Kings Ely sixth form
Academic
A Level English Literature
Students of English Literature have the opportunity to attend plays and poetry readings.
Students are encouraged to take part in debating and to foster their own writing through internal competitions and awareness of national competitions.
English Literature A Level is the study of more than just good books: it will provide you with a variety of critical thinking skills, essay writing and the ability to sharply question and analyse the written and spoken word.
It is an highly respected course which is valued by universities and within the workplace. Universities describe English as a ‘facilitating subject’, meaning that it is extremely desirable and useful in a wide variety of university courses. You will develop your ability to hone an argument, to listen actively, to work in collaboration and to think independently.
| Prerequisite |
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It is expected that students taking A Level English Literature have a minimum grade 6 or equivalent in both GCSE English and GCSE English Literature. |
| Topic Overview |
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The OCR course is a two year A Level which explores a wide range of texts across the whole canon of English literature. The course includes the study of at least one Shakespeare play (currently Hamlet), poetry and drama pre-1900 with choices including Milton’s great epic Paradise Lost and Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband. Modern texts are also explored, including at least one from post 2000. These texts are used to develop coursework writing providing students with many of the skills they will require at university level. Texts which have been taught recently have included: A Streetcar Named Desire, Sense of an Ending, and Auden’s poetry. There is a final unit which explores texts linked by a common theme, for example, Gothic fiction or American literature. For this unit students read 2 or more novels within the genre (currently either American: Great Gatsby and Grapes of Wrath; or Gothic: Dracula and The Bloody Chamber ). |
| Assessment |
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Component 01: ShakespeareDrama and poetry pre-1900:
Component 02: Close reading in chosen topic areaComparative and contextual study from chosen topic area:
Component 03: Close reading OR re-creative writing piece with commentary.Comparative essay:
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The Porta Library
Housed in an original fifteenth-century building, the Porta Library supports curriculum teaching and reading for pleasure across senior school. With over fourteen thousand books and a strong collection of e-books and e-resources, the Library has something for everyone to enjoy reading.
Current students from Year 7 onwards and current members of staff can access and borrow from the Porta Library. Alongside providing a wide range of fiction and non-fiction, the collections aim to embody the principles of equality, diversity, and inclusion throughout.
The Library is open Monday to Friday 9am to 5.30pm including during breaktime and lunchtime, and also from 6.30pm to 9pm four nights a week. The Librarian welcomes recommendations and feedback is always encouraged.
MEET THE HEAD OF ENGLISH
Dr Daniel Gabelman
"I'm passionate about getting students to read as widely as possible and about literature as a means of thinking deeply and critically about the world and oneself.
I have a PhD from the University of St Andrews where I specialised in Victorian fairy tales, particularly the writings of George MacDonald, the Scottish writer who inspired C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien and the modern fantasy genre.
I've written or edited several books, including George MacDonald: Divine Carelessness and Fairytale Levity (Baylor University Press 2013), and The Form and Theory of Literary Doodling (Cambridge University Press 2024) which looks at writers who were prolific doodlers. I'm currently editing The Cambridge Companion to George MacDonald."
eXPLORE Sixth Form Academic
A JOURNEY THAT IS
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