Texts and skills in more detail
Key Stage 3 Literature
Build curiosity and core skills through varied, engaging texts and creative responses.
- Introduction to Shakespeare
- Modern poetry and performance
- Short stories and narrative structure
- Dystopian fiction and big ideas
- Classic and contemporary novels
- Foundations of analytical writing
GCSE English Literature
Exam-board aligned study with a focus on confidence, structure and deep understanding.
Texts may include:
- Shakespeare: Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest, Much Ado About Nothing
- 19th-century novels: A Christmas Carol, Jekyll & Hyde, Pride and Prejudice, The Sign of the Four
- Modern texts: An Inspector Calls, Animal Farm, Lord of the Flies, Blood Brothers
- Poetry: AQA Power & Conflict / Love & Relationships, Edexcel Time & Place
Skills covered:
- Exam structure and essay planning
- Theme, character, language and context analysis
- Comparing poems and unseen poetry strategies
- Developing critical interpretations and personal responses
A Level English Literature
Advanced literary study with room for independence, debate and extended reading.
- Shakespeare tragedies and comedies
- Modern drama (e.g. A Streetcar Named Desire, Top Girls, The Crucible)
- Prose across periods: Victorian, dystopian, American literature
- Romantic, modern and contemporary poetry
- Close analysis and critical theory
- Comparative and contextual essays
- Independent comparison essay (NEA)