GCSE English Language and Functional Skills English in 10 Weeks

Getting a good grade in GCSE English Language may be easier than you think. The qualification focuses on skills you already use every day, such as reading and understanding, and writing and explaining things.

Skim a text quickly first to help you plan how you will use it to answer the question and which areas you will focus on more.

You will pick up extra marks in GCSE English (and Functional Skills English) for using commas correctly and writing different sentence types. There are lots of different ways we can use commas to structure sentences.

All words are categorised by type into word classes. Smart use of word classes can invigorate your writing. Being able to identify and explain word classes is a great way to score high marks.

Figurative language can create atmosphere or convey emotions. The tools we use in figurative language are often called language features.

You need to be able to identify and use language features in both GCSE English and in English Functional Skills.

You can pick up easy marks in English GCSE and Functional Skills exams by using a range of punctuation correctly. We’ll look at four types of punctuation you can add to your toolkit here: colons, semi-colons, brackets and dashes.

Not all sentences are created equal! Some are short and snappy, while others stretch out like a long summer break. You will pick up marks in GCSE English Language and Functional Skills English by using a range of sentence types. Sentence variety makes things more interesting to read. Maybe even fun.

The way sentences are structured can have as much impact as the words themselves. Writers use different sentence types to create effect, from short and punchy to long and descriptive.