English Literature
“A room without books is like a body without a soul.” – Marcus Tullius Cicero
Subject information
ENTRY DETAILS
Exam board: Pearson Edexcel IAL
Specification: Pearson Edexcel International Advanced A-Level in English Literature (XEN01 & YEN01)
HOW I WILL BE ASSESSED?
Examination: This course is examined in June of both Year 12 and Year 13
COURSE DETAILS
Unit 1: Poetry and Prose
Students will study:
- prescribed poems from a post-2000 anthology (Prescribed poems from a pre published poetry anthology.)
- one post-2000 novel chosen from a prescribed list (The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini, The Life of Pi – Yann Martel, White Tiger – Aravind Adiga, Brooklyn – Colm Toibin, Purple Hibiscus – Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche)
Unit 2: Drama
Students will study:
- one pre 1900 drama chosen from the prescribed list (Doctor Faustus – Christopher Marlowe, The Rover – Aphra Benn, She Stoops to Conquer – Oliver Goldsmith, Othello – William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night – William Shakespeare)
- one post 1900 drama chosen from the prescribed list (Death of a Salesman – Arthur Miller, A Raisin in the Sun – Lorraine Hansberry, A Streetcar Named Desire – Tennessee Williams, Top Girls – Caryl Churchill, Waiting for Godot – Samuel Beckett)
Unit 3: Poetry and Prose
Students will:
- post 1900 unprepared poetry
- prose: one theme to be selected from a choice of four themes (Growing Up, Colonisation and After, Science and Society, Women and Society)
- two novels from the prescribed list to be studied on the selected theme
Unit 4: Shakespeare and pre-1900 Poetry
Students will study:
- one Shakespeare play chosen from the prescribed list (Hamlet, King Lear
- measure for Measure, The Taming of the Shrew)
- one specified collection of poems chosen from one prescribed literary movement (Metaphysical Poets, The Victorians, The Romantics
ASSESSMENT OVERVIEW, DURATION AND WEIGHTING
Paper 1 – Written exam 2 hours (25% of qualification – 50 marks)
Paper 2 – Written exam 2 hours (25% of qualification – 50 marks)
Paper 3 – Written exam 2 hours (25% of qualification – 50 marks)
Paper 4 – Written exam 2 hours (25% of qualification – 50 marks)
| Exam Papers | % of IAL | Assessment overview |
|---|---|---|
Paper 1: Poetry and Prose | 25 | Section A: Poetry (25 marks) Students answer one essay question from a choice of two on the prescribed poems. The essay questions will be comparative covering one named poem, plus a free choice of second poem from the prescribed list of poems. Section B: Prose (25 marks) Students answer one essay question from a choice of two on their chosen prose fiction text. Open Book Examination |
Paper 2: Drama | 25 | Section A: Pre-1900 Drama Students answer one essay question from a choice of two on their chosen drama text. Section B: Post-1900 Drama Students answer one essay question from a choice of two on their chosen text. Open Book Examination |
Paper 3: Poetry and Prose | 25 | Section A: Poetry Students answer one essay question on a post-1900 unseen poem. Section B: Prose Students answer one comparative essay question, from a choice of two, on their two chosen texts from their chosen theme. Open Book Examination |
Paper 4: Paper 4: Shakespeare and Pre-1900 Poetry | 25 | Section A: Shakespeare Students answer one essay question from a choice of two on their chosen text. Section B: Pre-1900 Poetry Students answer one essay question from a choice of two on their chosen movement. Open Book Examination |
WIDER READING
- Achebe, C.(1958). Things Fall Apart. London, William Heinemann
- Austen,J. (1813). Pride and Prejudice. London, T.Egerton
- Lee,H. (1960). To Kill a Mockingbird. New York, HarperCollins
