A2 Level Literature in English

YEAR 12 and 13

ENGLISH LITERATURE  

At the Cambridge AS level, students can choose to study either Cambridge AS Literature or Cambridge AS English General Paper. The NCEA pathway has been withdrawn. All Year 12 English courses grant University Entrance literacy.

The Cambridge AS Literature course develops students’ critical analysis and interpretation of literature. Students read and engage with a broad range of texts, including poetry, prose, and drama. 

They analyse the themes, stylistic choices, and literary devices authors employ to convey their ideas, and produce well-reasoned, well-structured essays that demonstrate both their understanding and their capacity for literary analysis.

The Cambridge AS English General Paper course, by contrast, develops students’ skills in critical thinking, reading, and writing across a variety of disciplines. The course covers topics ranging from social and political issues to ethical and philosophical debates. Students are expected to engage with these topics critically and thoughtfully, to read widely, to form their own positions, and to express those positions clearly and coherently in writing.

While both courses develop language and critical thinking skills, AS Literature is more closely focused on literary analysis and interpretation, while AS English General Paper is more closely focused on engaging critically with a range of topics and issues.

A2 LEVEL

LITERATURE IN ENGLISH

Prerequisites: AS Literature.

Focused on argumentation and a university-level writing standard, we recommend A2 Level English to anyone hoping to gain an advantage in academic writing at tertiary level. A2 Level English is comparable in difficulty and workload to AS Level English, but benefits from a smaller class size and more direct guidance.

This course helps students develop an appreciation of, and an informed personal response to, literature in English. Students learn to draw on critical perspectives and opinions in their interpretation of literature. The course serves as an excellent foundation for university study. Past students have gone on to a wide range of disciplines, including Business Studies, Law, Medicine, Tourism, and Journalism.

Students build the interdependent skills of reading, analysis, and communication, engage in wider reading, and develop an understanding of its contribution to personal growth.

Students must demonstrate their: 

• Understanding of the ways in which writers’ choices of form, structure, and language shape meaning 

• Ability to communicate clearly and accurately the knowledge, understanding, and insight appropriate to literary study 

• Ability to appreciate and discuss varying opinions of literary works

Paper 3: Shakespeare and Pre-20th Century texts

Paper 4: 1900 – Present