English Literature

Course summary

English is an intellectually challenging subject which provides plenty of scope for your ideas and imagination. The skills of close reading, analysis and communication are also vital for life beyond school and beneficial to any course you may decide to pursue at university. If you are looking for a subject that is less teacher-centred, provides scope for your ideas and requires more independent work patterns – you will benefit from it. In the words of one Professor of English: ‘You develop the insight of an artist, the analytical precision of a scientist, and the persuasiveness of a lawyer’. You will have the chance to study some of the finest products of the creative imagination and to develop your own informed, personal response to them. We pride ourselves as a Department in taking advantage of the best cultural enrichment opportunities available: there are regular theatre visits across the country. A Sixth Form Reading Group meets for the most committed students to read, weekly for a year, beyond the syllabus.