English Literature

This course is designed for the avid reader and those who find fascination with all things fiction! Successful students are those who take the opportunity to read widely and independently across both set and wider texts, who are keen to access wider research and information on the authors and the time and context of their writing and who have an interest in shaping and honing their own writing.

The course will develop higher level skills of critical analysis and formal, personalised response.

COURSE CONTENT

Unit 1

Drama examines one Shakespeare play and one other comedic or tragic drama. Students will also study a critical anthology on either tragedy or comedy. Examples of texts they might study are Othello, King Lear, Measure for Measure or Taming of the Shrew. Examples of other drama texts they might study are Doctor Faustus, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Importance of Being Earnest or Waiting for Godot.

Unit 2

Prose involves the study of two novels which are thematically linked, while at least one of the novels must be pre-1900. Examples of the prose texts students may study are Mrs Dalloway with A Thousand Splendid Suns or Frankenstein with Never Let Me Go.

Unit 3

Poetry involves the study of an anthology of post-2000 poetry plus a specific range of poetry from a specific literary period, such as the Romantics or medieval poetry.

Unit 4

Comparative Coursework is where students, with teacher guidance, have a free choice of two texts to study and compare as part of an extended comparative essay project.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

KS5 English Learning Journey English Literature KS5 Coursework Revision guide Othello revision guide Streetcar named Desire revision guide Dracula revision guide Dorian Gray revision guide

SPECIFICATION LINK

ASSESSMENTS

Unit 1 Drama is worth 30% of the qualification and assessed through a 2 hour and 15 minute examination. Students will be able to take clean copies of their drama texts into the exam. Unit 2 Prose is worth 20% of the qualification and assessed through a 1 hour examination. Unit 3 Poetry is worth 30% of the qualification and is assessed through a 2 hour and 15 minute examination. Unit 4 Comparative Coursework is worth 20% of the total qualification.