English Literature

Exam Board: AQA

This specification offers opportunities for students to develop their subject expertise by engaging critically and independently with a wide range of texts from different genres (prose, poetry and drama).

Assessment

Paper 1: Love Through the Ages

• Section A: One passage-based question on a Shakespeare play.
• Section B: Unseen poetry.
• Section C: A comparison of a novel and poetry anthology that you have studied in class.

Written exam: 3 hours (40% of A-Level)

Paper 2: Texts in Shared Context

• Section A: One question on one set text you have been taught.
• Section B: One question on an unseen extract and one question linking two further texts you have been taught.

Written exam: 2 hours 30 minutes (40% of A-Level)

Non-exam assessment (NEA)

(20% of A-Level)

A comparative critical study (2,500 words) of two texts, at least one of which must have been written before 1900.

Requirements

Sixth Form Entry Requirements and a grade 5 or above in GCSE English Language and Literature.

Where can it lead?

The skills you gain from this course will equip you to pursue a wide variety of careers. The qualification is suitable when entering either arts or science disciplines in higher education, due to its analytical yet creative elements. This A-Level is highly regarded by universities for its academic rigour, and it is excellent, for example, for those wishing to pursue a career in: Journalism, Media, Law, Humanities or Social Sciences.