GCSE
English Literature is a subject that affords you the opportunity to travel to different times, places and cultures, without ever having to leave the classroom. Throughout the GCSE course, you will explore a rich variety of texts from Shakespeare’s chilling tale ‘Macbeth’ to Blake’s dystopian representation of ‘London’ to Priestley’s realist drama ‘An Inspector Calls’.
Through a diverse range of activities, you will be encouraged to express your interpretations of the texts you encounter, supporting these with close analysis. Lessons are tailored carefully to the needs of the individual and enable a robust preparation for the 100% terminal examination, which is the means by which the course is assessed.
Perhaps most crucially, literature is about deepening our understanding of the world in which we live and what it is to be human. Consequently, our aim is to inspire a love of literature that will last a lifetime.
A Level
English Literature at A Level is a dynamic and empowering subject. An active approach to learning is central, encouraging you to become an independent, creative and critical thinker.
Formal presentations, informal discussion, independent research and collaborative projects will enable you to develop a range of transferable skills, making you highly employable whichever career pathway you choose.
However, English Literature is about much more than providing you with a wealth of career options. Studying writers from Shakespeare to Rossetti to Atwood, to name but a few, you will embark on a journey through time, place and culture. Along the way you will engage with complex issues such as what it means to be human and an individual’s role within society. Lively debates are underpinned by close textual analysis. Assessment is by means of 80% examination and 20% coursework. If you’re a reader and enjoy debate, this is the course for you.