English Literature
St John's School - Surrey
01372373000
Epsom Road, Leatherhead, KT22 8SP
Course summary

The course involves pupils learning about the world and themselves through the prism of literature. Through the study of challenging texts, pupils develop their skills of argument and analysis, as well as building their appreciation of how an understanding of context and critical appreciation can illuminate a text. Successful A level English pupils show a willingness to read independently and engage in wider reading. Lessons will often include seminar-style discussions and each pupil’s voice will be championed and respected. The qualification requires students to study eight literary texts. Three of these have to be pre-1900 texts (including one Shakespeare play), plus one text first published or performed post-2000.

Entry requirements

Pupils who wish to take this subject must attain a minimum of a grade 6 at GCSE English literature.

How you'll be assessed

Paper 1 (30% of A level) Drama Section A: Shakespeare - Character and theme study of a Shakespeare play. Section B: Other drama - Character and theme study. Assessment of this component will take place in the form of a single, open book (clean copies) examination lasting 2 hours and 15 minutes, with two essays completed in this time. Paper 2 (20% of A level) Prose Assessment of this component will take place in the form of a single, open-book (clean copies) examination lasting 1 hour and 15 minutes, with one essay completed in this time. Paper 3 (30% of A level) Poetry Assessment of this component will take place in the form of a single, open-book (clean copies) examination lasting 2 hour and 15 minutes, with two essays completed in this time. Coursework (20% of A Level) Pupils will study two texts linked by theme, movement, author or period, and these may be selected from poetry, drama, prose or literary non-fiction. Popular texts previously taught for coursework include Atonement, Time’s Arrow, The Optician of Lampedusa, the lyrics of Bob Dylan, and The Underground Railroad. Pupils produce one essay with an advisory word count of 2500-3000 words.

School Info

About Education Provider

RegionSouth East
Local AuthoritySurrey
Ofsted Rating
Gender TypeCo-Educational
ISI ReportView Report
Boarding Fee£34,723
Sixth Form FeeDay £24,075 - £27,360
AddressEpsom Road, Leatherhead, KT22 8SP