You are not marked
on what you know.
You are marked on
the skill of your writing.
The grade is not a reading score. Two students can understand the same extract equally well and be marked six grades apart, because the mark is given for how the answer is written.
Grades 4–6
- Clear.
- Relevant.
- Accurate.
Grades 7–9
- Convincing.
- Compelling.
- Perceptive.
Grades 7–9 is simply good writing that meets the examiner’s requirements.
Examiner’s Grade 9 Criteria
Every mark is a writing mark.
The reading questions
marked on what you wrote
The essay
marked on what you wrote
The creative piece
marked on what you wrote
And almost none of it is ever redrafted.
Marks in GCSE English
Every exam board
0%
of the marks
are for writing
are for writing
- English Language Answers about a text you have just read — then a whole piece composed from nothing.
- English Literature Every question is an essay. There is nothing on the paper to tick.
We counted. Here is what 117 students told us.
The problem repeats itself.
- Too little writing
- So too little feedback
- So mistakes stay
- So nothing improves
All four problems can be fixed.
The basics. The criteria. The writing. The cycle.
