All about A level English Literature – course information

What’s A level English Literature about?

A level English Literature studies how great writing enables the exploration of many of life's fundamental themes: love, loneliness, prejudice, bravery and perseverance to name but a few.

An A level English Literature course covers a variety of modern and historical Prose, Poetry and Drama texts from Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde to Andrea Levy and John Betjeman, with many more along the way. The texts you must read are laid down partly by the exam board and partly by your college to make sure that you cover a good variety of writing, and they change from year to year.  In addition to 'set texts' which you have to study, you will be expected to explore your own interests: indeed a willingness to ‘read around’ texts is essential.

What sort of work is involved?

Reading, discussing and writing are key. You will be expected not just to read, but to develop the skill of thinking critically about what you read and of analysing texts to work out how the author's use of situation and language create powerful impressions. You will need to explore your own emotional response to writing and be able to discuss it, in class and through your own writing, and to argue constructively for your point of view.

There are often no ‘correct’ responses to issues or questions raised in English Literature, so you need to be open minded and willing to hear and discuss the opinions of others.

What background do I need?

The main requirement is that you need to enjoy reading, writing and sharing ideas. Because there are often no clear conclusions in discussions about Literature, you need to approach the subject with an inquiring mind. If you have not studied English Literature at GCSE you ought to do some preliminary reading so that you know how A level English Literature deals with the study of writing. If you haven't got a grade 7 or better in English GCSE you may find you struggle with the demands on your vocabulary and writing.

Where can it lead?

English Literature is a highly respected A level. As well as an English Literature degree itself, students of Literature might go on to study for University degrees in a range of subjects including: History, Sociology, Psychology, Drama and Theatre Studies and Law. Even Medical Schools value the subject highly.

It is also very effective in developing transferrable skills such as interpretive abilities, communication, an understanding of how language works, close analysis, and the ability to construct a well-argued case. These are highly valued in a range of graduate careers such as Teaching, Business and Finance, Journalism, Publishing – even Politics.

One year course?

You might think A level English Literature is easy to do in three terms - just a case of reading more. In fact it is a very tough subject to do in less than two years unless you have done at least a year of post GCSE work in the subject. This is because it takes time to develop the ability to analyse and to write about texts in the way that the academic study of the subject requires.

Assessment

All the main exam boards offer A level English Literature, and although they differ in details, there is much in common in terms of content and assessment. All assessments are done at the end of the course. Here's what the AQA English Lit B specification requires.

• Paper 1 is on 'Literary Genres'. At my college students study texts which explore comedy (tragedy is the other option). Assessment is through a ‘closed book’ written exam lasting 2 hours and 30 minutes.
• Paper 2 is called ' Texts and Genres'. At my college, students study three further texts focusing on Elements of Crime writing (the other option is political & social protest). Assessment is through a 3 hour ‘open book’ written examination.
• The final assessment is coursework, which involves personal reading alongside the study of a Critical Anthology. Students study two texts and the Critical Anthology and produce two essays of 1250-1500 words each, each essay responding to a different text and linking to a different aspect of the Critical Anthology. Coursework counts for 20% of your final mark.

The number and type of set texts we studied in 2017 were: first year: ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ by William Shakespeare, ‘Educating Rita’ by Willy Russell, ‘Small Island’ by Andrea Levy and a range of John Betjeman’s poetry; Second year: ‘Elements of Crime Writing’ including ‘Hamlet’ by William Shakespeare, ‘Atonement’ by Ian McEwan and poetry by Robert Browning, George Crabbe and Oscar Wilde.

However, texts change from year to year, and each exam board is different. 

This article was written by Jay Simmonds, Head of A-level English at Bosworth Independent College