You will be well suited to a Literature A-Level if you enjoy reading, arguing your opinion, writing critically and have a keen eye for detail and analysis. It is a rigorous and demanding course, and you will need to be a confident independent learner. The college will be launching the teaching of this new specification from September 2022. We will explore three different forms of Literature: drama, prose and poetry, and build on the analysis and debate that students will be familiar with from GCSE. ALevel stretches and extends – through text choices that may be familiar to students such as William Shakespeare’s Hamlet to more unusual selections, such as modern poetry from a range of diverse authors from the 21st century. Lessons are focused around the teaching of the set texts, but will branch off in many different directions. For example, the teaching of The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood may lead to in-depth research and debate surrounding revolution or the rise and fall of right-wing politics in North America. Students should be prepared to have lively discussions in class, and for good reason. The examinations are established around debate and perspective; at A-Level, English Literature is always about scrutinising a position or way of thinking. Finally, an appetite for wider reading is absolutely essential. Not only will students be completing a piece of independent non-examined assessment, but they will also be required to read around their set texts. This might mean reading critical material or theory – quite a different mode of reading to that which they are used to. An openmind and enquiring spirit is key!