| Exam Duration | 15 minutes |
| Task 1 | The candidate will introduce and read 1 piece of prose taken from the Selected Readings. The candidate should prepare all prose passages, and the examiner will select one to be read aloud. |
| Task 2 | The candidate will read 2 nursery rhymes from the Selected Readings (chosen by the candidate). |
| Task 3 | The candidate will answer questions about the readings: (a) the meanings of a few of the words; and (b) which piece was most interesting (or most fun) to read. |
| Note | The examiner will look for concentration and engagement. |
| Exam Duration | 15 minutes |
| Task 1 | The candidate will introduce and read 1 piece of prose taken from the Selected Readings. The candidate should prepare all prose passages, and the examiner will select one to be read aloud. |
| Task 2 | The candidate will read 1 action verse from the Selected Readings (chosen by the candidate). |
| Task 3 | The candidate will answer questions about the readings: (a) the meanings of some of the words; and (b) what the candidate liked most in the readings. |
| Note | The examiner will look for concentration, engagement in, and understanding of, the texts. |
| Exam Duration | 15 minutes |
| Task 1 | The candidate will introduce and read 1 piece of prose taken from the Selected Readings. The candidate should prepare all prose passages, and the examiner will select one to be read aloud. |
| Task 2 | The candidate will bring to the examination a book that they are currently reading, and will read an extract of approximately 150–200 words (chosen by the candidate) |
| Task 3 | The candidate will answer questions about the readings: (a) what was interesting about the first reading; and (b) what they think makes a book a pleasure to read aloud. |
| Note | The examiner will look for concentration, and engagement with, and views about, the texts. |
| Exam Duration | 15 minutes |
| Performance | The candidate will introduce and read aloud 2 pieces, one of which will be chosen from the Handbook at this grade. The own choice piece should be approximately 200 words and a copy needs to be provided for the examiner. |
| Sight Reading | The candidate will read aloud a passage provided by the examiner. |
| Questions and Folder of Work | The candidate will bring to the examination a Folder of Work. It will contain 8 pieces of work that the candidate has found interesting. The Folder will conclude with a Personal Reflection on what the candidate found attractive in the pieces, with an example of what makes one of the pieces especially good to perform. The candidate will be asked questions on the following topics: a) Performance pieces – the meaning, vocabulary and choice. b) Folder of Work – the reasons for the choice of pieces; the content of the Personal Reflection. |
| Exam Duration | 15 minutes |
| Performance | The candidate will introduce and read aloud 2 passages, one of which will be chosen from the Handbook at this grade. The own choice piece should be approximately 200 words and a copy needs to be provided for the examiner. |
| Sight Reading | The candidate will read aloud a passage provided by the examiner. |
| Questions and Folder of Work | The candidate will bring to the examination a Folder of Work. It will contain 10 pieces of work that the candidate has found interesting. The Folder will conclude with a Personal Reflection on what the candidate found attractive in the pieces, and an assessment of which piece looks the best to perform. The candidate will be asked questions on the following topics: a) Performance pieces – the meaning, vocabulary and choice. b) Folder of Work – the reasons for the choice of pieces; the content of the Personal Reflection. |
| Exam Duration | 15 minutes |
| Performance | The candidate will introduce and read aloud 2 pieces, one of which will be chosen from the Handbook at this grade, the other from a work of non-fiction. The own choice piece should be approximately 200 words and a copy needs to be provided for the examiner. |
| Sight Reading | The candidate will read aloud a passage provided by the examiner. |
| Questions and Folder of Work | The candidate will bring to the examination a Folder of Work. It will contain 12 pieces of work that the candidate has found interesting. The Folder will conclude with a Personal Reflection on what the candidate found attractive in the pieces. The candidate must choose one piece that they find most appealing as a performance piece, and say why. The candidate will be asked questions on the following topics: a) Performance pieces – the meaning, vocabulary and choice. b) Folder of Work – the reasons for the choice of pieces; the content of the Personal Reflection. |
| Exam Duration | 20 minutes |
| Performance | The candidate will introduce and read aloud 2 pieces, one of which will be chosen from the Handbook at this grade, the other chosen by the examiner from a book chosen by the candidate. The own choice piece should be approximately 250 words and a copy needs to be provided for the examiner. |
| Sight Reading | The candidate will read aloud a passage provided by the examiner. |
| Questions and Folder of Work | The candidate will bring to the examination a Folder of Work. It will contain 16 pieces of writing linked by a theme of the candidate’s choice. The Folder will conclude with a Personal Reflection on how the candidate chose the linking theme. The candidate must choose one piece to use as an example of how you can give colour to a reading. The candidate will be asked questions on the following topics: a) Performance pieces – the meaning, vocabulary and authors. b) Folder of Work – the reasons for the choice of pieces; the content of the Personal Reflection. |
| Exam Duration | 20 minutes |
| Performance | The candidate will introduce and read aloud 2 pieces, one of which will be chosen from the Handbook at this grade, the other a passage from a magazine or newspaper. The own choice piece should be approximately 300 words and a copy needs to be provided for the examiner. |
| Sight Reading | The candidate will read aloud a passage provided by the examiner. |
| Questions and Folder of Work | The candidate will bring to the examination a Folder of Work which will give a selection of work from the candidate’s favourite author. The Folder will conclude with a Personal Reflection on what features of the style and themes make the writer their personal favourite. The candidate will be asked questions on the following topics: a) Performance pieces – the meaning and vocal styles. b) Folder of Work – content, including the personal insights gained |
| Exam Duration | 25 minutes |
| Performance | The candidate will introduce and read aloud three pieces, one of which will be chosen from the Handbook at this grade, another a piece of descriptive or satirical verse, and the third a contrasting piece from the period 1900 to the present. The own choice piece should be approximately 300 words and a copy needs to be provided for the examiner. |
| Sight Reading | The candidate will read aloud a passage provided by the examiner. |
| Questions and Folder of Work | The candidate will be asked questions on the following topics: a) Pieces – the style, content and delivery of the pieces. b) Theory – to explain the term ‘modulation’ and in relation to the performance of the pieces. c) Literature – to discuss a Portfolio the candidate has produced on post-1900 literature, EITHER demonstrating the importance of an individual author OR illustrating a literary movement (e.g. war poetry, modernism, science fiction, or any other coherent topic that interests the candidate). The relevance of the topic to the candidate’s own development in speaking and understanding literature should be indicated. |
| Exam Duration | 30 minutes |
| Performance | The candidate will introduce and read aloud three pieces, one of which will be chosen from the Handbook at this grade; the other two will be contrasting pieces on the same subject. One of the three pieces must be from the period 1660–1900. The own choice piece must not exceed 3 minutes and a copy needs to be provided for the examiner. |
| Sight Reading | The candidate will read aloud a passage provided by the examiner. |
| Questions and Folder of Work | The candidate will be asked questions on the following topics: a) Pieces – the style, content and delivery of the pieces. b) Theory – the candidate will discuss presentation and posture in reading aloud in relation to the performance of the pieces. c) Literature – to discuss a Portfolio the candidate has produced on literature between 1660 and 1900 EITHER on a significant literary figure OR on an important historical moment that influenced literature |
| Exam Duration | 30 minutes |
| Performance | The candidate will introduce and read aloud: a) A piece from the Handbook at this grade. b) Four short passages illustrative of the following subjects: (i) Autobiography (ii) Lyric verse or a sonnet (iii) Reflective writing (iv) Humour Two of the five pieces must be from the period 1580–1660. (Reading time of each extract not to exceed 1½ minutes.) |
| Sight Reading | The candidate will read aloud a passage provided by the examiner. |
| Questions and Folder of Work | The candidate will be asked questions on the following topics: a) Pieces – the style, content and delivery of the pieces. b) Theory – to discuss the elements of effective voice production, including projection and resonance, with particular reference to one of the chosen pieces; to explain what exercises are personally beneficial to improve voice production. c) Literature – to discuss a Portfolio the candidate has produced on literature between 1580 and 1660 OR an 1830 to 1910 work, EITHER about a major literary figure and the reasons for their importance OR on a social conflict that was reflected in literary writings of the period (e.g. Puritans and the theatre, aristocracy and the merchant class, the Civil War – OR Chekhov, the beginnings of the first world war and Stanislavsky method). |