Curriculum Vision and Intent
In the English department at LMS, our focus is on creating curious and caring young people who see the value of empathy through their interactions with the stories of others, both real and imagined. We want to develop articulate, confident voices in students who use the power of their words wisely. We want ambitious readers and writers who leave Lady Margaret School with a love of reading, an ability to read critically and an understanding of the importance of imagination.
KS3 curriculum and assessment
Year 7
‘London through the Ages’: Extracts from writings about London
Writing assessment
Little Women by Louisa M Alcott
Reading assessment
‘Character and Animal’ Poetry Collection
Reading and speaking/listening assessment
Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
Reading assessment
Diver’s Daughter by Patrice Lawrence
Writing assessment
The Odyssey by Geraldine McCaughrean
Writing assessment
Year 8
‘Travel Writing’: Extracts from travel writers
Writing assessment
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Reading assessment
‘Landscape and Place’ Poetry Collection
Reading and speaking/listening assessment
Animal Farm by George Orwell
Writing assessment
Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare
Reading and writing assessment
Year 9
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Reading and writing assessment
Introduction to Sonnets
Writing assessment
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
Reading assessment
An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley
Writing assessment
‘Equality’: Writing about Justice and Injustice
Writing and speaking/listening assessment
At Key Stage 3, students will be formally assessed once a half term. For most schemes of work, this means completing an assessment at the end of the scheme of work. For some texts, the scheme will span a whole term. In these cases, students will be assessed twice on the text. Usually, this means assessing both their reading (comprehension and analysis) skills and their writing (creative and argumentative) skills. Some schemes will focus on developing one of these skills, either reading critically or writing effectively. When studying poetry in Years 7 and 8, students learn poetry by heart and perform this in lessons. In Year 9, students write and then deliver speeches inspired by their readings in the ‘equality’ scheme of work.
KS4 curriculum and assessment
GCSE
At LMS, students follow the AQA exam board for both English Literature and English Language. In our text choices, we hope to offer a range of text types, content, themes and styles to our students to equip them for their journey as a reader and as a learner.
Students receive two GCSE grades from their study over Years 10 and 11. They will sit four exams in total to be awarded these grades. They will also complete a non-examined assessment testing their speaking and listening skills at the end of Year 10.
Year 10
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Examined on English Literature Paper 2 (33% of the exam)
‘Power and Conflict’ poetry anthology (AQA)
Examined on English Literature Paper 2 (33% of the exam)
Unseen poetry skills
Examined on English Literature Paper 2 (33% of the exam)
English Language Paper 1 skills
This paper examines skills of comprehension and analysis of fiction texts. Students are given an extract from a piece of prose (novel, novella, short story) and are asked to demonstrate their understanding of the piece and their awareness of the writer’s choices and methods. They are also asked to complete a piece of creative writing, either narrative or descriptive.
English Language Paper 2 skills including the speaking and listening component
This paper examines skills of comprehension and analysis of nonfiction texts. Students are given two extracts from pieces of nonfiction writing (newspaper articles, biographies, autobiographies, diary entries, letters) and are asked to demonstrate their understanding of the texts and their awareness of the writer’s choices and methods. They are also asked to complete a piece of persuasive or argumentative writing.
In lessons, students will complete a non-examined assessment for speaking and listening skills. In this, they will write and deliver a speech on a topic of their choice and will be questioned on this topic by peers and teachers.
Year 11
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Examined on English Literature Paper 1 (50% of the exam)
Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Examined on English Literature Paper 1 (50% of the exam)
Revision of English Literature Paper 2
Revision of English Language Paper 1 and Paper 2
KS5 curriculum and assessment
At A Level at LMS, students will study English Literature. They will follow the AQA A exam content. In our text choices, we hope to give A level students a solid foundation in the development of English Literature from some of its earliest forms up to the twentieth century texts and more recent literary movements and developments. Students are taught by two teachers over their A Level study covering both exam papers simultaneously.
Students will sit two exams (Paper 1: Love through the Ages and Paper 2b: Modern Times: literature from 1945 to the present day) at the end of Year 13 as well as completing an independent extended writing piece (2500 words) as their non-examined assessment.
Year 12
The Go Between by L.P. Hartley
AQA Love through the Ages Poetry Anthology (Pre-1900)
These texts are examined in a comparative essay on Paper 1 (33% of the exam)
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams
These texts are examined in a comparative essay on Paper 2b (33% of the exam)
Comparative unseen poetry
Examined on Paper 1 (33% of the exam)
Unseen prose
Examined on Paper 2b (33% of the exam)
Skirrid Hill by Owen Sheers
Examined on Paper 2b (33% of the exam)
Year 13
NEA (coursework) preparation
Students choose two texts from a given list to explore critically culminating in a comparative essay of 2500 words. One text must be from pre-1900.
Component 3: non-examined assessment (20% of the overall A Level grade)
Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare
Examined on Paper 1 (33% of the exam)
Skirrid Hill by Owen Sheers (complete)
Examined on Paper 2b (33 % of the exam)
Comparative unseen poetry
Examined on Paper 1 (33% of the exam)
Unseen prose
Examined on Paper 2b (33% of the exam)
Revision of both Paper 1 and Paper 2b
Extra and super-curricular opportunities
- Book clubs for all key stages
- The English department lending library
- Junior Debating (Years 7-9)
- Mock trial competition (Years 8-9)
- Senior debating (Years 10-13)
- English Speaking Union debating competition (Years 10-13)
- Her Lady’s Voice – literary newspaper
- Sixth Form Literary Society
- Creative writing competitions including the Natasha Ednan Laperouse Creative Writing competition for Year 10
- Year 7 Reading beach
- Theatre trips
- Collaboration with LTS
- World Book Day
- National Poetry Day Poetry Slam
- National Gallery creative writing trip
- Trips to the Fulham library and Nomad Books
Future opportunities (careers, university courses)
The skills developed in the study of English equip our students to be confident, critical voices in the world. Studying literary language, writing analytical essays and receiving detailed feedback gives students a command of language and an ability to present arguments, ideas and materials with clarity, force and precision. In this era of ‘fake news’, evasion and distortion, an eye for detail and nuance has never been more valuable. The versatility and pertinence of the skills of reading for meaning, writing coherently and speaking with purpose mean that students who pursue English as a subject excel in a very wide variety of settings.
Students want to stay to study English Literature at LMS and our course is always very popular. We also have success in supporting students in applying to study English literature at university. Every year students win places to study English at Oxford/Cambridge university and several others are offered places at prestigious Russell Group universities.
For students of English, some of the most common career paths pursued are: education and academia, law, broadcasting and journalism, publishing, advertising and PR, charity organisations and government. But this is by no means an exhaustive list!
