English Language and Literature

Assessment

Telling Stories Paper 1 of the exam is divided into three sections: ‘Remembered Places’, ‘Imagined Worlds’ and ‘Poetic Voices’. These are all exam units, for which students have to write essays under timed conditions which focus on the ways in which writers use stylistics and conventions relevant to specific literary forms to shape meaning, considering relevant contextual detail where applicable. They have to study a combination of non-fiction, prose and poetry texts. Students at Loxford will read The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood and a selection of poems from Mean Time by Carol Ann Duffy. All students, regardless of education establishment, explore a range of non-fiction texts from the AQA anthology titled Paris. Exploring Conflict Paper 2 of the exam is divided into two sections: ‘Writing about Society’ and ‘Dramatic Encounters’. These are both exam units. For ‘Writing about Society’, students have to recast an extract from The Great Gatsby into a different format, reflecting their understanding of characters and relationships, as well as the society that these exist in. They then write a commentary, explaining the decisions they made when recasting the extract, considering their language choices and links between the base text and the one they have created. ‘Dramatic Encounters’ requires students to explore the depiction of characters and themes in A Streetcar Named Desire, evaluating the effect of a range of linguistic and conventional devices specific to form. Making connections This is a coursework unit, for which students make connections between a literary text and non-literary material, based either on theme or how different types of material use idea particular linguistic strategies and features AQA encourage students to “initiate and sustain independent enquiry”. Students are expected to produce one essay of 3000 words.