Exam Preparation Packs for GCSE AQA

What do teachers say about this resource? (7703)

Absolutely fantastic resource for teachers preparing for this exam, especially given the incredibly limited amount of resources provided by AQA.... I love the sheer volume of sample questions, answers and worked examples. This is ideal for both students and teachers to improve their knowledge of the skills and requirements for this exam. The worked examples build confidence and allow students to clearly see the various skills needed to answer these exam questions, linking to all the AOs. The sample answers are also perfect for a busy teacher, especially in the lead-up to the exams... The revision grid at the start is particularly useful for whole-text understanding and cross-referencing of themes.

An excellent resource... I really liked the chapter summaries, the inclusion of narrative techniques and context... and the worked responses... This would save teachers time, especially the practice questions... Would be beneficial to both teachers and students alike.

This resource has all of the necessary components for teaching Macbeth, particularly to Year 11 students in their final term... It is geared towards examination round-up of key themes learnt, culminating in several opportunities to do exam practices followed by reflection and comparison of student answers... The pack is extremely rich in sample answers – a unique feature unlikely to be replicated in other teaching packs. Likewise, the answers section is a rarity and shows that this resource pack goes that extra mile to show teachers and students the reassuring way to interpret the mark scheme... I could imagine that this will be a highly sought-after resource. Thank you so much for creating it.

Strong and offered a lot to teachers; it had a lot of variety, which helps in lessons. I liked the variety – had some interesting ideas, which would help with planning... Clear and visually interesting... Offers new ideas which lead to creative idea generation. It is difficult to make Macbeth relevant – they have heard it all before – but I feel this resource has some interesting ideas for teaching.

I like the detailed preparation for exam-style answers and the focus on the assessment objectives... Examples of analysis of individual passages ... are very useful as they relate directly to the format of the exam... Good to have exercises which develop ambitious vocabulary to get SPAG marks... Self/peer assessment sheet is useful...

A helpful and useful resource that provides a good bank of ideas, resources, practise questions and exemplars to help teachers support students in the run-up to the GCSE exams. I particularly liked the summary section at the start and that there was a good range of quotations. There is an excellent bank of exam-style questions and a detailed range of exemplars with appropriate tasks attached. Answers helpful for teachers or if non-specialists/supply delivering the course.

What do teachers say about this resource? (8474)

This is exactly what we need at the moment in the build-up towards the exams... If you want to improve student essays, buy this! I particularly like the sheer volume of sample answers, indicative content, sample questions and revision tools aimed at improving essay writing alongside revision of the novel. Having full essays with detailed comments helps both teachers and students get a better idea of how to write and how to mark – something which exam boards have barely provided us with. It has high expectations and presents very strong exemplar essays but also continues to aim for improvements. The focus on the AOs is helpful in ensuring all students meet all bullet points of the mark scheme. The range of sample questions and answers is ideal both for the classroom and for extra independent revision.

An engaging and interesting resource that both teachers and students could benefit from. Teachers can save time preparing activities, and students can work in groups and improve their knowledge of the book in an active way... Main events are clearly narrated and accompanied with key points, helping learners remember them... The historical context map is very helpful in remembering key events in history, which is relevant to the allegorical value of the novella... Samples of students essays illustrate the demands of the paper, with AOs clearly shown against ideas, and examiners’ comments.

A really good resource... Includes detailed context and content [and] matches the specification and assessment criteria... Gives pupils an opportunity to practise their exam skills...

I really liked the informative and detailed nature of the resource. It is very closely aligned to the AOs and offers many opportunities for self-assessment by students... It helps students to develop solid techniques when approaching exam-style questions.

Effective as a revision tool ... and focused specifically on what students need – help with the exam... There are a number of different tasks that staff could use as in-class activities or as independent tasks.

What do teachers say about this resource? (7583)

This is superb for learning... The step-by-step guidance on how to answer a question with examples is inspired [and] enables the teacher to differentiate the resource according to ability... The tests and quizzes are excellent for reinforcement and revision, and the spelling section will help students to commit terminology to memory. The passages from the novel with actual suggestions on how to answer the questions is a really good idea as this helps students to feel more confident about their knowledge of the text.

A very effective guide through the main points of the text. Provides clear and comprehensive features relevant to the exam board. I particularly liked the revision grid which outlines narrative devices and context. The exam questions and indicative content will be invaluable as there is little in the way of exemplar exam papers being released from the exam board at this time... I would definitely purchase this resource for my department.

A very useful revision tool for students studying The Sign of Four. Not only does it recap essential information such as plot, characters and quotations, it also introduces students to a wide range of examination questions, giving them the opportunity to adequately prepare for their GCSE exam... It’s great to see a comprehensive booklet to help students revise for The Sign of Four as resources on this text are very limited!

Concise exam preparation pack which can be used independently by student or as a set tasks for refresher or revision. Nice combination of exam techniques, e.g. essay techniques and phrases and closer reading / analytical tasks. I liked the very simple exam specification at the start, and the chapter summaries grid with setting, context and narrative is a very clever idea... Students seem to see them as three separate areas to explore rather than interdependent... The variety of exercises such as gap-fill or quizzes are effective for quick warm-up or to check learning... The 'student-friendly mark scheme' is a splendid resource for self-assessment. Sample assessments and answers are very useful... Really useful, user-friendly and relevant resource.

What do teachers say about this resource? (7144)

This is an absolutely fantastic resource – the level of detail included makes it incredibly valuable to all schools delivering the AQA specification. The clear focus on the exam requirements is expertly illustrated through the exemplar responses.

This is a fantastic resource which I would highly recommend... The activities are sharply focused on exam preparation... The sample answers explicitly demonstrate the way that the mark scheme assesses each of the assessment objectives... A valuable resource... it matches the specification perfectly.

This resource provides teachers with everything they would need to fully prepare a class for their upcoming literature exam. The model answers and AO focused activities are invaluable...

An excellent resource which encourages full understanding of An Inspector Calls... I liked the fact that it actually goes through the answering of an exam question and how to achieve high marks on the assessment objectives. The sample essays are excellent as these include how the essays have been awarded marks and how the student can achieve better grades with practice and self-assessment.

A detailed resource which provides students the opportunity to access the exam and assessment objectives... There are ample examples of exam questions and opportunities for students to engage with a range of exam questions and example answers... [I particularly like the] comprehensive outline of the main events and characters [and the] range of activities, with worked examples and sample answers... Provides students with worked examples with examiner commentary to see how marks are awarded and where answers could be improved.

I thought it was a well presented, appealing guide to get students ready for an examination on this text.This will help to give students a starting analysis, alternative viewpoints and essay practice. This will be invaluable to teachers and students.

Brilliant resource.

What do teachers say about this resource? (6982)

Absolutely fantastic. This resource will save hours and hours of work on the part of teachers teaching this new spec. It has done everything we want that AQA hasn't in terms of the coverage it provides, especially the sample questions and responses.

Excellent resource which provides worksheets to gain thorough knowledge of the text... I love the worked examples and exemplar essays...

This is an excellent resource that will benefit any department. It demonstrates an excellent understanding of the specification and has clearly created tasks to maximise the progress of students. Teachers, as well as students, will feel fully supported when using tasks from this resource pack. It also provides activities which many similar resources don't, such as a detailed guide through planning to ensure all AOs are covered. A brilliant addition to any English department!

What do teachers say about this resource? (9128)

An excellent resource. Very detailed, and breaks down the text well, making teaching and learning manageable. Chapter summary grid is super - breaks down text, and a very useful revision resource, zooming in on themes and key moments / characters. Quizzes are fun - good for knowledge recap... Sample answers are useful... Very useful for exam preparation. Meets demands of the AOs.... A very good resource overall... Very useful for revision.

A very focused and well-thought-out resource. It contains good ideas to help develop skills needed for the exam... The chapter summary is detailed and ... doesn't just retell the story. I like the way there is an important quotations page and I also like the breakdown of how to analyse an extract, with the option for students to then try it for themselves, firstly with a short extract and then with a longer extract. In addition, I like the student-friendly self-/peer assessment. Finally, I like the fact that exemplar responses have been included and that there is a detailed list of key areas that students need to revise... This resource reminds students of everything they need to cover and how they can go about doing it... Full credit to the writer for creating such an important resource.

What do teachers say about this resource? (8562)

This resource was excellent, and certainly offers very good value for money... I thought the resource flowed very well... I think the range of activities is excellent - there is a good variety of individual, pair and group tasks, and the guidance given to teachers regarding how to use the resource is really very helpful indeed. I particularly like the emphasis on using self and peer analysis to help students to improve their own work and on showing them how to perfect examination technique... Most impressive.

'An excellent and detailed revision and exam preparation resource... The revision grids are useful and would help weaker pupils... There are excellent examples given, and I was especially impressed by the grid which looked at how the characters are presented through language... This resource ... helps pupils not only revise the text but fit their answer to the AOs. It focuses on every aspect of an answer, including use of technical language and quotations as well as SPaG. The vocabulary work and consideration of different types of sentences were an added bonus... An outstanding resource, and the writer deserves every congratulations. There is no doubt that this would help pupils do better in any examination but does not lose sight of the play and the value of the play in its own right.

An excellent resource, well structured in that it is layered to encourage first the recall and revision of key character, theme and context, and then addresses the skills needed to use this revision to address each assessment objective... I particularly like the focus on AOs... It is clear what is expected of students and what they need to do to achieve success. This backs up what every teacher encourages students to do - focus on how to address the AO... [The resource] encourages independent recall and revision through chunkable activities to avoid cognitive overload, and then builds upon this to enhance key skills needed to achieve success in the exam... Allows for a thorough revision of the key themes, characters and context across the play as a whole, and encourages students to independently analyse key scenes in preparation for the exam... A well structured resource that can be adapted for different abilities and can be used both independently at home, or with support in school.

An extremely valuable resource due to its close adherence to the new AOs for the new 9–1 exam... The real strengths of this resource are the exemplar essays and the way that they are so closed annotated with the specific AOs, and the way it addresses AO3 – context is something that teachers are struggling to teach and pupils are struggling to include... Overall, a very valuable resource which will benefit both teachers and students. You can tell an awful lot of hard work has gone into this...

High quality knowledge and content.

Valuable.

Excellent questions.

What do teachers say about this resource? (6930)

This is a really useful exam preparation resource... It shows students how to use their knowledge to address the particular demands of the assessment objectives within the framework of the AQA English Literature GCSE specification. It is a clear and detailed resource which is explicitly linked to the AOs. I think this is a fantastic resource which could be used for both independent revision and within lessons... The example answers with commentaries help to exemplify the way the mark scheme is applied and clearly show students how to use their knowledge of the text in order to fulfil the requirements of the exam... An excellent, comprehensive resource which spans the 1–9 ability range and will save a significant amount of planning time at revision time.

I liked this resource... It enhances learning by giving a sense of closure to the course... Improves transferable skills such as essay structure... The variety will stop pupils becoming bored... I found the layout clear and user friendly... Matches the specification excellently.

This is a very useful resource for students and departments teaching this text. There’s a good range of activities and resources to help students and teachers new to this text. It’s especially useful for Y11s! There is a clear understanding of the AOs for this paper and the exam questions have a good range of topics (characters/themes/opinions).

'The essays at the end of this resource are useful and well thought out... I like the fact that there are resources that can be used in isolation for revision...' N Maloney, Teacher and Independent Reviewer

What do teachers say about this resource? (7566)

I liked this resource: it had some really useful activities and was a very good revision of the story, the main characters, the plot and the context... The exam questions were very good and useful, and the answers to the exam preparation questions were well thought out and helpful. I liked the activities on marking the essays and annotating with the AOs in particular... The exam preparation activities at the end of the resource would be extremely helpful in allowing students to learn the AOs and how to embed them all in their work... It is very good on context on the role of women and science at the time. Contextual references to the Romantics movement were also useful.

A comprehensive revision resource that provides a wide variety of tasks to engage a wide variety of students. The information at the start provides a useful overview of the key knowledge students will require for the exam. This is then supported by the revision tasks before moving students on to more specific and exam-focused tasks. The overall structure is logical and conducive to high-quality revision... A really comprehensive and useful revision resource.

A wide array of relevant tasks and activities to help students understand the text and its content in relation to theme, character, feelings, and literary or narrative features. Tasks have been designed to benefit students of all abilities and encourage them to participate and share relevant ideas in the classroom, gradually developing skills to analyse, choose quotes smartly, understand contexts, identify literary choice of words, and form a personal response to back up their argument. The instructions given by the author are clear and comprehensible, tasks are engaging, and the [exemplar essays] are vital tools to illustrate how ideas are assessed against each criterion...

What do teachers say about this resource? (8262)

Very useful for students who are preparing for GCSE Literature... Lots of activities which focus on the AOs and revision of key themes... It's a great revision tool for those who have studied the novel... The exam-style questions are very effective for homework and match the syllabus well... It is a solid resource, well presented and researched.