A-Level English Literature
What Topics Will I Study?
The three areas of focus will be Love through the Ages; WW1 and its Aftermath and Texts across Time.
Paper One: Love through the Ages; 40% 3 hours; three texts – prose, poetry and Shakespeare play; open book in Section C only
Section A: Shakespeare: One passage-based question with linked essay (25 marks)
Section B: Unseen Poetry: Compulsory essay question on two unseen poems (25 marks)
Section C: Comparing Texts: One essay question linking two texts (25 marks – Open Book)
Paper Two: WW1 and its Aftermath – Texts in Shared Contexts; 40%; 2 hours and 30 minutes; three texts – prose, poetry and drama; open book
Section A: Set Texts. One essay question on set text (25 marks) Section B: Contextual Linking:
One compulsory question on an unseen extract (25 marks) One essay question linking two texts (25 marks) Coursework: Texts across Time; 20%; 2500 words
One comparative essay on two texts, at least one of which must have been written pre-1900 (50 marks)
Please click on the plus sign below for links to an exam and course overview.
What Grades do I Need at GCSE Level?
Apart from the minimum entry requirements for the Sixth Form you are expected to achieve at least a grade 6 in English Literature with a total of at least 11 points in English Literature and Language.
Why Study Literature? What Other Subjects Should I Study? What About Choices After A-Levels?
If you love reading and talking about books, if you love exploring the ways in which a writer can shape meaning and your response to characters and ideas, and if you love investigating how a text can reflect the period in which it was written and set, then English Literature is the subject for you.
It is a highly regarded, academic subject and the AQA course which you will follow provides an excellent basis for studying the subject at university. Equally, English Literature is an A-Level that sits comfortably with other Arts and Science subjects, so if your goal is to study a different area when in higher education, or to pursue a career post A-Level, you will still find Literature an engaging, rewarding and beneficial subject in its own right.
Further Information
If you would like further information about any aspect of English Literature, please contact Miss L. Smith: lsmith@idsall.shropshire.sch.uk
Exam Board: AQA