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Skills that use Vocabulary, spelling, grammar

1. Writing for different audiences, purposes and forms

   Assessed: In the exam and in coursework (NEA)

   Every award includes creative literary writing and non-fiction writing in forms such as articles, speeches, blogs, reviews, letters and short stories, with register, vocabulary and techniques adapted to engage and influence the reader.

   Literacy: Planning and organising for different purposes, audiences and context, Connectives and syntax, Vocabulary, spelling, grammar

   Getting pupils ready

   Year 7

   Pupils write a short description of a place that matters to them, then rewrite two sentences of it as a formal tourist leaflet for Aberdare Park.

   Year 8

   Pupils write a monologue in the voice of a character from their class play and a letter to a newspaper on the same issue, noting in the margin one choice of register in each.

   Year 9

   Pupils write a speech for a school assembly on a human rights issue from the non-fiction texts studied, using rhetorical questions, direct address and a counter argument.

   Show the specification wording and the LNF statements

   Where it is in the specification: AO2 ii, Section 3.1, page 32 (also Unit 1, Section 1.3, pages 14 to 15; Unit 4a, Section 4.3, page 22; Unit 6, Section 6.3, page 29)

   “Adapt communication by selecting register, vocabulary and techniques appropriate to different contexts and audiences.”

   Progression step 3

   • I can adapt my writing style and structure to suit the audience, purpose and context, e.g. suitable balance between facts and viewpoints, a precise conclusion.

   • I can write about my thoughts, feelings and opinions, showing empathy and respect.

   Progression step 4

   • I can adapt my writing style, choosing and using the best structures for different contexts and purposes, e.g. to successfully describe, explain, persuade, discuss.

   • I can write about my thoughts, feelings and opinions, using a range of techniques, e.g. emotive language, hyperbole, choice of pronouns (you, we), to show impact.

   Progression step 5

   • I can show sustained awareness of different readers by selecting from a range of styles and structures, and adapting my use of language confidently.

   • I can use sophisticated idiomatic language and appropriate register in a range of contexts.

   • I can write with maturity about my thoughts, feelings and opinions in increasingly challenging and contentious contexts.

2. Accurate sentences, grammar, punctuation and spelling

   Assessed: In the exam and in coursework (NEA)

   AO2 iv, half of AO2, rewards a range of sentence structures with appropriate grammar and syntax and accurate punctuation and spelling in written work. It is named in the writing sections of Units 1, 4a, 4b and 6 and applies across all units.

   Literacy: Punctuation, Connectives and syntax, Vocabulary, spelling, grammar

   Getting pupils ready

   Year 7

   Pupils rewrite a flat paragraph about a storm using one simple, one compound and one complex sentence, with apostrophes for possession used correctly.

   Year 8

   Pupils add a colon, a semicolon and a pair of brackets to their own descriptive writing and explain in the margin what each one does to the meaning.

   Year 9

   Pupils write a 45 minute creative piece and then check it against a class accuracy checklist of sentence openings, punctuation for effect and ten commonly misspelt words such as definitely and separate.

   Show the specification wording and the LNF statements

   Where it is in the specification: AO2 iv, Section 3.1, page 32 (also Unit 1, Section 1.3, page 14; Unit 6, Section 6.3, page 29)

   “Use a range of sentence structures for clarity, purpose and effect, with appropriate grammar and syntax, and, in written communication, accurate punctuation and spelling.”

   Progression step 3

   • I can use a range of punctuation accurately (including apostrophe for possession) to clarify and expand meaning.

   • I can use simple, compound and complex sentence structures for emphasis and effect.

   • I can use strategies to correctly spell polysyllabic, complex and irregular words in the context of each area of learning and experience.

   Progression step 4

   • I can use the full range of punctuation accurately (including colons, semicolons and parenthesis) to clarify, organise and expand meaning.

   • I can select and use a variety of different sentence structures (simple, compound and complex sentences) with grammatical accuracy in my writing.

   • I can use a variety of strategies and resources to spell familiar and unfamiliar vocabulary and area of learning and experience/discipline-specific words correctly.

   Progression step 5

   • I can use the full range of punctuation in order to vary pace, clarify meaning, avoid ambiguity and create deliberate effects.

   • I can vary sentence structures to engage and sustain the reader’s interest and write with grammatical accuracy.

   • I can understand and use formal conventions of language in a range of purposes, making effective use of reference tools and accuracy aids.

Source: WJEC GCSE English Language and Literature (Single and Double Award) specification, Version 5, teaching from 2025, for award from 2027, © WJEC CBAC Ltd. 2024.