GCSE 

Ensuring a broad, comparable and coherent course of study

Our courses are designed to ensure a broad, comparable, and coherent student experience; with each session constructed around distinct principles which are tailored to match their GCSE assessment in line with AQA, Edexcel and OCR. 

We will first outline the objectives in the students curriculum and ask for a self assesment. We will then teach to the students weak points, whilst informing how to write answers to exam questions that achieve higher grades. 

Breadth

To ensure a substantial breadth of study, the courses chart history across three eras, three time scales, and three geographical contexts; and incorporates each of the five specified elements: One thematic study, one period study, two depth studies, and a study of the historic environment. 

Content

The examination specification offers choice of content and flexible pathways to allow teachers to design a curriculum that is relevant to students, engages them, and stimulates their interest in history; whilst maintaining high levels of comparability. Therefore the topics may vary depending on the student. 

Our teachers can offer flexibility in this respect. 

The subject content for GCSE History states that the scope of study should include history:

• from three eras:

Medieval (500–1500)
Early Modern (1450–1750)
Modern (1700–present day)

• on three timescales:

short (depth study)
medium (period study)
long (thematic study)

• on three geographical contexts:

a locality (the historic environment)
British
European and/or wider world settings.

British history forms a minimum of 40% of the assessed content over the full course.

We can provide assistance for everything you need to prepare students for exams, including:

past papers, mark schemes and examiners’ reports
specimen papers and mark schemes for new courses
exemplar student answers with examiner commentaries

Subject content

Students will draw upon a range of texts as reading stimulus and engage with creative as well as real and relevant contexts. Students will have opportunities to develop higher-order reading and critical thinking skills that encourage genuine enquiry into different topics and themes.

We can help students to read fluently and write effectively. Students will be able to demonstrate a confident control of Standard English and write grammatically correct sentences, deploying figurative language and analysing texts.

For GCSE English Language students should:

• read fluently, and with good understanding, a wide range of texts from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries, including literature and literary non-fiction as well as other writing such as reviews and journalism

• read and evaluate texts critically and make comparisons between texts

• summarise and synthesise information or ideas from texts

• use knowledge gained from wide reading to inform and improve their own writing

• write effectively and coherently using Standard English appropriately

• use grammar correctly and punctuate and spell accurately

• acquire and apply a wide vocabulary, alongside a knowledge and understanding of grammatical terminology, and linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language

• listen to and understand spoken language and use spoken Standard English effectively.

Texts

GCSE English Language is designed on the basis that students should read and be assessed on high-quality, challenging texts from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. Each text studied represents a substantial piece of writing, making significant demands on students in terms of content, structure and the quality of language. 

The texts, across a range of genres and types, support students in developing their own writing by providing effective models. 

The texts include literature and extended literary non-fiction, and other writing such as essays, reviews and journalism (both printed and online).

We can provide assistance for everything you need to prepare students for exams, including:

past papers, mark schemes and examiners’ reports
specimen papers and mark schemes for new courses
exemplar student answers with examiner commentaries

Subject content

The subject content is split into four units: 

• 1. Living with the physical environment 

• 2 Challenges in the human environment 

• 3 Geographical applications 

• 4 Geographical skills

In units 1 and 2 the content is split into sections, with each section focusing on a particular geographical theme. Unit 3 sets out the requirements for fieldwork and issue evaluation. Unit 4 sets out the geographical skills that students are required to develop and demonstrate.

Students are required to study case studies and examples. Case studies are broader in context and require greater breadth and depth of knowledge and understanding. Examples are more focused on a specific event or situation, are smaller in scale and do not cover the same degree of content.

We can provide assistance for everything you need to prepare students for exams, including:

past papers, mark schemes and examiners’ reports
specimen papers and mark schemes for new courses
exemplar student answers with examiner commentaries

Subject content

Our GCSE support covers a range of the major world religions, six contemporary ethical themes and two textual studies, ensuring our students have a diverse choice of intriguing subjects to explore.

Students will be challenged with questions about belief, values, meaning, purpose and truth, enabling them to develop their own attitudes towards religious issues.

Students will also gain an appreciation of how religion, philosophy and ethics form the basis of our culture. They will develop analytical and critical thinking skills, the ability to work with abstract ideas, leadership and research skills. All these skills will help prepare them for further study.

We can provide you with a range of resources that will help you confidently plan and prepare for exams, including:

• schemes of work

• resources for each of the religions and themes

• step-by-step guidance for assessment

• guidance to new content for each religion

• past papers, mark schemes and examiners’ reports

• exemplar student answers with examiner commentaries