English Literature at A-level is an intellectually lively and challenging discipline that can be combined successfully with all subjects. This two-year course will appeal to those who take pleasure in reading a wide variety of literature, who enjoy expressing their opinions and developing independent ideas, who would be stimulated by a subject that draws upon their other academic interests, and who want to keep their options open for further study. English Literature is a popular qualification for a wide range of courses in higher education and is highly regarded by employers in many competitive fields. The course develops skills that are useful in all careers: the understanding of how to read critically and discerningly, and the ability to write and speak accurately, persuasively and with confidence in one’s judgments. Ideally, candidates should have a good IGCSE in the subject but, even with a modest grade, they will have a reasonable chance of securing a respectable A-level grade, given adequate commitment over the two-year course. English seeks to foster creative talent as well as academic success, and boys are encouraged to enter a range of competitions throughout the year and to submit work for the creative-writing magazine. The L P Hartley Society for Creative Writing fosters the talents of those boys who are serious about writing. The Sheridan Society invites writers and lecturers to the School, organises trips and other reading-related events, and also encourages Sixth Form boys to give talks on topics of their choice.
We welcome applications from boys who: are likely to be predicted at least seven or eight passes at GCSE (or equivalent) at grade 7/8/9 (A/A*);
The A-level specification aims to encourage candidates to: • read widely, ambitiously and independently, exploring ways in which different texts relate to each other and the literary tradition; • develop and effectively apply their skills of analysis and criticism; • explore the historical, social and cultural contexts of the texts they are studying, considering their implications for how we read and understand those; and • respond to and engage with others’ interpretations of texts, reading a wide range of literary theory and criticism. Candidates will be required to show knowledge and understanding of a minimum of eight literary texts, including at least two examples of prose, poetry and drama, across the course as a whole. They will have the opportunity to focus on areas of individual interest. Component One: Shakespeare and Pre-1900 Poetry and Drama (2 hours, 40% of mark) • Shakespeare's plays include Hamlet, Measure for Measure, Coriolanus, Twelfth Night, Richard III, and The Tempest. • Poetry includes Chaucer’s Merchant’s Prologue and Tale, Milton’s Paradise Lost Books 9 and 10, Tennyson’s Maud, Coleridge’s Selected Poems, Rossetti’s Selected Poems. • Drama includes Edward II (Marlowe), She Stoops to Conquer (Goldsmith), The Duchess of Malfi (Webster), A Doll’s House (Ibsen), and An Ideal Husband (Wilde). • The exam will consist of two writing tasks on Shakespeare's play, one of which will involve close reading and a comparative essay on poetry and drama. Component Two: Comparative and Contextual Study (2 hours, 40% of mark) • Candidates will be examined on at least two texts in a specific topic area. Topics include American Literature from 1880–1940, The Gothic, Dystopia, Women in Literature, The Immigrant Experience. • The exam will consist of a close-reading task looking at an unseen passage and a comparative essay on two set texts from the chosen topic. Component Three: Literature Post-1900 (3000-word coursework folder, 20% of mark) • Candidates will study three texts for two essays; the texts will include one prose text, one poetry text and one drama text. All texts will be post-1900 and at least one will have been published or performed after 2000. • One essay will be a close reading of a passage and the other comparative.
About Education Provider
| Region | London |
| Local Authority | Harrow |
| Ofsted Rating | |
| Gender Type | Boys |
| ISI Report | View Report |
| Boarding Fee | Unknown |
| Sixth Form Fee | £50,550 |
| Address | 5 High Street, Harrow-on-the-Hill, HA1 3HP |
English Literature at A-level is an intellectually lively and challenging discipline that can be combined successfully with all subjects. This two-year course will appeal to those who take pleasure in reading a wide variety of literature, who enjoy expressing their opinions and developing independent ideas, who would be stimulated by a subject that draws upon their other academic interests, and who want to keep their options open for further study. English Literature is a popular qualification for a wide range of courses in higher education and is highly regarded by employers in many competitive fields. The course develops skills that are useful in all careers: the understanding of how to read critically and discerningly, and the ability to write and speak accurately, persuasively and with confidence in one’s judgments. Ideally, candidates should have a good IGCSE in the subject but, even with a modest grade, they will have a reasonable chance of securing a respectable A-level grade, given adequate commitment over the two-year course. English seeks to foster creative talent as well as academic success, and boys are encouraged to enter a range of competitions throughout the year and to submit work for the creative-writing magazine. The L P Hartley Society for Creative Writing fosters the talents of those boys who are serious about writing. The Sheridan Society invites writers and lecturers to the School, organises trips and other reading-related events, and also encourages Sixth Form boys to give talks on topics of their choice.
We welcome applications from boys who: are likely to be predicted at least seven or eight passes at GCSE (or equivalent) at grade 7/8/9 (A/A*);
The A-level specification aims to encourage candidates to: • read widely, ambitiously and independently, exploring ways in which different texts relate to each other and the literary tradition; • develop and effectively apply their skills of analysis and criticism; • explore the historical, social and cultural contexts of the texts they are studying, considering their implications for how we read and understand those; and • respond to and engage with others’ interpretations of texts, reading a wide range of literary theory and criticism. Candidates will be required to show knowledge and understanding of a minimum of eight literary texts, including at least two examples of prose, poetry and drama, across the course as a whole. They will have the opportunity to focus on areas of individual interest. Component One: Shakespeare and Pre-1900 Poetry and Drama (2 hours, 40% of mark) • Shakespeare's plays include Hamlet, Measure for Measure, Coriolanus, Twelfth Night, Richard III, and The Tempest. • Poetry includes Chaucer’s Merchant’s Prologue and Tale, Milton’s Paradise Lost Books 9 and 10, Tennyson’s Maud, Coleridge’s Selected Poems, Rossetti’s Selected Poems. • Drama includes Edward II (Marlowe), She Stoops to Conquer (Goldsmith), The Duchess of Malfi (Webster), A Doll’s House (Ibsen), and An Ideal Husband (Wilde). • The exam will consist of two writing tasks on Shakespeare's play, one of which will involve close reading and a comparative essay on poetry and drama. Component Two: Comparative and Contextual Study (2 hours, 40% of mark) • Candidates will be examined on at least two texts in a specific topic area. Topics include American Literature from 1880–1940, The Gothic, Dystopia, Women in Literature, The Immigrant Experience. • The exam will consist of a close-reading task looking at an unseen passage and a comparative essay on two set texts from the chosen topic. Component Three: Literature Post-1900 (3000-word coursework folder, 20% of mark) • Candidates will study three texts for two essays; the texts will include one prose text, one poetry text and one drama text. All texts will be post-1900 and at least one will have been published or performed after 2000. • One essay will be a close reading of a passage and the other comparative.