GCSE English Language and English Literature Hub network meeting - Empowering students through vocabulary: Part 1 - Reading

Oct 20, 2026

Uploaded by ahduag

Autumn 2019 Hub network meeting materials for GCSE English Language and English Literature focus on empowering students through vocabulary development and reading. The booklet outlines starter facts and figures on the word gap, explains why closing it matters, and presents a case study from Handsworth Grange Community Sports College. It details whole-school and classroom strategies, including explicit vocabulary teaching, guided comprehension questioning, oral language scaffolding, tutor-time reading routines, and approaches for building confidence and reading engagement, with further sections on assessment and topic-focused resources.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages38

Reading Time1 h 36 min

AccessFree to download

Starter activity

Closing the vocabulary gap: Is it a whole school matter?

Focus on reading

Activity

Strategies for the classroom

Assessment of reading

Reading with confidence

Shakespeare

19th century texts

Context in question papers

Other free resources

References and further reading

GCSE English Language and English Literature Hub network meeting Empowering students through vocabulary: Part 1 – Reading | Published: Autumn 2019 | | | --- | --- | Non-confidential AQA Education (AQA) is a registered charity (number 1073334) and a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (number 3644723). Our registered address is AQA, Devas Street, Manchester M15 6EX. 2 of 37 Contents | Contents | Page | | --- | --- | | Starter activity | 4 | | Closing the vocabulary gap: Is it a whole school matter? | 6 | | Focus on reading | 7 | | Activity | 8 | | Strategies for the classroom | 10 | | Assessment of reading | 12 | | Reading with confidence | 21 | | Shakespeare | 23 | | 19th century texts | 26 | | Context in question papers | 28 | | Other free resources | 31 | | References and further reading | 33 | AQA Education (AQA) is a registered charity (number 1073334) and a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (number 3644723). Our registered address is AQA, Devas Street, Manchester M15 6EX. 3 of 37 Starter activity Facts and figures about vocabulary Have a read of these facts and figures. Do any surprise you? Which ones resonate with you most? Do you agree/disagree? ‘43% of Year 7 pupils have a limited vocabulary’1 ‘A lack of time spent reading for pleasure is a root cause ’2 ‘The word gap is increasing ’3 ‘Children with language difficulties at age 5 are four times more likely to have reading difficulties in adulthood, three times as likely to have mental health problems, and twice as likely to be unemployed when they reach adulthood’4 ‘The size of a child’s vocabulary is the best predictor of success’5 ‘Students need 50,000 words to thrive in school. That is ‘receptive’ vocabulary (words they know well enough to have a degree of understanding) as opposed to ‘productive’ vocabulary (words they use every day)– we use a really small vocabulary in (our) daily lives.’6 ‘We use the most frequent 100 words in English language 50% of the time.’7 ‘Research indicates that anything between four and 10 exposures for a new word can best establish a word long-term memory’8 1 2 3 Why Closing the Word Gap Matters: Oxford Language Report, OUP, 2018 See footnote 1 : 95% of secondary teachers who completed the survey expressed this view. See footnote 1 : 69% of primary school teachers and 60% of secondary school teachers who completed the survey expressed this view. 4 Law, J. et al, p.7,OUP report, 2017 5 Why Closing the Word Gap Matters: Oxford Language Report, OUP, 2018 6 Quigley A, Mr Barton Maths Podcast, 9 March 2019 7 See footnote 6 8 See footnote 6 AQA Education (AQA) is a registered charity (number 1073334) and a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (number 3644723). Our registered address is AQA, Devas Street, Manchester M15 6EX. 4 of 37 Closing the vocabulary gap: is it a whole school matter? Case study: Handsworth Grange Community Sports College This is a case study from one school that believes closing the word gap is a whole school effort. AQA Education (AQA) is a registered charity (number 1073334) and a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (number 3644723). Our registered address is AQA, Devas Street, Manchester M15 6EX. 5 of 37 Case study: Handsworth Grange Community Sports College Handsworth Grange Community Sports College is a secondary school (for ages 11–16) with 1,012 pupils on roll. 38% of pupils are entitled to the Pupil Premium and 42% speak English as additional language (EAL) . In October 2017, Ofsted found the school to be outstanding in all areas. The word gap at Handsworth Grange The word gap poses a significant challenge for staff at Handsworth Grange. A large proportion of pupils start Year 7 with vocabulary that is limited to an extent that it could potentially affect academic achievement. Low levels of vocabulary can also impact on pupi

FAQs

What does the booklet mean by the “word gap,” and why does it matter?

It describes limited vocabulary as a barrier to academic achievement and confidence, and it links early language difficulties with later reading and wider life challenges. It also emphasizes vocabulary size as a strong predictor of success.

What is the targeted approach implemented for Year 7 pupils in the case study?

Year 7 pupils receive an additional weekly English lesson focused on increased exposure to unseen texts, thinking about texts, and building language for discussion.

Which whole-school strategies are used to close the word gap?

The school teaches vocabulary explicitly across subjects, encourages reading aloud, and uses brief comprehension questions. Staff also develop oral language through full-sentence answers, scaffolding, rehearsal time, attention to fillers, and repeating responses with synonyms, especially more academic ones.

Oct 20, 2026

Uploaded by ahduag