GCE English Literature
Support for new Centres
AS Specification at a glance
Content
Assessment
• Unit AS 1: The Study of Poetry 1900 Present and
The Study of Drama 1900 Present
weighting: 24%
• External paper – 2 hours
• External paper – 1 hour
• Unit AS 2: The Study of Prose Pre 1900
weighting: 16%
Unit AS 1: Section A
The Study of Poetry 1900 - Present
• Choice of 4 poet pairings and anthologies to study:
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Robert Frost and Seamus Heaney
Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath
Elizabeth Jennings and Philip Larkin
Eavan Boland and Jean Bleakney
The list of prescribed poems for each poet pairing can be
found in Appendix 1 of the Specification.
Unit AS 1: Section A
The Study of Poetry 1900 - Present
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Available every Summer series
Recommended response time – 1 hour
Worth 12% of the qualification
Candidates answer one set question on their chosen pairing
of poets (50 marks)
• The AS Anthology can be downloaded from the microsite or
ordered from CCEA Distribution (telephone: 02890261242, email:
cceadistribution@ccea.org.uk)
• Open book
Unit AS 1: Section A
The Study of Poetry 1900 - Present
• Both poems will be named in the question stem
• Equal marks are available for the treatment of each poem
(compare and contrast)
• AO3: Contextual focus is biographical
Unit AS 1: Section B
The Study of Drama 1900 - Present
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Available every Summer series
Recommended response time – 1 hour
Worth 12% of the qualification
Candidates answer one question from a choice of two
on the play studied (50 marks)
• Closed book
• AO3: Contextual focus will not be stipulated in the
question
Unit AS 1: Section B
The Study of Drama 1900 - Present
• Choice of 6 plays to study:
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Brian Friel, Translations
Samuel Beckett, Waiting for Godot
Tennessee Williams, A Streetcar Named Desire
Arthur Miller, The Crucible
Ena Lamont Stewart, Men Should Weep (1982 version)
Robert Bolt, A Man for All Seasons
Unit AS 1: Section B
The Study of Drama 1900 - Present
Unit AS 2: The Study of Prose Pre 1900
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Available every Summer series
Recommended response time – 1 hour
Worth 16% of the qualification
Candidates answer one question from a choice of
two on the novel studied (50 marks)
• Closed book
• AO3: Context focus will not be stipulated in the
question
Unit AS 2: The Study of Prose Pre 1900
• Choice of 6 novels to study:
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Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter
Mary Shelley, Frankenstein
George Eliot, Silas Marner
Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights
Jane Austen, Emma
Bram Stoker, Dracula
Unit AS 2: The Study of Prose Pre 1900
A2 Specification at a glance
Content
Assessment
• Unit A2 1: Shakespearean Genres
weighting: 20%
• External paper – 1 hour 30 mins
• Unit A2 2: The Study of Poetry
Pre 1900 and Unseen Poetry
weighting: 20%
• External paper – 2 hours
• Unit A2 3: Thematic comparison of
novels
weighting: 20%
• Internal assessment
Unit A2 1: Shakespearean Genres
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Available every Summer series
External paper – 1 hour 30 mins
Worth 20% of the qualification
Candidates answer one set question (50 marks)
Closed book
Equal marks are available for the treatment of
the extract and other relevant parts of the text
• Extract will be provided
• AO3: Context focus on Shakespearean genre
(Tragedy, Comedy, Problem Plays, Last Plays)
Unit A2 1: Shakespearean Genres
• Choice of 6 plays to study:
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Othello
King Lear
The Taming of the Shrew
As You Like It
Measure for Measure
The Winter’s Tale
Unit A2 1: Shakespearean Genres
All Assessment Objectives are assessed:
AO1 (Over-arching AO) knowledge and understanding, informed and relevant
responses, clarity and appropriateness of expression
AO2 Shakespeare’s dramatic methods AO3 Context
AO4 Connections
AO5 Argument/different interpretations
Throughout the comedy as a whole, Rosalind’s main function is to
satirise ideas of love.
By referring closely to Extract 4, printed in the accompanying Resource
Booklet, and to other appropriately selected parts of the play, show to what
extent you would agree with the view expressed above.
Your argument should include relevant comments on Shakespeare’s dramatic
methods and relevant external contextual information on the nature of
Shakespearean Comedy.
N.B. Equal marks are available for your treatment of the given extract and
other relevant parts of the text.
Unit A2 2: The Study of Poetry
Pre 1900 and Unseen Poetry
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Available every Summer series
Worth 20% of the qualification
External paper – 2 hours
Section A and Section B – equal weighting (50
marks each) therefore recommended response
time is 1 hour per section/question
Unit A2 2: The Study of Poetry Pre 1900
• Choice of 6 poets to study:
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Geoffrey Chaucer (The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale)
John Donne
William Blake
John Keats
Emily Dickinson
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
The prescribed poems for study can be found in Appendix 2 of the
Specification
Unit A2 2: The Study of Poetry Pre 1900 and
Unseen Poetry
• Section A: candidates answer one question from a
choice of two on the Pre 1900 poet studied
• Extract or poem will be provided in the examination
(Resource Booklet)
• Please note that the A2 Poetry Anthology is only
available for download from the microsite
• Equal marks for the treatment of the extract and the
wider text; or printed poem and self-selected poem
• Closed book
• AO3: Contextual area will be stipulated
A2 English Literature A2 2 Section A
Four Assessment Objectives are assessed:
AO1 (Over-arching AO) knowledge and understanding, informed and relevant
responses, clarity and appropriateness of expression
AO3 Context
AO4 Connections
AO2 Poetic methods
Dickinson
Answer (a) or (b)
(b) By referring closely to How the old Mountains drip with Sunset (Poem 5(b))
printed in the accompanying Resource Booklet and one other appropriately
selected poem, and making use of relevant external contextual information on
nineteenth-century views of nature, examine the poetic methods which
Dickinson uses to write about the theme of nature.
N.B. Equal marks are available for your treatment of each poem. [50]
Unit A2 2: The Study of Poetry Pre 1900
AO4 – Connections between:
- the printed extract from Chaucer’s The Wife of
Bath’s Prologue and Tale and the wider text
- the printed extract and the wider text in the
case of lengthier poems (e.g. Keats’ The Eve
of St Agnes)
- the printed poem and the second poem
selected by the candidate
Unit A2 2: The Study of Unseen Poetry
• Section B: candidates answer one set question on an
unseen poem (50 marks)
• Three Assessment Objectives are assessed:
AO1 (Over-arching AO) knowledge and understanding, informed
and relevant responses, clarity and appropriateness of expression
AO2 Poetic methods AO5 Interpretations
In this poem the speaker considers the relationship between humanity and
nature.
Analyse the poetic methods used by Wordsworth to explore the thoughts
and feelings of the speaker.
A2 English Literature A2 3
• Internal Assessment Unit
• In-depth comparative study of two novels
• One novel must be a twenty-first century novel
• Response should address all five Assessment
Objectives
• Maximum length: 2,500 words
• Bibliography required
• Key Message: allow candidates scope to select
their own texts
A2 English Literature A2 3
Bibliography
Candidates should cite both their primary and secondary
sources.
Primary Texts
Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye. London: Penguin,
1945.
Filer, Nathan. The Shock of the Fall. London: Harper
Collins, 2013.
A2 English Literature A2 3
Bibliography
Candidates should cite both their primary and secondary
sources.
Secondary Texts
Graham, Sarah. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye.
London, 2007.
https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-byera/fifties/essays/catcher-rye-voice-alienation
Text Selection
100s of novels listed and additional suggestions
being added each term
Reminder: the 6 novels offered as options at AS
level are not permitted
A2 English Literature A2 3
Key Message: allow candidates scope to select
their own texts
Specification section 7.2
• We encourage centres to allow each candidate to select their
own texts, with teacher guidance and support.
• The candidate and teacher agree the theme for the essay.
• In the planning stage, the teacher and candidate discuss titles,
recommended wider reading and time management.
• During the drafting stage, the teacher periodically monitors
the progress of the candidate’s work, commenting on general
areas for development.
A2 English Literature A2 3
Key Message: allow candidates scope to select their own
texts
Specification section 7.2 continued
• The teacher must not correct the essay in detail and return it
to the candidate to write up the corrected version.
• After the candidate submits the completed first draft, the
teacher reviews the essay and gives feedback on:
− whether the original focus of the essay has been adhered to;
− the appropriateness of content; and
− the requirements of the marking grid.
• The teacher must not review the essay further after this time.
• The candidate then submits the final draft, which they must
not revise after this point.
A2 English Literature A2 3
Key Message: allow candidates scope to select their own
texts in order to access the upper mark bands
The Teacher’s Role
• Refer to the JCQ documents available at: https://www.jcq.org.uk/
• Particularly: https://www.jcq.org.uk/examsoffice/coursework/instructions-for-conducting-coursework-20182019 and
https://www.jcq.org.uk/exams-office/information-for-candidatesdocuments/infor
• Make it clear in your Departmental Policy what the teacher can
and cannot do with regard to Internal Assessment. Share this with
candidates and parents. The CCEA specification outlines what is
permitted (breaching these conditions may constitute candidate
or teacher malpractice)
GCE English Literature
The Specification and Specimen Assessment Materials are
key documents.
Additional Support Materials
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Scheme of Work
Student Guide
Planning Framework
Snapshot
Fact Files (for each component)
E-Guides (for each text option)
GCE English Literature
The Specification and Specimen Assessment Materials are
key documents.
Additional Support Materials
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A2 3: Internal Assessment – Student Guidance Booklet
A2 3: Internal Assessment – Teacher Guidance Booklet
AEL31 Advice to Teachers and Candidates
Possible Approaches to the Internal Assessment Unit
Term Planners for the Internal Assessment Unit
Exemplification of Examination Performance
Chief Examiner and Principal Moderators’ Reports
GCE English Literature
CCEA has produced Specimen Assessment Materials for
the revised specification. This document can be used to
prepare students for the style of examination tasks they
will encounter at AS and A2 level. It also includes mark
schemes so that teachers can assess their students’
responses to the tasks.
Once past paper question booklets and mark schemes
have been granted copyright clearance, these
documents will be uploaded to the microsite.
Working with CCEA
The benefits:
– teacher cover provided
– first-hand experience of how the examining system
works
– user insight to the standards required for the
assessment
– opportunity to examine assessments across a range of
abilities
– improved learning and teaching outcomes
– creates links with CCEA personnel/subject officer
– opportunity to network with other professionals
– provides recognition and enhances the professional
development of teachers
Contacts: GCE English Literature
Education Manager: Olivia McNeill
Telephone: 028 90 261200 Ext 2963
Email: omcneill@ccea.org.uk
Subject Support Officer: Joan Jennings
Telephone: 028 9026 1439
Email: jjennings@ccea.org.uk
Specification, sample assessment and support materials
available on the subject microsite at www.ccea.org.uk
http://ccea.org.uk/signup
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