A Practice GCSE Paper 1 Section A exam paper, using an extract from J R R Tolkein's 'The Hobbit', published in 1937. In this extract, a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins enters the lair of a dragon named Smaug and steals a golden cup. The dragon awakens and is infuriated at the theft of his treasure. UPDATED APRIL 2017 - a set of REVISED SMART Notebook slides to assist you in teaching the 4 exam Qs, question by question. I've added a new Q3 key terminology starter, a modelled Q3 structure response and a new Q4 slide. The Notebook slides can be unlocked and the content easily amended to suit any other text and Qs you might wish to use in the future. Also available FREE at my 'shop' is a highly differentiated version of this paper for less able pupils to respond to. Works well alongside this in mixed ability groups or just for less able candidates. Help yourself - there are loads of specimen Paper 1s and 2s at my 'shop'! I hope this is of some use to you. Matt :)

Using a letter penned by Charles Dickens as a survivor of a terrible rail disaster and a newspaper article 15 years after the Paddington rail disaster, the theme of these two non-fiction texts is different perspectives of rail disasters. I have adapted Dickens’ letter ever so slightly, simplifying some vocabulary and sentencing to make it a little more accessible to students whose reading ages are significantly lower than their chronological age, to provide an appropriate point of access to the skills demanded by the new AQA GCSE Language Paper 2A exam paper. Also included is a set of SMART Notebook slides for whole-class interactive teaching of this resource. I have adhered to the phrasing of the exam questions, but the tasks are differentiated thus: Q1 - same as the actual exam paper Q2 - cloze exercise of the summary (this could be easily tweaked to sentence stems) Q3a - highlight and write down 3 relevant examples of language used to convey viewpoint Q3b - cloze exercise of use of language to convey viewpoint and attitude I have not included the Q4 'comparison of methods to convey attitudes' task as it is beyond the ability of the students for whom I have produced this resource. I hope that it might be of some use to others. I've produced 8 of these differentiated papers for Paper 2A now and all are available FREE at my 'shop'. Please help yourself! Matt :)

A practice Paper 1 exam paper based on the ending of Susan Hill's novel,'I'm the King of the Castle', published in 1970. In this dramatic extract, taken from the climax of the novel, the protagonist - a victim of bullying named Charles Kingshaw - drowns himself in a nearby pond, unable to bear the torment he endures at the hands of a boy who is about to become his step-brother. UPDATED APRIL 2017: a REVISED series of SMART Notebook slides to accompany TES contributor Claire Mesher's practice exam paper so that you can teach this extract and Qs 1 to 4 interactively, supplying also a model response to Q3 where the focus is on structure and using key subject terminology appropriately, a Q3 key vocab matching starter activity and a new Q4 slide. I hope this is of some use. Thanks, Matt :)

A Practice GCSE Paper 1 Section A exam paper, using an extract from Hound of the Baskervilles. This is an ALTERNATIVE extract to the other Hound of the Baskervilles practice exam resource I have uploaded (no longer available here at TES as it has been published by www.teachit.co.uk where you can now access it, alongside other resources I've had published there.) In this extract, the narrator – Doctor Watson – and Sir Henry Baskerville are trying to solve the mystery of what the butler, Barrymore, is doing in the middle of the night. UPDATED APRIL 2017: included is a REVISED set of SMART Notebook slides to assist you in teaching the 4 exam Qs, question by question. I've also added a Q3 key terminology matching starter activity, Q3 modelled response and a new Q4 slide. The Notebook slides can be unlocked and the content easily amended to suit any other text and Qs you might wish to use in the future. NOTE: I have uploaded LOADS of AQA practice exam paper 1s AND 2s to my 'shop', ALL FREE of charge. Help yourself - and leave a review! Thanks! I hope this is of some use to you. Matt :)

Using an extract from George Orwell's non-fiction, "Down and Out in Paris and London" (1933) and an article taken from The Daily Mail online from 2014, the theme of these two non-fiction texts is attitudes towards the homeless in England in different centuries. I have adapted the texts, simplifying a little vocabulary and sentencing to make them a little more accessible to students whose reading ages are significantly lower than their chronological age, to provide an appropriate point of access to the skills demanded by the new AQA GCSE Language Paper 2A exam paper. Also included is a set of SMART Notebook slides for whole-class interactive whiteboard teaching. I have adhered to the phrasing of the questions, but the tasks are differentiated thus: Q1 - same as the actual exam paper Q2 - cloze exercise of the summary (this could be easily tweaked to sentence stems) Q3a - highlight and write down 3 relevant examples of language used to convey viewpoint Q3b - cloze exercise of use of language to convey viewpoint and attitude (again, this could easily be tweaked to the sentence stems of PEE paragraphs where pupils supply the point, evidence and explain how language is used to convey the author's viewpoint.) I have not included the Q4 'comparison of methods to convey attitudes' task as it is a skill currently beyond the ability of the students for whom I have produced this resource. The students I plan to use these resources with have reading ages between 6 years 6 months and 10 years old. I hope that it might be of some use to others. I have produced 8 of these resources now, all FREE at my 'shop'. Help yourself! Matt :)

Designed for less able students at Key Stage 3 or 4, this is a practice exam paper for the NEW AQA English Language Paper 1A: Reading 20th C Fiction texts. I have adapted an extract taken from Liam O'Flaherty's short story, 'The Sniper' (1923), simplifying a little of the vocabulary to make the text a little more accessible for students whose reading age might be lower than their chronological age. I have also designed a series of SMART Notebook slides for interactive teaching of this highly differentiated practice exam paper Q by Q. The format of the paper is as follows: Q1 - the same Q2 - cloze exercise focusing on how the writer uses language Q3a - sequence a series of statements to show understanding of narrative events / structure Q3b - cloze activity, modelling Q3 response, for pupils to complete. I know that the new GCSE paper is untiered and students will not be given this level of support in the exam. However, this resource is intended to provide an appropriate point of access and opportunities for students whose literacy is a barrier to learning to practise the reading response skills demanded by this exam - and to support the teachers who have to deliver it! I hope that it is of some use to you. If you want others, the following are all available FREE at my 'shop': War of the Worlds, Skellig, Frankenstein, Dracula, The Machine Gunners, Buddy, The Pearl, To Kill a Mockingbird, Z for Zachariah, The Hobbit, The Monkey's Paw and others. I've also uploaded loads of typical specimen new AQA Language Paper 1 and 2s to my shop, all available free of charge. Please leave a review and help yourself! Matt :)

Using an extract from George Orwell's non-fiction, "Shooting an Elephant" (1936) and an article taken from The Daily Mail online from 2011, the theme of these two non-fiction texts is attitudes towards elephants. I have adapted the texts, simplifying some vocabulary and sentencing to make them a little more accessible to students whose reading ages are significantly lower than their chronological age, to provide an appropriate point of access to the skills demanded by the new AQA GCSE Language Paper 2A exam paper. Also included is a set of SMART Notebook slides for whole-class interactive whiteboard teaching of this resource. I have adhered to the phrasing of the questions, but the tasks are differentiated thus: Q1 - same as the actual exam paper Q2 - cloze exercise of the summary (this could be easily tweaked to sentence stems) Q3a - highlight and write down 3 relevant examples of language used to convey viewpoint Q3b - cloze exercise of use of language to convey viewpoint and attitude (again, could easily be tweaked to the sentence stems of a PEE paragraph where pupils supply the point, evidence and explain how it conveys the writer's viewpoint.) I have not included the Q4 'comparison of methods to convey attitudes' task as it is a skill currently beyond the ability of the students for whom I have produced this resource. I hope that it might be of some use to others. I have produced 8 of these highly differentiated resources, all available FREE at my 'shop'. Please help yourself! Matt :)

A specimen Language Paper 1A, designed for use @ KS3, using as the extract the moment where Lucy steps into the wardrobe and enters Narnia, meeting Mr. Tumness for the first time. I've included a series of SMART Notebook slides to support whole-class interactive teaching of the paper, Q by Q and there is a Q3 key terminology matching starter activity; a modelled Q3 structure response and a new Q4 slide. There are loads of these specimen Paper 1s and 2s ALL FREE at my 'shop' here on TES, as well as highly differentiated versions for students with low-level literacy. Please leave a review and help yourself to them! Matt :)

Designed for NEW AQA Language paper 1A: a practice exam paper using the opening of Robert O'Brien's novel, 'Z for Zachariah', published in 1974. This extract, written in the form of a first-person diary, is narrated by a 16 years old girl named Ann Burden who believed herself to be the only survivor in her town after a nuclear war. She thinks someone is coming and she is no longer alone. Is this person a friend or a foe? The format of the exam questions matches those in AQAs specimen exam papers. UPDATED APRIL 2017: included is a REVISED series of SMART Notebook slides for teaching the exam paper Q by Q; a Q3 key terminology matching starter activity; a modelled Q3 structure response and a new Q4 slide. NOTE: I've uploaded LOADS of AQA practice exam Paper 1s AND 2s to my 'shop' ALL FREE of charge. Please help yourself - just leave a review. Thank you! I hope this is of some use to you.

Using an extract from Conan-Doyle's non-fiction, "The Edge of the Unknown" and an article taken from the Discovery Channel online newsdesk, the theme of these two non-fiction texts is belief in ghosts. I have adapted the texts, simplifying some vocabulary and sentencing to make them a little more accessible to students whose reading ages are significantly lower than their chronological age, to provide an appropriate point of access to the skills demanded by the new AQA GCSE Language Paper 2A exam paper. I have adhered to the phrasing of the questions, but the tasks are differentiated thus: Q1 - same as the actual exam paper Q2 - cloze exercise of the summary (this could be easily tweaked to sentence stems) Q3a - highlight and write down 3 relevant examples of language used to convey viewpoint Q3b - cloze exercise of use of language to convey viewpoint and attitude (again, could easily be tweaked to the sentence stems of a PEE paragraph where pupils supply the point, evidence and explain how it conveys the writer's viewpoint.) I have not included the Q4 'comparison of methods to convey attitudes' task as it is a skill currently beyond the ability of the students for whom I have produced this resource. SMART Notebook slides are also included for whole-class interactive teaching of the resource. Matt :)

A highly differentiated resource to support students whose literacy is a barrier to accessing the new GCSE English Language exam papers. I have adhered to the question format of Qs 1 to 3 of the exam paper but have scaffolded the responses to enable less able students to practise the skills demanded by the new AQA English Language Paper 1A: Reading exam. To accompany the pupil workbook, I have produced a set of SMART Notebook slides for whole class interactive teaching of the resource. Q1 - the same Q2 - cloze exercise Q3a - sequence the statements to show understanding of narrative events Q3b - cloze exercise to show comprehension of narrative events, using specialist terminology I have uploaded lots of these differentiated practice papers now, using extracts from texts including: Frankenstein, War of the Worlds, Dracula, Buddy, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Sniper, The Pearl, The Monkey's Paw, Z for Zachariah, A Christmas Carol and The Hobbit. Also FREE at my 'shop' are lots of Paper 2s, differentiated in similar ways, as well as loads of specimen Paper 1s and 2s with SMART Notebooks for whole-class teaching Q by Q. Help yourself and please leave a review. Matt :)

A practice exam paper for the new AQA Language Paper 1: Explorations in Creative Reading and Writing The extract is taken from Roald Dahl’s short story, 'Lamb to the Slaughter', written in 1953. In this extract, Patrick Maloney - a senior police officer – informs his heavily pregnant wife, Mary, that he is ending their marriage. His wife has other ideas ... The text and the format of the exam Qs 1 to 4 follows that of AQA's approved specimen papers. The SMART Notebook slides are designed to support your teaching of Qs 1 to 4, Q by Q. NOTE: I've uploaded LOADS of AQA practice exam Paper 1s AND 2s to my 'shop', ALL FREE of charge. Please help yourself - just leave a review. Thank you! Matt :)

PLEASE NOTE: AQA Paper 1A will ONLY use 20th or 21st C fiction extracts in the real exams (NOT 19th C fiction extracts.) These resources were originally created to introduce our 'Gifted & Talented' students at Key Stage 3 to some 19th century classics while introducing also the format of the new AQA English Language Paper 1 section A exam paper. Each exam paper features an extract from a different 19th C classic, including: * Great Expectations - Pip meets Miss Havisham * Dracula - Harker realises he is a prisoner at Castle Dracula * Dracula (alternative extract) - Harker encounters the three hags * Frankenstein - Victor attempts to animate the Creature * A Christmas Carol - Jacob Marley's ghost visits Scrooge and there are also IWB slides to support your teaching of the exam paper Q by Q, for all 4 Qs. The Qs follow the format of that published by AQA in their approved specimen papers. NOTE: I have uploaded LOADS of Paper 1 AND 2 exam papers to my 'shop' and ALL FREE of charge! Help yourself - please leave a review. Thanks! I hope they are of some use to you.

Using a journal entry penned by Howard Carter documenting his discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamen and an excerpt from Charles Darwin's Voyage of the Beagle where he describes the Fuegians, the theme of these two non-fiction texts is different perspectives of discoveries. I have adapted the texts ever so slightly, simplifying some vocabulary and sentencing to make them more accessible to students whose reading ages are significantly lower than their chronological age, to provide an appropriate point of access to the skills demanded by the new AQA GCSE Language Paper 2A exam paper. Also included is a set of SMART Notebook slides for whole-class interactive whiteboard teaching of the resource. UPDATE: If you do not use SMART interactive whiteboards, to view the SMART Notebook slides simply download the SMART Notebook Express viewer, FREE online. It is a piece of software published by SMART Technologies and is completely safe to use. (express.smarttech.com) I have adhered to the phrasing of the exam questions, but the tasks are differentiated thus: Q1 - same as the actual exam paper Q2 - cloze exercise of the summary (this could be easily tweaked to sentence stems) Q3a - highlight and write down 3 relevant examples of language used to convey viewpoint Q3b - cloze exercise of use of language to convey viewpoint and attitude and an extension task where pupils complete PEE paragraphs, supplying relevant evidence and explanations. I have not included the Q4 'comparison of methods to convey attitudes' task as it is currently beyond the ability of the students for whom I have produced this resource. I hope that it might be of some use to others. I've produced nine of these highly differentiated papers for Paper 2A now and all are available FREE at my 'shop' with accompanying SMART Notebook resources, too. Please help yourself and leave me a review! Matt :)

A Practice GCSE Paper 1 Section A exam paper, using an extract from Alice Sebold's novel, 'The Lovely Bones', published in 2002. In this extract, the opening of the novel, the narrator - a fourteen years old girl who has been murdered - gives an intriguing and engaging account of the night she was killed. The extract, complete with line numbers and Qs 1 to 4, is produced as a Word document but I have also included a set of SMART Notebook slides to assist you in teaching the 4 exam Qs, question by question. I have included also a model response to Q3 structure, modelling appropriate use of subject terminology and impact on the reader.The SMART Notebook slides can be unlocked and the content easily amended to suit any other text and Qs you might wish to use with your students in the future. I hope these resources are of some use to you. NOTE: I've uploaded LOADS of practice paper 1A and 2A exam papers (and also highly differentiated exam papers for less able students) to my 'shop' here on TES and ALL are FREE! Help yourself and please leave a review - thanks! Matt :)

A practice exam paper for the new AQA Language Paper 1: Explorations in Creative Reading and Writing. UPDATED: April 2017 - a REVISED series of SMART notebook slides to teach Q by Q in class, which can be unlocked and adapted for other Paper 1A practice exam papers I have uploaded to the TES site, all available free of charge. Q3- STRUCTURE - modelled response and a new Q4 slide. This extract is taken from Harper Lee's novel, 'To Kill a Mockingbird', published 1960. In this extract, set in America during the 1930s, a mad dog has been reported roaming the streets of a small town. The local sheriff, a man named Mr. Tate, has been called to shoot the dog for public safety. The narrator’s father, a lawyer named Atticus Finch, shoots the dog – much to the amazement of his two young children - Jem and Scout - who have no idea their father possesses such skill with a rifle. The text and the format of the exam Qs 1 to 4 follows that of AQA's approved specimen papers. NOTE: I've uploaded LOADS of practice exam papers for Papers 1 AND 2 to my 'shop' and ALL are FREE! Help yourself - just leave a review. Thanks! I hope this is of some use to you.

Using an eyewitness account of a prison visit reported in The Telegraph in 1881 and a 21st C American newspaper article in support of the death penalty, the theme of these two non-fiction texts is different perspectives of capital punishment in different cultures and centuries. I have adapted the texts ever so slightly, simplifying some vocabulary and sentencing to make them more accessible to students whose reading ages are significantly lower than their chronological age, to provide an appropriate point of access to the skills demanded by the new AQA GCSE Language Paper 2A exam paper. Also included is a set of SMART Notebook slides for whole-class interactive teaching of this resource. I have adhered to the phrasing of the exam questions, but the tasks are differentiated thus: Q1 - same as the actual exam paper Q2 - cloze exercise of the summary (this could be easily tweaked to sentence stems) Q3a - highlight and write down 3 relevant examples of language used to convey viewpoint Q3b - cloze exercise of use of language to convey viewpoint and attitude and an extension task where pupils complete PEE paragraphs, supplying relevant evidence and explanations. I have not included the Q4 'comparison of methods to convey attitudes' task as it is currently beyond the ability of the students for whom I have produced this resource. I hope that it might be of some use to others. I've produced 7 of these highly differentiated papers for Paper 2A now and all are available FREE at my 'shop'. Please help yourself! Matt :)

A 36 page pupil activity workbook for less able students to complete as they study 'The Hound of the Baskervilles.' Also available to download is a set of SMART Notebook slides, replicating the pages of the Pupil Workbook for the purpose of whole class, interactive whiteboard teaching. UPDATED FEB 7th 2017: SMART Notebook slides now also include newspaper report task and cloze activity version. There are a variety of activities including: * cloze activity chapter summaries for almost all chapters * chapter summary completion activities using sentence stem prompts as an extension activity * 'The Missing Boots' - diary entry as cloze exercise and also with sentence stems for extension * Watson's first letter to Holmes, as cloze or with paragraph topic sentence stems as extension * Watson's second letter to Holmes, as cloze or with paragraph topic sentence stems as extension * Newspaper report - as cloze or with some prompts to scaffold more independent writing * Post-reading explanation of aspects of plot devices - applying inference and deduction skills * Book cover design and blurb task: including design task memo, planning page and book cover template I have designed this workbook for use with a published abridged prose version of the novel but as the abridged version is very faithful to the original novel, it is suitable for use with the original, too! UPDATED: The abridged version is this one: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Level-Baskervilles-Pearson-English-Readers/dp/1405862483 I hope this of use to you. Feel free to download the workbook - please leave a review and let me know what you think of it! Matt :)

Designed for use with the NEW AQA, a practice GCSE Language Paper 1 Section A exam paper, using an extract from Liam O'Flaherty's short story, 'The Sniper', set during the Irish civil war and published in 1923. In this extract, an Irish Republican Army soldier - a sniper - is shooting at the enemy. He has spotted an enemy sniper on a nearby rooftop and takes aim. It is a decision he will live to regret ... UPDATED APRIL 2017: so the extract now contains line numbers AND questions 1 and 2 refer specifically to line numbers, adhering more precisely to the format of the AQA exam paper. Also included is a REVISED set of SMART Notebook slides to assist you in teaching the 4 exam Qs, question by question. I have included also a Q3 key terminolgy matching starter activity, a model response to Q3 structure, modelling appropriate use of subject terminology and a new Q4 slide. The Notebook slides can be unlocked and the content easily amended to suit any other text and Qs you might wish to use with your students in the future. I hope this is of some use to you. Matt :)

Inspired by fellow English teachers @Team_English1 over on Twitter, I've produced these essay plan starters for use with AQA GCSE English Literature: MACBETH. The intention is to use them frequently as starters to maintain retention and to develop students' recall skills, which are essential in the context of closed book examinations. I have produced the resource in TWO formats: EITHER as Powerpoint OR as SMART Notebook. Hope it's helpful to you. Matt :)