A Level: English Literature

This course is intended for students who enjoy all aspects of reading (including finding out about the often extraordinary life and times of the writer) and debating possible meanings in texts. You'll have the opportunity to explore a range of work, including a range of work, including plays, poetry, and novels from different periods in time.

The course takes a historicist approach to literature, working with the view that each text is influenced by the times in which it was written, and that it may be interpreted differently according to the social contexts or beliefs of the reader.

Year 12:

• Texts in Shared Contexts: this unit covers the theme of modern times - literature from 1945 to the present day.
• You will study one novel, one collection of poetry, and one play, all written post-1945.
• You will explore literature’s engagement with some of the social, political and literary issues which have shaped the 20th and early 21st Centuries.
• You will also prepare to analyse unseen prose.

Year 13:

• Love Through The Ages: this unit covers the theme of love through time - attitudes to all different aspects of love.
• You will study one novel, an anthology of pre-1900 poetry (14 poems dating from 1538 onwards) and a Shakespeare play.
• You will also prepare to analyse unseen poetry. This unit will be assessed by exam and is worth 40% of the A Level.

Year 13 Non-Examined Assessment (NEA/coursework):

• Independent Critical Study: Texts Across Time.
• You will prepare a 2500-word essay comparing an aspect of two texts of your own choice, one of which must have been written pre-1900. This is an opportunity to explore an area of literature that is of interest to you. Possible themes include the Gothic, representations of gender or social class, or satire and dystopia.

One x 3 hour exam - 40%

One x 2.5 hour exam - 40%

Coursework: extended essay - 2500 words - 20%

• All Loughborough College Sixth Form courses have minimum entry requirements of at least five GCSEs at grade C/4 or above, including English Language and Maths.

• GCSE English Language at grade 5.
• Applicants must have a keen interest in reading.

English Literature provides excellent preparation for the workplace and for university. The analytical and communication skills you learn provide a good basis for higher level study in a wide range of subjects.