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AS and A-level English Literature A
- Specification
- Planning resources
- Teaching resources
- Assessment resources
- Introduction
- Specification at a glance
- 3.1 Love through the ages
- 4.1 Love through the ages
- 4.2 Texts in shared contexts
4.3 Independent critical study: texts across time
- Scheme of assessment
- Non-exam assessment administration (A-level only)
- General administration
In Texts across time, students write a comparative critical study of two texts.
This specification is committed to the notion of autonomous personal reading and Texts across time provides a challenging and wide-ranging opportunity for independent study. Possible themes for the comparison are indicated below, but this is not a set list and students are free to develop their own interests from their own wider and independent reading.
Texts chosen for study must maximise opportunities for writing about comparative similarity and difference and must allow access to a range of critical views and interpretations, including over time . Students should take an autonomous approach to the application and evaluation of a range of critical views.
The title 'Independent critical study' highlights the important idea that, within a literature course, students should have the opportunity to work independently. Although one common text could, if required, be taught to a whole cohort, at least one text should be studied independently by each student. Texts should always be chosen with your guidance and support. Students should also individually negotiate their own task.
In Texts across time, students write a comparative critical study of two texts on a theme of their choice. Possible themes include, but are not limited to:
- the struggle for identity
- crime and punishment
- minds under stress
- nostalgia and the past
- satire and dystopia
- war and conflict
- representations of race and ethnicity
- representations of sexuality
- representations of women
- representations of men
- representations of social class and culture.
The spirit of this component is for independent study, with schools and colleges submitting work on a range of texts and tasks. Schools and colleges are encouraged to check the appropriateness of texts and tasks with their non-exam assessment adviser, especially where there may be some uncertainty on the approach being taken, either by the school or college as a whole or by individual students.
- The word count is 2,500 words.
- Tasks should be designed to ensure that students address all assessment objectives in their essay response.
- An appropriate academic bibliography (not included within the 2,500 word count) must be included.
- An appropriately academic form of referencing must be used.
The following conditions apply to the texts chosen:
- one text must have been written pre-1900
- two different authors must be studied
- set texts listed for the A-level exam components cannot be used for non-exam assessment, even if they will not be used in the exam
- the essay is comparative and connective so equal attention must be paid to both texts
- a poetry text could be either one longer narrative poem or a single authored collection of shorter poems. If using a collection of poetry, students must have studied the whole text and select at least two poems to write about in detail as examples of the wider collection
- single authored collections of short stories are permissible. If using a collection of short stories, students must have studied the whole text and select at least two stories to write about in detail as examples of the wider collection
- texts chosen for study may include texts in translation that have been influential and significant in the development of literature in English. The translated text should be treated as the original writer's own words for assessment purposes. Therefore, schools and colleges should ensure that they use a version recognised by academia as being a high quality translation which supports the original author's writing appropriately.
Recommended texts
Texts listed in the A-level core set text and comparative set text lists in Sections 4.1 and 4.2 cannot be studied for non-exam assessment. Texts chosen for study may include texts in translation that have been influential and significant in the development of literature in English.
Possible pre-1900 texts include, but are not limited to:
NEA prohibited texts
Students cannot use the following texts for non-exam assessment as they appear on the exam set text lists.
Examples of choices of non-exam assessment texts and possible connections
Compare and contrast the presentation of British attitudes to race and ethnicity in The Moonstone and in Zadie Smith’s White Teeth in the light of this view.
In what ways do you think the Gothic settings of these texts help the writers to shape their presentation of heroines in peril?
Compare and contrast the presentation of Sue Trinder in Fingersmith with Marian Halcombe in The Woman in White in the light of this view.
COMMENTS
Component 03: Literature Post-1900. The aim of this component is to encourage individual study and enjoyment of modern literature and for students to develop: an appreciation of how writers shape meanings in texts through use of language, imagery, form and structure. an understanding of texts informed by an appreciation of different ...
What skills are required. This task for the NEA is unusual as there is no dominant Assessment Objective. All five objectives are assessed and are equally weighted. For a detailed exploration of the skills required for AO1 (presenting a response) and AO2 (critical analysis), please see our notes on How To Get Full Marks in Task 1.
A Level. AS Level. Our A Level English Literature qualification encourages students to develop their interest in and enjoyment of a broad range of English literature. They apply their knowledge of literary analysis and evaluation to engage critically and creatively with both set texts and others of their own choosing. Specification code: H472.
The non-exam assessment (NEA) is a compulsory component of the A Level English Literature qualification. It is worth 40 marks and counts as 20% of the total A Level. The NEA comprises two pieces of work, totalling approximately 3000 words, and you are required to study three literary texts: one prose text, one poetry text and one drama text.
The suggested word limit is 3,000 of the candidate's own words (where we strongly advise that Task 1 = 1000 words, Task 2 = 2000 words). We tend to consider a 10% leeway either side appropriate; any more or less will end up being self-penalising either by providing too little or too loose a response to meet the assessment requirements definitively.
Wordsworth's School. By outlining the OCR course (from 2015) we follow, and offering guidelines with which to approach it, we hope that you will get the most out of the course as well as having a clear understanding of what we expect of you. The handbook should not be seen as the definitive word on studying English Literature at A level.
PDF 952KB. Annotated sample assessment materials H072 - ZIP 651KB. Candidate exemplars. 2018 - June series. 2017 - June series. OCR AS and A Level English Literature (from 2015) qualification information including specification, exam materials, teaching resources, learning resources.
Updated. Students won't be specifically penalised for exceeding the word count. We used to have a strict limit but we aren't enforcing the word counts in the same way for this specification. However, we would advise students to try to keep as near to -/+10% of the suggested 3000 words as possible, mainly because writing substantially more than ...
AS and A Level English Literature - H072, H472. Follow. Teaching from 2015. AS and A Level English Literature: Can my poem or short story be used in your specification? AS Level English Literature: Component 02 - Will the unseen extract be linked to the topic area from the A Level, or just thematically to the AS prose set text? AS Level English ...
English, GCSE English Literature and in the National Curriculum Programmes of Study for Key Stages 3 and 4. The Specification is structured in the form of units. This Coursework Guidance is provided in addition to the
It comprises two non-exam assessment tasks: Task 1: Analytical and comparative writing: one essay of 1500 - 2000 words on a non-fiction text chosen from a list set by OCR and a second free choice text selected by the candidate. At least one text must have been published post-2000. Task 2: Original non-fiction writing: one piece of original ...
The recommended word count for this non examined assessment is 1500-2000 words for Task 1 and 1000-1200 words for Task 2. Candidates should be encouraged to keep closely to this recommended word count. Footnotes, quotations and bibliographies are not included in the word count. Candidates will not be specifically penalised for exceeding the ...
A Level English Literature: Component 03 - Can teachers select the coursework texts for the candidates, rather than allowing candidates a free choice? A Level English Literature: Component 03 - What genre of text works best for each kind of task? A Level English Literature: Component 03 - Does Task 2 need to be linked thematically to Task 1 ...
Task 1: Close Reading: How To Get Full Marks. Regardless of which text you choose, the type of question set for the Close Reading task should always prompt you to critically analyse a poem (taken from a collection) or an extract from a piece of prose or drama and relate this to the rest of the poems from the collection or the text from which the extract is taken.
A Level English Literature: What is the word limit for component 03? A Level English Literature: Will students be penalised for exceeding the NEA word count? A Level English Literature: Component 03 - Can teachers select the coursework texts for the candidates, rather than allowing candidates a free choice?
Ocr English Literature a Level Coursework Word Count - Free download as PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online for free. Scribd is the world's largest social reading and publishing site.
A Level. AS Level. Our A Level in English Language and Literature (EMC) offers a broad range of stimulating fiction and non-fiction texts. Students combine both literary and linguistic approaches to explore language choices, and become not only confident readers but also skilled producers of original writing. Specification code: H474.
The text (s) and task (s) tool replaced the previous Text and Task Approval service for A Level English Literature. It enables you to find and propose texts and task titles for the non-exam assessment using our database of pre-approved texts and tasks. The text (s) and task (s) tool can be used to: choose and validate a combination of texts for ...
Texts listed in the A-level core set text and comparative set text lists in Sections 4.1 and 4.2 cannot be studied for non-exam assessment. Texts chosen for study may include texts in translation that have been influential and significant in the development of literature in English.
The recommended word count for this non examined assessment is 3000 words across the two tasks: 1000 words for Task 1 and 2000 words for Task 2. Candidates should be encouraged to keep closely to this recommended word count. Footnotes, quotations and bibliographies are not included in the word count. Candidates will not be specifically ...
Ocr English Literature Coursework Word Count - Free download as PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online for free. Scribd is the world's largest social reading and publishing site.