English

Welcome to the English Department

Head of Department: Mrs K Doyle

  • Mrs E van Houten
  • Mrs D Sheridan
  • Mrs K Uprichard
  • Mr C White
  • Mrs M Ward

The English Department at St. Columbanus’ College are a team of vibrant, exciting and enthusiastic teachers who endeavour to allow each child to reach their full potential by providing a caring and nurturing environment.

KS3 English

 English is taught to all pupils at KS3. 

We strive to make English an enjoyable and rich part of the curriculum through:

  • Active lessons which engage all students including visiting writers, speakers and poets.
  • Allowing students to influence the choice of texts for study
  • Enabling students to raise their literacy standards: reading partnerships, literacy workshops
  • Enabling them to develop their confidence in all areas of English: public speaking competitions, writing competitions.
  • Enriching all students of every ability with a range of classic and modern literature

GCSE English and English Literature:

At GCSE we deliver the CCEA specification. For specifications please click on the following link: 

English Language

https://ccea.org.uk/key-stage-4/gcse/subjects/gcse-english-language-2017

  • This Specification has 4 units 
  • Unit 1: Writing for Purpose and Audience and Reading to Access Non-fiction and Media Texts- 30% External written examination 1 hour 45 mins. Students complete five tasks. 
  • Unit 2: Speaking and Listening Controlled assessment – 20% Teachers mark the tasks, and CCEA moderate the results. 
  • Unit 3: Studying Spoken and Written Language Controlled assessment 20% Teachers mark the tasks 
  • Unit 4: Personal or Creative Writing and Reading Literary and Non-fiction Texts -30% External written examination 1 hour 45 mins Students complete four tasks. 

English Literature

https://ccea.org.uk/key-stage-4/gcse/subjects/gcse-english-literature-2017

  • The specification has three units:
    • Unit 1: The Study of Prose –  30% External exam 1 hour 45 mins.
    • Students answer two questions, one from Section A and the set question in Section B. 
    • Unit 2: The Study of Drama and Poetry- 50% External exam 2 hours.
    • Students answer two questions, one from Section A and one from Section B. 
    • Unit 3: The Study of Shakespeare- 20% Controlled assessment 2 hours.
    • Students complete one task: an extended writing question based on a theme.