Concluding our series of inital posts by the senior examining team for the 2008 GCE English specifications, here is a contribution from Mary Jay, the Chief Examiner for English Language and Literature. We will continue to feature contributions from the team in the future.

Dear Head of English

This Community gives a great opportunity for the examining team to talk directly to you about our new specification and any latest news or developments that we think will be of interest.

By now you will have received copies of our new specification and the accompanying e-Spec CD, which will introduce you to all aspects of the AS and A2 specifications and the extensive support that is available to you. 

What we feel about the new specifications.
Designing the new Language-Literature specifications was a genuinely exciting experience. We had the opportunity to shape a specification with the potential to engage and stimulate students with different interests and abilities, to encourage independent learning, and to provide for stretch and challenge.
Look out for some of your favourite texts plus new texts and approaches that we think are stimulating and wide-ranging.
Many of us involved in producing the new specifications are experienced classroom teachers from a variety of schools/colleges so we always had in mind the needs of classroom teachers..

Introducing the English Language-Literature team:
We have a team of experienced examiners with diverse teaching backgrounds and particular areas of specialisation. 

Mini-biographies:
Mary Jay -I am Chief Examiner for this specification with particular responsibility for Unit 4-A2 Coursework. My teaching experience is mainly in 6th Form Colleges and I have worked with Edexcel for approximately 15 years on both Language-Literature and Language specifications.

Val Bissell -Principal Examiner for Unit 1. Val is VP and Head of English/Film Studies in a large comprehensive in the Midlands. She is an experienced examiner and has worked for Edexcel for a number of years on both Language-Literature and Language specifications. Despite her impressive senior teacher commitments, she is still very much a hands-on classroom practitioner.

Alison Ross- Principal Moderator with responsibility for Unit 2, AS Coursework. Alison is new to Edexcel but her name will be known to many of you as a writer of inspirational textbooks and a charismatic speaker at student conferences.
Alison’s ‘Original Writing Activities’ for English Language have provided many classroom teachers with lively, accessible and original classroom activities.

Danny Baker-Principal Examiner for Unit 3, has taught for 21 years and is currently teaching in an independent girls’ school in the South. He has been with Edexcel since 2002, involved with both GCSE and A level

Support and advice available to you
Look out for the publication of the English Language-Literature AS Student Book and Teacher Guide (to be published in Spring 2008)
These 2 publications will take both students and teachers through every stage of the AS spec. with classroom activities and ideas for research and reading.

Watch out for
Implementation Meetings for the new specifications to be delivered at venues throughout the country - details in your exams office or from www.edexcel.org.uk

Mary Jay