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H1/H2 Literature in English (Frequently Asked Questions)
H1/H2 Literature in English (Frequently Asked Questions)
1. How will the papers be like?
H2 Literature consist of 2 papers, Paper 1: Reading Literature, and Paper 3: Reading Literature featuring Postcolonial Literature Topic
They are 3 hours each, and you are required to write 3 essays for each paper.
H1 Literature, on the other hand, consist of only 1 paper, Paper 1: Reading Literature. They have to write 3 essays for 1 paper.
Further details on the different sections will be covered in the slideshow.
2. How many texts do we have to do?
You will be studying 5 texts over the course of 2 years.
The first year will cover Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte for Paper 1; Remembering Babylon by David Malouf and Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys for Paper 3.
The second year will cover The Changeling by Thomas Middleton and William Rowley for Paper 1; An Enemy of the People by Henrik Ibsen for Paper 3.
3. Do we get to choose which texts we want to study?
Unfortunately, no. The texts have been chosen to allow for appropriate fit in themes and genres. The texts chosen have also been considered for their appropriate difficulty level.
4. Do we get to annotate our texts?
Yes, but only highlighting and underlining is allowed by SEAB. If you would like to annotate your text in detail, you are strongly encouraged to purchase another set of text. So you will have 2 copies- 1 for your own note-taking, and the other for use only during exams.
5. What's the difference between H1 and H2?
6. Is it rigorous? What are literature lessons like?
The skills tested in H2 Literature range from analysis to evaluation of literary texts across 3 genres (prose, poetry and play). On top of this, both Paper 1 and Paper 3 includes an Unseen section. For Paper 1, the Unseen section tests comparison of poems; Paper 3 Unseen includes both prose and drama. So students will be trained in the analysis of basic features of each genre. For Paper 3, students are also required to compare 2 of the set texts.
H2 Literature will be lecture and tutorial format. H1 Literature will be only tutorials.
7. How can I apply what I've learnt to my university course/ career/ life?
Studying shapes your language sensitivity. It also teaches you to think openly and to see the world in non-binary ways. All of these are valuable skills beyond the classroom
8. Why should I take literature?
The goal in Literature is not accolades, grades or prizes, but the joy in being able to encounter brilliant fictional worlds that challenge the mind, and create a love for language.
9. Do I have a lot to catch up on compared to my friends who have taken lit in their secondary years?
Hardly, as secondary school Literature students have attested time and time again, ‘O’ Level Literature is very different from ‘A’ Level Literature that they need some adjusting to. They have to be able to synthesise an argument when writing a Literature essay at the ‘A’ Level. In any case, JC 1 Literature begins with a Bridging programme that aims to raise students’ competency in reading Literature texts by teaching them basic close analysis and basic Literary features which should part of the repertoire of a Literature student.
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