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English Literature
When we study Literature, we are studying an art form. It is more than reading wonderful books although that does form a large part of what you will be doing on a Literature course. Literature students read and discuss set novels, plays and poetry including Anthony and Cleopatra, The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Little Stranger, The Bloody Chamber and a range of ‘classic’ and contemporary poetry from exciting poets of diverse backgrounds. An A Level in English Literature will introduce you to a wide range of challenging texts. It will showcase some of the greatest minds at work, inspiring you philosophically, as well as linguistically. In Literature, your writing skills will be honed and developed to an impressive level of powerfully expressed clarity. Classes are seminar style with plenty of opportunities to discuss ideas, themes, narrative and character. Literature students will also be encouraged to read widely with Reading Lists to support the set texts and to work independently in a way that will prepare them for degree-level studies. The English Department supports the teaching of this course with theatre trips and a day out at the EMC’s annual Literature Conference.
Course structure /
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Exam board: Pearson Edexcel There is a combination of exam and coursework assessment.
Three exams weighted at 30%, 30% and 20% of the overall grade. Candidates respond to questions and ‘unseen’ extracts on the set texts.
1 assignment of 2,500 – 3,000 words, starting with the candidate’s own choice of focus, comparing The Bloody Chamber and a second text weighted at 20% of the overall grade. Beyond A Level /
Students who have studied English Literature at A Level have gone on to study and have careers in law, philosophy, english, education, politics, creative writing, advertising and marketing, copy editing and content production, journalism, television and radio, publishing and many more. The course empowers students with transferable skills for life and work including written and verbal communication, interpretation, debate, evaluation, reading for inference & analysis, organisation, persuasion, team-work, independent learning and research.
Entry requirements /
GCSE English Literature or English Language (Grade 6)
