English Literature

What will I do in this GCSE?

Over our two year course, pupils will read widely from a range of texts from the 18th – 21st centuries. We study Shakespeare's Macbeth and often take the students on a trip to see a play or organise for a theatre company to visit the school. This allows students to see how the play is meant to be seen - as a performance on stage. Students will also look in depth at a 19th century text in the form of The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde. In poetry students will study the AQA Power and Conflict cluster, which is a combination of modern poets, as well as poets from the literary canon. They will also be expected to respond to unseen poetry and An Inspector Calls, a modern play. Students will explore how writers use characters, contexts and language to create meaning across this variety of texts. 

How will I be assessed?

English Literature has two examinations at the end of year 11. Throughout the two years students will be exposed to a selection of past exam papers to ensure they are prepared and confident when sitting their final exams. As both papers are closed book exams (pupils do not have copies of the texts in the exam), it is essential that pupils are able to recall key knowledge about the different texts they have studied - including key quotations. 

Paper 1 is worth 64 marks (40% of the total GCSE grade) and assesses the pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the Shakespeare text (Macbeth) and 19th Century novel (The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde) they have studied. The Shakespeare section is worth 34 marks in total. Pupils are given a short extract from the text and are expected to use their knowledge of the rest of the text in order to produce an essay in relation to a particular focus (e.g. a character or theme). The 19th Century novel section is very similar but is worth 30 marks. 

Paper 2 is worth 96 marks (60% of the total GCSE Grade) and assesses the pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the Modern Prose or Play text (An Inspector Calls) and the collection of poems (Power and Conflict) they have studied. In addition to this, pupils are also given 2 unseen poems that they are expected to analyse and compare. The Modern Prose section is worth 34 marks. For this section, pupils are given the choice of two questions to answer in relation to the text they have studied and must produce an essay in response. There is no extract so pupils are reliant on their knowledge of the text to respond to the task. For the Power and Conflict task, pupils are given 1 of the 15 poems they have studied. They are then required to compare the poem to another poem they have studied based on a theme. This section is worth 30 marks. The Unseen Poetry section is worth 32 marks and is split into two separate questions. There is a 24 mark question based on one of the unseen poems and an 8 mark question comparing both unseen poems. 

Is there anything else I should consider and what are the career pathways?

English will open doors for students as it fosters ingenuity, creativity and encourages empathy. Opportunities open up quickly for those who handle language confidently, as employers need effective and confident communicators. Specialist English studies contribute to a career in Law; Media; Journalism; Politics; Marketing and Teaching.

The following quotation eloquently summarises the importance of literature in both our curriculum and wider society:

“That is part of the beauty of all literature. You discover that your longings are universal longings, that you're not lonely and isolated from anyone. You belong.” 

― F. Scott Fitzgerald

Links

AQA English Literature GCSE Specification

For more information about this subject please contact:

Mr Crosthwaite (Second in English)