Year 12 – English Literature

Head of Subject: Mrs H Lloyd


Intended Outcomes

The English Literature course has an historicist approach to the study of literature, which rests upon reading texts within a shared context; working from the belief that no text exists in isolation but is the product of the time in which it was produced, the course encourages students to explore the relationships that exist between texts and the contexts within which they are written, received and understood; students commence A Level study of elements of both exam paper (Love Through the Ages and Modern Texts). 

  • Course Implementation

    Love Through the Ages: Shakespeare 

    Love Through the Ages encourages students to explore aspects of a central literary theme as seen over time, using set texts; students read widely in the topic area, reading texts from a range of authors and times. 

    Students study an entire, complete Shakespeare play, to explore Shakespeare’s representations of love.  Significant focus is given to the text in performance and the context of the text and its writer.  Students begin to develop A level skills for closed book examination.   

    1 practice exam question in January exams; 1 further if needed in summer exams. Practice questions and essay exercises in lessons throughout course.  

    Love Through the Ages: Poetry and Prose 

    Students study an anthology of love poems published before 1900 and a Twentieth Century novelIn addition to evaluative skills for A Level, this unit builds comparison skills for A Level. Single poetry exam style question in early weeks of course.   Poetry comparison question in November exams. Full comparison of prose and poetry in summer exams. Practice questions and essay exercises in lessons throughout course. 

    Modern Texts: Drama and Prose 

    Modern Texts aims to encourage students to explore aspects of literature connected through a period of time, from 1945 onwards; the unit explores both modern and contemporary literature’s engagement with some of the issues which have helped to shape the latter half of the 20th century and the early decades of the 21st century. 

    Students study a Twentieth Century play and a Twentieth Century classic novel, on following the other. In addition to the evaluative and comparison skills described above, study also focuses on how the texts engage with the social, personal, literary and political issues raised in the late Twentieth Century and today.  

    Modern Drama single text question in November examComparison of Drama and Prose in later weeks of Year 12 course, following completion of both textsPractice questions and essay exercises in lessons throughout course. 

     

Learning Impact

Whilst different texts and units focus on different key skills, all units and texts are assessed for AQA Literature’s Assessment Objectives, with all work and exam answers being graded using centralised departmental assessment grids and exam board mark schemes, which are returned to students with detailed feedbackResults of key assessments are included in subject data feedback and an annual report.   

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