Unseen Fiction Preparation Packs for GCSE AQA

Boost students’ confidence in analysing unseen fiction texts with these rich and comprehensive banks of ❶ extracts with ❷ student activities and ❸ exam-style questions.

Extremely useful and effective in developing skills and preparing pupils for their exams

K Pinnock, Teacher & Peer Reviewer

Full preparation for the reading sections of the AQA GCSE English Language specification:

❶  Carefully considered extracts
  • Includes 8 debate-provoking extracts – or pairs of extracts for comparative packs
  • Wide range of intriguing themes from Refugee Boy to A Game of Thrones – mirrors the unpredictability of the Reading exams and prepares students for tricky texts
❷  Accompanying introductory and differentiated worksheets
  • Clearly structured pre-reading, comprehension and analysis activities for each extract
  • Develop key analytical skills needed for exam success
  • Answers to all activities – ideal for quick marking!
Tailor your teaching to mixed-ability classes! Worksheets available at two fully differentiated levels:
1. Scaffolded activities allow lower-ability students a straightforward way into the text.

Boost progress, especially for the less able

K Greaves, Teacher and Peer Reviewer
2. Higher-ability sheets challenge fast finishers!

❸  Exam-style questions for every question type
  • Apply learning and improve exam technique
  • Plus! Full student-friendly mark schemes – perfect for self-assessment and identifying areas for improvement

Embed in lesson plans or hand out for individual study!

What do teachers say about this resource? (8549)

An excellent resource. Mirrors the structure of the exam perfectly... The range of texts is interesting and will appeal to a wide range of GCSE students...The differentiated activities are great – an ideal way in for the lower end of the ability range... The mark scheme matches the GCSE spec and gives plenty of indicative content to aid marking... This will be excellent to build into any teaching of the Paper 1 reading section... In a world where resources for the new GCSE are still in short supply, this pack gives teachers plenty of material to prepare the students for the exam.

V Frost, Teacher & Peer Reviewer

Extremely useful. The texts are engaging and challenging and the activities develop skills and are well differentiated. Teachers could easily adapt and use this resource to develop engaging lessons... Pre-reading activities ... hook students... Activities are accessible to students of all levels... The self-assessment sheet is a useful resource to help students track their own progress in each AO, as well as enabling students to understand which questions require which AOs... The indicative content is fabulous! This is useful for marking and for support NQTs, etc. who are still familiarising themselves with the spec and expectations.

C Carter, Head of English & Peer Reviewer

Incredibly thorough and organised well into appropriate sections.

Great choice and variety of material with some fabulous exemplar material.

Activities are highly scaffolded.

A good resource to get students thinking about comprehension of extracts.

The layout is clear.

The extracts match the specification well.

A Davie, English Teacher, Examiner & Peer Reviewer

This is generally a very useful resource, utilising a range of high quality extracts. The thematic element gives an over-all coherence.

From a teaching perspective, I find the extracts on which the tasks are based are accessible yet suitably challenging. Vocabulary, which often acts as a comprehension barrier, is addressed systematically; repetition of similar tasks is useful; the thematic element counteracts the general effect of this component being 'bitty'.

I feel that repetition of tasks relating to different extracts aids 'stickability'. I also think that the thematic approach encourages engagement. Outside of the actual examination papers, it can be difficult for teachers to source suitable extracts and this resource is valuable even for that reason alone.

The presentation is perfectly clear and user-friendly. The average GCSE student should have no trouble accessing it and teachers can, of course, adapt presentation to their liking.

The resource matches the specification well: the nature of the questions in the pack mimic the style of the questions in the actual examination papers. Other tasks support the preparation required in order to then tackle this style of question.

A Ellison, Head of Department & Peer Reviewer

What do teachers say about this resource? (6975)

This is a fantastic resource that I believe could be used with groups of really high ability down to those of lower ability... This follows the specification really well, accurately ‘translating’ the AOs to something understandable by students and teachers. Exam questions mirror that of the exams, like the extracts do.

T Hollins, Teacher & Peer Reviewer

Very engaging... The questions are challenging but pitched at the right level. Each task assumes the students can do it, without patronising them or oversimplifying it. The way each question builds on the last toward a longer task is good.

A Baiden, Teacher & Peer Reviewer

What do teachers say about this resource? (6923)

Overall the resource provides some useful texts and the worksheets to guide the students through the text are great, both in terms of using them in lessons and/or using them for cover lessons. The thoughtful formatting to allow for easier photocopying and the inclusion of the answers are really good.

R Shakeshaft, HoD and Peer Reviewer

Good range of texts used and activities are sufficiently scaffolded for a range of abilities. There are sample answers that can be used in a variety of ways in the classroom. Overall, this is a flexible resource that can be used with most schemes of work for this course to boost progress, especially for the less able.

I like the self assessment sheet for students as it clearly identifies what they need to target for their revision. It also shows this information to the class teacher so that timely interventions can be planned.

K Greaves, Teacher and Peer Reviewer

Filled with well-chosen extracts and tasks which were accessible and appropriate to the specification. The activities provided would prove extremely useful and effective in developing skills and preparing pupils for their exams... The tasks mimic the style of the specification, which would prove extremely useful in examination prep.

K Pinnock, Teacher & Peer Reviewer

Good variety of different activities to keep students engaged. The differentiated worksheets are helpful. I like the way the resource builds on skills if you use the texts in the order provided. There are some very short activities to start looking at each text but each also builds to writing a Question 4 style response. Some good activities to help students with essay writing skills.

L Meredith, Teacher and Peer Reviewer

Good range of extracts... The content is really good and definitely at the right level for GCSE students.

L Prince, Teacher & Peer Reviewer