OCR new specification (from 2015)
The Tempest
Paradise Lost
(books 9 &
10)
The History
Boys
The Bloody
Chamber
Ao1: Responding to the text; creating a focused, clear
argument; writing clearly.
 Ao2: Exploring the ways in which language, form are
used to create a sense of meaning/ tone/ message.
 Ao3: Exploring the ways in which the context (when
and where it was written, what the social and
historical background is) influenced the text; how it
has been read/ received in different contexts since
then.
 Ao4: Making literary/thematic/linguistic connections.
In the AS this will be between the sections of Paradise
Lost (at A2 you will have to compare texts).
 Ao5: Using critics and considering others’ ideas;
analysing these in light of your own arguments/
keeping an open mind and allowing your own ideas to
be informed by others’. This will mean quite a bit of
wide/ independent reading. Google books and Jstor
are your friends!

 Paper
1 (The Tempest/ Paradise Lost):
 The Tempest = Ao1, 2, 3 and 5 (no
comparative here);
 Paradise Lost = Ao1, 2, 3, 4 (no need to
consider interpretations).
You therefore need to be well versed on the
contexts in which both texts have been
written and received. Again, wide and
independent reading will be very useful
here.
Each question is
worth 30 marks.
The whole paper
is worth 50% of
the AS level.
The Tempest:
a) ‘A play about self-discovery.’ How far and in
what ways do you agree with this view of ‘The
Tempest’?
b) ‘At crucial moments, Prospero misuses his
power.’ How far and in what ways do you agree
with this view?
Paradise Lost:
Discuss Milton’s portrayal of Adam and Eve’s
actions and their consequences in the following
extract from Paradise Lost Book 9:
You will be given an extract of around 45 lines.
 Paper
2 (The History Boys and The Bloody
Chamber):
 The
History Boys: Ao1, 2, 3, 5 (no need to
compare but you need to know the whole
texts and critics).
 The
Bloody Chamber: Ao1, 2, 3, 4 (you will
be given an unseen text that you must
compare with the whole of The Bloody
Chamber. i.e you can’t just compare it to
one of the stories).
Each question is
worth 30 marks.
The whole paper
is worth 50% of
the AS level.
The History Boys:
a)
‘The History Boys demonstrates the power and
value of education.’ How far and in what ways do
you agree with this view?
b)
‘A damaged individual who makes an inspiring
leader.’ In the light of this comment, discuss the
role of Hector in ‘The History Boys.’
The Bloody Chamber:
Discuss ways in which Carter explores links between the
past and the present in ‘The Bloody Chamber and
Other Stories. In your answer you should select
material from the whole text and make connections
and comparisons with the following passage, in
which…..:
You will be given an extract of around 20 lines.
 Learn
the assessment objectives (Aos) for
each question.
 Consider reading around the texts: books/
articles about context and critical pieces.
 Remember the exams are closed text so you
will need to know the texts really well (and
have some key quotations learnt) so make
sure you read them a few times.
Good luck!
There will be a coursework
component on the A2 course
so you won’t have to learn
every single one of these for
a closed-text exam (the
texts in pink will be
coursework texts)!
At A2 you will still be assessed on:
- The Tempest
- Paradise Lost
- The History Boys
- The Bloody Chamber.
BUT you will also pick up:
- The Duchess of Malfi
- The Picture of Dorian Gray
- Gothic texts (you will need to do wider reading
on this).
- Ariel
- The Go-Between
