English

Our English teachers give pupils a genuine appreciation of literature.

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English is taught at all levels throughout the school. It is compulsory up to GCSE and a popular subject for pupils studying A levels and the IB in the Sixth Form.

Experienced and diversely talented teachers aim to produce men and women capable of clear thought and understanding, clear writing and speaking and genuine appreciation of literature.

This is achieved by way of systematic training in the use of words as ‘tools of thought’; analysis and judgement of poetry, prose and drama; critical awareness of the environment and the satisfying use of leisure time.

2 pupils working at laptops in an English Classroom

Course Specifications

GCSE/IGCSE

English at Malvern College covers the full range of language and literary forms. In the Foundation Year, students are introduced to the various literary genres of prose, drama and poetry via a number of theme-based modules, e.g. Identity, Time and Place, and Nature’s Voices. In this way, students are exposed to more mature texts, while gradually developing their skills in literary appreciation.

In their second year at the College, students begin their GCSE studies. All pupils will do English Language GCSE and most will also do English Literature GCSE. Any pupils intending to continue with academic studies post-16 will do GCSEs in both English Language (AQA) and English Literature (CIE). There is no coursework component in either course, which ensures that lesson time can be given over to the important task of covering texts in both a rigorous and engaging way. Exam skills can be taught and practised, with time still available for support and extension depending on what students need.

Specification details

English is a compulsory subject at GCSE.

English as an Additional Language (EAL)

All non-native English-speaking pupils continue with EAL in the Remove and Hundred unless the Head of EAL has assessed them and deemed EAL unnecessary.

International Baccalaureate: Overview

Aims

Pupils at Malvern College will study either:

  • English A Literature (Higher or Standard) or
  • English A Language and Literature (Higher or Standard)

These English A courses aim to promote an appreciation of the wealth and subtleties of the language. It seeks to facilitate the clear expression of ideas, to aid clear, precise presentation of argument and to assist in the understanding of both oral and written discourse.

Literature is the articulation and interpretation of experience, and it cannot be studied in a vacuum. The great strength of the IB as a whole and of IB English in particular is that the interactive process between cultivating experience and the ability to articulate and interpret that experience is deliberately and consciously stimulated.

Nature of the Course

At both levels the programme is divided into three Areas of Exploration (AE) as follows:

  • AE 1 – Readers, Writers and Texts
  • AE 2 – Time and Space
  • AE 3 – Intertextuality: Connecting Texts

English A Literature: At Standard Level the total number of works studied is 9; at Higher Level it is 13.

English A Language and Literature: At Standard Level the total number of works studied is 4; at Higher Level it is 6.

IB: English A Literature

This programme focuses on the development of an appreciation of literature. It also cultivates a knowledge of the culture of the student’s own society and that of other societies. Through the study of Texts in Translation, which is a central and integral part of the programme, the student may gain a broadened and international perspective of literature and human thought.

Assessment (Standard Level)

Paper 1

  • Guided Literary Analysis
  • 1 hour + 15 minutes examination
  • 35%
  • Consideration of one (of a choice of two) unseen text in response to guided questions.

Paper 2

  • Comparative Essay
  • 1 hour + 45 minutes examination
  • 35%
  • Based on two of the works studied in the course.

Individual Oral

  • 15 minutes total
  • 30%
  • Prepared talk based on two self-selected extracts from two works studied. 10 minutes, followed by teacher led questions for 5 minutes.

Assessment (Higher Level)

Paper 1

  • Guided Literary Analysis
  • 2 hours + 15 minutes examination
  • 35%
  • Consideration of two unseen texts in response to guided questions.

Paper 2

  • Comparative Essay
  • 1 hour + 45 minutes examination
  • 25%
  • Based on two of the works studied in the course.

Individual Oral

  • 15 minutes total
  • 20%
  • Prepared talk based on two self-selected extracts from two works studied. 10 minutes, followed by teacher led questions for 5 minutes.

Higher Level Essay (Coursework)

  • 20%
  • A literary essay (1200–1500 words) on one work studied in the course.

 

The Learner Portfolio (Higher and Standard):

While not being a graded part of their internal or external assessment, all students must maintain a portfolio of their individual work throughout the course.

IB: English A Language and Literature

The study of the texts produced in a language is central to an active engagement with language and culture and, by extension, to how we see and understand the world in which we live. A key aim of the Language and Literature course is to encourage students to question the meaning generated by language and texts, which, it can be argued, is rarely straightforward and unambiguous. The course aims to develop in students the skills of textual analysis and the understanding that texts, both literary and non-literary, can be seen as autonomous yet simultaneously related to culturally determined reading practices. It should be stressed that this is not a film or media studies course and that an understanding of language and literature lies at the heart of what is covered.

Assessment (Standard Level)

Paper 1

  • Guided Textual analysis
  • 1 hour + 15minutes examination
  • 35%
  • The paper consists of two unseen non-literary texts. Students write an analysis of one of these texts.

Paper 2

· Comparative Essay

  • 1 hour + 45 minutes examination
  • 35%
  • In response to one of four questions students write an essay based on two of the literary texts studied.

Individual oral

  • By the teacher. 15 minutes total
  • 30%
  • Supported by an extract from one non-literary text and one from a literary work, students will offer a prepared response of 10 minutes, followed by 5 minutes of questions

Assessment (Higher Level)

Paper 1

  • Textual analysis
  • 2 hours + 15 minutes examination
  • 35%
  • Students write an analysis of each of the two unseen non-literary texts.

Paper 2

  • Comparative Essay
  • 1 hour + 45 minutes examination
  • 25%
  • In response to one of four questions students write an essay based on two of the literary texts studied.

Higher level Essay

  • 20%
  • Students submit an essay on one non-literary text or a collection of non-literary texts by one same author, or a literary text or work studied during the course. 1200-1500 words.

Individual oral

  • 15 minutes total
  • 20%
  • Supported by an extract from both one non-literary text and one from a literary work, students will offer a prepared response of 10 minutes, followed by 5 minutes of questions by the teacher.

The Learner Portfolio (Higher and Standard):

While not being a graded part of their internal or external assessment, all students must maintain a portfolio of their individual work throughout the course.

A Level

So ends John Milton’s epic Paradise Lost with Adam and Eve expelled from the garden and things looking not remotely rosy. Choosing English Literature A Level is a way of regaining paradise. All that wonderful poetry, those fascinating dramas and intriguing novels; the world is all before you once again and you are presented with the opportunity to make some sense of it. The A Level course puts central texts at the heart of what you study as well as providing the chance to read much more recent literature. It also presents the opportunity for close literary analysis and comparison that remains so central to an understanding of texts.

Aims

This course puts central texts at the heart of what you study as well as providing the chance to read much more recent literature. It also presents the opportunity for close literary analysis and comparison that remains so central to an understanding of texts.

English Literature remains one of the ‘gold standard’ A Levels and is widely respected by universities regardless of your eventual course of study. The syllabus offers opportunities for close reading and analysis as well as the consideration of texts in context. It provides some wonderful opportunities for exploring related texts and getting to grips with the mechanics of literary analysis before we start on the main set texts.

Nature of the Course

  • The focus on Shakespeare is retained, as is the study of poets and dramatists who have remained at the core of university study over the past century.
  • Option to study more thematically linked texts in topic areas like the Gothic, Dystopia, American Literature, Women in Literature and The Immigrant Experience.

The Syllabus

Examination board: OCR (H472)

Component 1 includes Shakespeare and Drama and Poetry from before 1900. The Shakespeare play is chosen from the following: Coriolanus, Hamlet, Measure for Measure, Richard III, The Tempest or Twelfth Night. The poets include Chaucer, Milton, Coleridge, Tennyson and Christina Rossetti. The dramatists are Marlowe (Edward II), Webster (The Duchess of Malfi), Goldsmith (She Stoops to Conquer), Ibsen (A Doll’s House) and Wilde (An Ideal Husband). In each case one text is chosen for detailed study. The Shakespeare question will require the close analysis of an extract from the play followed by an essay question. The drama and the poetry texts will be tested by an essay question with a thematic or literary focus requiring candidates to compare the two texts in question.

Component 2 requires close reading in a chosen topic area. The topic areas are American Literature 1880–1940, The Gothic, Dystopia, Women in Literature and The Immigrant Experience. This is a comparative and contextual paper requiring the study of two texts from a prescribed list. The examination will include a close reading question on an unseen prose extract and a comparative essay on two whole texts.

Component 3 is coursework based on literature from after 1900. Task 1 requires candidates to choose either a close reading or a re-creative writing task with a commentary amounting to 1000 words. Task 2 will be a 2000 word essay that explores contrasts and comparisons between two texts, informed by different interpretations and an understanding of contexts.

Assessment Details

Component 1: Shakespeare and Drama and Poetry from before 1900 (2 hours and 30 minutes, closed text) 40% of the Qualification.

Component 2: This is a comparative and contextual paper requiring the study of two texts from a prescribed list. (2 hours and 30 minutes, closed text) 40% of the Qualification.

Component 3: is coursework based on literature from after 1900. 20% of the Qualification.

Further Information

The OCR A Level in English Literature qualification will build on the knowledge, understanding and skills established at GCSE, introducing learners to the discipline of advanced literary studies, and requires reading of all the major literary genres of poetry, prose and drama.

Beyond the Classroom

There are many opportunities outside the classroom for pupils to develop their English. There is a good library with a professional librarian.

A debating society flourishes and pupils participate in competitions and fixtures all around the country. Creative writing thrives, with pupils frequently entering – and winning – competitions for young writers. In addition, public speaking and reading competitions, the ‘Literary Society’, special events for Shakespeare’s Birthday, National Poetry and World Book Days, and a range of creative and critical guest speakers all help to place English firmly at the heart of the cultural life of the school.

All pupils, regardless of ability, are screened for specific learning difficulties on entry to the school. Able pupils with some dyslexia have the support of a specialist team that is available to diagnose problems and help find solutions. Full provision is made for pupils whose first language is not English.