ENGLISH LITERATURE

GCSE English Literature

Examining Board: AQA 8702

Aims of the Course:

read a wide range of classic literature fluently and with good understanding and make connections across their reading
read in depth, critically and evaluatively so that they are able to discuss and explain their understanding and ideas
develop the habit of reading widely and often
appreciate the depth and power of the English literary heritage
write accurately, effectively and analytically about their reading, using Standard English
acquire and use a wide vocabulary, including the grammatical terminology and other literary and linguistic terms they need to criticise and analyse what they read.

Overview of the Course

Students will study a Shakespeare play of choice and will be required to write in detail about an extract from the play and then to write about the play. Students will study a 19^th century novel and will study extracts from the novel and the whole text. Modern texts, including prose and drama will be studied, as well as a range of poetry from an anthology and some unseen poetry.

Examination and Assessment Methods

Paper 1: Shakespeare and the 19th-century novel (1 hour 45 minutes) 40% of GCSE

Section A: Shakespeare: -to answer one question on a chosen Shakespeare play.

Section B: The 19th-century novel- to answer one question on a 19^th century novel.

Paper 2: Modern texts and poetry (2 hours 15 minutes) 60%

Section A: Modern texts – one question

Section B: Poetry – one question from a pre-seen anthology of poems

Section C: Unseen Poetry – two questions on two unseen poems.