English Literature A Level

at Chestnut Grove
2022-2024

Welcome to A level English!

The English curriculum at CGA enables us to develop a love of spoken and written word, so that we
can enter other worlds and imagine other lives. In English, we learn how to express ourselves
in accurate, creative and original ways. The English curriculum encourages us to explore the
meanings of language, enabling us to become independent and critical thinkers and thrive the wider
world.

This course will:

• foster your love of literature;

• empower you as a critical thinker;

• enable you to explore a range of perspectives;

• develop your skills as an expressive and persuasive writer.

 A Level English Literature: The Course

The exam board for A Level English Literature is Edexcel (the same exam board as for
GCSE, if you were at Chestnut Grove in Year 11).

A Level English Literature is a linear course, which means that your A Level grade will be
based on the exams that you sit at the end of Year 13 (plus your coursework). You will not
sit any external exams at the end of Year 12, but you will sit internal exams during the
course of the year, just as you did during your GCSE course).

‘Open Book’ means that you will have copies of the texts with you in the exam. These are
clean, unmarked copies of the text that you can refer to. However, it is vital that you know
the texts inside-out – you don’t want to spend lots of time in the exam leafing through the
books to find references!

Unit Code and Description Assessment Assessment Method

Name Objectives
Component 1: Section A: Shakespeare (35 marks) AO1, AO2, 30% of total grade.
Drama One essay question from a choice of two on AO3, AO5 Exam
9ETO/01 the studied Shakespeare text: Hamlet. 2 Hours and 15
mins.
Section B: Other Drama (25 marks)
One essay question from a choice of two on Open Book.
the studied drama text. A Streetcar Named
Desire. AO1, AO2,
AO3,
Component 2: (40 marks) One essay from a choice of two AO1, AO2, 20% of total grade.
Prose questions on the studied prose texts AO3 and Exam
9ETO/02 (includes at least one pre-1900 text). AO4 1 hour 15 minutes
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Kazuo
Ishiguro Never Let Me Go. Open Book.

Component 3: Section A: Post-2000 Poetry (30 marks) AO1, AO2, 30% of total grade.
Poetry One essay from a choice of two comparing a AO4 Exam
9ETO/03 named poem from the ‘Poems of the Decade’
collection with an unseen poem. 2 hours 15 mins

Section B: Specified Poetry Pre-1900 (30 Open Book

marks) One essay from a choice of two on
the studied movement: Anthology of AO1, AO2,
Romantic Poetry AO3

Component 4: (60 marks) One extended comparative essay AO1, AO2, 20% of total grade.
NEA comparing two texts, from a free choice of AO3, AO4 Non-examination
9ETO/04 texts. Advisory word-count 2500-3000 and AO5 assessment
words. (coursework)
 What do we study?

Drama

‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ – Tennessee Williams’ 1947 play (also a 1951 film, starring Marlon
Brando and Vivien Leigh) explores the tensions within post-war American society through the
relationship between Blanche DuBois, her sister Stella and Stella’s husband Stanley Kowalski. This
modern tragedy was seminal for its use of expressionist techniques and for dramatizing topics which
were rarely, if ever, dramatised.

Shakespeare: ‘Hamlet’. One of Shakespeare’s best-known plays, and a touchstone for the genre
of tragedy. We explore all the conventions of Shakespearean tragedies which have remained so
influential. The play explores themes of politics, identity, corruption, power and gender.

Prose

‘Frankenstein’ – Mary Shelley’s 1818 gothic novel was famously written as part of a competition
with her husband to write a ghost story. The story of the relationship between the creature and his
creator explores key religious, moral and philosophical dilemmas of the Romantic era, with themes
of revenge, redemption, responsibility, power, knowledge and gender roles.

‘Never Let Me Go’ – In this 2005 novel, Kazuo Ishiguro explores a dystopian version of 1990s
England in which medical science has turned the experience of adolescence and young adulthood
into a new ordeal. The novel explores love and relationships in the context of state power and
medical ethics.

Poetry

Selection of poems from the Forward Anthology of Poems (post-2000). These poems use a
range of forms and techniques, and cover themes of loss, loneliness, childhood, guilty pleasures,
change; the tone ranges from humorous and irreverent to tragic.

Anthology of Romantic poetry. These poems will immerse you in the heart of the Romantic
movement and the key philosophical and aesthetic ideas of the age, through study of Blake,
Wordsworth, Byron, Shelley and Keats.

Coursework

You can choose two texts of your own for coursework. However, we also teach you two texts which
you may choose to compare, or choose another text to compare with one of these.

‘The Bluest Eye’ is Toni Morrison’s first novel (1970), and presents the tragic story of Pecola from
multiple perspectives; in particular, it is an exploration of the effects of discrimination at the
intersection of race, class and gender in post-war America.

‘Things Fall Apart’ was written by Chinua Achebe in 1958, and focuses on the life and downfall of
Okonkwo, in 1890s Igbo society before the arrival of European colonisers (part of modern Nigeria).
The novel counters the portrayal of Africa in Western European novels of the late nineteenth and
early twentieth centuries.
AIMS OF THE COURSE:

Edexcel states that the aims and objectives of A Level English Literature are to enable
students to:
• read widely and independently. We will explore the set texts in detail in lessons, but
we will not read every word in class: you must be prepared to read these texts by
yourself! ‘Reading widely’ means that you should also be reading other related texts, so
that you can make comparisons and connections.
• engage critically and creatively with texts and ways of responding to them. This
means that you will develop your own interpretations and opinions of the writers’
intentions; you will also read what other critics have written about the texts, and evaluate
those views (develop your own opinions about their opinions!).
• develop and effectively apply their knowledge of literary analysis and evaluation.
This means that you will continue to develop your knowledge of the devices and
techniques that writers use to create meaning in texts and analyse how these are used
in texts. This skill should be at the heart of your essays!
• explore the contexts of the texts and others’ interpretations of them. You need to link
your interpretation of the text to your understanding of the context in which they were
written – what was happening (historical context), what influenced the writer
(biographical and social), and who influenced the writer’s thinking and writing style
(literary context). In particular, at A Level you will deepen your understanding of literary
context.
• undertake independent and sustained studies to deepen their appreciation and
understanding of English literature, including its changing traditions. This is another
way of emphasising again that at A Level, you become more independent in your study
– you will be expected to read around the course (we will set extension and curiosity
reading, and run reading groups to help you do this). The more you read, the better
you will think and write about your set texts!

REQUIREMENTS:

A Level candidates will be required to:

• read texts in a variety of ways and respond critically and creatively;

• have a variety of strategies for reading, including for detail, overview and gist depending
on the texts being studied and purposes for reading them;
• explore comparisons and contrasts between texts, establishing links and relationships;
• identify and consider how attitudes and values are expressed in texts;
• draw on their understanding of different interpretations in responding to and evaluating
texts;
• communicate fluently, accurately and effectively their knowledge, understanding and
judgement of texts;
• use literary critical concepts and terminology with understanding and discrimination;
• make accurate reference to quotations from texts and sources.
• synthesise and reflect upon their knowledge and understanding of a range of literary
texts and ways of reading them;
• make appropriate use of the conventions of writing in literary studies, including
references to quotations and sources.
Assessment Objectives and weightings (% of A Level marks)

AO1 Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using associated
concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression (26.7%)

AO2 Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts (26.7%)

AO3 Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which
literary texts are written and received (21.9%)

AO4 Explore connections across literary texts (14%)

AO5 Explore literary texts informed by different interpretations (11%)

Expectations of A Level Students

Organisation:

You are expected to buy your own copy of the set texts immediately and bring them to
every lesson.

You should keep your work in a hardback lever-arch folder, using file dividers to keep it well
organised. All class work, homework, critical readings and revision notes should be kept
here. Folders are different to the books you are used to, but their purpose is still the same:
they contain your learning journey and will be the basis for revision. You and your teachers
should be able to see the journey from organised notes and classwork to independent study
to essay writing (can you show how you used your notes to write your essay?) to reflection
and improvement. Your teachers will only mark your essays but will look at your folders
frequently to make sure that your learning is clear and organised. It is vital that you bring
your folder to every lesson so that we can support you.

Teams will be used to set assignments but these must be handed in on paper (either hand-
written or printed). Your teachers will also use it to communicate important information to
the class. There will also be LOTS of resources stored on Teams for you to access –
stretch reading (Broaden Your Brain), revision guides, powerpoints from lessons – make
sure you access this regularly. This means that there is no need to take photographs of the
board (there is no learning benefit compared with taking your own notes) – phones should
not be out in lessons.

Attendance:
It is crucial that you attend all lessons promptly in order to cover the course. If you are
absent we will need you to catch up the work missed in your private study periods or after
school. If you do miss a lesson, you are still required to complete the relevant home
learning on time.

Workload:

You should expect an hour’s written work and an hour’s reading for each lesson with each
teacher.
It is your responsibility to read all set texts independently as soon as possible: we will not
be reading the full text together in class and if you are not up to date in the reading, you will
not be able to continue the course.

Home learning assignments will be set on Teams, and will include a mixture of reading and
writing activities. In particular, you will be planning and writing essays. You will be
expected to write one essay every two weeks, for each side of the course (poetry /
drama, and prose). We will deep mark two of these essays every half term, and you
will self- and peer-assess other essays, ensuring that you are familiar with the mark
scheme and able to apply it effectively. You will also write regular timed essays in class, to
develop your exam skills.

Your essays should deal directly with the question and be written in formal essay style.
Remember, at A Level your spelling, punctuation and grammar is assessed at all points so
you must pay attention to it! A Level essays are longer, more detailed and more developed
than GCSE essays, including a wider range of AOs in one essay. We will support you in
learning how to write these, and in return you need to show commitment and resilience to
master this skill!
 Programme of Study

Year 1

3 hours p.w. 2 hours p.w.

• Introductory unit – key skills for A • Introductory unit – key skills for A
Level English (2 weeks) Level English
Autumn 1
• Contemporary poetry Part 1 • Prose (‘Frankenstein’ and ‘Never Let
(Anthology) Me Go’)

• Contemporary poetry Part 1 (pre-

PPE)
Autumn 2 • Prose
• Drama: ‘A Streetcar Named
Desire’ (post-PPE)
Autumn PPE: Contemporary poetry and Prose
• Drama: ‘A Streetcar Named
Spring 1 • Prose
Desire’
• Finish ‘Streetcar’ (2-3 weeks)
Spring 2 • Contemporary poetry Part 2 • Prose
(Anthology and Unseen)

• Contemporary poetry Part 2

Summer 1 • Prose
(Anthology and Unseen)
Summer PPE: Streetcar, Contemporary Poetry, Prose

Summer 2 • Coursework • Coursework

Year 2

• Coursework (2 weeks) • Coursework (2 weeks)

Autumn 1
• Romantic Poetry • Drama: Shakespeare

• Romantic Poetry • Drama: Shakespeare

Autumn 2

Autumn PPE: Poetry and Drama papers

• Finish Romantics • Finish Shakespeare
Spring 1
• Revision • Revision

Spring 2 • Revision • Revision

Spring PPE: All papers in full

Summer 1 • Revision / exams • Revision / exams