AQA A Level 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.
The course is assessed by two exams in Year 13 and a 2500 word coursework essay.

Course Overview

In Year 12 you will study:

Paper 1: Love Through the Ages:
The Great Gatsby by Scott F Fitzgerald
Set in 1920s America, this novel tells the story of the mysterious and fabulously wealthy Gatsby and his attempt to re-capture the past and his romance with Daisy Buchanan.

AQA Pre-1900 Love through the ages Poetry Anthology
This collection of famous, and infamous, poetry looks at all aspects of love including romantic love, jealousy, desire and loss.

Paper 2: Modern Times:
Spies by Michael Frayn
Written in 2000, this novel follows Stephen as he returns to his childhood street to solve the mystery of what happened to his best friend’s mother during World war 2. It explores a number of themes including how do we develop our adult identity and how much is this affected by what happens to us as children.

Ariel by Sylvia Plath
In this revolutionary collection of poems, Sylvia Plath explores some of our deepest and darkest desires, fears and ambitions. Often provocative, never boring, she asks what it means to be a modern human.

Coursework:
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Arguably the first science fiction story, this world famous novel about Victor Frankenstein and his monstrous creation explores ideas about science, madness, outsiders, love, gender, race, class and much more. We will study the novel together and then you will have the opportunity to choose a text and idea to compare with Frankenstein.

Assessments
Students complete at least 2 assessments per teacher per half term.

Entry Requirements:
A minimum of five subjects at grade 4 (or above) including English and Maths, with English Language or Literature at grade 5 (or above).

Useful Links

http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/english/as-and-a-level/english-literature-a-7711-7712 - exam board specification