Our exam board is Edexcel . The exam has 2 units as follows:
Unit 1(60%) Explorations in Prose and Poetry
Content summary:

Prose and poetry, including texts from 1800 to 1945

One prescribed selection of poetry ( From Here to Eternity )

One prescribed core literary heritage novel ( Jane Eyre ) and one further novel ( The Magic
Toyshop )
.
Assessment:

External examination: 2 hours 15 minutes
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Clean copies of the prescribed examination texts can be used in the examination

Section A: Unseen poetry or unseen prose, short-answer response

Section B: Poetry essay response
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Section C: Prose essay response
Examination date: AS Literature Unit 1(6ET01) Friday 16 th May 2014 (a.m.)
Unit 2 (40%) Explorations in Drama
Content summary:

Two pre-1770 plays ( The Merchant of Venice and Twelfth Night )
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Associated critical material
Assessment:

Folder of 2000-2500 words maximum, including quotations

Two responses: explorative study and creative critical response

Teacher assessed, internally standardised, externally moderated
Coursework folders to be submitted by February half term (end of term 3)
Texts students will need:
1. Any editions of The Merchant of Venice and Twelfth Night
2. Jane Eyre , Charlotte Bronte (Penguin Classics, 2006) ISBN 10 0141441143
3. The Magic Toyshop , Angela Carter (Virago, 1987) ISBN 10 0860681904
4. From Here to Eternity , edited by Andrew Motion (Faber, 2001) ISBN 0 571 21565 3
English Literature teacher: Anne Denmead anne.denmead@sussexdowns.ac.uk
English Course Leader: Catherine Bagley catherine.bagley@sussexdowns.ac.uk
English Department phone: 01323 637570

What should English students be doing to achieve the best grade they can?
(apart from the obvious such as attending 100%, doing homework, sticking to deadlines and working well in class!)

Read everything they can get their hands on! Suggestions are made verbally, via iLearn and the departmental notice board. We have a bookshelf in the English department for students to help themselves to texts recommended by the department.
The LRC stocks a good range of novels, drama and poetry. Students can also look in second hand bookshops and ask for books for Christmas.
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Visit the theatre as often as they can. This year we hope to run trips to The Globe, the
British Library, and, hopefully, several local theatre trips. If they just see one production a year it would help to give them some idea of stagecraft.

Ask for help if they feel unsure about something. Staff are happy to answer emails as well as talk to students after class or at lunchtimes.
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Use iLearn to support their studies. Links are provided to help students to do follow up or extension reading. iLearn can be accessed from home (see below).

Keep to deadlines and follow advice given about coursework. Students are allowed to submit drafts of their coursework on the pre-1770 plays so there is opportunity to make improvements in light of feedback from teachers. If drafts are not submitted, lower marks are likely as students won’t have benefitted from the teacher’s advice.

Do lots of practice exam questions. Look at mark schemes (links on iLearn) and bear in mind assessment objectives when writing essays. Use essay feedback that teachers give to devise targets for improving writing.
Consultation Evenings
S tudents’ progress is officially reviewed twice a year and grades are posted home. Parents are invited into college in the second term to discuss individual’s progress with the relevant subject teachers. The date of this year’s event for Year 12 students will be posted on the
College website. If parents have concerns at other times, staff are contactable via email. iLearn: iLearn is the college’s VLE (virtual learning environment) which provides students with a resource bank of subject specific materials as well as information about homework tasks, deadlines and other subject specific announcements.
If you have an internet connection at home, iLearn can be accessed through a link on the home page of the College website http://www.sussexdowns.ac.uk/ or directly via http://ilearn.sussexdowns.ac.uk/.