How difficult is English lit a level?

11

So, im still in y10 but in considering English lit for a levels. I love English, always have. I’m a fairly avid reader (in a bit of a slump rn lol) but ye how difficult is it, I want to get A/A* but preferably an A*. Idk how difficult it is tho, I’m rlly scared that it will be too hard ESPECIALLY the timing…

I love gcse English lit its one of my fav subjects. Also, is it still enjoyable at a level? Thanks

Reply 1

milr.19

6

Original post

by Jffjdb

So, im still in y10 but in considering English lit for a levels. I love English, always have. I’m a fairly avid reader (in a bit of a slump rn lol) but ye how difficult is it, I want to get A/A* but preferably an A*. Idk how difficult it is tho, I’m rlly scared that it will be too hard ESPECIALLY the timing…
I love gcse English lit its one of my fav subjects. Also, is it still enjoyable at a level? Thanks

Hii! Yay I'm so glad you love English/reading, that's defo a big sign you'd like it at A-level. I'm a STEM girl going to do Bio, but I chose Lit as one of my A-levels because I loved it at GCSE. It's actually not what I was expecting at all but I loved it more in a way. It's very much enjoyable but only if you cover books you're at least a bit interested in. In Year 12, I liked doing a Bronte novel and poetry by Seamus Heaney/Owen Sheers, but I struggled with A Streetcar Named Desire, so interest does play a big part in your engagement with the course. That said, I still did well in my Streetcar exam, so don't worry if you don't love alllll of the modules from the specification list.

•

There's not a hugeee amount of reading/content (at least for WJEC) compared to other subjects, but it is a big step up from GCSE in terms of having to learn terminology, new essay structures, etc..

•

If you're aiming for an A* then it requires a lot of time, especially practising essays over and over as well as memorising quotes/critical views.

•

Not sure if you're doing any English exams this summer (like in Wales), but if so then see how you like the exams with timed essays, that's the biggest factor to consider.

•

An A* in Lit A-level isn't something anyone can just work extra hard for, you've also got to have that interest and creativity to access the higher-grade thought process they're looking for.

•

Look at the specification for your exam board and see what % of poetry, prose, etc. is covered, just helps get a feel for what type of course Lit is.

Hope your GCSEs go well, and pleaseee pick A-levels you're interested in, don't think about grades yet, A-levels are the hardest to reach an A* in when you have no interest in the subject!

Reply 2

Jffjdb

OP

11

Original post

by milr.19

Hii! Yay I'm so glad you love English/reading, that's defo a big sign you'd like it at A-level. I'm a STEM girl going to do Bio, but I chose Lit as one of my A-levels because I loved it at GCSE. It's actually not what I was expecting at all but I loved it more in a way. It's very much enjoyable but only if you cover books you're at least a bit interested in. In Year 12, I liked doing a Bronte novel and poetry by Seamus Heaney/Owen Sheers, but I struggled with A Streetcar Named Desire, so interest does play a big part in your engagement with the course. That said, I still did well in my Streetcar exam, so don't worry if you don't love alllll of the modules from the specification list.

•

There's not a hugeee amount of reading/content (at least for WJEC) compared to other subjects, but it is a big step up from GCSE in terms of having to learn terminology, new essay structures, etc..

•

If you're aiming for an A* then it requires a lot of time, especially practising essays over and over as well as memorising quotes/critical views.

•

Not sure if you're doing any English exams this summer (like in Wales), but if so then see how you like the exams with timed essays, that's the biggest factor to consider.

•

An A* in Lit A-level isn't something anyone can just work extra hard for, you've also got to have that interest and creativity to access the higher-grade thought process they're looking for.

•

Look at the specification for your exam board and see what % of poetry, prose, etc. is covered, just helps get a feel for what type of course Lit is.
Hope your GCSEs go well, and pleaseee pick A-levels you're interested in, don't think about grades yet, A-levels are the hardest to reach an A* in when you have no interest in the subject!

It sounds so funn but just a few more questions:

1.

How bad is the timing? English for me has always been a race against the clock but i feel like in my last two lit tests (one 30 marker on LOTF and one 30 marker for poetry - 45 mins each) the timing was actually ok which is an absolute miracle. I finished the poetry one with 7 minutes left but id already planned what i was gonna write since we were told what poem we would be given to compare

2.

How many book and how many poems? Different google searches are showing me different things?

3.

Apparently 90% is an A* while i think this is doable for me it also seems really difficult and daunting…

4.

The unseen poetry. Is that the only unseen bit also how easy is it?

Thank you sm English lit a level sounds rlly fun and interesting

Reply 3

milr.19

6

Original post

by Jffjdb

It sounds so funn but just a few more questions:

1.

How bad is the timing? English for me has always been a race against the clock but i feel like in my last two lit tests (one 30 marker on LOTF and one 30 marker for poetry - 45 mins each) the timing was actually ok which is an absolute miracle. I finished the poetry one with 7 minutes left but id already planned what i was gonna write since we were told what poem we would be given to compare

2.

How many book and how many poems? Different google searches are showing me different things?

3.

Apparently 90% is an A* while i think this is doable for me it also seems really difficult and daunting…

4.

The unseen poetry. Is that the only unseen bit also how easy is it?

Thank you sm English lit a level sounds rlly fun and interesting

Happy to help! Just out of curiosity, what other A-levels are you thinking of? Ik you're in year 10 tho so you've still got awhile to think.

1.

Yes, timing in any essay-based subject is always difficult, and if you really hate writing essays in exam conditions then it's a sign you'll struggle with any humanities A-level. However, people forget that's part of the test - you'll practice sooo many essays in sixth form that you'll get super confident working in timed conditions. Also, they're looking for quality over quantity, always. Your teacher will (hopefully) get you to have good intros ready to just blurt out in the exams, and will teach you how to plan effectively so that you can work around the time. As someone who struggles with exam timing hugely, I still think that Lit is fine once you get that confidence, I find the timing in Maths wayyy worse lol.

2.

So, as a WJEC student (Welsh exam board) here's the texts I covered:

3.

Year 12 we did one piece of prose (a novel) and one of drama for unit 1, and two poetry post-1900 books (plus unseen poetry prep) for unit 2 - the texts were 'Sense and Sensibility', 'A Streetcar Named Desire', 'Field Work' by Seamus Heaney, and 'Skirrid Hill' by Owen Sheers.

4.

Year 13 we did one poetry pre-1900 book (plus unseen poetry prep) for unit 3, and a Shakespeare play for unit 4 - the texts were 'The Merchant's Prologue and Tale' by Geoffrey Chaucer, and 'King Lear'.

5.

Also, unit 5 in year 13 is coursework, where you write an essay exploring a question (of your choice) about two novels. One must be pre-2000 and one post-2000. For example, I chose the books 'Wuthering Heights' (before they even announced the film I swearrrr lol) and 'The Island of Missing Trees'. Coursework is interesting but I found it the hardest as the standard is way higher!
********Each unit is worth 20% of the overall qualification btw!

6.

Yes, 90% is correct, but that's partly because humanities grading is very different to other subjects. To get 90% in a science is almost impossible, but in Lit, if you have an exceptional essay then they'll reward that with a very high percentage. Don't feel daunted by it as it's definitely achievable, but yes an A* in Lit is, in my opinion, very demanding.

7.

Yes, the only unseen content is poetry (for WJEC at least). For the novels and plays, you'll have to memorise quotes for the closed-books, and you'll learn some historical/political context for the poetry you cover in class. I personally find unseen poetry quite difficult, as I like to have time to really think about poems before rushing to writing. With that said, it's still not super difficult, and if you're able to quickly recognise themes/language techniques then you'll be completely fine.

Lmk if you have any more q's :smile:

Also... Lit is great, but make sure to look at all the A-levels your sixth form offer as a lot of subjects have aspects of Lit but maybe more suited to you - which GCSEs did you choose?

Reply 4

meek-acorn

9

Original post

by Jffjdb

It sounds so funn but just a few more questions:

1.

How bad is the timing? English for me has always been a race against the clock but i feel like in my last two lit tests (one 30 marker on LOTF and one 30 marker for poetry - 45 mins each) the timing was actually ok which is an absolute miracle. I finished the poetry one with 7 minutes left but id already planned what i was gonna write since we were told what poem we would be given to compare

2.

How many book and how many poems? Different google searches are showing me different things?

3.

Apparently 90% is an A* while i think this is doable for me it also seems really difficult and daunting…

4.

The unseen poetry. Is that the only unseen bit also how easy is it?

Thank you sm English lit a level sounds rlly fun and interesting

for 2, the specifics vary depending on the exam board at the sixth form (which is something to look into when choosing where to do your alevels)

i do edexcel, and study 2 plays (othello and streetcar named desire), 2 novels (frankenstein and the handmaids tale), and 2 poetry anothologies (christina rossetti and some modern poems, in the exam there’s an unseen poem to compare to a modern poem). coursework is comparing 2 texts one was set by my teacher one i chose myself

i have friends at a different college doing aqa, they study 3 plays, different poets, and no prose - it’s unseen in the exam, and coursework is the same but they got given both texts.

all to say, there is no answer you can find on the internet for what your course content will be exactly, but the exam boards will involve a fairly equal amount of prose, theatre, and poetry, and coursework can be from any of the 3 or across 2 (like comparing a play and novel)

personally i find poetry an absolute slog but the rest of the course i really enjoy so i can put up with some boring poems.

Reply 5

small-time-progr

7

Original post

by Jffjdb

So, im still in y10 but in considering English lit for a levels. I love English, always have. I’m a fairly avid reader (in a bit of a slump rn lol) but ye how difficult is it, I want to get A/A* but preferably an A*. Idk how difficult it is tho, I’m rlly scared that it will be too hard ESPECIALLY the timing…
I love gcse English lit its one of my fav subjects. Also, is it still enjoyable at a level? Thanks

I’d say you definitely need a lot of passion for the subject. I would also recommend you to be good at essay writing.

This is all coming from personal experiences, but I feel like if you’re not really good at writing essays, you should not pursue it at A-level. As a whole, people studying English literature in particular are top grade students, hence why I believe the grade boundaries are super high. For context, an A* during my year with my particular exam board, you needed a minimum of a 22 or 23 out of 25 in every single question to attain an A*. This does not include coursework.

I achieved a grade 9 back when I studied English Literature GCSEs but when I got to y12, I got a C. My final grade thankfully turned out fine but I think it was more by pure luck than anything else.

Reply 6

Jffjdb

OP

11

Original post

by milr.19

Happy to help! Just out of curiosity, what other A-levels are you thinking of? Ik you're in year 10 tho so you've still got awhile to think.

1.

Yes, timing in any essay-based subject is always difficult, and if you really hate writing essays in exam conditions then it's a sign you'll struggle with any humanities A-level. However, people forget that's part of the test - you'll practice sooo many essays in sixth form that you'll get super confident working in timed conditions. Also, they're looking for quality over quantity, always. Your teacher will (hopefully) get you to have good intros ready to just blurt out in the exams, and will teach you how to plan effectively so that you can work around the time. As someone who struggles with exam timing hugely, I still think that Lit is fine once you get that confidence, I find the timing in Maths wayyy worse lol.

2.

So, as a WJEC student (Welsh exam board) here's the texts I covered:

3.

Year 12 we did one piece of prose (a novel) and one of drama for unit 1, and two poetry post-1900 books (plus unseen poetry prep) for unit 2 - the texts were 'Sense and Sensibility', 'A Streetcar Named Desire', 'Field Work' by Seamus Heaney, and 'Skirrid Hill' by Owen Sheers.

4.

Year 13 we did one poetry pre-1900 book (plus unseen poetry prep) for unit 3, and a Shakespeare play for unit 4 - the texts were 'The Merchant's Prologue and Tale' by Geoffrey Chaucer, and 'King Lear'.

5.

Also, unit 5 in year 13 is coursework, where you write an essay exploring a question (of your choice) about two novels. One must be pre-2000 and one post-2000. For example, I chose the books 'Wuthering Heights' (before they even announced the film I swearrrr lol) and 'The Island of Missing Trees'. Coursework is interesting but I found it the hardest as the standard is way higher!
********Each unit is worth 20% of the overall qualification btw!

6.

Yes, 90% is correct, but that's partly because humanities grading is very different to other subjects. To get 90% in a science is almost impossible, but in Lit, if you have an exceptional essay then they'll reward that with a very high percentage. Don't feel daunted by it as it's definitely achievable, but yes an A* in Lit is, in my opinion, very demanding.

7.

Yes, the only unseen content is poetry (for WJEC at least). For the novels and plays, you'll have to memorise quotes for the closed-books, and you'll learn some historical/political context for the poetry you cover in class. I personally find unseen poetry quite difficult, as I like to have time to really think about poems before rushing to writing. With that said, it's still not super difficult, and if you're able to quickly recognise themes/language techniques then you'll be completely fine.

Lmk if you have any more q's :smile:

Also... Lit is great, but make sure to look at all the A-levels your sixth form offer as a lot of subjects have aspects of Lit but maybe more suited to you - which GCSEs did you choose?

Hiii this sounds pretty good you’ve defo made me feel better about this it feels so daunting at first lol. At GCSEs I do: maths, English, triple science, rs, French, geography, business and sociology and at a level it’s betweeen: English lit, econ, Psych, sociology and French but idk which ones yet haha

Reply 7

milr.19

6

Original post

by Jffjdb

Hiii this sounds pretty good you’ve defo made me feel better about this it feels so daunting at first lol. At GCSEs I do: maths, English, triple science, rs, French, geography, business and sociology and at a level it’s betweeen: English lit, econ, Psych, sociology and French but idk which ones yet haha

Oooo ok those are some good options, I did French GCSE too it was so fun - I had no idea what I wanted to do at uni in yr 11 so I picked broad A-levels, but if you can figure out which ones you need for the future out of ones you already want to do, that'll help a lot.

If you're more like me and not sure where you're heading yet, Lit, Psych and French are super solid ones that will get you into a lot of courses. My friends who did Soc said it's not as rigorous as Psych (both social sciences), which might be what you're looking for, or if you like triple science then Psych is super interesting. Econ wasn't at my sixth form sadly, but I've heard it's actually rly good if you like that sort of thing - especially if you like business GCSE mixed with maths. Have you considered RS A-level? I hear rly good stuff abt it being interesting and also good for humanities degrees if you're leaning that way!

Reply 8

Kingston Eve

Official Rep

13

Original post

by Jffjdb

So, im still in y10 but in considering English lit for a levels. I love English, always have. I’m a fairly avid reader (in a bit of a slump rn lol) but ye how difficult is it, I want to get A/A* but preferably an A*. Idk how difficult it is tho, I’m rlly scared that it will be too hard ESPECIALLY the timing…
I love gcse English lit its one of my fav subjects. Also, is it still enjoyable at a level? Thanks

Hey @Jffjdb,

I studied A-Level English Literature (achieved an A*) and absolutely loved it. The main texts we looked at were Silas Marner, Othello and A Streetcar Named Desire, which were then supported by our poets (Heaney and Frost) and coursework (I studied 'A Picture of Dorian Gray' and Sarah Perry's 'Melmoth'). If you're an avid reader and enjoy essay-writing in general, I would definitely recommend studying English Lit A-Level.

It can take a little while to adapt to the timing element of the exams, but you will have a lot of practice prior to sitting your exams at the end of the year. Although I wasn't a huge fan of the poetry element, I did love all of my texts (particularly Othello) and thought dissecting them in class was very enjoyable. 🙃

Hope this helps and best of luck with your A-Level choices!
Eve (Kingston Rep).

Reply 9

Jffjdb

OP

11

Original post

by meek-acorn

for 2, the specifics vary depending on the exam board at the sixth form (which is something to look into when choosing where to do your alevels)
i do edexcel, and study 2 plays (othello and streetcar named desire), 2 novels (frankenstein and the handmaids tale), and 2 poetry anothologies (christina rossetti and some modern poems, in the exam there’s an unseen poem to compare to a modern poem). coursework is comparing 2 texts one was set by my teacher one i chose myself
i have friends at a different college doing aqa, they study 3 plays, different poets, and no prose - it’s unseen in the exam, and coursework is the same but they got given both texts.
all to say, there is no answer you can find on the internet for what your course content will be exactly, but the exam boards will involve a fairly equal amount of prose, theatre, and poetry, and coursework can be from any of the 3 or across 2 (like comparing a play and novel)
personally i find poetry an absolute slog but the rest of the course i really enjoy so i can put up with some boring poems.

Ye i hate the poems at gcse too lol but its not too bad ig and i still love the subject haha

Reply 10

Jffjdb

OP

11

Original post

by milr.19

Oooo ok those are some good options, I did French GCSE too it was so fun - I had no idea what I wanted to do at uni in yr 11 so I picked broad A-levels, but if you can figure out which ones you need for the future out of ones you already want to do, that'll help a lot.
If you're more like me and not sure where you're heading yet, Lit, Psych and French are super solid ones that will get you into a lot of courses. My friends who did Soc said it's not as rigorous as Psych (both social sciences), which might be what you're looking for, or if you like triple science then Psych is super interesting. Econ wasn't at my sixth form sadly, but I've heard it's actually rly good if you like that sort of thing - especially if you like business GCSE mixed with maths. Have you considered RS A-level? I hear rly good stuff abt it being interesting and also good for humanities degrees if you're leaning that way!

I wanted to do rs but idk it’s still an option but i feel like the other ones im more interested in. For a career idk the thing is im good at numbers and stuff (hence econ) but i also love writing essays and being creative so idk what my career will look like ye idk about sociology as u said psych is more rigorous and broad so yess

(edited 1 month ago)

How difficult is English lit a level?

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