English Literature

Level 3 Pathway - In order to enrol onto our Level 3 courses, students must have achieved a minimum of 5 grade 4s at GCSE Level across 4 different subject areas; this should ideally include a Grade 4 for English Language and Mathematics.

It is important that students also pay attention to any individual subject entry requirements.

It may be that a small number of students are recommended to sit AS qualifications at the end of Year 12 in order to inform decisions about progression into Year 13, however these AS examinations are standalone and do not contribute to the overall A Level qualification.

Why?

This course is suited to students who love reading and want to develop their ability to read texts critically. Students read a wide range of texts on this course, and must be willing to read these outside of lessons. Students should be ready to explore ideas through writing and discussion.

Course Structure

Component 1: Drama (30% of A Level). Assessment is through a 2 hour and 15 minute examination. Students will study one Shakesperean tradegy and 'A Streetcar Named Desire', exploring plot, character and themes.

Component 2: Prose (20% of A Level). This unit is assessed through a 1 hour and 15 minute examination. Students study two novels which are linked by a theme. This unit develops students' comparitive skills, as the exam requires an essay comparing the two texts.

Component 3: Poetry (30% of A Level). Assessment is through a 2 hour and 15 minute examination. Students will study a range of modern poetry, learning the skills of poetry analysis. The exam will require them to compare one of these poems to an unseen poem.

Coursework: (20% of A Level). Students will read two texts that are linked by a theme, movement, author or genre.

Extended Learning

Students will be required to complete tasks such as reading critical essays about texts, identifying key quotations, producing exam style written responses.

Ideally Grades 6 / 6 GCSE English Language/English Literature