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English literature

Why study Literature?

You will develop an appreciation of how writers shape meaning across a range of texts such as poetry, drama (including Shakespeare), novels and short stories.

You will be able to assess how texts are influenced over time by historical, literary and cultural factors. You will explore how writers have tried to convey the human experience through relationships and desires that work upon us.

Our students have gone on to study English literature or an English-related degree course at a range of well-respected universities. Many will combine their study of literature with another subject and some will choose to go on to study other subjects at university that require similar skills, such as history, philosophy or law. Students studying literature at Woodhouse are likely to achieve final grades well above the national average.

You’ll take trips to the Globe and West End productions, attend lecture days with university professors, and experience cinema screenings of drama productions. We’ll also provide students with creative opportunities for collaborative work using video and drama, and poetry and design competitions.

Course Overview 

You will study texts from medieval Chaucer through to Shakespeare and revenge drama, as well as more contemporary poetry and prose. You will explore a range of styles from Gothic fiction to 17th century Jacobean drama. Your examined units will focus on Shakespeare and drama pre-1900 and comparing a classic Gothic novel with Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber. Class discussions explore a range of adult themes such as forbidden desire, adultery, revenge, gender and power. In addition, you will complete two coursework assignments, one on a modern play and the other comparing 20th century poetry with a modern novel. You will learn to write concisely and in detail while appreciating the contextual influences that shape how texts are produced and received. You will explore different critical viewpoints and develop your own.

How is the course assessed? 

80% examined texts in two written papers of 2.5 hours each.

Paper 1: Drama and poetry pre-1900

  • Shakespeare’s The Tempest
  • The Merchant’s Tale by Chaucer
  • The Duchess of Malfi

Paper 2: Comparative and Contextual Study

  • 1 of 3 questions, closed text 
  •  Comparative study
  • Dracula or Frankenstein and The Bloody Chamber
  • Close analysis of an unknown Gothic text.

20% coursework folder comprising one close analysis written piece of 1000 words on a modern play Jerusalem by Jez Butterworth and a comparative essay of 2000 words on a prose and poetry text.

Some text combinations we study are: Langston Hughes’ poetry and Jazz by Toni Morrison, Wilfred Owen’s poetry and Regeneration by Pat Barker and E. E. Cummings’ poetry and the short stories of Annie Proulx. There are also other combinations.

What will I do in lessons?

There will be lots of close analysis of texts, studying of the historical and social contexts of your texts and consideration of different interpretations of your texts. We will consider critical responses and different productions of your texts, watching clips and films of the ways directors and actors have brought your texts to life.

There will be lots of discussion in pairs, groups and whole class. You will create revision materials using illustration and infographic techniques. You will do recreative writing exercises to explore writers’ techniques

We will do short writing tasks in lessons to get you prepared for writing at speed and in timed conditions in an exam. There will be a mixture of teacher assessment, peer assessment and self-assessment to help you build confidence with the success criteria and to build your knowledge of how to write effectively at A level. We will also look at model answers and give you plenty of examples to follow in your work. There will also be lots of opportunities to be creative, including making infographics, videos and drama pieces in groups.

What Independent study will be expected? 

Independent research, note taking on critical reading, reading texts and critical works independently, preparation on presentation work in class. 5 hours a week

Exam Board

OCR
Link to specification

 

GCSE entry requirements

  • 5 in Mathematics required
  • 6 in English Language required
  • 6 in English Literature (if taken at GCSE)
  • 6 in an essay writing subject required if English Literature not taken at GCSE (e.g., History, Geography) 
What A Levels go well with this one?

Law, Classics, History, Psychology, Sociology, Drama Theatre Studies, English Language

What can I do beyond A Levels with this subject? 

English literature is a very well-respected A level that can be studied in combination with a variety of other subjects in order to study a range of degrees. It is also a flexible degree choice and students who take English literature at undergraduate level enter a variety of professions, including: law, publishing, advertising, education, teaching, medicine and many more. There are different conversion courses that you can take after an English degree to move into professions such as law and medicine.

Frequently asked questions

How many students will be in my class?

There should be a maximum of 24 students in your class. Often, there are fewer than this.

How many teachers will deliver the course?

You will have one or two teachers, depending on the class you are in. This is the same in the first and second years of the course.

How will I be supported?

Your teachers will be available to help you. You can always talk to them in a lesson or contact them via email to arrange a 1:1 appointment. We are here to help. The College also runs a subject tutorial system on Thursday afternoons, where you can see your teachers 1:1 to ask questions or go through your work or have lecture-based tutorials on studied texts. There will also be support group tutorials that you might be asked to attend.

How will I be stretched and challenged?

Your teachers will differentiate lessons so that you are stretched and challenged in class. You will also be given challenging critical reading to complete and independent work every week. You might be asked to lead a part of a lesson or to lead a group tutorial for other students. 

How much reading?

There is a lot of reading! You will be expected to read your set texts in your own time by particular dates and you will be set regular critical reading as part of your homework or independent work. Sometimes we do silent reading in lessons, but this is often of texts outside of the syllabus, to develop your knowledge of different genres.

Any trips?

Yes, we do our best every year to take students on trips. In the past couple of years these have involved trips to the V&A Museum to watch a screening of the coursework text Jerusalem, other relevant theatre trips such as to The Globe, visits to the British Library to see different exhibitions and visits to lecture days or guest lectures to build your knowledge of the curriculum. We do a regular tour of Highgate Cemetery for our study of Gothic literature

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