Course Description

If you love to explore human behaviour, question social norms and learn about different time periods and people, then English Literature is the course for you. This A level course will encourage you to read critically, write analytically and debate confidently. Of course, being a keen reader who enjoys searching for meaning and symbolism in texts is vital as we interact with a wide variety of plays, poems and prose spanning from the 1400s to the current day. Within this A Level course, there is scope for you to develop your creative writing skills and create your own coursework questions based on your own personal interests and tastes.

Contact:	Mrs H La Fevre	Exam Board:	AQA
QAN:	60153271	Subject Code:	Et

The Course

Your Year 1 focus will be ‘Love through the Ages’. As love is perhaps the most powerful of forces in our world, this is a fascinating and poignant topic. Through a study of Shakespeare, poetry and prose we will look at romantic love of many kinds - love and loss; social conventions and taboos; love through the ages according to history and time; jealousy and guilt; truth and deception; proximity and distance; marriage; power; approval and disapproval. You will explore how love and portrayals of love have changed over time.

Your Year 2 focus will be ‘Texts in shared contexts’. The texts studied for this side of the course are written from 1945 to the current day and will encourage you to explore and debate important themes such as personal and social identity; changing morality and social structures; gender, class, race and ethnicity; political upheaval and change; resistance and rebellion; imperialism, post-imperialism and nationalism and engagement with the social, political, personal and literary issues which have helped to shape the latter half of the 20th century and the early decades of the 21st century

Current texts studied include:

• Othello
• A pre-1900s poetry anthology
• A Streetcar Named Desire
• The Handmaid’s Tale
• The Great Gatsby
• Carol Ann Duffy’s ‘Feminine Gospels’
• A range of classic and modern unseen prose and poetry

Entry Requirements 

This is an academic and rigorous course, so you must be someone who is keen to work hard, read often and investigate ideas independently.

Possible Subject Combinations 

English Literature can be combined with any other A Level subject. This course encourages you to think critically, use language powerfully and express your ideas confidently.

For these reasons, it is viewed as a ‘facilitator’ subject by Russell Group universities. It does, however, work particularly well with other creative, analytical subjects such as English Language, History, Ethics, Politics, Art, Modern Foreign Languages and Business.

What do the students say?

“The teachers were marvellous.”

“It was such a friendly and encouraging environment.”

“Interesting set texts, dynamic lessons.”

“The course really develops your critical thinking, analytical and writing skills”

Where can English Literature take me?

English Literature, alongside other A levels, is a good route to a very wide range of higher education courses and will support you with whichever academic or vocational course that you take. Due to the analytical and communication skills that you develop during your studies, English Literature is looked on particularly favourably if you are hoping to go into professions and fields such as: Law, Journalism, The Media, Advertising, Teaching, The Charity Sector and Marketing. It is an essential subject if you wish to study English Literature, or many other English options at university.

Assessment