English Literature

Assessment

There are 2 examined units. COMPONENT 1: EXAM Shakespeare (Measure for Measure) Drama and poetry pre-1900 (A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen and Poetry by Christina Rossetti) This is a 2-hour 30-minute written exam. For Shakespeare, you will be doing a close analysis of Shakespeare’s use of language and dramatic effects and exploring different interpretations of the play across time. For Ibsen and Rossetti, you will be comparing the texts, with a close focus on the significance and influence of the late 19th-century context. COMPONENT 2: EXAM Close reading in chosen topic (Dystopia) Comparative and contextual study from chosen topic (Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood) This is a 2-hour 30-minute written exam. You will analyse an unseen extract of Dystopian literature, and then compare the two set novels, focusing on the significance and influence of various contextual factors including technology and industrialisation, eugenics and feminism. COMPONENT 3: COURSEWORK Literature post-1900 (Students choose 3 texts from a choice of 50, provided by us.) You will write a 1000-word essay analysing a poem of your choice from a given collection, or write a poem of your own in the style of that poet, plus an analytical commentary. You will also write a 2000-word essay comparing a novel and play of your choice from a given list, with a connecting theme or concern.