The English SATs

1. The English SATs

2. Who and what do they test? • The tests assess students working on Levels 3 to 7. • The tests are used to measure progress at KS3 and set targets for KS4. • The tests are based upon an assessment of seven reading skills and eight writing skills. These sets of skills are called ‘Assessment Focuses’.

3. There are three papers: • The Reading Paper, 1hour and 15minutes, worth 32 marks. • The Writing Paper, 1hour and 15minutes, worth 50 marks. • The Shakespeare Paper, 45mins, worth 18 marks.

4. The Reading Paper • This lasts for 1hour and 15mins and is worth 32 marks. • There is 15 minutes reading time during which the question booklet cannot be opened. • The reading booklet features three thematically linked texts. • There are three parts to the paper with questions on each text. • Questions are worth between 1 and 5 marks and do not get progressively harder.

5. The Writing Paper • This lasts for 1hour and 15 minutes, • It s worth 50 marks. • There are two sections to this paper: * The longer writing task and * The shorter writing task.

6. The Longer Writing Task This lasts 45minutes and is worth 30 marks. • Students have to produce one text based on one of the writing triplets: * argue / persuade / advise; * inform / explain / describe; * analyse / review / comment; * imagine / explore / entertain.

7. The Longer Writing Task • There is 15mins planning time and a planning template is provided. • Writing is assessed for: * sentence structure and punctuation; * text structure and organisation; * composition and effect.

8. The Shorter Writing task This lasts 30 minutes and is worth 20 marks. • Students have to produce a text based on one of the writing triplets: * argue / persuade / advise; * inform / explain / describe; * analyse / review / comment; * imagine / explore / entertain.

9. The Shorter Writing task Writing is assessed for: * sentence structure, * punctuation and text organisation; * composition and effect; * spelling.

10. The Shakespeare Paper • This lasts 45minutes and is worth 18 marks. • This papers assesses students’ reading skills. • There will be one question on the set sections from the play – The Tempest. • Extracts from the scenes studied will be produced in the test paper and students must comment on both extracts.

11. The Shakespeare Paper • The question will be based upon either: • Character and motivation, • Ideas, themes and issues, • Language of the text, • The text in performance.

12. The Tempest Alonso (the King of Naples), his brother Sebastian, his son Ferdinand, Antonio's counselor Gonzalo, and Antonio (brother of Prospero, the usurped Duke of Milan) are on a ship with sailors caught in a tempest at sea. The storm scares all of the nobleman to abandon ship, fearing it split in half. When the storm subsides, the exiled Duke Prospero and his daughter Miranda appear on the island they have inhabited for 12 years. Miranda tells him she saw the ship crack in the storm, but Prospero calms her, explaining it was a magical illusion he created. He explains he was once Duke of Milan, but his brother Antonio took over when he began deeply studying literature, eventually teaming with Alonso to banish Prospero and Miranda and abandon them at sea, where they luckily landed on the island and survived since Gonzalo had given Prospero money, clothes, and his sorcerer books in the boat.

13. The Tempest Now, he explains, his enemies have sailed by, so he created the tempest to shipwreck them. He causes her to sleep and calls his spirit Ariel to come. Ariel verifies that the nobles are safe on the island, while their ship is deep in a hidden harbor with the crew asleep; further, the remainder of the fleet has returned to Naples believing Alonso is dead. We learn that Prospero rescued Ariel from the "foul witch" Sycorax and will free Ariel himself when his plans for the nobles are complete. Sycorax had imprisoned Ariel in a tree for refusing to do her evil, then, after her death, Prospero freed him. She also had a deformed son, Caliban, whom Prospero commands as his slave.

14. The Tempest Hidden, Ariel sings a song and scares Alonso's son Ferdinand as he wanders around the island, eventually meeting Prospero and Miranda. Both Miranda and Ferdinand immediately fall in love, but Prospero (although approving) pretends to be gruff and critical toward Ferdinand.

15. The Tempest In another part of the island, Alonso, Sebastian, Antonio, Gonzalo, and the lords Adrian and Francisco are wandering. Alonso fears Ferdinand is dead, but Gonzalo assures him he may be living, since they are living. Ariel causes all to sleep, except Sebastian and Antonio. Then, Antonio convinces Sebastian to kill Alonso, so Sebastian will become heir to Naples' throne. Prospero, though, has Ariel awaken Gonzalo to warn Alonso. Elsewhere, Caliban is gathering wood when the jester Trinculo, then the drunkard Stephano (both from the ship) come upon them. Caliban takes Stephano to be a god (the Man in the Moon), and vows to serve him.

16. The Tempest At Prospero's cave, Miranda meets Ferdinand carrying logs for her father. Here they exchange their love for one another and vow to be married. Prospero, watching in secret, approves. Elsewhere, Caliban convinces Stephano to kill Prospero and seize Miranda so they can be king and queen. Ariel, though, overhears and will warn Prospero. Alonso and others are wandering when Ariel and other spirits bring in a table of food. Before they can eat, Ariel appears and takes the food away, then informs Alonso, Sebastian, and Antonio that it is their evilness toward Prospero that has caused their current sorrows (for example: shipwreck, loss of Ferdinand).

17. The Tempest At the cave, Prospero presents Miranda to Ferdinand and celebrates by presenting them with a show by the spirits Iris, Ceres, and Juno. However, Caliban, Stephano, and Trinculo show up to kill Prospero. He, however, creates a distraction with extravagant garments, then sends the fairies after them like hounds hunting foxes.

18. The Tempest In the final act, Prospero brings the nobles to his cell and reveals himself to them. He forgives Alonso, Antonio, and Sebastian then reveals that Ferdinand is safe with Miranda. Alonso restores Prospero's dukedom and Prospero promises to return all home safely to Italy. As for Caliban, he promises to mend his ways while Stephano and Trinculo repent for plotting to kill Prospero.

19. The Set Scenes For 2008 the set scenes will be: • Act 3, Scene 2 (whole scene) ‘Tell not me! When the butt is out, we will drink water –’ to ‘Wilt come? I’ll follow, Stephano.’ AND • Act 4, Scene 1, lines 139 to 262 ‘I had forgot that foul conspiracy’ to ‘Follow, and do me service.’