LATIN

Latin A level gives you the opportunity to study in depth the language and literature of one of the greatest cities of the ancient world, exploring, in the original Latin, a culture radically different from our own at significant periods in its history, a culture that has shaped the institutions, languages and ways of thought of Europe and the West The annual Classics trip abroad also offers excellent travel opportunities.

Classicists are highly valued by employers, who recognise, alongside your mastery of the intricacies of Latin grammar and the complexities of the decline of the Roman Republic, many readily transferable skills, such as your ability to think logically, to compile and evaluate evidence and to express yourself clearly and succinctly both orally and in writing Professor Santiago Iniguez at IE University in Madrid, one of Europe’s leading Business Schools, recently promoted the virtue of a classical education as an important key to success in business, reflecting that anyone can learn to read a balance sheet, but reading classical authors allows you to see the world through the eyes of others, to understand what motivates them and inspires them The aptitude of classicists for careers in computing is well-known, but graduates find their way into careers as diverse as the civil service, gold dealing, insurance, journalism, law, accountancy, public relations, the wine trade, codebreaking, the foreign office

What is the course content?

Alongside grammar consolidation and practice of unseen translation and comprehension, you will read Cicero’s pro Caelio, a masterpiece of Roman oratory delivered in defence of a political rival, who was also one of his ex-pupils, and a selection from the fourteenth book of Tacitus’ Annals, a memorable vignette of Nero’s decadence and cruelty in the failed and then successful murder of his own mother In verse, after an introduction to the poetry of Lucretius, Horace and Martial, you will read some of Juvenal’s sixth satire, a masterpiece of comic hyperbole and an outrageously misogynistic rant against women and marriage, and the second book of Virgil’s Aeneid, which focuses on the fall of Troy, the Wooden Horse and the ensuing chaos of battle, including the dramatic murder of King Priam.

How is the course assessed?

We follow the OCR A level Latin specification A level Latin, as with Greek, comprises four examined papers: two language (Unseen Translation, 33%, and Prose Comprehension and Comprehension, 17%) and two literature (Prose, 25% and Verse, 25%) There is no coursework

What else should I consider?

What exactly can a pupil NOT do with Latin? A study of Latin is often combined with Greek, but complements many other popular A levels, in particular Modern Languages, as it aids your understanding of grammatical structure, but also History, English and Philosophy & Ethics

Pre-course material

Tom Holland’s Rubicon and Robert Harris’ Cicero trilogy will offer you an outline knowledge of the 1st century BC in Rome, but an alternative would be translations of Homer’s Odyssey and Iliad and Virgil’s Aeneid.