English Literature AS/A Level - Worthing College

English Literature
A Level
Starting September 2015
Opportunity Achievement Success Progression
www.worthing.ac.uk

When do I start studying for
this qualification?
September 2015.
For how long will I study?
For two years.
What is this course about?
The course is designed to offer
opportunities to explore English
Literature through time, across cultures,
genres and genders and to encourage
the development of wide and close
reading skills and independent
judgements.
What topics will I study?
The course focuses on literary genres
and how links are made between them.
The topics available are aspects of
comedy and aspects of tragedy using
a mixture of poetry, prose and drama
including at least one Shakespeare
play, with one of the texts being post-
2000.
There will be a focus on different ways
texts can be read, connected and
written about with a strong element
of independent reading and thinking.
Responses to literary texts will take the
form of analytical essays and there is
an option for re-creative responses.
How will my work be
assessed?
There are two exams, the first is a
closed book exam which focuses on
aspects of comedy or tragedy where
you will be given three separate tasks:
the first will be a passage based
question on a Shakespeare text; the
second will be an essay question on
a Shakespeare text and the third will
be an essay question linking two other
texts you have studied. The second
exam is an open book exam, again with
three separate tasks: the first will be
a compulsory question on an unseen
passage; the second an essay question
on one of your set texts and the third,
an essay question that connects the
two texts.
There is also a non-exam assessment
which focuses on literary criticism and
requires you to apply theories to two
separate texts (one of which could
be a collection of poetry) that you are
not studying for the exam. The literary
theories include Feminist and Marxist
criticism.
You may be assessed for an AS
qualification in this course at the
end of your first year as a measure
of your progress.
What skills and interests do
I need beforehand to be a
successful applicant for this
course?
You do need to be able to read and
write accurately so that so that you can
explore your ideas and interpretations
of texts.
What skills will I need to
develop during the course to
succeed?
You will need to develop your
understanding and analyse literary
texts clearly and accurately, using the
appropriate terminology and literary
concepts. You will need to enjoy
reading widely and be willing to discuss
your ideas and listen to those of others.
Are there any specific entry
requirements?
A minimum of five GCSEs at A*- C
grade, including a grade B in English
Literature.
What are the lessons like?
A wide range of teaching and learning
styles is used during the course.
Formal lessons are combined with
discussion, group work, task-based
learning and research activities.
It is also expected that you will work

independently outside lessons in a
Learning Zone session, completing
a range of tasks and activities in an
Independent Study pack.
1:1 support is available to all students.
What have I got to do in order
to do well?
• Complete all assignments and
homework tasks on time.
• Display good communication skills
in speaking and writing.
• Learn and be able to apply the
necessary terminology and ideas
about literature.
What do students say about
this course?
“The literary texts and themes which
we explore are exciting and produce
interesting discussions in class. My
teacher is one of the most supportive
I have ever met and a complete
inspiration to me.”
“This course complements a real
interest in literature by providing deep
analysis of every aspect of a text.
Further course reading is key to your
success on this course so a positive
attitude to independent study is vital.”
Is there a similar qualification
to this one? If so how do I
choose between them?
• Combined A Level English
Language and Literature, and
separate A level English Literature
and A Level English Language are
obviously related and have different
entry requirements.
• More information on choosing
between our English A Levels is
shown overleaf.
Are there any other
qualifications which combine
particularly well with this one?
English Literature is a popular subject
and experience has shown that it
can be successfully combined with
any of the AS/A Levels at Worthing
College. More common combinations
include Media Studies, Psychology and
History but for some people it makes
an interesting contrast to sciences
and maths or a helpful adjunct to
Drama and Theatre Studies or Music.
If you intend to specialise in English
at University you should consider
combining this separate A Level in
English Literature with the separate
A Level in English Language.
What do people do with A Level
English Literature?
Go on to study it at a higher level at
university.
Use it as a widely recognised entry
qualification for a wide range of degree
courses.
Use it as a helpful qualification. in
careers such as teaching, journalism,
publishing and the media.
Why would you pick English
Language and Literature
instead of one of the single
subject options of English
Language or English Literature?
• You enjoy English at GCSE
but aren’t sure which strand to
follow next. English Language &
Literature A Level is the closest
relative to GCSE English.
• You like reading but prefer
interesting contemporary texts
rather than classics.
• There is less emphasis on the
context and historical aspects of
the texts than in English Literature;
and more emphasis on analysing
features of the language
• The terminology used is the same
as in English Language, but less
rigidly.
• You want to do English, but it’s an
additional subject for you rather
than your main area of study – you
don’t want to ‘specialise’ in English.

• If you are a great enthusiast for
English you can study both English
Language and English Literature as
separate A Levels.
• The entry requirement is a minimum
of five GCSEs at A*- C grade,
including English.
Why would you pick English
Literature instead of English
Language or English Language
and Literature?
• You want to develop your interest in
and enjoyment of English Literature,
through reading widely and through
experience of an extensive range of
views about texts.
• You want to develop as an
informed, independent reader and
critic of literary texts.
• You want to develop your personal
responses to literary texts.
• If you are a great enthusiast for
English you can study both English
Literature and English Language.
• The entry requirement is a minimum
of five GCSEs at A*- C grade,
including English Literature, at least
at grade B.
Why would you pick English
Language instead of English
Literature or English Language
and Literature?
• You want to develop methods of
exploring and understanding spoken
and written language in use.
• You want to understand the roles of
purposes, audiences and contexts
and the impact of these pressures
upon language production and
reception.
• You want to use linguistic methods
to analyse and investigate a variety
of extracts taken from everyday
sources.
• If you are a great enthusiast for
English you can study both English
Literature and English Language.
• The entry requirement is a minimum
of five GCSEs at A*- C grade,
including English at least at grade B.
Correct at issue date. Please see www.worthing.ac.uk for updates.
Apply now on-line at www.worthing.ac.uk
T: 01903 275755
E: info@worthing.ac.uk
Issue 09.2014