Introduction
AQA English Literature Specification B is linear in structure with students sitting all examinations at the end of the Advance Level course. In addition, students are assessed via two pieces of Non Examination Assessment.
The course is designed around a distinct philosophy, which centres on different ways of reading and the connections that exist between texts within a literary genre. In this way, students can gain a solid understanding of how texts can be connected and how they can be interpreted in multiple ways in order that students can arrive at their own interpretations and become confident autonomous readers. Students are then not only equipped with the knowledge and skills needed for exams, but also experience a rich, challenging, and coherent approach to English literature that provides an excellent basis for further study in the subject.
For the first paper, ‘Aspects of Tragedy’ students study texts through the lens of tragedy. Currently these include:
- Othello by William Shakespeare
- Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller,
- Poetry of John Keats