SES A Level Course Guide 2024

Literature in English CIE

ENGLISH LITERATURE

It is first and foremost the aim of the English Department to help pupils develop an appreciation for a wide range of literature, and to stimulate a passionate interest in discussing and exploring the various moral, philosophical and intellectual challenges made by literary texts of all kinds,in a context of enjoyment. Thus, a Sixth Form English classroom might resound with witty discussion, reasoned debate or even impassioned argument on subjects as wide-ranging as religion, politics, philosophy, history and others. English Literature is a course that touches on a huge variety of other subjects, and therefore complements almost any other A Level combination. You will need to be interested in reading some of the most remarkable and fascinating literature in the world, and investigating the ideas and society of the people who wrote it; you will need to be brave enough to contribute your own conclusions – even in the face of others’ ideas which conflict with your own – and explain how you arrived at them; you will need to have a natural sympathy with other people, the language they use and the importance of understanding them. In return, you will be given every opportunity to show that you can be original and scholarly in your work – both as a reader and as a writer; you will be taught by a terrific team of teachers who share both a passion for their subject and an outstanding record of attaining the very best results for their classes. Above all, you will discover an experience that is enriching, rewarding and fun.

COMPONENT

ASSESSMENT*

CONTENT

2 hr examination (25%)

• All My Sons (Miller) • Poems by Gillian Clarke

Drama and Poetry

2 hr examination (25%)

• Howard’s End (Forster) • Unseen poetry/prose/drama text

Prose and Unseen

2 hr examination (25%)

• The Winter’s Tale (Shakespeare) • The Glass Menagerie (Williams)

Shakespeare and Drama

2 hr examination (25%)

• Paradise Lost IX-X (Milton) • Mrs Dalloway (Woolf)

Pre- and Post-1900

* Each assessment is made by a 2 hour examination, containing a choice of passage and whole-text questions.

18