English Literature

Exam Board: AQA

The GCSE English Literature course encourages students to develop knowledge and skills in reading, writing and critical thinking. Through literature, students have a chance to develop culturally and acquire knowledge of the best that has been thought and written. Studying GCSE English Literature encourages students to read widely for pleasure, and as a preparation for literature at a higher level.

Assessment

100% examination: two examinations at the end of year 11. Throughout the course students will complete practice exam-style questions:

Paper 1: Shakespeare and nineteenth century novel – (64 marks) 40% of GCSE (1 hour, 45 minutes)

• Section A: Shakespeare – students will answer one question on the play they have studied. Students will be required to write in detail about an extract from the play and then to write about the play as a whole.
• Section B: The 19th Century Novel – students will answer one question on the novel they have studied. Students will be required to wrote in detail about an extract from the novel and then to write about the novel as a whole.

Paper 2: Modern texts (96 marks) 60% of GCSE (2 hours, 15 minutes)

• Section A: Modern texts – students will answer one question from a choice of two on a modern prose or drama text.
• Section B: Poetry – students will answer one question on one unseen poem and one question comparing this poem with a second unseen poem.

Students are encouraged to use their own copies of set texts to annotate in class.