On 7th February 2022, AQA announced their updates for the summer exam series, sharing advance information for the GCSE English Language exam papers. This blog post will provide you with our understanding of the key information, whilst giving you some tips on how you can continue to use CENTURY to support your students. This is based on our professional opinion after interpreting all the available information.
AQA GCSE English Language (8700)
Advance information has now been provided by AQA for the English Language exam (8700). Due to the nature of the exam, no insight will be provided for Paper 1 but we now know more about what to expect for Paper 2.
It has been confirmed that for Section A (reading), Source A will focus on autobiographical writing from the 21st century and Source B will be an essay from the 19th century. Section B (writing) will be an article, giving teachers a clear idea of how best to prepare their students.
Summary of changes for AQA GCSE English Language, including Spoken Language, for 2022
Advance information for AQA GCSE English Language for 2022
1. Changes to Spoken Language Endorsement
- No audio-visual recording samples required
- Note: you are still required to submit a Centre Declaration Sheet as normal.
2. No change to written exams
3. Advance Information
Paper 1
There is no advance information for Paper 1.
Paper 2
Section A - Reading:
- Source A: Autobiographical Writing (21st century)
- Source B: Essay (19th century)
Section B - Writing:
- Question 5: Article
How to use CENTURY to support your students’ revision:
- Ensure you have assigned your students to the English Language - GCSE course and a SPaG course.
- Students can revise by working through the recommendations in their recommended path.
- You can also assign individual nuggets through the planner. For example, assign our nugget on Articles to help prepare your students for Section B.
AQA GCSE English Literature (8702)
There is no advance information for the AQA English Literature (8702) exams, but there are key changes. Schools and colleges can now choose TWO areas from anthology of poetry, modern text and 19th-century novel. There is still a requirement for all students to be assessed on Shakespeare and unseen poetry in Paper 2, as in previous years. The total exam time for Literature has been reduced from 4 hours to 3 hours and 25 minutes to reflect the reduced subject content; similarly, overall marks have been reduced from 160 to 130.
Summary of changes for AQA GCSE English Literature for 2022
There is no advance information on exams for AQA GCSE English Literature.
1. Reduction in required subject content
Schools and colleges can now choose two of the following three areas:
- Anthology of poetry
- 19th-century novel
- Modern prose or drama
Please note: all students will continue to be assessed on a Shakespeare play and unseen poetry.
2. Changes to the exam structure
Paper 1 and Paper 2 will now be structured differently to accommodate the content changes:
