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Year 12s: what will be the first way you research your future options? >>

Year 12s: what will be the first way you research your future options? >>

A level English Literature (CIE Board)

What's the jump like from doing the IGCSE's to the A's?
I'm home-schooling, and I scored A*'s for my IG's, but I'm really worried about how big the advance is for the next level. For example, are you expected to read a lot of critical essays and cite them in your exam essays (its a closed book paper) or not? Any other tips on how much deeper in the text one is supposed to look etc.? Can anyone help me out?

Super grateful for any opinions I can get.

Thank you!!!

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Yeah the jump is pretty big from GCSE to A level literature to be perfectly honest. At GCSE you can get a good grade by basically retelling the story and analysing just little bits of it. At A level you have to have so much more. No re-telling of the story unless its to make a point, and even then, it has to be brief, the examiner knows the story and just wants your analysis of it.
For CIE you also have to know a lot of background information as well as approaches (feminist, marxist etc) and knowing a couple of quotes and critisisms of the book is also helpful.
This year, I have to do 5 books (Jane Eyre, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead, Hamlet, View from the bridge and Mayor of casterbridge) so its a hell of a lot of work. If you're home-schooled, I hope the person teaching you knows all about the CIE board and what they want because to be honest its really just a list of things you have to include (they literally have a little checkbox)
If you study all through the year for it and read the books AT LEAST twice, then you can get a good grade. Don't be too intimidated by it, especially if you got an A* at GCSE.

http://www.cambridgestudents.org.uk/subjectpages/english/asalenglishliterature/ASA_Level_Literature_in_English.pdf

This is to get an idea of what they asking for :smile:

:smile:

Hope I helped!

Original post by Ayesha.maya

What's the jump like from doing the IGCSE's to the A's?
I'm home-schooling, and I scored A*'s for my IG's, but I'm really worried about how big the advance is for the next level. For example, are you expected to read a lot of critical essays and cite them in your exam essays (its a closed book paper) or not? Any other tips on how much deeper in the text one is supposed to look etc.? Can anyone help me out?

Super grateful for any opinions I can get.

Thank you!!!

im doing the same..
how are you getting along..
ive screwed my AS and im on my way to do the same for A2 :frown:

:frown:

hope it doesn't affect my entry to uni...
i'll be retaking all units (AS + A2)

btw..could you share some of your notes or resources wiv me, coz im self-studying for the course :redface:

:redface:

Original post by tajmahal

im doing the same..
how are you getting along..
ive screwed my AS and im on my way to do the same for A2 :frown:

:frown:

hope it doesn't affect my entry to uni...
i'll be retaking all units (AS + A2)

btw..could you share some of your notes or resources wiv me, coz im self-studying for the course :redface:

:redface:

sorry for restarting this thread but this is exactly what I am looking for. I've been self studying thru 5 books but honestly I'm not doing so well.

any help will be greatly appreciated.

Original post by ikare

sorry for restarting this thread but this is exactly what I am looking for. I've been self studying thru 5 books but honestly I'm not doing so well.

any help will be greatly appreciated.

my exams is in 19 mins.... :confused:

:confused:

Original post by tajmahal

my exams is in 19 mins.... :confused:

:confused:

your last paper? :frown:

:frown:

I've still got comment and appreciation + shakespeare & other pre-20th century texts!

Original post by ikare

your last paper? :frown:

:frown:

I've still got comment and appreciation + shakespeare & other pre-20th century texts!

Tempest, john donne, lighthouse y homecoming
i do these on the 8th and 10th....

any coincidences?

Finally! I've been looking for this thread for ages!

Is anyone on here doing the new CIE English A-level?

Original post by dorababy1995

Finally! I've been looking for this thread for ages!

Is anyone on here doing the new CIE English A-level?

I am!

Original post by sara_od

I am!

How are you finding it?

Original post by dorababy1995

How are you finding it?

It's not bad, we're doing AS and A2 in the same year so we have a heavy syllabus. But it's good overall, I've been practicing a lot

Original post by sara_od

It's not bad, we're doing AS and A2 in the same year so we have a heavy syllabus. But it's good overall, I've been practicing a lot

What?! How can we have such a lot in common? I'll be doing it in one year too!
Do you want to study English at uni?

Original post by dorababy1995

What?! How can we have such a lot in common? I'll be doing it in one year too!
Do you want to study English at uni?

HahahA ikr
But no, i'm going to study psychology, hopefully. I'm just taking literature as I really enjoy it

Original post by sara_od

HahahA ikr
But no, i'm going to study psychology, hopefully. I'm just taking literature as I really enjoy it

I see. Are you taking the exam next year?

Original post by dorababy1995

I see. Are you taking the exam next year?

Doing it this year 😩. I have paper 5 in two days

Original post by sara_od

Doing it this year 😩. I have paper 5 in two days

Well, good luck! Btw, do you happen to remember the dates? When did you take papers 3 and 4?

Original post by dorababy1995

Well, good luck! Btw, do you happen to remember the dates? When did you take papers 3 and 4?

Thank you

:smile:

Paper 3 was on the 11th and paper 4 was on the 27th

Hello fellow A2 students this is to you who have taken the exam today; did any of you get told it was compulsory to do at least one part (b) question on the SHAKESPEARE & 20C texts?
a lot of my friends were flummoxed by this, and many didn't even realise, and now are very worried as they answered two part (a) questions.....
replies please!!
Many thanks
p.s. hope it went better than mine

Original post by amybrooke98

Hello fellow A2 students this is to you who have taken the exam today; did any of you get told it was compulsory to do at least one part (b) question on the SHAKESPEARE & 20C texts?
a lot of my friends were flummoxed by this, and many didn't even realise, and now are very worried as they answered two part (a) questions.....
replies please!!
Many thanks
p.s. hope it went better than mine

Hello, at no point were we told by anyone that we had to do at least one question b, it doesn't say in the syllabus that you have to. I've seen example answers by CIE and people have done two question As.
I hope it all went well. :smile:

:smile:

Hi, I'm a GCSE student soon starting level. I was wondering if i should take english literature and language as a single alevel or just english literature, as this is what my school offers and i assume your doing an english alevel. Please could you respond, I'm kind of stuck!

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