English Literature A Level

Examination Board: AQA/Edexcel

Who should take the course?

Students will need a genuine interest in literature, secure writing skills, an open mind and a willingness to enter into debate and discussion.

What is the course about? 

This course provides a thorough grounding in English Literature over the last four centuries, which is an excellent basis for further study or entry into a range of professions.

Students will have opportunities to discuss literature within historical, social and cultural contexts. The course develops an understanding of the approaches and methods needed to analyse literary texts. 

How is it assessed? 

Across the two-year course, students will study a range of literature across all three genres (poetry, prose and drama) including three pre-1900 texts. There will be a strong emphasis on independent reading in order to give students a good grounding in tackling the unseen texts with which they will be presented in the exam.

Students will also produce either one or two pieces of coursework (or non-examined assessments) on texts that they themselves have chosen in their further and independent reading. 

Where will it take me? 

English Literature combines well with Media Studies and Modern Foreign Languages as well as other Humanities subjects such as History, RE, Philosophy, Sociology, and Psychology. Therefore you can use this qualification to study English, Languages or a Humanities subject at University, as well as subjects that require an analytical approach such as Law.