English Literature
At AGS we give you a great deal of choice over the coursework texts you study and the ideas you look at in your coursework.
We recommend additional reading to broaden your knowledge and support your studies. You can find examples of books to read in a variety of places, including: Penguin - Lit in Colour Reading Lists.
Course Overview:
Literature is about us, helping us think through what it is to be a human being and we will discuss the big topics: life, love, sex, death and conflict.
English Literature is also about creativity – in the texts you read, how you respond and how you discover creativity in yourself. It’s about you and your interpretation of the text – we want you to be empowered. It’s not about what your teacher thinks, what a study guide says or about an interpretation offered by a particular film version.
You will learn to engage critically and creatively with a variety of texts and explore the social, cultural and historical contexts of the texts you are reading and others’ interpretations of them.
The course is divided into two sections:
Paper 1 - Aspects of Tragedy and Paper 2 - Elements of Political and Social Protest Writing or Elements of Crime Writing. You will have two teachers - one for each of the two papers - who will teach you the set texts and help you to become confident with tackling the exams. The texts you study will be chosen by your teacher; each teacher teaches texts that they love to teach and that they are particularly passionate about - these are usually
Aspects of tragedy: Othello, Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Death of a Salesman
Elements of crime writing: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Kala by Colin Walsh
OR
Elements of political and social protest writing: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, Songs of Innocence and Experience by William Blake
We will also introduce you to a diverse range of great writers of poetry and prose which you will study alongside various literary theories connected to the representation of race, gender and class to enable you to be an independent critical reader. In your independent studies you will deepen your appreciation and understanding of English literature, including its changing traditions, and discover new writers along the way who inspire, enlighten and delight you!
All our teachers are experts with degrees in English and a passion for their subject and staying up-to-date. We run enrichment trips e.g. trips to the theatre, to universities and to lecture days in Manchester and elsewhere.
Useful documents:
We teach AQA Specification B
AQA A level English Literature Specification
A level English Literature Personal Learning Checklist
A level English Literature FACE it Revision
A minimum of five subjects at grade 4 (or above) including Maths, and both English Language and English Literature at grade 5 (or above).
Students complete at least 2 assessments per teacher per half term.
The course is assessed by two exams in Year 13 and a 2500 word coursework essay.
