What do I need to know or be able to do before taking this course?
The majority of students who choose to study English Literature usually have very pleasing grades in GCSE English and English Literature but the new AQA course specification for English Literature B for AS and A Level has been designed to be accessible to the full ability range of students.
The innovative course is progressive, continuing from previous specifications, allied to exciting new ways of looking at texts. There is much greater flexibility in the selection, teaching and assessment of texts to suit the various traditions of literature in English. It is, for example, perfectly possible to study texts in translation and, indeed, to choose your own texts for study. There are also opportunities for original writing, a new departure for the English Literature course that many students will find attractive. The most important pre-requisite for the course is to have a lively, enquiring mind and a genuine interest in the development of ideas. It helps if you enjoy reading, too!
What will I learn on this course?
The fundamental aim of the course is to make you an educated critic. This means that you will be encouraged to:
-
develop literary analysis and evaluation so that you have read widely and independently both set texts and ones you choose for yourself
-
engage creatively with a significant number of texts – poetry, plays and novels – exploring contexts and reading from different theoretical standpoints
-
a deeper understanding of the various traditions of literature in English. To achieve these broad aims you will need to learn how to:
- make creative and informed responses to literary texts using established critical frameworks
- show that you understand how structure, form and language shape the meaning of a text
- explore connections and comparisons between texts, informed by interpretations of other readers
-
demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which literary texts are written and understood
How is the course organised?
The full A Level course extends over two years but it is possible to obtain an AS qualification after one year.
AS (Year 12)
At AS, Unit 1 will introduce students to the central position of narrative in the ways in which literary texts work, involving many different aspects of literary representation. Unit 2 introduces candidates to aspects of genre. Unit 1 (Aspects of Narrative) will cover:
- A minimum of four texts, two from Section A and two from Section B
-
Section A texts include Prose post-1990: Arundhati Roy, Ann Tyler, Khaled Hosseini, Andrea Levy, Ian McEwan, Sebastian Faulks, Mark Haddon
- Section B Poetry 1800-1945: Tennyson, Browning, Coleridge, Keats, Auden, Hardy and Rossetti.
How is Unit 1 assessed?
Unit 2 (Dramatic Genres) will cover:
- At least two plays within the dramatic genre of tragedy. At least one of the plays must be by Shakespeare.
How is Unit 2 assessed?
A2 (Year 13)
At A2, Unit 3 teaches you to develop ideas on the significance of genre. Texts are grouped within two categories: Elements of the Gothic and Elements of the Pastoral. In Unit 4, you will study a wide range of texts, the different ways of reading texts and critical ideas applied with discrimination to literary texts.
Unit 3 (Element of the Gothic / Pastoral) will cover:
- At least two texts must be studied. At least one text must be taken from the period 1300-1800
- Elements of the Gothic: Shakespeare, Marlowe, Webster and Milton (1300-1800)
- Elements of the Pastoral: Shakespeare, Goldsmith and Blake (1300-1800)
- Elements of the Pastoral: Mary Shelley, Emily Bronte, Bram Stoker and Angela Carter (Post-1800)
- Post-1800 (Various): Twain, Hardy, Waugh
How is Unit 3 assessed?
Unit 3 is assessed by a 2 hour Closed Book examination. There will be a choice of questions. Unit 4 Further and Independent Reading Unit 4 is in some ways the most interesting but also the most challenging. You will have to study a minimum of four literary texts, including one pre-released anthology of critical material. The school may choose the three other texts and so there is a great deal of scope for individual choice. Texts may be in translation e.g. Kafka.
How is Unit 4 assessed?
Unit 4 is assessed through a portfolio of 2 pieces of written coursework (one may be recreative). The coursework will be externally moderated. The first piece must be a comparative study of an aspect of two texts (1500-2000 words). The second piece is an application of an aspect of the critical anthology to a literary text (1200-1500 words).
What kind of student is this course suitable for?
The English Department is committed to a policy of open access but clearly the happiest and most successful students are those who are:
- committed to high standards of scholarship and independent learning
-
capable of making links between the serious, academic study of literature and other disciplines and, most importantly, to the way they understand the world about them
-
genuinely interested in challenging intellectual debate that leads them to question their own assumptions, especially when ‘traditional’ attitudes about the place and value of literature are increasingly brought into question
- prepared to find their own voice and to let it be heard
How can I develop my full range of skills by doing this course?
As well as covering Advanced Level study of English Literature, this course will enable you to develop a range of transferable Key Skills which will be essential for your success whatever you go on to do in the future. The Key Skills you can develop during this course are listed below, together with some examples of how Key Skills can be used in the subject:
Communication
- Take part in group discussions about the texts you are studying
- Make presentations on aspects of literature and language study, such as the use of the speaking voice
- Use multi-media presentations in an engaging way
- Present different types of documents on complex subjects
Information Technology
- Use a variety of databases such as CD-ROMS, the Internet etc., to search for information
- Present information from a number of different sources, using desk top publishing and word processing skills
Improving your own learning and assessing your performance
-
You will have opportunities to reflect on your own performance using peer and self assessment approaches as well as AFL (Assessment for Learning) techniques
-
You will develop and refine your ability to manage demanding reading schedules so that you will be able to make a positive contribution
- Plan your coursework assignments using a variety of resources and supported selfstudy materials
Working with others
- Work with others to plan and present a group performance based on the texts being studied
- Work with others to plan a group presentation based on an issue arising from study of the set texts
What could I go on to do at the end of this course?
The English Department at St. Christopher’s has an excellent record working with a wide variety of students, many of who ultimately specialise in law, mathematics, economics and science. Equally, the full A level course prepares students very effectively for degree courses involving the serious academic study of literature at many prestigious universities in the United Kingdom, including Oxbridge, as well as other renowned colleges and universities around the world.
A student who has successfully completed an A Level English Literature course will typically have improved their critical thinking skills, their oral and written expression and have demonstrated that they have convincing powers of analysis. These are intrinsically valuable but employers, university and college admissions tutors are always impressed by applicants who can show that they are ‘rounded’ individuals, have some notion of art, culture and literature and its civilising effects.