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 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 :)

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 :)

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 revision booklet to support study of A Christmas Carol for the new AQA English Literature GCSE, The booklet contains: * a graphic timeline of events * thumbnail character profiles (taken from BBC Bitesize) * a series of extracts with accompanying exam Qs in the style of that produced by AQA in their published specimen paper Hope it is of some use. Matt :)

A practice exam paper for the new AQA GCSE English Language Paper 2A: Writers' Viewpoints and Perspectives, linked by the theme of 'Elephants', using an extract from an autobiographical essay written by George Orwell in 1936 and a 21st C tabloid online newspaper article regarding the exposure of animal cruelty suffered by England's last circus elephant. The texts and the format of the exam Qs follow that published by AQA in the approved specimen materials. Please note: As these resources were originally designed for use by pupils at Key Stage 3, introducing the format and the skills tested by the new GCSE, Orwell's work was published in 1936 but, for the purposes of introducing contrasting viewpoints and attitudes at KS3, it is suitably challenging. I hope it is of some use to you.

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 :)

Using an eyewitness account of a prison visit reported in The Telegraph in 1881 and a 21st C American newspaper article in support of the death penalty, the theme of these two non-fiction texts is different perspectives of capital punishment in different cultures and centuries. I have adapted the texts ever so slightly, simplifying some vocabulary and sentencing to make them 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 and an extension task where pupils complete PEE paragraphs, supplying relevant evidence and explanations. I have not included the Q4 'comparison of methods to convey attitudes' task as it is 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've produced 7 of these highly differentiated papers for Paper 2A now and all are available FREE at my 'shop'. Please help yourself! 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 H G Wells' classic sci-fi novel, 'War of the Worlds' (1898), simplifying some of the vocabulary and sentencing to make the text a little more accessible for students whose reading age might be lower than their chronological age. I've also designed a series of SMART Notebook slides to accompany the Word resource for interactive whiteboard teaching of the questions, 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. I have produced other resources just like this one using extracts from Frankenstein, Skellig, A Christmas Carol, The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Monkey's Paw, The Hobbit, The Sniper, To Kill a Mockingbird, Z for Zachariah, Dracula, The Machine Gunners, The Pearl and Buddy. I've also uploaded loads of typical specimen exam papers for the new AQA Language Paper 1 and 2s to my shop, all available free of charge. Please leave a review and help yourself! Matt :)

AQA-style GCSE English Language Paper 2 on the theme of witchcraft, using an excerpt from an 1882 non-fiction resource and an article about the pardon of Britain's last convicted 'witch' during WW2, published in The Guardian in 2007. This might prove useful alongside study of Shakespeare's 'Macbeth', to consider the changing social attitudes and beliefs in witchcraft in England from 17th to 21st C. Also uploaded is a 200 Word challenge for Section B Writing task. Students must strive to incorporate the three rhetorical devices listed on the image. Alternatively, a Section B task is printed in the Word document. Enjoy! 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 :)

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 :)

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!

A practice exam paper for the new AQA Language Paper 1: Explorations in Creative Reading and Writing UPDATED: APRIL 2017 - to include a REVISED series of SMART notebook slides to teach Q by Q in class, which can be unlocked and adapted for other Paper 1A practice exam papers I have uploaded to the TES site, all available free of charge. Includes a Q3 key terminology matching starter, a Q3 STRUCTURE model response, a new Q4 slide. This extract is taken from John Steinbeck's novella, 'The Pearl', published in 1947. In the extract, set in Mexico during the 1940s, a child named Coyotito has been stung by a scorpion. The child’s father, a Mexican pearl diver named Kino, takes his child to the white European doctor who works in a nearby town. 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! I hope this is of some use to you.

A practice exam paper for the new AQA GCSE English Language Paper 2A: Writers' Viewpoints and Perspectives, linked by the theme of 'Titanic Tragedy', using a survivor's autobiographical account of the disaster and a 21st century informative web page written by teens for teens. The format of the exam Qs follows that published by AQA in the approved specimen materials. Please note: I have produced only Qs 1 to 3 (there are 4 Qs on the exam paper) as these resources were originally designed for use by pupils at Key Stage 3, introducing the format and the skills tested by the new GCSE. (One of the texts in the GCSE exams will be 19th C but as this paper was designed to introduce the format and the skills tested, both texts here are from the 20th and 21st C, exploring different viewpoints of the same event.) I have uploaded LOADS of practice Paper 1s AND 2s to my 'shop', ALL FREE of charge. Please help yourself - just leave a review. Thanks! I hope it is of some use to you.

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 Language Paper 1: Explorations in Creative Reading and Writing. UPDATED: April 2017 - a REVISED series of SMART notebook slides to teach Q by Q in class, which can be unlocked and adapted for other Paper 1A practice exam papers I have uploaded to the TES site, all available free of charge. Q3- STRUCTURE - modelled response and a new Q4 slide. This extract is taken from Harper Lee's novel, 'To Kill a Mockingbird', published 1960. In this extract, set in America during the 1930s, a mad dog has been reported roaming the streets of a small town. The local sheriff, a man named Mr. Tate, has been called to shoot the dog for public safety. The narrator’s father, a lawyer named Atticus Finch, shoots the dog – much to the amazement of his two young children - Jem and Scout - who have no idea their father possesses such skill with a rifle. 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 exam papers for Papers 1 AND 2 to my 'shop' and ALL are FREE! Help yourself - just leave a review. Thanks! I hope this is of some use to you.

A 35 page workbook of differentiated activities, designed to support students in their study of John Steinbeck's classic novella, 'Of Mice and Men'. To accompany the workbook is a set of SMART Notebook slides, which replicate the pages of the pupil workbook, to support teachers in their whole-class, interactive teaching of the text and the material. PLEASE NOTE: If you do not have SMART Notebook, you can STILL download and view SMART Notebook files by downloading a FREE Smart Notebook viewer. It opens the file on your PC in a format akin to Microsoft Powerpoint (with very occasional wonky movement of graphics due to a formatting glitch!) Anyway, you can access the FREE SMART Notebook viewer by copying and pasting this link into your web browser: http://express.smarttech.com/ I hope you find these useful. If you do, then you may find of interest similar resources available FREE at my 'shop' here on TES for 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' and also 'The Highwayman', aswell as differentiated AQA English Language exam paper 1s and 2s. 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 :)

This 36 page pupil workbook contains a variety of highly differentiated activities to accompany the study of Alfred Noyes' classic ballad, 'The Highwayman' with students whose literacy is a barrier to learning. UPDATED: 20-03-17 I've added a wide range of images as a separate downloadable Word document for use with the Media Storyboard task. This might be preferable if your students have poor fine motor skills and, where possible, the images reflect a variety of camera 'shot' types so they can justify the choices they have made in the accompanying 'commentary' writing task. UPDATED 09-02-17 To include SMART Notebook slides which replicate all 36 pages of the Pupil Workbook. Some of the activities include: * pre-reading non-fiction comprehension: 'Dick Turpin' * sequencing Part One narrative events to show awareness of structure * cloze summary of Part One and extension task with sentence stems for completion * cloze and sentence stems for the journal of Tim, the ostler * a media storyboard and commentary * simile and metaphor, commenting on the use and effects of language * sequencing Part Two narrative events to show awareness of structure * cloze summary of Part Two and extension task with sentence stems for completion * newspaper report of the deaths * production of a non-literary leaflet: Highway Safety for Travellers I hope this is of some use to you. Please leave review. Thanks, Matt :)