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TSR Wiki > Study Help > Exams and Qualifications > A Levels > English Literature A Level

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Contents 1 Introduction 2 AS 3 A2 4 Extra reading at A-Level 5 General advice 6 Also See

Introduction

The study of English Literature at A-Level naturally leads on from GCSE English. The course is 2 years and is examined twice. The entire GCE A-Level is split into two sections, AS and A2. The difference between these varies considerably in terms of the amount of work involved, teaching style, and the level of written work you will be expected to produce. English A-Level would suit anyone with an interest in Literature, however diverse this maybe for you. If you're predicted a B (OCR stipulates a minimum of a grade C at GCSE, but I think to access high marks at A-Level, you should be expecting a B) at GCSE or above, then English Literature A-Level might just be for you.

AS

Depending on which exam board you are on, the exact nature of the syllabus will differ naturally, so what follows is only an outline of what kind of things will be expected from you at AS, and what happened for me. Incidentally, I followed the OCR syllabus, so what follows will be largely based on OCR.

The AS syllabus will normally consist of 3 sections.

Drama: Shakespeare (No text will be allowed into the exam for this module).

This is exam is by far the hardest one you'll encounter at AS Level. It's worth 30% of your AS grade, or 15% of your entire A-Level. The paper is split into 2 sections. The 1st is, according to the cheif examiner of OCR English, the hardest thing you'll have to do at AS. This will be a passage based question, a little like Practical Criticism (see 'English at Cambridge'), but clearly not as advanced. You are advised to spend about 45 minutes on this. It is challenging, but you should get lots of practice, and you can practice yourself easily. Section 2 is an essay and again you're expected to spend 45 minutes on this.

Poetry and Prose (Texts are allowed in this exam).

This exam is worth 40% of your AS grade, or 20% of your A-Level. This exam requires the most preparation and work, but you're allowed your texts, so learning quotes for this isn't an issue. Again, 45 minutes on each essay here is advised. You're asked 1 essay question on your poetry text, and one on your prose text. I enjoyed this module thoroughly and was by far the best thing about AS.

Coursework.

This is the compulsory coursework element at AS. Your teacher will choose any text for you to follow. It's worth 30% of your AS or 15% of your A-Level. This is the module where you can really get marks in the bag. It can often balance out a poor performance on either of your other two papers.

--ninjapanda. 13.08.2006 13:24 BST

A2

The A2 syllabus naturally follows on from AS and consists of 3 further units. I believe this is pretty standard across most boards.

Poetry and Drama (Pre 1900, no texts allowed in this exam).

This paper is challenging. Since you're not allowed texts in this exam learning quotes is a must. Often you'll encounter your most difficult A-Level texts here so secondary reading is a must (see below). The exam is 2 hours long and is worth 15% of your A-Level. In this paper you are asked 2 questions. The paper is very much similar to the Poetry and Prose paper at AS but is more challenging in terms of secondary criticism and general feel of the essay (see tips below).

Prose (Post 1914, either coursework or exam).

This is probably the easiest paper/ module at A2. The format is pretty straightforward. You'll have 1 text you'll study and then be asked 2 questions on it and they'll either be exam ones or coursework. Again, follow the advice given about the AS coursework. It's a good bank of marks for your final grade.

Comparative and Contextual Study (No texts are allowed into this exam).

This is probably the hardest thing you'll do in your two years studying A-Level English. You'll be set a genre, be it Victorian Novel, 20th Century American Literature (what I'm doing) etc etc. Basically, you can read anything within these baggy titles and you can use anything you've read in your exam. It is vital you do read around the set texts that you will study in class as contextual knowledge is vital. The exam is 2 hours long, but you'll have 15 minutes reading time before. The paper is split into 2 sections. Section A will require you to comment on an unseen passage (what the reading time is meant for), again this is similar to Practical Criticism. Knowledge of other texts in this genre will be vital for comparrison etc. Section B will be an essay and the essay will usually relate to the context of a particular text. Mentioning other texts you have read will be invaluable as the more you read within the genre, the more material you have to refer to etc.

--ninjapanda. 13.08.2006 13:24 BST

Extra reading at A-Level

As I've already mentioned, reading secondary criticism around your chosen texts is vital to success at A-Level. This can be done by going into your Library etc. and even just using 'The Casebook series' as these give great introductory essays about an author, text etc. As you get used to inserting quotes from critics into your essays you'll get more critical yourself and you'll begin to argue with a critics opinion, giving your essay some energy and orginiality which is vital for Band 1 (A Grade) marks at A-Level. Often you'll find some good introductory information in the introductions of classic novels which maybe useful as background reading or reference.

A useful text of reference throughout your A-Level career, and certainly if you decide to continue English to University, is 'The Poetry Handbook' by Lennard. I bought a copy of this for my AS Coursework as I was doing Keats and for the passage based essay question this helped me considerably as you will be expected to use a lot of technical words etc.

--ninjapanda. 13.08.2006 13:24 BST

General advice

So that's pretty much it. English A-Level is very enjoyable indeed. You'll find the teaching style very different to GCSE as you'll be less spoon fed and you'll be required to form your own opinions and to defend them. This is excellent practice for University study if you choose to continue with English. If you feel constricted whilst studying GCSE English, then you'll definitely enjoy English at A-Level because, especially at A2, there is much more scope to read more and around your interests too. I cannot recommend it enough. It's highly enjoyable and you'll get a lot out of it.

--ninjapanda. 13.08.2006 13:24 BST

Also See

The main English subject guide.