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WHY STUDY A LEVEL ENGLISH LITERATURE?
We hope students choose Literature based on a love of reading texts that have
shaped literature over the years – it is something that will stay with students for all the
years to come. Literature is a well-respected A Level, recognised for its challenge
and depth by all universities. Many students go on to study English or English based
subjects at university; the skills learnt in the A Level Literature classroom are irrefutably
important in any walk of life.
COURSE CONTENT AND ASSESSMENT DETAILS
The course we study at A Level is AQA English Literature specification B, which is made
up of two exams and a coursework style unit (NEA).
The aim is to complete first reading and interpretation of all course content during
Year 12, allowing Year 13 time for further in depth study and revision with focus on
exam techniques to support students in preparing for the formal examinations.
The exam board emphasise the importance of student voice and independent
argument, so debate and discussion are central to A Level lessons.
Component 1 ‘Literary Genres’ (40%)
Students will study Tragedy texts including Shakespeare’s Othello, Arthur Miller’s Death
of a Salesman and a selection of poetry by John Keats. The exam paper is closed text
and students will be supported in selecting and learning quotations to support their
interpretations and ideas. This unit encourages students to explore concepts of
tragedy and text in performance.
Component 2 ‘Texts and Genres’ (40%)
Students will study ‘Elements of Crime Writing’. Students will study the classic
‘whodunnit’ by Agatha Christie The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and the award winning
crime novel by Kate Atkinson, When Will There Be Good News? This also includes a
range of poetry by Oscar Wilde, Robert Browning and George Crabbe. There will be
an expectation to be able to analyse an unseen passage in this exam based on
students’ knowledge of the wider genre so a wider reading list is provided.
This has proved a popular topic and lively debate about morality, social causes and
implications of crime, historical and political concepts of justice and concepts of
punishment enrich student thinking beyond the curriculum. Students have found this
complements similar fields of study in Psychology and Sociology.
Component 3 ‘Literary Theory’ (20%)
The third component is a Non-Exam Assessment (NEA) based on literary theory, which
aims to develop independence in reading and thinking. Here students will study a
poetry and a prose text, informed by the study of the Critical Anthology and students
will complete a portfolio of two essays. One of these essays can be re-creative, which
will be accompanied by a commentary. The requirement for this work to be
independent is significant and students will be supported in choosing texts that are
varied and of personal interest to them. This is an excellent opportunity for students to
experience independence study skills in preparation for University/further study in
any discipline.
An A Level in English Literature can
set you on a path to most careers,
because it not only develops your
study of English, but gives you a
wealth of transferable skills:
communication; accurate and
mature written expression; detailed
analysis; good skills in assessing
character; situations and
motivations; creative thinking skills;
evaluation and weighing up
possible interpretations; managing
workload and being able to
process texts quickly and
accurately. Popular career
paths after studying English
Literature are: writer, journalist,
teacher, lecturer, law, publishing,
politics, advertising/PR, performing
arts, administrator and
human resources.
