The Challenge of GCSE English and English Literature

Teaching GCSE can be one of the most rewarding experiences for an English teacher as the age of the students, the variety of the courses and the choice of texts are a challenging combination. Often, there is also a greater sense of ‘ownership’ of a class at GCSE than lower down the school where the teacher is likely to have a Year 7 class for one year but may not teach those children again when they move up to Year 8. At GCSE, by contrast, English teachers take their classes from the first day in Year 10 until the end of their compulsory education at the end ...