English Literature A Levels

If you love a good debate, being attentive to minutiae yet always with an eye on the global human perspective, you will definitely enjoy studying Literature. Books studied at this level open up a wealth of human experience, giving insights into cultures past and present. If you have enjoyed reading, discussing and writing about your set texts for GCSE English Literature and English Language and are excited by the prospect of spending time with more great texts in a smaller class full of friendly, lively discussion, then you will certainly enjoy this course.

You will become, with practice, an assured, sophisticated writer and a confident, informed reader. Examiners will expect you to be able to write confidently, accurately and with enthusiasm. Your style will be honed through different sorts of tasks set through the year, from class presentations to extended essays. There will be, for the A Level course, the opportunity for you to study texts of your own choice too.

This subject naturally links with Classics, History, Politics, Psychology and RE, and your experience of these subjects will be valuable as you look at each text in detail. A highly regarded subject, English Literature is a solid foundation for many courses at degree level, especially Law. If you seek a cultural and creative oasis as you study three more theoretical subjects, however, English Literature is an excellent choice, respected by University admissions tutors and employers alike.

THE COURSE ITSELF

This course centres on different ways of reading and the connections that exist between texts within a specific literary genre. You will develop a sound understanding of how texts can be connected and how they can be interpreted in multiple ways.

If you choose to take the A Level, you will revisit three of the AS texts in your U6 year. At the end of the year, you will be examined on the texts again. By this stage your skills and understanding will have developed considerably and revision of the work should be even more rewarding.

There are three elements to this course : ‘Literary Genres’ and ‘Texts and Genres’ (which are each assessed by an exam) and a ‘Non-exam assessment (NEA) – Theory and Independence’.

Paper 1 : Aspects of Tragedy. Here there is an exam on three texts. You will be likely to study Othello or King Lear, Tess of the D’Urbervilles and Death of a Salesman.

Paper 2 : ‘Elements of Crime Writing’. You will study three texts for this exam. Our current selection is When Will There be Good News? By Kate Atkinson, Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Hamlet. One must have been written post-2000 and one pre 1900.

Unit 3 – the NEA. Here you will apply an anthology of different critical views (like Marxism and feminism) to two texts of your own choice or from a number of texts studied in class. One needs to be a poetry text and the other prose. There will be an element of independent study but we will cover several texts in class and help you decide which areas of study suit you best. You will produce two essays of no more than 1500 words each.

The subjects of tragedy and crime will be, no doubt, entertaining, enlightening and moving. There are some great texts here to explore. Come along prepared to talk about your thoughts and ideas; though in many ways this is not a subject that can simply be 'learned' in a traditional sense, your skills of analysis and perception will be sharpened with practice and commitment in class. The best lessons in English Literature are fun, lively, thought-provoking and challenging and it is up to you to help make this happen!

Academically, it is expected that students entering Birkdale’s Sixth Form will have achieved a minimum of 5 passes (9 to 5) at GCSE, with at least 4 at grade 6 or higher; we would expect 6 or higher GCSE grades in those subjects being studied to A level. A grade 6 is required to study A Level English and Mathematics, although a grade 7 is preferred in Mathematics. Prospective Further Mathematicians should achieve a grade 7 in GCSE Mathematics although a grade 8 is preferred. In addition at Birkdale we look beyond the academic and would wish applicants to become fully involved in the life of the school, offering their skills and abilities in one or more of a number of areas (e.g. drama, sport, music, clubs and societies, etc).