Further Teacher Guidance

GCSE English Language

Studying Spoken Language:
Variations, choices, change in spoken language

This document has been compiled from the GCSE English Language Specification, material previously published in the Teacher Guide and material distributed at INSET (also available on the secure website). It includes candidate responses in draft form with Principal Examiner commentaries. This document is intended to offer guidance and support to teachers in preparing students for the controlled assessment of Unit 4 S tudying Spoken Language (for first submission Summer 2012). It must be e mphasised that the advice which follows is exactly that: it is not prescriptive and where approaches are mentioned these are not the only possible or recommended choices. As you make your decisions and des ign teaching programmes, please remind yourselves of the most important factors to be taken into account as detailed in the ‘Key Information’ section of this guide and in the ‘Controlled Assessment’ booklet which must be downloaded from the secure website.

Contents  Key Information  Relevant Assessment Objective  Advice on Approaches  Frequently Asked Questions  Controlled Assessment Checklist  Using transcriptions, recordings, recollections & terminology  Assessment Criteria  Candidate responses with Principal Moderator Commentaries  Teaching Resources

Key Information
Candidates will be required to study an aspect of spoken language. The assignment will be a sustained response to their own or others’ uses of spoken language presented by recording, transcript or recollection. From the Specification, page 6
“In studying spoken language it [the course] must require learners to: • reflect and comment critically on their own and others’ use of language in difference contexts and how they adapt language to different listeners and t asks, exploring these