading guide to Of Mice and Men including chapter summaries, brief thinking tasks, a bank of quotations, character descriptions, explanations of themes and issues.

A one page synopsis of the story of the play with embedded quotations. This is ideal to begin a unit of work on the play or as a resource to aid revision.

A detailed annotation of the prologue to the first Game of Thrones novel created for the AQA Level NEA Original Writing Coursework component. This is a good example of how to annotate the Style Model and provides ideas for the Commentary.

A Christmas Carol close reading comprehension activities worksheet based on an extract description of The Ghost of Christmas Past. Students work on a detailed drawing of each part of the ghost, using their interpretation of quotations as instructions on what to draw. There is also a task in which students match vocabulary from the extract to its synonyms or definition. An answer key is provided. This is editable and no preparation is required.

A detailed reading test which asks students to answer comprehension questions based around every chapter of the novel. The document is 8 pages long with spaces for written responses. This can also be used as a worksheet or shared activity.

Five cloze exercise fill in the blanks plot summary worksheets for each stave of A Christmas Carol. The ten page document is editable, printable, requires no preparation and a full answer key is provided.

A fun, students out of seats activity which is a great way to get to know your students and stimulate interest in any topic. Students are asked a series of opinion questions which they respond to by moving to an A, B, C or D sign in a different area of the classroom. There are 15 fun, topical questions in a ppt presentation and handout, A, B, C and D sign posts and flash cards. Teacher’s notes and instructions are included. This can be used successfully with any Grade Level and no preparation is required. This is a fantastic way of getting to know a new class or livening things up throughout the year.

An unusual activity which enables students to access a wider range of ambitious, unexpected, descriptive vocabulary and devices than they may usually rely on in their creative writing and make their compositions stand out in the examiner’s pile. This will also assist students in creating specific language fields to assist establishing tone and character within narrative or descriptive writing. The activity should take a full lesson and requires a packet of jelly snakes or similar. It is excellent for GCSE creative writing or adaptable to any age group or ability.

A short 600 word A Grade exemplar essay exploring the spontaneous overflow of emotion in Shelley’s Stanzas Written in Dejection Near Naples. The meaning and impact of literary devices are explored in connection with contextual issues relation to Shelley’s own life and the wider Romantic movement. Originally designed for the Edexcel A Level Literature course, this can be used as an exemplar analysis and to assist creating an essay response which explores two Romantic poems for the 9ETO/03 examination paper.

A brief (288 words) analysis of the Colin Kaepernick quotation. This resource provides a strong example of analytical writing particularly relating to emotive vocabulary, and of the ways contextual information can enhance the investigation of vocabulary and phrases within a quotation.

Four pages of question by question advice and tips for AQA GCSE Language Paper 2 Section A and Section B. Easy to remember acronyms, sentence stems and phrases, rhetorical devices and strategies tailored to the Assessment Objectives of each question. Excellent for last minute cramming or consolidation of knowledge.

A comprehension and creative writing task based around an amusing extract from Cider with Rosie describing Laurie Lee’s first day at school. There are a series of short answer comprehension questions which test a variety of reading skills followed by an extended Creative Writing task. This is available in both Question Booklet form and Question and Answer Booklet form. It is an excellent way to gain early data on student’s abilities and needs. No preparation is required.

A nine slide ppt and 8 page work pack filled with examples of good quality writing that shows rather than tells, top tips, tasks and challenges for students to build skills in using language to show something with their creative writing skills rather than tell it. Ideal for AQA GCSE Language Paper 1 or Key Stages 2 and 3 creative writing.

Designed for A Level or advanced GCSE students, a 25 slide power-point presentation which provides a detailed introduction to literary criticism. The concept of critical ‘lenses’ is described and short explanations are given of a number of critical paradigms including Formalism, Deconstructionism, Historical, Intertextual, Psychological, Archetypal, Mimetic and Reader-Response. Feminist (8 slides) and Marxist (4 slides) critical perspectives are explored in some detail, encompassing their core aims, central concerns and interests with specific reference to aspects of The Great Gatsby and Tess of the D’Urbervilles. Bibliographies and guidelines for conducting further research are also included.

An interesting and accessible 18 page ppt presentation introduction to Romanticism which focuses on the contextual influences and central values of the movement across works of literature, visual art and music. Quotations from contemporary philosophers and artists are included with examples of neo classical and Romantic works of art and music. This provides a fun and interesting introduction to any unit of work on Romanticism for A Level Literature or Arts students.

A Jekyll and Hyde essay writing unit of work with a worksheet pack for AQA GCSE Literature Paper. This gets fantastic results in examination analytical writing focusing on the themes, issues and contextual influences on the novel Jekyll and Hyde and teachers students how to build an argument and write an essay which meets all assessment objectives. This extends skills to level 8 or 9 in analysis, evaluation, incorporating contextual influences and academic writing. The resource contains a list of the central themes of the novel, two extended thesis statements for students to expand upon with supporting evidence, and a number of shorter ideas which students are asked to use to form their own thesis statements and explorations. There are a number of specific references to the contextual influences on the narrative. Together this builds to a sample exam style question and a detailed essay plan. A ppt of 12 slides and 13 page workpack.

A Christmas Carol for AQA Literature Paper 1. Seven fun, interactive games for students based around the themes, issues, content, message and characters in A Christmas Carol. All resources and instructions are provided and no preparation is required other than to cut out the playing cards. The games are: What am I Describing? Speed Speech. Sort. Connect. Most to Least. Anagrams (answers provided). Words from Words. This is a fun activity for any class or year group, although it is designed for low to middle ability GCSE students.

37 detailed study questions for chapters 1 to 5, a list of gothic features with a task, a short exemplar essay analysing an extract and another extract with questions which can be used as a test. A list of ideas for learning activities is also included.

Detailed essay ideas, quotes, scaffold included: A new spec AQA GCSE Literature Paper 1 Macbeth exam style question on the theme of ‘remorse’ incorporating a play script extract from Act 3 Scene 4 ‘Banquo’s Ghost’. A number of additional scene extracts and quotations relevant to the question are included as well as a series of detailed thesis statement ideas and a comprehensive essay scaffold handout to aid student planning. This resource provides excellent revision preparation for the upcoming examinations that can be used in class or as an independent student task.