English Literature

Course summary

There are two examinations for A Level English Literature. For the first examination students will work on either The Tempest or Twelfth Night by Shakespeare, The Duchess of Malfi by John Webster and Paradise Lost Books 9 and 10 by John Milton. The second examination involves the study of two texts for a comparative paper. We will be studying Dystopian fiction - The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood and 1984 by George Orwell. For this paper students will also be expected to engage in their own independent reading within this genre. There is also a coursework module which is worth 20% of the final grade. We will be studying and comparing The History Boys by Alan Bennett and The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark, in addition to this students will complete a shorter piece of coursework on Carol Ann Duffy’s The World’s Wife.