Exam Preparation Packs for GCSE Edexcel

What do teachers say about this resource? (8239)

I liked this resource... There was also the opportunity for individual/pair and group work... Enhances learning by providing visual diagrams making it more student friendly while the scene summary table and character summary will be welcome to those finding difficulty with the text... Its educational value is to go beyond the basics... The presentation/layout were exemplary... Matches the specification very well, covering all the main themes, but also all the skills expected of a student... I would definitely buy this.

A comprehensive and student-friendly resource which matches the Edexcel specification requirements, particularly through its focus on the extract style questions. Although there are a number of worked examples and tables with useful student information, there is also ample opportunity for students to work independently on developing their skills for the examination... The scene summary table at the start was very useful, although the biggest strength of the resource is how it breaks down the process of writing an essay. The worked examples – with commentaries to explain why an essay would achieve a particular level – is also useful (and makes the assessment objectives easy to understand through student-friendly language). Having example student essays (with the opportunity to “workshop” these essays) is useful – it means the resource could be used either in a classroom setting with teacher input, or independently during student revision... As the resource has been tailored to the Edexcel Specification, the resource enhances the GCSE learning experience, in particular through by providing a useful support for students during more independent revision. There is an element of metacognition in some of the tasks – by breaking down the components of writing an essay, it helps students to understand how they should compile an argument, use evidence to support the argument and then write in a coherent way. The answers section (p. 74-84) is also useful, as it means the resource could be used to support remote learning / study leave. 

This resource was very well written and well thought out.

It was appropriate for the age of the learner and the activities will help the learner to understand what is required of them in an exam as well as having a deeper understanding of the text.

I particularly liked the activities. I liked the design and the ability for the students to have a good understanding of what the examiner will be looking for.

I would use this resource in my teaching practice. I think it promotes independence as well as giving the student a good understanding of each of the areas of the text as well as understanding, plot, structure, setting and context.

Matches the specification well.

Comprehensive... I liked the way that the resource built up from summary to analysis in a way that would easily transfer to a scheme of work... The links to the AOs are helpful, and the revision activities are also beneficial and will save teachers a lot of time with these ready-made exemplars. M Smyth, Assistant Vice Principal and Independent Reviewer

It has lots of exemplars and ideas which would help students to focus and understand the requirements of the examination during the revision period... I particularly liked the scene-by-scene key themes suggestion – something I would certainly use in my teaching – and the breakdown of timings is a useful visual organiser... This resource would really help students to understand the requirements of each AO and to revise the themes and context of the play. The essay planning ideas would also help them to understand how to approach the exam questions.

What do teachers say about this resource? (7476)

An excellent resource to help students prepare and revise for the relevant section of the GCSE English Literature Edexcel specification. It is well-written and organised, providing a range of revision sheets and activities which are extremely useful. These include: planning and writing frames, sample essays, answers and indicative content – everything a teacher could want to prepare students... I loved the student mark scheme which helped students understand exactly what was required to achieve assessment objectives for a particular grade. The At a Glance and Summary Tables were particularly useful as study aids for reference and revision too. The starter sentences for paragraphs were most welcome as, in my experience, learners often struggle to know how and where to start answering questions... The resource prepares students for Component 1 Section B, providing comprehensive resources and tasks which cover key themes, quotes, episodes and characters in addition to skills required to answer exam questions. These are suitable for class, group and independent learning and for a variety of abilities... The resource matches and interprets the specification extremely well and prepares learners for the relevant section of the exam. The SPAG resources/activities which are directly related to the text itself are fabulous as many revision guides fail to do this... A very comprehensive, proficient resource.

Valuable... Easy to read... The questions can help students to identify the key information from the play, prepare for exams, be used as a discussion point in class, assess students' understanding of the play, identify areas where students need further revision and be used to generate discussion about the play... The layout is clear and concise... The resource could also be used as a starting point for discussion and debate about the play.

Excellent - really well organised and useful.

The sample questions are particularly useful, especially with the exemplar responses that follow. Provide excellent models for students to work with, and to apply mark scheme to so they can understand how to achieve.

Writing frames really useful for getting students started with responses.

What do teachers say about this resource? (9774)

Clear and systematic. Challenge increases as you work through the pack, and good range of tasks... Good choice of essay questions to work on, and nicely modelled answers to guide... Chapter chart is very useful – good overview and thematic / contextual connections. Focus on narrative techniques used get students thinking too. Character grids work well too... Opening grids very helpful... Good to keep linking to AOs, and also to look at what a good introduction / conclusion would look like as well as model paragraphs. Indicative content is helpful... Step by step approach. Matches and interprets the specification very well... Some nice planning templates too. Focus on close analysis of language – modelled and then with decreasing levels of scaffold... A helpful resource.

I thought that this resource was excellent, and certainly offers very good value for money.

Tte resource flowed very well, and that it would be very clear to teachers and students alike how the author had structured it in order to enhance their work on Great Expectations.

The range of activities is excellent - there is a good variety of individual, pair and group tasks, and also tasks which could be used for any of the above, or even individual homework activities. The guidance given to teachers regarding how to use the resource is really very helpful indeed.

The chapter by chapter synopsis is very good, as are the character studies. They are long enough to refresh students’ memories of the text, but short enough to be read and digested fairly quickly. I also very much like the extension tasks and the emphasis on how to annotate sections of the text so as to ensure personal connection with and response to it.

Most impressive. It is packed with material, and I would have loved to have used it when I studied Great Expectations myself.

What do teachers say about this resource? (7565)

I thought this resource was excellent. It is clearly focussed on the exam criteria and contains a range of excellent examples, information and activities.

I really liked the essay planning and student assessment grids. The support provided by the resource will enable students to use this resource independently as well as when delivered by a teacher.

The step by step approach to plot, characters and themes ensures that ALL students have access to the essential information, but this is then supported with worked essays, SPaG activities and suggestions.
The use of the student friendly marking grids and annotated responses clearly show the close link to the specification. Comments about context are appropriate - this is not a history essay and this resource puts context into context!

This is an excellent resource in every way and would save a teacher hours of work especially at the moment when there are so few past papers and little exemplar material available... Best of all are the detailed work on examination responses, the chance to self-mark and the focus on the AOs... Brilliant resource.

Really effective revision of An Inspector Calls with Edexcel specific information on Assessment Objectives. Tasks useful for independent revision and also ideas for within a classroom setting with full teacher answer materials. Thorough focus on character, plot and theme with explicit essay writing skills... Like the focus on key quotations, use of images and focus on links between characters, writers methods and purpose within the plot... Engaging tasks where pupils mark exemplar answers and then use their knowledge to mark and improve their own work... Detailed focus on AO4 which sometimes gets forgotten with range of vocabulary/sentence structure tasks to improve essay writing skills.

The resource was comprehensive and had a good range of ideas and activities. It was well written and constructed, taking the students (and teachers) from the basics of scene summaries, and building up gradually to full examination answers... Annotated exemplars are very valuable, and I liked the fact that these were linked to the AOs.

An impressively detailed and comprehensive resource. Very clear and structured content. I liked the peer or self-review marking criteria, and the developing challenge with the worked-through example and then the essay tasks that followed. Answers are also helpful, both for students and teachers... Grid format of the summary was visually very clear and packed with information - important to think about not only what is happening, but the linked context and the stagecraft too. Narrative techniques and linked vocabulary are good for extension. Character grid also very helpful and key information can be quickly absorbed - very helpful for revision and prioritising key points... Good breadth of activities, with both scaffold and challenge. Very structured and detailed. Takes students through key elements of plot and also characterisation... Challenge increases throughout the pack. The essay questions, and linked answers are very helpful. All is tightly rooted in the demands of the AOs, so students know exactly what they need to do. Focus on writing introductions ensures a clear line of argument from the start... Fantastic... A very comprehensive and well thought out resource! 

What do teachers say about this resource? (8460)

I really liked the exemplar answers that were worked through with detailed commentaries; these would be helpful for all ability of students... The worked-through exemplars have an excellent task modelling how to embed quotations... Really useful for exam preparation. It's clearly focused on the assessment criteria ... and would be useful for both students and teachers familiarising themselves with the requirements of the question... The commentaries stick closely to the exam question examples I've seen so far.

I liked the extracts identified in the example papers section as making exam-style papers is very time-consuming... The mark schemes provided are very useful...

What do teachers say about this resource? (7923)

Impressed with this resource... I think the author has done a brilliant job with incorporating a variety of information and activities for students to complete... I liked that some examples are given in the activity sheets so students know what they are expected of... I liked that exam preparation activities that are broken down in a step by step method... I liked that answers are given for the whole resource... I think the presentation and layout of this resource is really well done.

What do teachers say about this resource? (7702)

A helpful resource... I like the range of questions and the use of exemplar responses. [The] chapter summary is very useful... A useful resource for providing teachers with a bank of questions to help prepare students for the exam...