Subjects: English & English Literature

English is a thriving subject in the College, with at present two sets following AS and A2 and four following the IB - two at Standard Level and two at Higher Level. Our philosophy as a department is to seek to inspire in our students a curiosity and fascination with the texts studied while at the same time allowing them to develop the disciplines of analysis and argument necessary for the highest levels and grades.

The A Level course

"My A-Level English course was especially inspiring," one ex-student wrote recently. "My favourite lessons were the ones which involved exploring a poem we had never seen before. Discovering Keats was a revelation and John Webster's The Duchess of Malfi made a deep impression. Imagine the total number of words that humans have created. It makes you feel frustrated at the amount you will never be able to read and excited at the prospect of what you might read."

She's not alone. Central to the new OCR English Literature course is the excitement of making new discoveries and of developing responses to literature more deeply. In Year 12, the exam consists of a study of poet such as Robert Frost together with a novel such as The Age of Innocence, which comprise in total 60% of the marks available. Two pieces of coursework are completed in the Spring Term, one being a comparative analysis of two freely chosen texts, the other consisting of a extract-based response .In Year 13, again there is a large coursework element, where students study a cluster of three texts. Recent groupings have included texts that focus on the impact of 9/11 - The Reluctant Fundamentalist, the poetry of Imtiaz Dharker - and texts groupsed around the theme of ‘encounters with otherness' - for example, Robinson Crusoe and The Tempest. The exam, again comprising 60% of the marks, involves a question on Shakespeare and a cross-genre comparison of a poetry text with a drama text - at present Book 1 of Paradise Lost with Marlowe's Doctor Faustus.

The IB Diploma option

Running parallel to A Levels is the IB course, offering the opportunity to explore the diversity of world literature alongside more familiar works by British authors.

IB students are encouraged to develop a well-informed personal response to texts in translation from a range of cultures, such as Murakami's The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Kafka's Metamorphosis or Zola's dark tale of sexual passion, Therese Raquin. Studied alongside them will be works from English Literature - the poetry of Carol Ann Duffy or Austen's Emma or Alan Bennett's The History Boys.

Each element of the course is assessed in a different way, via coursework, oral presentations, oral commentaries on an extract and via the final exam. As the course progresses, students practise and hone the skills and knowledge necessary to achieve highly in these areas.

Debate and discussion are central to the course. You will read widely and independently, learning to present your ideas in a range of forms - through creative writing as well as short essays, and in particular through spoken presentations, an important form of assessment in the IB.

Extra-curricular activities 

We run frequent trips to the theatre and the opera. The English Department is central to the vibrant cultural life of the Sixth Form Debating  Society, which offers the opportunity to sharpen your powers of argument and debate. Sixth-formers participate in the editing of the school magazine. To widen our horizons and to relax for the weekend, on Fridays we gather over slices of cake to discuss literary topics that fall outside the curriculum.

As a Department, we welcome you to the College and, whether you opt for A Levels or the IB, we hope you enjoy your time with us. We are sure you will.