A Level English Literature

Please apply via PS16. Any applications received by 31/1/25 are guaranteed an interview in February - April 2025, as long as minimum entry requirements are met. Offers are made after interview.

Component 1 [40%]

Love through the ages – Students study three texts: one poetry and one prose text, of which one must be written pre-1900, and one Shakespeare play. They will also respond to two unseen poems in the exam.

The aim of this topic area is to encourage students to explore aspects of a central literary theme as seen over time, using unseen material and set texts from a range of authors and periods. The range of comparative prose texts on offer allows students to study representations of love by a variety of authors across time. The Shakespeare play allows students to study representations of love in the dramatic genre of tragedy. The AQA anthology of love poetry through the ages allow students to encounter a range of different types of poem as they study representations of love over time.

Component 2 [40%]

Texts in shared contexts – The aim of this topic area is to encourage students to explore aspects of literature connected through a period of time.

Option B explores both modern and contemporary literature’s engagement with some of the social, political, personal and literary issues which have helped to shape the latter half of the 20th century and the early decades of the 21st century. Students should prepare for Texts in shared contexts by reading widely within their chosen option. Studying representations of the key themes will allow them to encounter a range of ideas and opinions relevant to the shared context.

Component 3 [20%]

In Texts across time, students write a comparative critical study of two texts on a theme of their choice. This specification is committed to the notion of autonomous personal reading and Texts across time provides a challenging and wide-ranging opportunity for independent study. Students will be guided in their selection of topic and texts, but are encouraged to develop their own interests from their own wider and independent reading.

This course will be taught in a group with access to two different teachers. You will be expected to make an active contribution to classroom debate and participate fully in creating a dialogue of learning. Your assignments will involve a range of tasks, with both analytical and creative elements. Students will be expected engage in wider reading, explore relevant cultural events and participate in practical workshops. There will be a stress upon independent learning as the course progresses, with students taking on greater ownership and control of their studies. The course is designed to enhance the students’ relationship with English language and the study of linguistics.

Component 1 [40%] – Love through the ages: This is a 3hr written examination and externally marked.

Component 2 [40%] – Texts in shared contexts: This is a 2hr and 30 minute written examination and externally marked.

Component 3 [20%] – (Independent critical study) Texts across time: an internally assessed and externally moderated folder of coursework.

GCSE Grade 5 in English Literature or English Language

English Literature is recognised as a rigorous academic award and highly valued by higher education institutions. It supports you in engaging with fundamental aspects of human nature and its representation in literature, allowing you to experience a range of poetry, drama and prose texts. It provides unique insight to different modes and movements from across the last five-hundred years, while considering contemporary shifts in critical interpretations. Consequently it has proved an incredibly adaptive subject for future employers, offering development opportunities across the spectrum of skills.