English Literature
At AGS we give you a great deal of choice over the coursework texts you study and the ideas you look at in your coursework.
We recommend additional reading to broaden your knowledge and support your studies. You can find examples of books to read in a variety of places, including: Penguin - Lit in Colour Reading Lists.
Course Overview:
Working with genre involves looking at ways in which authors shape meanings within their texts. It also involves thinking about a wide range of relevant contexts, some of them to do with the production of the text at the time of its writing, some (where possible) to do with how the text has been received over time and, most of all in this specification, contexts to do with how the text can be interpreted by readers now. Looking at texts as generic works involves connecting individual texts with others, as the whole idea of genre is a connective one. And finally, because genres and their qualities are not fixed, this means that interpretation is not fixed, and that multiple interpretations are possible.
Paper 1: Aspects of Tragedy
Study of three texts: one Shakespeare text - Othello; a second drama text – Death of a Salesman; and one further pre-1900 text – Tess of the D’Urbervilles. This part of the course is assessed through a closed book written exam (2 hours 30 minutes) with 3 sections:
Section A: one passage-based question on Othello (25 marks)
Section B: one essay question on Othello (25 marks)
Section C: one essay question linking the other two texts (25 marks)
Paper 2: Elements of Political and Social Protest Writing
Study of three texts: one post-2000 prose text – The Handmaid’s Tale; one poetry collection – Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Experience; and one further text – The Kite Runner. Examination will include an unseen passage.
This part of the course is assessed through an open book written exam (3 hours) with 3 sections:
Section A: one compulsory question on an unseen passage (25 marks)
Section B: one essay question on one of the set texts (25 marks)
Section C: one essay question which connects the other two texts (25 marks
NEA: Theory and Independence
Study of two texts: one poetry collection and one prose text, informed by study of the Critical Anthology
You will produce two essays of 1250–1500 words, each responding to a different text and linking to a different aspect of the Critical anthology.
One piece can be re-creative and this re-creative piece will be accompanied by a commentary. This work is assessed by your teachers and moderated by AQA.
Useful documents:
AQA A level English Literature Specification
A level English Literature Personal Learning Checklist
A level English Literature FACE it Revision
A minimum of five subjects at grade 4 (or above) including Maths, and both English Language and English Literature at grade 5 (or above).
Students complete at least 2 assessments per teacher per half term.
The course is assessed by two exams in Year 13 and a 2500 word coursework essay.
