A-Level English Literature

Component 1:  Drama (Othello, A Streetcar named Desire)

• Externally assessed

• 30% of total qualification

Overview of content 

• Students study: 

• One Shakespeare play and one other drama from either tragedy or comedy – both texts may be selected from one or both of these categories. 

• Critical essays related to their selected Shakespeare play. Students’ preparation is supported by Shakespeare: A Critical Anthology – Tragedy or Shakespeare: A Critical Anthology – Comedy.

Overview of assessment 

• Written examination, lasting 2 hours and 15 minutes. 

• Open book – clean copies of the drama texts can be taken into the examination. The Critical Anthology must not be taken into the examination. 

• Total of 60 marks available – 35 marks for Section A and 25 marks for Section B.

• Two sections: students answer one question from a choice of two on their studied text for both Section A and Section B. 

• Section A – Shakespeare: one essay question, incorporating ideas from wider critical reading (AO1, AO2, AO3, AO5 assessed). 

• Section B – Other Drama: one essay question (AO1, AO2, AO3 assessed)

Component 2: Texts in shared contexts  ('Dracula' - Bram Stoker and 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' - Oscar Wilde)

• Externally assessed

• 20% of total qualification

Overview of content 

• Students study: 

• Two prose texts from a chosen theme. At least one of the prose texts must be pre-1900

Overview of assessment 

• Written examination, lasting 1 hour and 15 minutes. 

• Open book – clean copies of the prose texts can be taken into the examination. 

• Total of 40 marks available. 

• Students answer one comparative essay question from a choice of two on their studied theme (AO1, AO2, AO3, AO4 assessed).

Non-examination assessment

• Internally assessed, externally moderated

• 20% of total qualification

Overview of content 

• Students have a free choice of two texts to study. Chosen texts:

•  Must be different from those studied in Components 1, 2 and 3 

• Must be complete texts and may be linked by theme, movement, author or period 

• May be selected from poetry, drama, prose or literary non-fiction.

Overview of assessment 

• Students produce one assignment: 

• One extended comparative essay referring to two texts (AO1, AO2, AO3, AO4, AO5 assessed) 

• Advisory total word count is 2500–3000 words 

• Total of 60 marks available

Component 3: Poetry ('Poems of the Decade' and The Romantics)

• Externally assessed

• 30% of total qualification

Overview of content 

• Students study:

• poetic form, meaning and language 

• a selection of post-2000 specified poetry 

and a specified range of poetry from either;

•  a literary period (either pre- or post-1900)

or 

• a named poet from within a literary period.

Overview of assessment 

• Written examination, lasting 2 hours and 15 minutes. 

• Open book – clean copies of the poetry texts can be taken into the examination. 

•  Total of 60 marks available – 30 marks for Section A and 30 marks for Section B. 

• Two sections: students answer one question from a choice of two, comparing an unseen poem with a named poem from their studied contemporary text and one question from a choice of two on their studied movement/poet. 

• Section A – Post-2000 Specified Poetry: one comparative essay question on an unseen modern poem written post-2000 and one named poem from the studied contemporary text (AO1, AO2, AO4 assessed). 

• Section B – Specified Poetry Pre- or Post-1900: one essay question (AO1, AO2, AO3 assessed).