AS/A Level English Literature

Start Date: 01/09/2026
Course is for: School Leaver
Course Length: 1 Year
Funding Support:
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Love reading?

Then the study of English Literature at A Level is the course for you.

You will study and analyse a diverse selection of literary texts, taken from a wide range of historical periods.

There are set texts, which cover poetry, plays and novels, including Shakespeare, as well as modern writers and poets.

In addition, you will be able to demonstrate your wider reading, both in the examination and part of the coursework component.

You will have the opportunity to develop your literary expertise by engaging in close text analysis and considering the ways writers shape meaning through their choice of words, literary techniques and the influence of context.

Research and analysis will also enable you to appraise and evaluate alternative critical interpretations.

A Level English Literature is a course that inspires imaginative and thoughtful contemplation together with analytical discernment and is a challenging and rewarding subject.

AS course content includes:

Shakespeare (Othello)
Poetry (Anthology of Love poetry through the ages (pre-1900)
Unseen Prose
A Room With a View (E. M Forster)
Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)

A2 course content includes:

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
Feminine Gospels by Carol Ann Duffy
A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams
Unseen Poetry

The course allows you to study a wide range of literary texts through the lens of historicism.

There are a variety of assessment styles, such as passage-based questions, unseen material, single-text questions, multiple-text questions, open and closed-book approaches.

All of which allow you to read critically, analyse, evaluate and undertake independent research which is valuable for both further study and future employment.

Required Entry Qualifications

In order to study A-levels with us, all students need to obtain a strong GCSE grade profile, averaging 6 x Grade 6s as well as a Grade 5 in maths.

Individual subjects will also have their own specific requirements. In English Literature, you will be expected to have a 6 in GCSE English Literature and English Language or other Humanities subject.

However, if you do not meet this profile, please still come to one of our enrolment events to discuss all of your options with a member of our A-level team.

Assessment

You’ll sit two written exams in year 1, two exams in year 2
Independent critical study
Frequent topic tests
Mock exams
Practical assessments

Next Steps

You’ll develop a wide range of useful analytical and research skills, making you an effective and persuasive communicator, skills valued at university degree level and by employers.

You can progress to university to study a variety of degrees such as an arts or humanities discipline. Possible careers include journalism, editing, writing, marketing and teaching.

WHAT CAN I DO WITH A QUALIFICATION IN AS/A LEVEL ENGLISH LITERATURE?

Public Relations and Communications Directors

Advertising Accounts Managers and Creative Directors

Public Relations Professionals

Newspaper and Periodical Broadcast Journalists and Reporters

Authors, Writers and Translators

Knowledge

Education and Training: Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

Sales and Marketing: Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

English Language: Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

Customer and Personal Service: Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Mathematics: Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Median Salary
£51,632

Average Qualifications
Honours, Bachelor's degree

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Knowledge

Clerical: Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.

Production and Processing: Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

English Language: Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

Median Salary
£39,867

Average Qualifications
Honours, Bachelor's degree

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Knowledge

English Language: Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

Communications and Media: Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

Administration and Management: Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modelling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Median Salary
£34,923

Average Qualifications
Honours, Bachelor's degree

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Knowledge

English Language: Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

Computers and Electronics: Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Median Salary
£36,266

Average Qualifications
Honours, Bachelor's degree

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Knowledge

Foreign Language: Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

English Language: Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

Fine Arts: Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

Median Salary
£35,212

Average Qualifications
Honours, Bachelor's degree

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Skills

Monitoring

Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Writing

Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Active Listening

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Speaking

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Critical Thinking

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Reading Comprehension

Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Active Learning

Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Learning Strategies

Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.

Mathematics

Using mathematics to solve problems.

Science

Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.

View More About This Career

Skills

Monitoring

Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Writing

Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Active Listening

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Speaking

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Critical Thinking

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Active Learning

Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Learning Strategies

Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.

Reading Comprehension

Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Mathematics

Using mathematics to solve problems.

Science

Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.

View More About This Career

Skills

Writing

Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Monitoring

Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Speaking

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Active Learning

Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Reading Comprehension

Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Critical Thinking

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Learning Strategies

Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.

Active Listening

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Mathematics

Using mathematics to solve problems.

Science

Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.

View More About This Career

Skills

Writing

Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Reading Comprehension

Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Active Listening

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Critical Thinking

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Speaking

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Active Learning

Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Monitoring

Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Learning Strategies

Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.

Mathematics

Using mathematics to solve problems.

Science

Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.

View More About This Career

Skills

Writing

Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Active Listening

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Reading Comprehension

Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Critical Thinking

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Active Learning

Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Speaking

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Learning Strategies

Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.

Monitoring

Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.