English Literature A level is where things get exciting, opening up the study of contemporary and canonical literature through the integration of cultural theory, politics, history, gender studies and psychology. What Will I Study? English Literature is a broad subject, and much will depend upon the pathway chosen by your two teachers. However, you might engage with some of the following: • Villainy and sexual politics in Shakespeare’s plays • Dystopian nightmares and speculative fiction from Mary Shelley to Margaret Atwood • 21st-century fiction by writers such as Jonathan Franzen and Donna Tartt • Unreliable narrators in literature from Huckleberry Finn to American Psycho • The canonical ‘greats’, such as Chaucer, Milton, Wordsworth, Dickens, Eliot and the Brontës • Modern poetry from Sylvia Plath to Philip Larkin and T.S. Eliot • The 19th-century novel and the huge social and historical changes it set out to map, from Darwin, religion and sexuality to the inequities of industrial capitalism • The break-up of the British Empire and depictions of colonialism in EM Forster and Joseph Conrad • The influence of psychoanalysis and feminism on 20th-century fiction, and so on. There are an infinite number of ways in which your teachers can combine texts and concepts to give you an intellectually stimulating two-year course. Regular meetings of the Barnes-Amis Society provide extra support and practice in literary analysis and discussion. There is also a programme of author visits, theatre trips and lecture days that vary from year to year, depending upon the texts studied and the availability of writers. For those applying to university English Literature courses we run a program of Extension Classes after school, as well as offering Oxbridge guidance. You might think that studying English Literature will not help you get a job because it is not a ‘vocational’ subject, but the people who will one day be hiring you know better. What potential employers want most is someone with intellectual rigour, the ability to think independently and the capability to communicate clearly and effectively. All that reading is useful, too. Studying English Literature teaches you how to analyse complex information with the help of sophisticated ideas and theories. The ability to read, reflect and critique is essential to all kinds of work – as is the skill of constructing and defending an argument. Even if you want to work in finance, you will spend most of your time researching and compiling information and writing reports. This course complements many other arts courses and also makes a stimulating contrast to the study of technical, mathematical and science subjects. Indeed, some of our most outstanding students have combined English Literature with one or more sciences.
A pupil should have at least a 7/A grade at GCSE to take the subject at A Level, even though in some subject areas, an 8 or 9 at GCSE is a stronger indicator of subsequent success at A-Level.
We will be following the new Edexcel linear course, in which you will sit three open book exams: ‘Shakespeare and Drama’, ‘The Novel’ and ‘Poetry’. For each, you will study a mixture of modern and canonical texts. In addition, you will write a coursework essay on two texts under the supervision of your teacher. For this, there are no predefined set texts: your teacher will select an area of study and teach within it, but able, self-motivated pupils may be given the option to adapt or pursue their interests under their teacher’s close supervision. Texts can be from any genre and any period; they may be linked by theme, author or historical period.
About School
| Region | London |
| Local Authority | City of London |
| Ofsted Rating | |
| Gender of School | Boys |
| ISI Report | View Report |
| Boarding Fee | Unknown |
| Sixth Form Fee | £22,635 |
| Address | 107 Queen Victoria Street, London, EC4V 3AL |
English Literature A level is where things get exciting, opening up the study of contemporary and canonical literature through the integration of cultural theory, politics, history, gender studies and psychology. What Will I Study? English Literature is a broad subject, and much will depend upon the pathway chosen by your two teachers. However, you might engage with some of the following: • Villainy and sexual politics in Shakespeare’s plays • Dystopian nightmares and speculative fiction from Mary Shelley to Margaret Atwood • 21st-century fiction by writers such as Jonathan Franzen and Donna Tartt • Unreliable narrators in literature from Huckleberry Finn to American Psycho • The canonical ‘greats’, such as Chaucer, Milton, Wordsworth, Dickens, Eliot and the Brontës • Modern poetry from Sylvia Plath to Philip Larkin and T.S. Eliot • The 19th-century novel and the huge social and historical changes it set out to map, from Darwin, religion and sexuality to the inequities of industrial capitalism • The break-up of the British Empire and depictions of colonialism in EM Forster and Joseph Conrad • The influence of psychoanalysis and feminism on 20th-century fiction, and so on. There are an infinite number of ways in which your teachers can combine texts and concepts to give you an intellectually stimulating two-year course. Regular meetings of the Barnes-Amis Society provide extra support and practice in literary analysis and discussion. There is also a programme of author visits, theatre trips and lecture days that vary from year to year, depending upon the texts studied and the availability of writers. For those applying to university English Literature courses we run a program of Extension Classes after school, as well as offering Oxbridge guidance. You might think that studying English Literature will not help you get a job because it is not a ‘vocational’ subject, but the people who will one day be hiring you know better. What potential employers want most is someone with intellectual rigour, the ability to think independently and the capability to communicate clearly and effectively. All that reading is useful, too. Studying English Literature teaches you how to analyse complex information with the help of sophisticated ideas and theories. The ability to read, reflect and critique is essential to all kinds of work – as is the skill of constructing and defending an argument. Even if you want to work in finance, you will spend most of your time researching and compiling information and writing reports. This course complements many other arts courses and also makes a stimulating contrast to the study of technical, mathematical and science subjects. Indeed, some of our most outstanding students have combined English Literature with one or more sciences.
A pupil should have at least a 7/A grade at GCSE to take the subject at A Level, even though in some subject areas, an 8 or 9 at GCSE is a stronger indicator of subsequent success at A-Level.
We will be following the new Edexcel linear course, in which you will sit three open book exams: ‘Shakespeare and Drama’, ‘The Novel’ and ‘Poetry’. For each, you will study a mixture of modern and canonical texts. In addition, you will write a coursework essay on two texts under the supervision of your teacher. For this, there are no predefined set texts: your teacher will select an area of study and teach within it, but able, self-motivated pupils may be given the option to adapt or pursue their interests under their teacher’s close supervision. Texts can be from any genre and any period; they may be linked by theme, author or historical period.
