A Level English Literature
Examination Board: AQA A Level
If you are passionate about literature, then you're a certain type of person. For you, writing is important: stimulating or frustrating, transporting or infuriating - but always vital and energising. Our Literature course will help you become an expert in the genre of tragedy, looking at an older historical form and measuring later texts against this. You will also explore how writers use their work to voice their ideas on society and comment on social injustice. The texts you study here have issues of power and powerlessness at their core with protest issues also being considered. We want to hear your views and interpretations of all texts and you will get the chance to analyse, critique and evaluate.
The areas of study will require the development of the student’s knowledge and understanding of:
- The ways in which writers shape meanings in texts.
- How individual texts can be interpreted by different readers.
- The ways in which texts relate to each other and how they are affected by the contexts in which they are written and read.
COMPONENT 1- This involves the study of tragedy in the following areas:
- A Shakespeare play
- A modern play
- A pre-1900 novel
COMPONENT 2 -The area of study here centres on texts from within social and political protest writing:
- A collection of poetry
- Study of unseen extracts
- Two modern novels
COMPONENT ONE: Aspects of Tragedy
- A Shakespeare Play - Othello
- A Modern Play - Death of a Salesman
- A pre-1900 novel - Tess of the D'Urbervilles
COMPONENT TWO: Elements of Social and Political Protest
- A Collection of Poetry - Songs of Innocence and Experience
- Two modern novels - The Handmaid's Tale and Kite Runner
- Study of unseen extracts.
The ‘coursework’ element comprises two close readings or re-creative writing pieces with student commentary.
A variety of routes. English Literature is prized by all FE establishments. Will fit students in particular for: academic study; advertising; creative arts degrees; arts-based study; librarianship; sociology; specific areas of media (some journalism/radio/TV); teaching (all levels); advertising. In fact, all careers in which creativity and communication skills are useful.