I must emphasise at the outset of this review that Revise the English and English Literature Anthology for AQA A is intended for pupils taking GCSE English examinations, but only those who are studying the AQA Specification A as is clear from the title. Pupils will be supplied by their schools with the AQA Anthology itself (Oxford University Press, ISBN 0198318812); the Anthology is not available in online or offline bookshops, but if you did need to obtain a copy, you might find one on Ebay.

Tony Childs’ book is therefore intended to assist with revision of the Anthology, by taking the poems and short stories one by one and asking questions that will guide pupils in the understanding and analysis of the works. The book opens with an introduction that explains the aims of the book, how it can help with revision, and how to prepare for the examination.

anthology, AQA, English Literature, revise

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The Rising Stars Download series of books, developed in conjunction with the National Association for Special Educational Needs, is aimed at Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 boys who are still having difficulties with reading. (I dare say a few girls might be interested too, but the publishers specify boys.) I chose to buy the one entitled ‘Download Motocross‘ as I was tutoring a teenage boy whose hobby was motocross and I hoped it would be the ideal book to encourage his interest in reading.

The book starts off with a twenty-six page information section giving details of the sport itself, the equipment and kit, how to get started, the different people involved and how races are organised and run. Almost every page features coloured illustrations, most of which are photographs. The layout is perhaps more similar to that of a magazine than a reading book. Text is kept to a minimum on each page and is often presented in small boxes or single lines.

Frances Ridley, reading difficulties, special educational needs

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Conjugating verbs is probably one of the most difficult aspects of learning any foreign language. When I learned Arabic, I took classes for only three months but that was enough to give me a basic idea of verb patterns. From there I was able to continue learning the language by listening to it being spoken around me; it is relatively easy, for example, to increase your vocabulary by looking up nouns and adjectives in a dictionary.

Bescherelle is the definitive guide to conjugating French verbs in all their tenses. You might expect a guide covering twelve thousand verbs to be a huge heavy tome, but it is a small format and has just 174 pages, thus light enough to carry around with you. It is divided into three main sections: grammar of the verb, conjugation tables, and a dictionary of the spelling of verbs. Whilst it may sound like one of the most boring books ever to be published, it is a mine of information that could make you realise how much there is still to learn.

Conjugating verbs, French verbs, grammar

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This English course book is for students studying for GCSE English and English Literature with the examination board AQA, specification A. The Introduction explains that it helps to ‘build the essential skills and knowledge to reach your potential in the GCSE English and English Literature exams’. There is a key for the various icons used in the book that signify spoken, reading, writing, and language activities. Students are shown that they will be able to check how good their skills are, develop and practise them, and improve them through the various activities. The speaking and listening, reading, and writing components of the course are shown in a table. There is in addition a table for the student to fill in every half term to show how confident they feel in each of the various skills. The final table in the introduction lists the skills that students will develop and practise and indicates how each skill will be assessed, whether through coursework or the final exam.

AQA, English Literature, GCSE

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