English Literature

Please apply for all courses via Help You Choose. Applications will open on October 21st.

In order to ensure success in the Sixth Form, we have designed different pathways to suit your individual needs. Please see below for the specific entry criteria. In addition to this, students will need to check the specific entry criteria for their chosen subjects by checking each course descrpition.

The General Pathway

This pathway is for students who are unsure about which way their future will take them and therefore would like to keep their options as open as possible by gaining UCAS points with their Module Two Option.

Module One: three A Levels

Module Three: Enrichment Course

Module Four: Academic Coaching

You will need English and Mathematics at Grade 4 or above and at least four other GCSE subjects at Grade 4 or above.

The Combined Pathway

This pathway is for students who are unsure which way their future will take them and therefore would like to keep their options as open as possible.

Module One – either one of the three below options:

Two A-levels and one specialist qualification (equivalent to one A Level)

One A-level and two specialist qualifications (equivalent to one A Level each)

Three specialist qualifications (equivalent to one A Level each)

Module Two: Enrichment Course

Module Three: Academic Coaching

You will need English or Mathematics at Grade 4 or above and at least four other GCSE subjects at Grade 4 or above.

The Specialist Pathway

This pathway is equivalent to three A Levels and is designed for students who already know which career path they would like to take. Please refer to our on offer to view the range.

Module One: Advanced Specialist Qualification

Module Two: Work Placement

Module Three: Enrichment Course

You will need English or Mathematics at Grade 4 or above and at least four other GCSE subjects at Grade 4 or above.

The Extended Pathway

This pathway is for students aspiring to study at Oxbridge or one of the Russell Group Universities or who want to follow a high-demand course such as Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary, Law or Engineering.

Module One: Three A Levels

Module Two: One Advanced Subsidiary Level

Module Three: Enrichment Course

Module Four: Academic Coaching

You will need English and Mathematics at Grade 5 or above and at least four other GCSE subjects at Grade 5 or above.

The T Level Pathway

This course is equivalent to three A Levels and is designed for students who already know which career path they would like to take.

Module One: T Level Course

Module Two: Industry Placement

You will need English or Mathematics at Grade 4 or above and at least four other GCSE subjects at Grade 4 or above.

English Literature is the study of the greatest that has been thought and written in the English language. It is the study of Literary texts, designed to entertain, to question the world we live in, and to explore the human condition. As humans we are natural storytellers: whether sharing the events of the day with a loved one, spreading malicious gossip or sitting down with Netflix to distract ourselves in the evening, stories form the core of our communication. English Literature is the critical appreciation of those written texts that have stood the test of quality and time.

AS/Year 12

Aspects of Tragedy, Drama

The first of two drama tests is King Lear, the greatest of Shakespeare’s tragedies, charting the downfall of a king and father, betrayed by his ungrateful daughters, casting the kingdom into chaos and disorder. The second is Arthur Miller’s 1948 Death of a Salesman, which follows a salesman and father, eaten up and spat out by the American capitalist system, struggling with repressed memories of his past failures and family conflicts.

Aspects of Tragedy, Poetry and Prose

This unit starts with ‘the great American novel’ The Great Gatsby, again situating the text in relation to the genre of tragedy. It looks at the characters, themes and contexts and how these support or disrupt expectations of genre. Similarly, a selection of poems by John Keats is studied, looking for genre through his poetic methods.

A level/Year 13

Aspects of Tragedy

This unit combines the texts from Lower Sixth, but dropping The Great Gatsby.

Elements of Social and Political Protest Writing

Similarly to the intense genre focus of Lower Sixth, Upper Sixth is characterised by the study of Social and Political Protest texts: texts grouped together by their purpose of exploring and protesting against social issues. The Handmaid’s Tale, The Kite Runner and Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Experience are the texts taught, paying attention to how the texts critique and oppose contextual issues.

Non-Examined Assessment: Theory and Independence

The Non-Examined assessment prepares students for study in Higher Education by explicitly teaching quality essay writing. Pupils are taught six critical lenses through which Literature can be explored: Feminist, Marxist, Post-Colonial, Eco-Critical, Narrative Theory and Literary Value and the Canon. Pupils are then supported in applying a lens of their choice to a novel of their choice, and then a separate lens to a poet of their own choosing.

AS Assessment Two examinations each worth 50%

A Level Assessment Two examinations each worth 40% and one coursework element worth 20%

English is studied widely at nearly every university in the UK, and can be taken in conjunction with another topic, such as Law, History or Sociology.

English is one of the most desired qualifications: analytical thinking and communication skills are consistently ranked the most important skills by interviewers. English also leads more directly to many careers such as Law, Project Management, Publicity and Marketing, Teaching, and Journalism among others