English Literature

Courses...

English Literature A Level

Overview

This course is designed for those who already have an interest in Literature and who wish to develop their basic knowledge and understanding by studying a wide range of literary material. Reading is clearly a very important part of any Literature course, so anyone who chooses this subject must already enjoy reading and have a genuine desire to learn more about books and writers.

The A Level course in Literature focuses on two main themes: ‘Love through the Ages’ and ‘Texts in Context from 1945 to the present day’. Students study all forms of Literature (novels, plays, poems and short stories) drawn from across the whole history of Literature (1500s to the present day). We explore ideas and develop our own personal responses to what we read, as well as considering the range of methods authors use to convey their thoughts. Students will be introduced to some of the literary ‘greats’ such as Shakespeare and Emily Bronte as well as studying modern authors such as Arthur Miller and Carol Ann Duffy. One of the aims of the course is to set literary works in their social and historical context, so we also explore the historical background and look at how ideas about topics such as gender and class have influenced the presentation of ideas across time. As such, this A Level is a good complement to other courses such as History and Sociology. Across the two years, students study 6 main texts for examination in Year 13. In Year 13 students also take on the challenge of an extended essay for coursework in which they compare two major texts of their own choosing.

This popular course has proved to be highly successful at All Hallows. Journalists, politicians, lawyers, actors, educationalists, those working in the media and communications industries plus many others, have all benefited from a grounding in English Literature. 5 GCSE’s grades 9-4 including grade 5 English Language and grade 6 English Literature

Entry Requirements

English Literature 16