Programme of Study & Syllabus
Contents
The Syllabus, Examinations and Assessment
How Your Work is Assessed on the Course
The Transition from AS to the Full A Level - Some Tips
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Welcome to your Wolsey Hall Cambridge AL English Literature course. Please take the time to read carefully through this page as it explains how the course is structured, how to get the most out from your studies and how your work will be assessed. At the end of this page, you will find details of the reading you will need to do from your textbook and set texts and also how each module links to the CAIE syllabus and the final examinations.
This course will lead you step-by-step through the syllabus by way of resources, video and audio links, assignments and, of course, the textbook and set texts, so that by the end, you will be confident and fully prepared for your final examinations.
English Literature is a lens through which we understand the world around us and what it is to be human. As the novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald once said, “That is part of the beauty of all literature. You discover that your longings are universal longings, that you're not lonely and isolated from anyone. You belong.” Reading prose, poetry and drama from a wide range of eras, cultures and contexts can transport us to worlds very different from our own, and yet, at the heart of all great literature is one constant: the human condition.
For the Cambridge AL in English Literature, you will study some of the most important texts and authors from the literary canon, texts spanning from the seventeenth century through to the twentieth century, and you will be exposed to a range of styles, voices and ideas. At the heart of this subject is, of course, the English language, and you will examine closely how writers have used it through the ages to create powerful effects on their readers. You will use your knowledge of the key conventions of prose, poetry and drama and how to identify, and write analytically about, writers’ methods, using a wide range of appropriate literary terminology.
You will study several four set texts for the second half of your English Literature A Level, paying close attention to the contexts in which they were written as well as reading and evaluating the views of a range of critics. You will build on what you learnt at AS about breaking essay questions down, constructing an effective argument, writing clearly and with confidence and illustrating your points critically – all skills which are highly transferable. Most of all however, you will read extensively and immerse yourself in words and stories that we hope will stay with you forever.
By the end of the course, you will be able to:
- Approach the analysis of texts from a range of different genres, eras and cultures with confidence;
- Formulate and express informed and independent opinions and judgements about these texts based on sound evidence;
- Identify the key literary and linguistic features of poetry, prose and drama;
- Use appropriate technical terminology to describe and explore writers’ methods;
- Explain analytically how writers’ choices of language, form and structure shape meaning in your set texts;
- Write clearly and concisely, explaining your ideas in full and developing your argument effectively;
- Relate a wide range of different texts to the relevant contexts of either production and/or reception, including: social, cultural, historical, religious, philosophical, biographical and literary contexts;
- Read, understand and evaluate the critical views of other readers and then integrate these into your essays, using them to enhance and develop your own arguments.
The Syllabus, Examinations and Assessment
This Wolsey Hall course is designed to prepare you for the Cambridge AL English Literature examinations which you will sit at a Cambridge exam centre. It is vitally important that you become familiar with the syllabus which can be found below:
READ - Syllabus 2024 & 2025 (CAIE)
The examination code for AS and A Level English Literature is: 9695
In addition to the two AS papers, which you may have taken in an earlier exam sitting, for the AL in English Literature, you will sit two papers:
- Paper 3: Shakespeare and Drama – This paper is worth 25% of your overall A Level grade. Length: 2 hours.
This paper carries 50 marks in total and candidates answer two questions: one from Section A (Shakespeare) and one from Section B (Drama).
- Paper 4: Pre- and Post-1900 Poetry and Prose – This paper is worth 25% of your overall A Level grade. Length: 2 hours.
This paper carries 50 marks in total and candidates answer two questions: one from Section A (Pre-1900) and one from Section B (Post-1900). Candidates will respond to both a poetry and a prose text.
All components are externally assessed.
The syllabus is examined in the June and November examination series. This syllabus is also available for examination in March for students in India only.
Assessment Objectives
The assessment objectives (AOs) for AS and A Level English Literature are as follows:
- AO1: Knowledge and understanding
Respond with understanding to literary texts in a variety of forms, from different cultures; with an appreciation of relevant contexts that illuminate readings of the texts.
- AO2: Analysis
Analyse ways in which writers’ choices of language, form and structure shape meanings and effects.
- AO3: Personal Response
Produce informed independent opinions and interpretations of literary texts.
- AO4: Communication
Communicate a relevant, structured and supported response appropriate to literary study.
- AO5: Evaluation of Opinion*
Discuss and evaluate varying opinions and interpretations of literary texts.
*AO5 is only assessed at AL.
Wolsey Hall offers a unique model of offline and online resources to our homeschooling students – a model which we have developed based on our many years’ experience of providing homeschooling courses to students.
Textbooks
Each subject specialist team carefully selects the best textbooks for you to use as you study. The books for your AL English Literature course are as follows:
Mastering English Literature, by Richard Gill (Palgrave Macmillan, 3rd Edition, 2006); ISBN: 9781403944887
This is the same text you used for AS and is an excellent general guide to English Literature. At AS, you used it to develop your understanding of prose, poetry and drama and you can refer back to those sections to help you with your set texts for AL, as well as using the it to deepen your understanding of the genres, styles and contexts of your four set texts for AL. The glossary in the back is also a very important resource. The module pages on Canvas will highlight which pages you should read.
Set Texts
Paper 3 – Shakespeare and Drama: Hamlet, by William Shakespeare (Arden Shakespeare, Revised Edition, 2016); ISBN: 9781472518385 and Long Day’s Journey Into Night, by Eugene O’Neill (National Theatre/Nick Hern Books, 1991); ISBN: 9781854591029
Paper 4 – Pre- and Post-1900 Poetry and Prose: Selected Poems, by John Donne (Penguin, 2006); ISBN: 9780140424409 and Dubliners (Norton Critical Editions), by James Joyce (W. W. Norton & Company, 2006); ISBN: 9780393978513
Resources
In addition to your textbook and set texts, we have sourced a range of additional resources to support your learning. The resources are clearly marked out in the module pages and you should make use of these alongside your textbook and set texts to ensure that you get the very best out of your course.
You will also find a range of key resources in the General Resources section of the course. These are items which relate to the course as a whole, rather than to specific modules, and as such, you should make regular use of them. For AL English Literature these are:
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- English Literature Learner Guide (CAIE)
- Generic Mark Scheme for Papers 3 and 4
- Quotations and the Exams
- Critical Viewpoints Grid
- Several online glossaries of literary terminology which will supplement the glossary in Mastering English Literature
- Optional Further Reading List
You should also make use of the extensive guidance on essay-writing skills provided in Module Zero: Introductory Skills and the exam preparation material at the end of the course to help you to prepare for your final examinations.
All the files required for your course are uploaded onto our Learning Management System, Canvas. Once you have read through this page and downloaded the Programme of Study (POS) then you are ready to begin the course.
The key course content is covered in eight core modules based on your set texts, each of which has an assignment at the end of it. These modules will help you to get the most out of your textbook and set texts. Before Module One, you will work through Module Zero, the Introductory Skills Module, in which you will learn key essay-writing skills and techniques which apply to the course as whole. Modules Nine and Ten, at the end of the course, are Revision and Exam Practice modules and the assignments at the end of these are in-course mock exams. You will complete ten assignments in total on this course.
Each core module is subdivided into topics so that you can study the course in manageable chunks. The topics contain the following elements, as appropriate:
- Read and Make Notes – these sections include the page references for reading and note-making from your set texts and Mastering English Literature.
- Tasks – these sections identify activities and exercises to build up your core knowledge and understanding as you learn new material.
- Links – throughout the course there are links to a range of resources that will enhance your understanding of key concepts and your set texts, including a wide range of videos, lectures, documentaries and podcasts.
- Consolidate – these sections contain tasks and/or resources which draw together key skills you have learnt.
- Wider Reading – for AL, you need to read a range of critical texts about your set texts and then quote from these in your essays. Critical articles from which you may wish to take quotations are included in these sections.
- Review – you will see this icon where it is useful for you to refer back to notes or materials from your AS course.
- Top Tips – these sections include advice to help you make the most of what you have learnt and to help you approach your assignments and exams in the most effective way.
- Terminology – you will keep track of key literary terminology by making flashcards for revision as you progress through the course.
How Your Work is Assessed on the Course
Your progress will be assessed by completing an assignment at the end of each module. We recommend that you do NOT look at the assignments until you've studied all the topics in the module. This will ensure that you focus on everything you need to know for the exam. If you focus only on what you need to know to do well in the assignment, you will miss important elements in each module that you need to know and understand.
The assignments have been designed to help you prepare for your final examination – all of the questions are based on past exam papers. Answering exam-style questions is crucial in developing your exam technique, understanding exactly what the examiner is looking for in each case and ensuring you are confident when you tackle the real exams. In English Literature, we do not expect you to complete your assignments without referring to your notes or set texts, as you will need to quote from these. However, we encourage you to rely less on these as you progress through the course and to begin learning quotations for the exams as soon as possible. You MUST complete the final two assignments under exam conditions, without access to your notes or books. This means you must revise thoroughly for them beforehand and learn all key quotations you need.
The assignments allow you to think critically about what you have learned and will enable your tutor to see how well you are progressing. Your tutor will mark your assignments and provide you with detailed feedback. Once you have had your marked assignment returned, you will be able to access the mark scheme and/or a specimen answer (an A-grade piece of work). You should always reflect carefully on your tutor’s feedback and apply it in your future assignments.
You should read the assignment questions carefully and answer them to the best of your ability, providing relevant examples where necessary. If you don’t do well in your first assignment, don’t worry; your tutor is there to provide advice.
We ask that you do not submit multiple assignments at the same time. For you to see a steady improvement in your marks, it is very important that you reflect on your tutor’s feedback before beginning each new assignment, so that you can incorporate their tips for improvement into each new piece of work.
To get the best out of your course, before submitting each new assignment, you must:
- Complete all the reading, notes and activities in the preceding module;
- Read carefully through all of your tutor’s comments on your last assignment;
- Use the mark scheme and/or any exemplar or specimen answers provided to help you plan for the next assignment.
We cannot guarantee that tutors will be able to mark multiple assignments within 3-5 days and your work may be returned to you to complete again in light of more recent feedback.
All assignments are submitted via Canvas – you should consult the Canvas Guide for more information.
Optional Mock Exam Service
At the end of the course, and in addition to Assignments 9 and 10, you will have the chance to use our Optional Mock Examination Service to complete a full set of AL English Literature exam papers. These must be completed under examination conditions and will be marked by your tutor. They provide a good opportunity for you to test your subject knowledge and exam technique so you are well prepared for the examinations.
The Transition from AS to the Full A Level - Some Tips
- The biggest difference between AS and A Level is that, for A Level essays, there is now an additional assessment criterion on the mark schemes: the evaluation of critical opinion in your essays. What this means is that you are expected to read and study the views of other readers (in this case critics) on each of your four set texts. You will need to bring in some quotations from these critics and use them to develop your own arguments about the text. This is an important skill and it means you will need to:
- take notes on the critical sources as you read them;
- select quotations from critics to learn for the exam;
- get into the habit of bringing critics into every assignment.
- There are no unseen texts at A Level. At AS, you studied each category of text – prose, poetry and drama – separately in order to analyse unseen texts in Paper 2. You will only study the four set texts at A Level, but everything you learnt about the three different forms of text at AS will be useful at AL and you should use the notes you made, and the relevant chapters in Mastering English Literature, as you work through this course.
- As at AS, you will be expected to demonstrate a wide critical vocabulary when analysing your texts, but at A Level, examiners will expect to see your knowledge of literary terminology expanding and you should be including more complex and challenging terms in your essays to make more developed and sophisticated points about the language, form and structure of your set texts. You should still be making regular use of the glossary at the back of Mastering English Literature and the various resources available on Canvas to help you achieve this.
- Any points you make must still be illustrated with evidence, in the form of quotations, from the text. You will still be expected to use the Point Quotation Comment (PQC) or Point Evidence Explain (PEE) structure in your responses, but your analysis should become more developed and detailed as you move through the course.
- The structure of your answers is particularly important at A Level, as you may have to argue a complex viewpoint or say how far you agree with a given statement. Planning your answers is therefore more important than ever and you must include a plan with each assignment you submit. Assignments submitted without plans will be returned to you for you to add in a plan before your tutor marks them.
- As all of the texts you will study for A Level are set texts, you will be expected to include reference to the contexts in which they were written in all of your essays. As you know from AS, ‘context’ refers to any of the circumstances which influenced the writing of the text, and can include social, cultural, historical, philosophical, religious, literary and biographical contexts.
- It goes without saying that all A Level essays need to be written in good, clear and accurate English and that you should use a suitably formal tone and vocabulary in any academic essay.
- Don’t forget to work carefully through Module Zero: Introductory Skills before embarking on Module One. This gives tips and guidance on all of the points above and will ensure you begin the course on a solid footing. Some of the materials will be familiar from your AS course, but there are also new AL-specific materials, such as advice on using critical viewpoints in your essays, which you will need to develop strong essay-writing skills for AL. You should return to this module and its resources frequently as you progress through the course.
When you study a Wolsey Hall course, you are never alone. There are lots of people who are willing to help you. Everyone is on your side!
- Tutors: At Wolsey Hall, all our tutors are friendly and knowledgeable. They are subject experts and you should not be shy about asking them questions about your course. You will meet your tutor at the start of your course and you should contact them via Canvas messaging if you have any questions.
- Student Progress Managers: You have already been assigned a Student Progress Manager who can help with your Assignment Schedule.
- Exams Officers: Wolsey Hall’s Exams Officers are here to help students with any queries regarding exam centres.
- Canvas Help Desk: Canvas is a great virtual learning environment, but we understand that sometimes, even the best things can go wrong! If you have any problems with Canvas (e.g. uploading assignments or unable to access resources) you should submit a Canvas Help Ticket.
For information about how to create and submit a Help Ticket, please refer to the Canvas Guide.
We hope you’ll enjoy your course and studying at Wolsey Hall. We wish you the best of luck in your studies and success in your examinations. Please do let us know how you get on when you receive your examination results!
The Wolsey Hall Team