English Literature at AS and A2 level
If you have enjoyed reading, discussing, debating and analysing novels, plays and poems at GCSE, then this is the course for you. All AS English lessons are taught as discussion groups rather than classes, which means that there are more opportunities for students to share ideas and hone their critical thinking skills!
The course is rewarding and challenging. Students are encouraged to read widely and should be prepared to research texts and, occasionally, teach the lesson! The Critical Library in the English room contains essays on texts studied; students are encouraged to use the Internet for research into how a text has been reviewed and the social context in which it was written.
We also organise visits, where possible, to see plays in performance as well as to lectures given by experts on a particular text.
Entry Requirements
Students must have at least a C grade pass in both Literature and Language and preferably an A or a B. The course requires students to work independently and to read widely; an enjoyment of literature is vital.
Students often combine this subject with Art, History and Psychology A levels, although not exclusively.
Aims
The specification aims to:
• encourage students to develop their interest, enjoyment and views through reading widely, independently and critically;
• provide students with an introduction to the traditions of English Literature
• provide opportunities for students to study the links between text and the age in which it is written.
Detailed information
From September 2008, the AS and A2 English courses will be changing. Students will study two units at AS level.
Unit 1 - Written Exam: 2 hours, worth 60% of the total AS marks or 30% of the total A level marks
This unit assesses the poetry set text plus candidates' wider reading in their chosen area of study. They will choose from one set poetry text plus wider reading in the area of study:
Either:
• Victorian Literature
Or
• World War One Literature
Or
• The Struggle for Identity in Modern Literature.
Candidates answer two questions.
Question 1 invites candidates to link their wider reading to the focus of a given passage.
Question 2 assesses the set poetry text
Unit 2 – Creative Study Coursework, worth 40% of the AS total and 20% of the A Level total.
Candidates produce a coursework folder containing two pieces of writing comprising 2,500 words in total.
Students will study one prose text and one drama text. They will complete two tasks. The first piece will be a personal informed response to the prose text and may be a re-creative piece. The second piece will be a comparison essay based on the drama text and the prose text.
A2 outline
At A2, the specification synthesizes the skills and learning of the whole course. Candidates will prepare for a paper which will contain unprepared passages for close study, comparison and critical commentary on a theme (for the next five years this will be ‘Love through the Ages’). In Unit 4, candidates will be encouraged to reflect on ways of reading and writing about texts.
The A2 specification has 2 units:
Reading for Meaning - A written exam of 2 hours carrying 60 % of the A2 marks or 30% of the A Level total.
• reading in the literature of love including the three genres of prose, poetry and drama
• literature written by both men and women
• literature through time (from Chaucer to the present day).
Candidates must answer a question involving unprepared and wider reading on the unit theme ‘Love through the Ages’. The question will require candidates to comment critically on extracts which will be linked by theme.
Extended Essay and Shakespearian Study - Coursework worth 40% of the A2 total and 20% of the A Level total
• the study of three texts, none of which will have been studied at AS and one of which will be a Shakespeare play
• an extended essay which will compare two texts of the candidate’s choice - 3,000 words
• an essay focusing on an extract of a Shakespeare play giving a detailed commentary on the extract and its significance in the whole play.
It sounds far more complicated than it really is! The course allows students to respond to literature in both critical and creative forms and to appreciate the full spectrum of their literary heritage.