English Literature

Assessment

The A Level comprises three components: Paper 1: Love through the Ages Three texts are studied closely: one Shakespeare play, one anthology of verse and one prose text, of which one must be written pre-1900. Students also prepare for an unseen comparison of two poems. In addition to an anthology of love poetry, some of the texts that might be studied include Shakespeare’s Othello, Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights or F Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. The component is assessed by a three hour examination; it is worth 40% of the A Level. Paper 2: Texts in Shared Context Three texts – one prose, one poetry and one drama – are studied, of which one must have been written post-2000. Students answer a question on an unseen extract, then one that invites a comparison between two texts and, finally, one in which they debate a critical viewpoint on a set text. At Downe, we prepare students for Paper 2B: ‘Modern times: Literature from 1945 to the present day’. Typical texts studied for the second option include Tennessee Williams’s, A Streetcar Named Desire, Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and Duffy’s Feminine Gospels. The component is assessed by a two and a half hour examination; it is worth 40% of the A Level. Non-exam Assessment: Independent Critical Study – Texts across Time Texts across time provides a challenging and wide-ranging opportunity for independent study. Students formulate an individual question and make a comparative study of two texts, one of which must have been written before 1900; they produce a scholarly essay of 2500 words, which includes the application and evaluation of critical views. Topics which might be chosen include the Gothic, representations of women and representations of social class and culture. The essay is worth 20% of the A Level.