GCSE English Language (Fast Track)

This is an intensive one-year course and is a key element of your programme of study. The course is designed to support you in achieving your English GCSE. The course is literacy and vocabulary based, and students access the GCSE skills via reading lengthy texts. You will develop your communication, literacy and learning skills to support your work in other subjects across the College, in your future studies and in employment.

At Gateway, many of our English GCSE students exceed their target grade - last year over 30% of students who passed achieved beyond a grade 4.

The WJEC/Eduqas GCSE qualification consists of two exams and an unweighted spoken language assessment.

Component 1 is worth 40% of your mark and requires you to respond to a modern literary fiction text, demonstrating your ability to identify details, analyse language, and express your views. You will also produce a 500-word piece of creative personal writing, for instance, “Write about a time you were reading a course sheet.”

Component 2 is worth 60% of your mark and requires you to respond to two nonfiction texts: one contemporary, and one from the 1800s. The reading questions are largely similar to the first paper, with an additional comparison question. You will also write two transactional/persuasive pieces (a letter, an article, a review, a speech…).

Your spoken language assessment will be a presentation delivered to three or four of your peers during a designated small group session.

Achievement of GCSE English Language is a requirement for progression to higher level study. It is also one of the main indicators for employers when assessing a job applicant’s language, literacy and communication skills.