Latin

Assessment

The OCR specification: Like a GCSE, 50% of the course is on language and 50% on literature. You will acquire much more vocabulary and a more sophisticated understanding of how the language works at A-Level. However, as you will already have studied many of the constructions on the A-Level syllabus at GCSE, the progression to A-Level is more a smooth ramp than a big step up. Language continues to be assessed through a combination of translation passages, comprehensions and language analysis or prose composition (optional). Similarly, you will already have begun to develop the literary skills you need for A-Level at GCSE. The two essay types are similar to those at GCSE, but you will have more time to read more of each text and in greater depth than you will have had at GCSE. One type of essay requires analysis of how the author has manipulated language to convey a specific mood or message and the other type prompts discussion of broader themes from the text in English. 25% of the course is a study of prose literature. Next year the prose text will likely be Cicero’s Pro Caelio, a scandalous and witty exposé of the bad behaviour of some of Rome’s elite in the late Republic. 25% of the course is a study of verse literature. Next year the verse text will likely be Virgil’s Aeneid II, a deeply moving exploration of Roman values and war in all its horror and glory.