English Literature A-Level (OCR) The A-Level English Literature course provides students with the opportunity to explore literary texts in a refreshing way. The course is underpinned by enriching and stimulating co-curricular opportunities with excellent outcomes. Last year, 78% of our A Level English Literature students achieved an A*/A grade, and 89% achieved A*-B, with many opting to study the subject at degree level and obtaining places at Oxford University and Kings College, London. One of the crucial ingredients that enables students to perform so well during our time with us is through the co-curricular opportunities that run alongside the English Literature course. Students have a wide range of opportunities available to them, such as, lectures delivered by academics and when opportunities arise, theatre trips for drama texts are made available. Students also attend conferences by the English and Media Centre, and these also enable students to grow into literary critics. These co-curricular opportunities play an instrumental role as they facilitate in preparing students for the rigour of academic study. Students also have access to a range of resources, such as Massolit and emagazine to enhance their knowledge and inform their appreciation of literature texts. The A-Level course offers an independent study of a range of texts that transcend through time. Students will explore texts from different periods, traditions and cultures, as well as having the opportunity to study drama, poetry and prose texts. The course enables students to explore dystopian literature in depth. The variety of assessment styles used, such as passage-based questions, unseen material, single text questions, multiple-text questions, open and closed book approaches allow students to develop a wide range of skills, such as the ability to read critically, analyse, evaluate and undertake independent research which are valuable for both further study and future employment Course Overview • Paper 1: Drama and Poetry pre-1900 will enable students to explore Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband, as well as a selection of poetry by Rossetti. Here, students will make thematic connections between texts. • Paper 2: Comparative and Contextual Study will provide students with the opportunity to examine dystopian fiction across different contexts. Students will study Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, whilst also exploring a wide variety of additional novels and short stories from the genre. • Non-Examination Assessment (coursework) will consist of a close-reading piece, alongside a comparative essay task in which two genres are examined. Students will have the opportunity to select their own text choices and formulate their own questions for each task. Career Options The skills developed in the English Literature course are marketable in most career areas. Jobs related to the course may include teaching (in primary or secondary schools, or teaching English abroad as a foreign language), journalism, publishing, marketing, advertising, government, public relations, library and information services. There are very few jobs whereby the critical skills developed in analytical and comparative approaches would not be helpful!
About Education Provider
| Region | West Midlands |
| Local Authority | Walsall |
| Ofsted Rating | Outstanding |
| Gender Type | Girls |
| Address | Upper Forster Street, Walsall, WS4 2AE |
English Literature A-Level (OCR) The A-Level English Literature course provides students with the opportunity to explore literary texts in a refreshing way. The course is underpinned by enriching and stimulating co-curricular opportunities with excellent outcomes. Last year, 78% of our A Level English Literature students achieved an A*/A grade, and 89% achieved A*-B, with many opting to study the subject at degree level and obtaining places at Oxford University and Kings College, London. One of the crucial ingredients that enables students to perform so well during our time with us is through the co-curricular opportunities that run alongside the English Literature course. Students have a wide range of opportunities available to them, such as, lectures delivered by academics and when opportunities arise, theatre trips for drama texts are made available. Students also attend conferences by the English and Media Centre, and these also enable students to grow into literary critics. These co-curricular opportunities play an instrumental role as they facilitate in preparing students for the rigour of academic study. Students also have access to a range of resources, such as Massolit and emagazine to enhance their knowledge and inform their appreciation of literature texts. The A-Level course offers an independent study of a range of texts that transcend through time. Students will explore texts from different periods, traditions and cultures, as well as having the opportunity to study drama, poetry and prose texts. The course enables students to explore dystopian literature in depth. The variety of assessment styles used, such as passage-based questions, unseen material, single text questions, multiple-text questions, open and closed book approaches allow students to develop a wide range of skills, such as the ability to read critically, analyse, evaluate and undertake independent research which are valuable for both further study and future employment Course Overview • Paper 1: Drama and Poetry pre-1900 will enable students to explore Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband, as well as a selection of poetry by Rossetti. Here, students will make thematic connections between texts. • Paper 2: Comparative and Contextual Study will provide students with the opportunity to examine dystopian fiction across different contexts. Students will study Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, whilst also exploring a wide variety of additional novels and short stories from the genre. • Non-Examination Assessment (coursework) will consist of a close-reading piece, alongside a comparative essay task in which two genres are examined. Students will have the opportunity to select their own text choices and formulate their own questions for each task. Career Options The skills developed in the English Literature course are marketable in most career areas. Jobs related to the course may include teaching (in primary or secondary schools, or teaching English abroad as a foreign language), journalism, publishing, marketing, advertising, government, public relations, library and information services. There are very few jobs whereby the critical skills developed in analytical and comparative approaches would not be helpful!
