English Literature A Level Edexcel New specification First Teaching September 2015

Why choose English Literature?

Other Good Reasons… English Literature A Level can lead to diverse university courses and careers. Skills needed for English Literature are very transferable. To do well, you will need to: –Read widely and analyse / evaluate what you have read; –Write well about the texts you have studied; –Show evidence of independent study; and –Provide evidence for your thoughts and opinions.

Careers There are very few careers which wouldn’t benefit from an A- Level in English Literature: a fact which is recognised by university entrance requirements. This is an extremely well-respected A-Level, and it would be useful for anybody considering a career in: –Journalism, Law, Medicine, Politics, Marketing, Acting, Public Relations, Copywriting, Advertising, Design, Curating, Television, Teaching...

The A Level Course - Overview Two-year course No AS Level Exams Summer 2017 One c/work piece Range of forms Wide variety of texts, from Medieval to Modern ComponentAssessed% of A Level 1. DramaExam30 2. ProseExam20 3. PoetryExam30 4. CourseworkTeacher20

Texts to be studied Drama Othello by William Shakespeare A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams Prose Frankenstein by Mary Shelley Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro Poetry Poems of the Decade: An Anthology of the Forward Books of Poetry The Wife of Bath’s Prologue & Tale by Geoffrey Chaucer Coursework The Color Purple by Alice Walker Another text of your choice, linked to the core text – could be prose, poetry or drama A total of 8 texts Additionally, you will study: – Unseen Poetry and – Shakespeare: A Critical Anthology - Tragedy The prose texts are linked by theme – we have chosen Science and Society The coursework texts also need to be linked – by theme, movement, author or period.

Course Structure Year 1 Autumn 1  Prose Autumn 2  Prose (cont.)  Contemporary Poetry Spring 1  Drama  Shakespeare Spring 2  Drama  Shakespeare  Shakespeare Critical Anthology Summer 1  Coursework Summer 2  Coursework (cont.)  Unseen Analysis (Poetry)  Contemporary Poetry Year 2 Autumn 1  Poetry movement/poet  Contemporary Poetry Autumn 2  Poetry movement/poet  Contemporary Poetry and  Comparing with an Unseen Poem Spring 1  Prose Revision Spring 2  Drama Revision  Shakespeare Critical Anthology Revision Summer 1  Poetry Revision and General Exam Practice Summer 2  Final Revision & Exams

Summary You need: C grade or above in English and English Literature GCSE. Real enthusiasm for reading. Willingness to discuss your ideas and opinions in class. Ability to study independently. Ability to keep your detailed notes organised throughout the course. Ability to read more widely around the set texts to research context and background. Benefits: An interesting and well-planned course, studying a wide range of literary texts from different periods. No external exams for 2 years! Excellent track record of 100% pass rate in this subject. Opportunity to develop high-level analytical skills and to produce sophisticated written work. A qualification which is very highly regarded by future employers and universities.

See you in September! Thank you for listening.