English Literature (A-level)

English Literature is an ideal course for anyone with a thirst for knowledge and a passion for learning. It is an academically challenging but very highly regarded discipline for both employers and universities. Having an A-level in English Literature is particularly attractive for students hoping to go to Russell Group institutions and on to graduate careers across the professional spectrum. 

This course will require you to analyse, interpret, compare and understand a wide range of literary texts from two specific literary genres throughout time (tragedy and crime writing). It is particularly valuable for students who wish to pursue criminology, humanities, law and classics as we cover ideas from all of these areas in our curriculum. We offer a number of supra-curricular enrichment opportunities such as theatre visits, university trips and hosting guest speakers. If you have a curiosity and a flair for analysis – and are prepared to work hard – you are our ideal learner!

In order to be accepted into the Joseph Wright Centre student body, you will need to have at least five GCSEs at grade 4 or above, including English Language at grade 5 and Maths at grade 4.

In addition, you should have GCSE English Literature at grade 5 [C/B] or above. This is particularly important in order to demonstrate your suitability for managing the demands of this qualification.

You will be expected to demonstrate a keen interest in literature and wider reading and should be able to work independently for at least four hours per week, per subject.

A recent school report will be required which demonstrates a committed attitude to learning.

It is assumed that students will enrol on a two-year A-level programme of study consisting of three or more subjects. However, students will be expected to demonstrate a committed attitude to learning and make positive progress in their first year of study.

We follow the AQA Specification B route: Literary Genres. In Year 1, you will study the origins of classic tragedy from the Greco-Roman era, leading to a strong and confident understanding of the genre and its development through time. Paper 1 will also focus heavily on the study of William Shakespeare’s Othello, the work of Romantic poet John Keats and the modern American tragedy, Death of a Salesman.

You will also complete your first unit of coursework, a creative piece based on a novel of your choice (1200-1500 words).

In Year 2, you will study the genre of crime writing, with close attention to 21st century works. Our set texts for this paper are the post-modern novel Atonement , Graham Greene’s Brighton Rock and 1800s crime poetry. Study will also be applied to analysis of unseen texts to focus on Section A of Paper 2. All units are taught by subject specialists and fully resourced with our handbooks: these always prove very popular with students here at the Joseph Wright Centre.

A second piece of coursework will also be submitted in Year 2, based on the analysis of poems through a specific critical perspective (1200-1500 words).

All learning will be based on-site at our modern and vibrant Joseph Wright Centre, conveniently situated in the Cathedral Quarter of the city centre. We even have our own Starbucks, as well as state-of-the-art learning facilities and a well-stocked library.

You will need to have copies of the set texts so that you can annotate them in lessons and read outside of the lessons.

You will be assessed in internal ‘mock’ formal assessments throughout the year, as well as the coursework which forms 20% of the final grade. You will also sit two external exams at the end of the course (a 2.5-hour and 3-hour paper set and marked by AQA).

This course will help with entry to higher education or employment. Career prospects include roles in creative writing, primary, secondary and A-level teaching, HR, marketing, advertising, media, research, policing and detection, recruitment consultancy, publishing, journalism, translation and countless more options.

For more information, contact Derby College Group on 0800 0280289 or enquiries@derby-college.ac.uk 

To directly contact one of the teaching team, email lauren.sirr@derby-college.ac.uk or emma.goodwin@derby-college.ac.uk