English Literature

Assessment

Pupils study a module in Drama and Poetry pre-1900 and a module in Comparative and Contextual module which will involve either ‘Gothic Fiction’ or ‘Dystopian Fiction’. Texts choices are regularly reassessed to ensure pupils are encountering literature that resonates with their experiences in a contemporary world, but recent examination texts include: The Tempest, Paradise Lost, The Bloody Chamber, Frankenstein, Beloved, 1984, The Duchess of Malfi and The Handmaid’s Tale. Two coursework essays will be written on modern texts: one close textual analysis essay of 1000 words on one text; and one comparative essay of 2000 words on two texts. We will study three post-1900 texts; one of these will be post-2000. This will account for 20% of the A level. Recent texts include: the poetry of Philip Larkin, the poetry of Sylvia Plath, Death and the Maiden, On Chesil Beach, Pink Mist, the poetry of Edward Thomas, Brave New World, the poetry of Derek Walcott, Small Island and Never Let Me Go.