English Literature

Course summary

Paper 1: Love through the ages Section A: William Shakespeare’s ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ (25 marks) – closed book, extract-based essay. Section B: Unseen Poetry (25 marks) – essay on two unseen poems. Section C: Comparing texts: Pre-1900 Poetry Anthology and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s ‘The Great Gatsby’ (25 marks) – open book. Paper 2: Texts in shared contexts We sit Paper 2B and select ‘Option 2’ within this paper. Section A: Drama set text – essay on Tennessee Williams’ ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ (25 marks) – open book. Section B: One unseen prose essay (25 marks). One essay on ‘A Handmaid’s Tale’ and ‘Feminine Gospels’ (25 marks) – open book. Independent Critical Study: texts across time (one pre-1900 text) Coursework – 2500 word essay and bibliography; 20% of A level; assessed by teachers and moderated by AQA. Pre 1900 text: William Wycherley’s ‘The Country Wife’ (choice of comparison texts to be shared later.)