This course is an exciting course designed to support students who enjoy literary studies as they develop as critical, analytical readers, and as they become confident academic writers. The specification offers students the widest possible reading experiences over the two years beginning with a historicist approach in year 12, where all of the texts are linked by the theme of “Love through the Ages” and range from the works of Geoffrey Chaucer to Carol Ann Duffy. There is a more focused thematic approach in year 13 where all of the texts will have been written post-1945 and offer students a chance to explore how literature reflects our most recent history. AQA prescribes all of the texts for A-Level study but they are all texts with which we have had years of success and we always look forward to teaching them with new, enthusiastic students for whom reading is a passion and for whom writing is a way to express well-informed ideas about love, life and literature.
Students will need to have at least five GCSEs at Grade 4 or above including English Language and Mathematics at Level 4. To enable students to select the most appropriate subjects at A-Level we use a system based on their APS (average point score) from their GCSE results. Add together your 8 highest GCSE's and then divide by 8 to give your APS. We advise students to choose the subjects which best fit their APS.
Assessments in the A-Level are all through external examination taken at the end of the course and involve Shakespeare studies, work with an AQA anthology of poetry and two prose texts. Comparison of texts is required and allows students to compare, contrast and evaluate different texts through time and their different presentation of ideas. An unseen component is also part of the exam, and students will be well-prepared for this – and indeed for all of the papers through rigorous exam essay practice. In the second year students build on this strong skills-based foundation and focus their reading on more modern texts. Assessment will include a paper requiring students to answer on modern prose, poetry and drama texts and to tackle an unseen extract. There is also a coursework element to the A-Level which requires students to write an extended, academic essay comparing two texts. This accounts for 20% of the final A-Level mark. There is always scope in coursework for students to pursue their particular literary interests and we offer detailed guidance on wider reading at Matthew Arnold.
About Education Provider
| Region | South East |
| Local Authority | Oxfordshire |
| Ofsted Rating | Good |
| Gender Type | |
| Address | Arnolds Way, Oxford, OX2 9JE |
This course is an exciting course designed to support students who enjoy literary studies as they develop as critical, analytical readers, and as they become confident academic writers. The specification offers students the widest possible reading experiences over the two years beginning with a historicist approach in year 12, where all of the texts are linked by the theme of “Love through the Ages” and range from the works of Geoffrey Chaucer to Carol Ann Duffy. There is a more focused thematic approach in year 13 where all of the texts will have been written post-1945 and offer students a chance to explore how literature reflects our most recent history. AQA prescribes all of the texts for A-Level study but they are all texts with which we have had years of success and we always look forward to teaching them with new, enthusiastic students for whom reading is a passion and for whom writing is a way to express well-informed ideas about love, life and literature.
Students will need to have at least five GCSEs at Grade 4 or above including English Language and Mathematics at Level 4. To enable students to select the most appropriate subjects at A-Level we use a system based on their APS (average point score) from their GCSE results. Add together your 8 highest GCSE's and then divide by 8 to give your APS. We advise students to choose the subjects which best fit their APS.
Assessments in the A-Level are all through external examination taken at the end of the course and involve Shakespeare studies, work with an AQA anthology of poetry and two prose texts. Comparison of texts is required and allows students to compare, contrast and evaluate different texts through time and their different presentation of ideas. An unseen component is also part of the exam, and students will be well-prepared for this – and indeed for all of the papers through rigorous exam essay practice. In the second year students build on this strong skills-based foundation and focus their reading on more modern texts. Assessment will include a paper requiring students to answer on modern prose, poetry and drama texts and to tackle an unseen extract. There is also a coursework element to the A-Level which requires students to write an extended, academic essay comparing two texts. This accounts for 20% of the final A-Level mark. There is always scope in coursework for students to pursue their particular literary interests and we offer detailed guidance on wider reading at Matthew Arnold.