English Literature

English Literature

Our Subject

A Level English Literature FAQs

English Literature is an A-level for students who love reading and enjoy sharing their views on literature with like-minded souls. This highly successful course welcomes students’ own perceptions of texts and is rooted in enjoyment and critical reflection. A popular feature of the course is its opportunities for extra-curricular activity. Recent theatre visits have included trips to London (National Theatre and Globe Theatre) as well as in other UK theatre destinations including Nottingham, Oxford and Stratford.

To study English Literature at Bilborough you need a grade 5 or above in GCSE English Literature and GCSE English Language, and a grade 4 in GCSE Maths.

Our links with HE

We are proud to see many of our students going on to study English-related degrees – as well as English Literature there are Creative Writing courses, American Studies and even Law. English Literature is a preferred subject for the Russell Group universities (something they call a ‘facilitating subject’) and highly valuable for those thinking of going into a wide range of professions. Our past students say that A-level English Literature at Bilborough prepared them well for their degree courses and progression to study English at degree level is very good.


Course Structure

In the first year, we will introduce you to the Gothic genre, alongside your study of The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter, and The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. On the other side of the course, you will study a selection of poetry by Christina Rosetti, and A Doll’s House, a play by Henrik Ibsen, which you will eventually write about in comparison for Paper 1.  

In year two, you will study the last of your set texts, Shakespeare’s Othello, as well as consolidating your knowledge of the texts and genres covered in year 1. 

The coursework is made up of two tasks which are split across the course. You will also complete the first one, a close critical analysis of poetry from Malika Booker’s collection, Pepper Seed, in year one. You will then complete the second task, a comparative essay on Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman and a novel of your choice, in year two. 

Exam information 

The exam board is OCR and the course components are as follows:  

Component 1: Drama and Poetry Pre-1900 (Othello, A Doll’s House, Rosetti poetry) 1hr30 – 40% of total A Level 

Component 2: Comparative and Contextual Study – The Gothic (Unseen Gothic extract, The Bloody Chamber, The Picture of Dorian Gray) 1hr30 – 40% of total A Level 

Component 3: Literature Post-1900 (Pepper Seed, Death of a Salesman, novel of your choice) Non-exam assessment (coursework) – 20% of total A Level 


Inspiration

“English Literature has changed my life by helping shape me as a person, and shaping the way I read, write and think. English Literature isn’t just a subject you study and get graded on. It is so much more, it is an experience, an element that I and certainly many others will implement in our lives and cherish till the end of our days.”
– Kieran, former student







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Bilborough Sixth Form College caters for students aged 16 to 19 years old, wanting to study A-levels and BTEC in an academic, supportive and sociable environment. Ours is also an environment fully equipped for learning: in 2005 we took residence ...
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