English Literature

Assessment

Paper 1: Drama - Written examination: 2 hours and 15 minutes (30% of A Level) The aim of this topic area is to explore two plays, developing a critical understanding of each. Students will study one Shakespeare text from a list of set texts which includes Tragedy and Comedy and also study one play from a set list of plays including The Duchess of Malfi; The Importance of Being Earnest; A Street-Car Named Desire; Waiting for Godot. Paper 2: Prose - Written examination: 1 hour and 15 minutes. (20% of A Level) The aim of this topic area is to study how a theme such as Childhood, or Science and Society is explored in two prose texts from a set list. This provides an opportunity to making connections and compare. Pairings might include: Hard Times with The Color Purple; Wuthering Heights with A Thousand Splendid Suns; Frankenstein with The Handmaid’s Tale. Paper 3: Poetry - Written examination: 2 hours and 15 minutes. (30% of A Level) Students will study a poetry collection or a body of work by one poet from before 1900. For instance: The Romantics/ Keats/ The Wife of Bath’s Tale/ The Victorians. Students will also study a selection from the Forward Poetry Anthology: Poems of the Decade - poetry written after the year 2000. Coursework - Word count: 2,500 -3000. (20% of A Level) In their coursework, students write a comparative critical study of two texts, linked by theme, movement, author or period. The texts must be different from those studied for the examination. Students will engage in wider reading, use independent reading skills and apply research and study skills to their chosen literature.