We study an exciting and varied range of texts in a linear way which is commensurate with the OCR A Level English Literature course. We encourage students to fully participate in the lessons. We also do our utmost to maximise our location by attending relevant workshops, theatre productions and erudite courses that complement our teaching programme.
There are three components, two of which are examination based whilst the third comprises a coursework component.
Component 1 (Shakespeare and Poetry pre-1900) is worth 40% of the overall examination. Section 1 is based on Hamlet; students answer two questions, the first is centred on an extract from Hamlet and the second is an essay on a theme such as madness, parental control, revenge and or any other theme that may be inextricably linked with the play.
Section 2 examines students’ understanding of John Webster’s tragedy, The Duchess of Malfi and Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Merchant’s Prologue and Tale. Once again, students will be set questions on themes that link the two texts such as misogyny; deception; forbidden love across the classes and or any other related theme.
Component 2 (Drama and Prose post-1900) is also worth 40% of the overall examination. Section 1 will examine students’ understanding of American Literature including F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath in addition to other key American texts dating between 1880 and 1940. The examination requires students to evaluate an excerpt from an American novel from the above era in addition to an essay based on Fitzgerald’s and Steinbeck’s novels respectively.
Component 3 (Coursework) is worth 20% overall. The deadline is always 15th May of each year. Students study poems from either Seamus Heaney’s anthology, North together with Lee Hall’s The Pitmen Painters and Barry Hines’ novel, A Kestrel for a Knave OR poems from Seamus Heaney’s anthology District and Circle together with Terence Rattigan’s The Browning Version together with Muriel Spark’s novel, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. Students write an essay based on Seamus Heaney’s poetry; this is a close analysis consisting of 1000 words excluding the bibliography. Students also write a comparative essay based on the play and novel, as cited above, which have connected themes; this essay is 2000 words excluding the bibliography.
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