English Literature

Course summary

If you have enjoyed English at GCSE, then you will love A-level English Literature. A-level English is the perfect opportunity to sit and discuss books with other like-minded students and to be guided in your discussions by dedicated teachers who remember clearly how exciting it was to be learning about these things for the first time. No-one ever forgets their A-level texts as the characters and themes will stay with you forever. Lessons will be structured in a variety of ways. Sometimes your teacher will tell you things about the text, about the context behind it or about the range of different approaches that critics have taken on it. At times they will want you to work in groups to share and present your opinions and at others they will ask you to explore your own ideas individually in a detailed essay. The best lessons are those where students discuss, reflect and challenge and as the course goes on, become increasingly independent. This is a challenging, modern and academic course which is extremely well regarded by universities and employers. A facilitating course, A-level English will broaden the range of degree courses that you will be able to apply for. The qualification demonstrates that you are a skilled reader and an adept writer with the ability to evaluate an opinion, the skills to argue a viewpoint and the imagination to empathise with another’s situation. As such it is a highly valued A-level for professions such as law, journalism, media, theatre and business. This course will introduce you to a range of texts from all three of the major literary genres: prose, poetry and drama. You will study eight texts including a Shakespeare play, two prose texts on a particular theme, an anthology of poetry and either selected poems or works of a named poet. For the coursework element of this A Level you will work independently, studying a theme of your own choice to produce a comparative study of two texts which will develop your skills of interpretation, analysis and critical thinking. The course will give you an understanding of the influence of the cultural, historical and social contexts of the texts you are reading. You'll develop the skills to analyse meaning and write creatively and persuasively about your own personal response to literature in a critical and coherent manner.