Course information
English Literature
Drayton Manor High School - Ealing
02083571900
Drayton Bridge Road, Hanwell, London, W7 1EU
Course summary

What do I need to know or be able to do before taking this course? Advanced study of English Literature builds on the skills and knowledge acquired during GCSE. Analytical study of literary texts forms the basis of the course. The course will give you the opportunity to explore a wide range of challenging texts, both in discussion and in writing, and considerable emphasis is put on you developing your own ideas about the books you study. You will be expected to explore connections between texts as well as learn about their social, cultural and historical contexts. What will I study at ALevel? • ‘Poems of the Decade’ (an anthology of poems written in the last ten years) • ‘A Streetcar named Desire’ (a play by Tennessee Williams) • a collection of poems by Christina Rossetti • ‘Othello’ • A selection of modern unseen poetry • ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’ and ‘Wuthering Heights’ for an exam • a selection of novels for coursework. These could include, ‘Never Let Me Go’ (Kazuo Ishiguro), ‘Enduring Love’ (Ian McEwan), ‘The Collector’ (John Fowles), ‘War of the Worlds’ (HG Wells), ‘The Great Gatsby’ (F. Scott Fitzgerald) and Dracula (Bram Stoker)Coursework texts can be completely free choice What will I learn on this A Level course? The course will enable you to • develop your interest and enjoyment in literature by reading widely • gain an understanding of the traditions of English Literature • communicate your response to a wide variety of texts and respond to texts of different types and periods • make informed opinions and judgements on literary texts • gain an understanding of cultural, historical and other influences on texts What kind of student is this course suitable for? This course will appeal to students who • have an interest in reading a wide variety of literature from the past and present • enjoy expressing their opinions and justifying their comments on texts • enjoy studying a subject which is relevant to their own lives and experiences • want to keep their options open for further study - English Literature is a popular qualification for a wide range of courses in higher education or for future careers What is the difference between English Literature and English Language/ Literature? The main difference is that in English Literature you will only study works of literature, i.e. poems, plays and novels, whereas in English Language/ Literature the texts you study will include literature, but will only include non-literary texts such as diary extracts, reports, speeches, transcripts of conversations, instruction manuals,letters. The focus will be very much on how writers use language for effect and adapt it according to audience and purpose. In English Literature you will also look at the writer’s use of language but as part of a wider exploration of themes and character. Both subjects contain a mixture of coursework and final examination. What could I go on to do at the end of my course? Students with A Level English Literature have a wide range of possible career and higher education opportunities. You will learn and use a wide variety of transferable skills during the course. These include writing for a variety of purposes, responding to literary texts, expressing informed and independent opinions and identifying and developing the links between different parts of the subject. These skills are in demand from employers and universities and colleges and are also valuable in their own right. English Literature can be studied as a single subject in higher education or can be combined with a wide variety of other subjects. It could form a good basis for study in any arts based subject in combination with, for example, history, media studies, philosophy, law, politics or languages.

Entry requirements

Grade 6 in English Language or English Literature GCSE

How you'll be assessed

1 Drama 30% Exam 2 Prose 20% Exam 3 Poetry 30% Exam 4 Non-examination assessment 20% Coursework

School Info

About Education Provider

RegionLondon
Local AuthorityEaling
Ofsted RatingOutstanding
Gender TypeMixed
AddressDrayton Bridge Road, Hanwell, London, W7 1EU