Original Writing NEA Support Packs for AQA A Level English Language
Help your students develop the skills required for choosing style models, writing creatively and reflecting on the writing process for the A Level AQA NEA Original Writing Component. Packed with varied extracts, questions, writing prompts, guidance, sample answers and commentaries, this unique resource is the perfect way to introduce your students to each of the AQA themes.
Part 1: Stimulating Style ModelsSuperb. It made me wish I was doing the A Level myself!...
...Clear, useful, well focused, knowledgeable, wide-ranging and I would definitely use it myself with my own students
- Style models covering the three AQA-prescribed examples plus bonus extracts!
- Supported with focused questions to promote discussion, encourage insightful analysis, and practise annotation skills
- Plus! Detailed annotated versions for comparison or to support weaker students
- Imaginative orginal writing suggestions for each style model
- Inspires creative thought – ideal for building confidence!
- Three annotated pieces of original writing complete with AO-marked commentaries
- Great for AfL – students compare their own work with samples and see exactly where to improve!
- Plus! A student-friendly mark scheme and a straightforward guide to referencing
| Topic | Style Models |
|---|---|
| The Power of Persuasion | ① Investigative journalism, ② Speech on a controversial topic, ③ Letter to a MP, PLUS! ④ manifesto, ⑤ charity appeal |
| The Power of Storytelling | ① Short stories, ② Dramatic monologues, ③ Biographies, PLUS ④ Epistolary fiction, ⑤ Scripts, and ⑥ Narrative poetry |
| The Power of Information | ① Travel journalism, ② Blog on social issues, ③ Local history, PLUS ④ Environmental pamphlet, ⑤ Popular science article |
An ideal supplement to our NEA Original Writing and Reflective Commentary Teaching Pack.
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What do teachers say about this resource? (7960)
Superb. It made me wish I was doing the A Level myself! Very interesting and well-written, with well-chosen exemplars and excellent activities. I felt it was clear, useful, well focused, knowledgeable, wide-ranging and I would definitely use it myself with my own students. The style models are well chosen, and the structure of having the model followed by material prompting discussion, an annotated version of the style model, and suggestions for creative tasks arising out of the study of the style model is perfect. High-quality commentary and suggestions for teaching and individual activities, very focused on spec and beautifully written. The advice sheets that follow are also excellent, and the three marked pieces of work are accurate and very useful.
Extremely useful... The examples were brilliant. Many of my students find it hard to think of ideas, and so the prompts were good for this. The examples were also really clear and differed from just showing students past work created by their peers. It makes things a lot clearer for them... The vast range of examples and different types of text were good... I liked that there were 6 different options/types of text that students could explore... This would be beneficial in adding more variety to our NEA pieces... The resource would really help our students with the independence that they need in order to write their NEA. As A level students, a lot of our pupils struggle with having to complete the work on their own... The packs of examples, as well as the guidance/advice on how to select a style model etc. really lends itself to the independence needed... Presentation and layout was good - it was easy to follow and read... The resource perfectly matches the specification for the coursework. It gives students the materials and tools to create their own piece of "story telling" and keeps it clear whilst maintaining options. I am excited to use this with my current Y12 (going into Y13) as they start their coursework in September.
It is incredibly thorough and organised well into appropriate sections, making it possible for a teacher to just pick up and teach, irrespective of their experience.
I love the choices of samples – all really interesting to read and different to analyse. The annotations also make it really clear what is expected of the students. It is particularly helpful to have so many different ‘genres’ of storytelling and ones that we wouldn’t necessarily think of drawing on.
It makes students probe deeply into both what they are reading and what they are writing. They are encouraged to work independently, but also the work is heavily scaffolded to help the weaker students. I can’t see how a student could do badly on their Original Writing NEA if they use this resource! I also feel that the many choices on offer are truly exemplified within this resource and would help teachers who don’t necessarily feel comfortable teaching students how to write poetry for example.
I feel that the focus on Assessment Objectives establishes a clear connection between the resource and the specification and the generic advice given is particularly useful.
This is a brilliant resource which teachers and students will find very useful. It provides clear guidance for students to enable them to complete their NEA successfully, as well as some very useful NEA example style models and student responses. It will also guide and support all teachers, regardless of A-level teaching experience, in the effective delivery of the Original Writing NEA module. The activities are engaging and the content is closely matched to AQA’s specification... The Harvard referencing guidance is extremely useful, as many students will not have done this before undertaking this NEA... The student-friendly mark scheme is useful as an in-class activity, and for students to peer assess the work of others outside of lessons... The writing prompts are both engaging and helpful for students... The ‘Reflective Commentary Prompt Questions’ are very useful... The resource helpfully provides students with ideas on where they can find their own style models... I feel that this is an excellent resource which will significantly support the teaching of, and supplement the learning of, Original Writing. There are tasks included which encourage independent research and study, which is essential skill for students completing their A-level NEA... I would certainly purchase this resource to support the teaching of the Original Writing NEA module because it is engaging, minimal preparation time is needed by teachers, it meets the exam board’s requirements, makes the NEA requirements clear to students, and includes an excellent range of style models and student responses. I feel this resource will help to maximise student outcomes so that they can produce high-quality NEA. It also provides excellent value for money... A brilliant teaching resource which I would enjoy using in my own teaching of the Original Writing NEA because the style models chosen by the author are engaging and cover a wide range of forms, which is advantageous for students. Students will enjoy studying Original Writing, undertaking independent research, and producing their own creative pieces as a result of using this teaching pack.
A high-quality resource which would be useful for teachers new to the spec as it contains a lot of detail which is accessible and user-friendly.
It is also useful for teachers who have taught the spec a lot, as it provides a lot of modelling and practice resources.
It was really useful to have a student-friendly outline of the AOs in enough detail not to be overwhelming or confusing.
It enhances learning through its consistent use of modelling, a range of tasks and activities for independent work to enable deliberate practice and it builds up tasks gradually in an ‘I do, we do, you do’ kind of fashion.
Clearly matches the AOs and it identifies routinely throughout the resource where certain areas are applicable to the mark scheme.
What do teachers say about this resource? (8465)
An excellent resource which will support learners and teachers in their coursework. A fantastic resource which will be invaluable for schools and colleges... I love that the resource has clearly been written with students in mind. For example, the student checklist and the student friendly mark scheme is a fantastic way to support learners. The prompt questions are brilliant ways to encourage writing and help students who might be struggling. This can also save teacher workload. Model answers are great... This resource encourages students of all abilities to complete their coursework with success. In addition, this is a grab and go pack for teachers which will dramatically reduce workload and support those new to the subject... Congratulations to the author on a fantastic resource.
This is an excellent resource which is practical, time-saving and ready-to-use. It will be very useful for all A-level teachers delivering all key elements of ‘Power of Information’, and will help students to complete their Original Writing NEA successfully. There are lots of writing tasks that students will find stimulating and enjoyable, and the style models selected by the author are well-chosen and engaging because they relate to many social issues and current affairs. The sample responses and student mark scheme are useful for showing students how to write and structure their own NEA, encouraging students to critically engage with their own writing and the work of others, and generating group- and class discussion. There are also lots of analytical tasks that promote independent thinking... The pack provides ideas on where students can find their own style models... The Harvard style referencing guidance is very useful for students, especially as this will be the first time that many have had to use referencing. It is also a good skill to prepare students for university assignments...The student-friendly mark scheme is useful because it enables students to critically engage with and forensically focus on their own writing (and also useful for peer review, if required)... The analysis and study prompts and writing prompts are excellent for students because they are engaging and encourage focused exploration of the style models... The ‘Reflective Commentary Prompt Questions’ are beneficial because they encourage students to critically reflect on their own writing, and helps them to identify areas for development... This is a superb teaching resource from ZigZag Education which will help students to develop and consolidate the knowledge that they need to successfully produce their Original Writing NEA. The wide range of style models included are engaging and helpful for delivering the key components and concepts of informative writing. The range of independent tasks will equip students with the knowledge and resilience that they need to be successful not only in this module, but elsewhere in the A-level English Language course.
Really thorough and incredibly useful for teachers and students alike. The style guides are varied and show the depth of choice the students have... I like the student friendly mark scheme... It gives students and teachers materials and comments without them having to spend hours searching for appropriate exemplar writing. Massively time saving. And it provides great examples for students too... Clearly presented and consistent in style. Totally accessible... It totally matches the NEA requirements and covers all of the elements of the Original Writing component... The main appeal of this resource is how much time it saves the teacher.
What do teachers say about this resource? (8454)
It is incredibly thorough and organised well into appropriate sections, making it possible for a teacher to just pick up and teach, irrespective of their experience. It complements the other two resources on storytelling and information.
I love the choices of samples – all really interesting to read and different to analyse. The annotations also make it really clear what is expected of the students. It is nice to see a variety of different methods analysed and students can be exposed to a variety of persuasive texts.
It makes students probe deeply into both what they are reading and what they are writing. They are encouraged to work independently, but also the work is heavily scaffolded to help the weaker students.
I feel that the focus on Assessment Objectives establishes a clear connection between the resource and the specification and the generic advice given is particularly useful.
A fantastic resource which students and teachers will find very useful because it contains a good and diverse range of style models and exemplar student responses and some excellent tips for students, which will ultimately help them to produce their own Original Writing NEA successfully.
The style models selected by the author are well-chosen and students will find them engaging. The pack also provides strong guidance for students.
The pack provides ideas on where students can find their own style models – this is very useful because students often choose style models which are not very well written and are not feature-rich.
The ‘Reflective Commentary Prompt Questions’ are useful because they encourage students to critically engage and reflect on their writing.
The Harvard referencing guidance is very useful for students, as many will not have done referencing before undertaking this NEA. It is also a good skill to prepare students for life at University.
The analysis and study prompts and writing prompts are superb for students because they encourage focused exploration of the style models.
This resource enhances learning because it clearly explains the aims of the NEA project, illuminates what the mark scheme is actually assessing, and makes it explicit to students what they need to do to ‘hit’ the assessment objectives. It also gives crystal-clear guidance to students on how they can achieve the higher grades in their NEA, and provides some excellent examples of style models and exemplar NEA pieces to help them do this. Some key A-level terminology/methods that students will be expected to find in their own style models is included, which will help students to obtain AO1 marks in their own writing for this module, as well as in the examined modules.
Students will be equipped with the core skills, knowledge and understanding that they need to complete their Original Writing NEA successfully.
This ‘Power of Persuasion’ NEA Study Pack matches and interprets AQA’s A-level English Language specification very well. The key content, prompt questions, writing tasks, sample style models and exemplar students responses included in this pack are all completely relevant to the specification and NEA. With the help of this study pack, students will be equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to enable them to create their own Original Writing NEA efficaciously. The Assessment Objectives and how students can meet these are made explicit (and will help students in other parts of the A-level course), and the student-friendly mark scheme is also extremely useful.
This is another excellent teaching resource from ZigZag Education! The pack very helpfully guides students through all elements of the NEA from undertaking independent research to find and analyse their own style models to producing and evaluating their own writing. Students will enjoy studying the texts/example style models included because they are engaging, and teachers will enjoy their teaching of this module with the assistance of this pack.
Excellent in giving students and teachers a thorough understanding of how to approach the NEA original writing aspect of the course... The resource was very clear and simple to understand... Really useful to have some style models that were annotated already. This definitely enhances the learning of the student as good practice is modelled and it can help students gauge what they are aiming for... Very easy to follow and it is clear... It is very specific in the area of the specification in which it matches and I think that is what makes it so successful... A fantastic range of activities, model answers and detailed and accessible explanation of how to approach the NEA original writing.