English Language and Literature A-Level AQA (2 year course)

 

Core Content:

• 4.1 Telling Stories
• 4.2 Exploring Conflict
• 4.3 Making Connections

 

Paper 1: Views and Voices

What’s assessed?

Study of 3 texts: Imagined worlds – “The Handmaid’s Tale”; Poetic Voices – a selection of Carol Ann Duffy’s poetry, and Remembered Places – an anthology of non-fiction extracts based around the theme of Paris.

 

Assessed:

Written exam: 3 hours

Open book in Sections B and C only (The Handmaid’s Tale and Poetic Voices)

100 marks, 40% of total A Level

 

Questions:

Section A: Remembered Places - One compulsory question on the AQA Anthology: Paris (40 marks).

Section B: Imagined Worlds - One question from a choice of two on The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (35 marks).

Section C: Poetic Voices. One question from a choice of two on poetry set text by Carol Ann Duffy (25 marks).

 

Paper 2: Exploring Conflict

What’s assessed?

Writing about Society – “The Great Gatsby”

Dramatic Encounters – “A Streetcar named Desire.”

 

Assessed:

Written exam:2 hours and 30 minutes

Open book

100 marks; 40% of A-level

 

Questions:

Section A: The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald. One piece of re-creative writing (25 marks) and a critical commentary (30 marks).

Section B: A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams. One question from a choice of two (45 marks).

 

Non-exam assessment: Making Connections

A personal investigation that explores a specific technique or theme in both literary and non-literary discourse (2,500 – 3,000 words).

 

50 marks, 20% of total A Level marks

Assessed by teachers; moderated by AQA.