Route map: two-year linear A-level

Bridging unit – development of skills from GCSE to A-level

Paper 2: ‘WW1 and its aftermath’ OR ‘Modern times: Literature from 1945 to the present day’

• Introduction to the time period
• Section B: unseen prose

• Work with extracts to refresh skills of analysis and interpretation and to consider how to respond critically and creatively to literature, eg a short unit which looks at narrative voice and point of view.
• Introduce the idea of an historicist approach by considering how texts relate to their contexts of production.
• Introduce literary terms which may be unfamiliar to students.
• Group work to research and present visually the key events, movements etc. which have influenced writers of their chosen time period. Students create a working wall display which can be added to during the course.
• Students predict the aspects of their chosen time period for study and explore how these (and others) are represented in a range of literary prose extracts.

• Paper 2, Section B unseen literary prose extract could be either fiction or non-fiction and so students should be exposed to non-fiction examples (autobiography, letters, diaries etc.) during the course.
• Appropriate extracts from past papers on the legacy specification LTA1B (WW1) or LTA1C (Struggle for Identity in Modern Literature) might be used.
• The specification lists possible broad aspects of each time period for study. This is not an exhaustive list and students will find other interesting aspects through the study of their set texts and wider reading from the period.

Paper 2: ‘WW1 and its aftermath’ OR 'Modern times: Literature from 1945 to the present day’

• Prose Study

• Continue analysis of prose extracts at key points of the set prose text study to exemplify relevant aspects of the chosen time period.
• Ensure students are familiar with the conventions of prose fiction of the time and how their set prose text reflects these or otherwise.
• Students analyse their set prose text and unseen prose extracts for: narrative structure; use of time and place; characterisation and point of view.
• Students consider the representation of key aspects of their chosen time period in their set prose text, how this reflects the time in which the text was written and how this compares with the representation of these aspects in other reading from this period (including the unseen prose extracts).
• Students might consider TV/film adaptations and/or critical views of their set prose text to engage with possible alternative interpretations.

• Across Sections A and B of paper 2, students need to have studied one prose, one poetry and one drama text, at least one of which must be chosen from the core set text list for use in Section A.
• If the prose text is a core set text, and might be used in Section A of the exam, students should practise responses to single text exam questions on their prose text.
• For possible activities for prose text study see the Autumn term teaching plan (Co-teaching programme of study).

Paper 2: ‘WW1 and its aftermath’ OR ‘Modern times: Literature from 1945 to the present day’

• Drama study

• Continue analysis of unseen prose extracts at key points of the set drama text study to exemplify relevant aspects of the chosen time period.
• Ensure students are familiar with the conventions of drama of the time and how their set text reflects these or otherwise.
• Students analyse their set drama text for: dramatic structure; stagecraft; dramatic characterisation and dramatic speech and language.
• Students consider the representation of key aspects of their chosen time period in their set drama text, how this reflects the time in which the text was written and how this compares with the representation of these aspects in other reading from this period (including the prose set text and the unseen prose extracts).
• Students might consider TV/film adaptations and/or critical views of their set text to engage with possible alternative interpretations.

• If the drama text is a core set text, and might be used in Section A of the exam, students should practise responses to single text exam questions on their drama text.
• If the drama text might be compared to the prose text in Section B of the exam, students should be noting links between the drama and prose text as they are studying it.

Paper 2: ‘WW1 and its aftermath’ OR ‘Modern times: Literature from 1945 to the present day’

• Poetry study

• Continue analysis of unseen prose extracts at key points of the set poetry text study to exemplify relevant aspects of the chosen time period.
• Ensure students are familiar with the conventions of poetry of the time and how their set poetry text reflects these or otherwise.
• Students analyse their set poetry text for: subject matter; voice, attitudes and ideas; poetic structure; imagery; sound effects.
• Students consider the representation of key aspects of their chosen time period in their set poetry text, how this reflects the time in which the text was written and how this compares with the representation of these aspects in other reading from this period (including the set prose and drama texts and the unseen prose extracts).
• Students might consider critical views of their set poetry text to engage with possible alternative interpretations.

• If the poetry text is a core set text, and might be used in Section A of the exam, students should practise response to single text exam questions on their poetry text.
• If the poetry text might be compared to the drama or prose text in Section B of the exam, students should be noting links between the poetry and drama/prose text as they are studying it.

Paper 2: ‘WW1 and its aftermath’ OR ‘Modern times: Literature from 1945 to the present day’

Revision and essay writing focus

• Unseen prose
• Single text
• Comparison of two texts.

• Students revise their set texts.
• Students produce maps to show links between the texts which (potentially) will be compared in Section B for: the broad aspects of their chosen time period; authorial methods; contextual factors; different interpretations.
• Students revise the key events, movements etc. which have influenced writers of their chosen time period for Paper 2.
• Students revise key passages from their set texts for close analysis in the open-book exam.
• Students work with a copy of the assessment objectives, sample exam questions and specimen question commentaries which model how questions are set to enable students to address all the AOs. Activities might include: writing of their own exam questions; annotation of exemplar scripts; pair planning and writing of exam responses before individual exam responses are written.

• Across Sections A and B of Paper 2, students need to have studied one prose, one poetry and one drama text, one of which MUST have been written post-2000.
• If students have studied one core set text and two comparative set texts they will go into the exam knowing which texts will be used in Sections A and B. If, however, they have studied more than one core set text, they may still go into the exam knowing which core set text they will use in Section A; alternatively they may decide once they have read the exam paper. Preparation for the exam will need to reflect the approach preferred by the centre or teacher.
• AQA resource packages are available for all question types for Paper 2. These will help students and teachers with understanding the subtly different approaches required for the different question types and with setting their own practice exam questions.

Paper 2, Texts in shared contexts

NEA Text 1

Appropriate secondary sources

• Students study their first NEA text and research appropriate secondary sources. Wider reading around the NEA texts might include: biographical works; other texts by the same author; TV, film and stage adaptations; critical sources.
• Students consider the areas of interest arising from their study and possible texts for comparison (with teacher support where appropriate).

• Different centres will have different approaches to the NEA study depending upon a centre’s particular context. AQA consider all approaches to be equally valid providing a degree of independence is expected from, and demonstrated by, students. This can be achieved through text choice, choice of supporting secondary sources and task choice.
• Students may have completely individual choice of two texts for comparison and of task (with appropriate teacher guidance).
• Students may all study one common text with individual choice of the second text, area of comparison and task.
• Students may all study one common text and have choice of the second text from a given list with independent choice of area of comparison and of task.

Paper 1: ‘Love through the ages’

• Introduction to the theme
• Section B: unseen poetry.

• Students should become familiar with possible broad aspects of love for study.
• Students should begin to understand that attitudes to love in a text may be dependent upon the time in which it was written.
• Students might develop an ‘English Literature through time’ grid which can record the changing literary conventions and attitudes to the representation of love; within this, students should research the key poetry movements across time.
• Revise the skills of poetry analysis from Year 1 and introduce students to a range of poetry from across time to consider how it reflects the literary conventions and attitudes to love of the time in which it was written. Poems should be selected which collectively address a wide range of aspects of love.
• Students should practise comparative analysis of two poems about love from different time periods.

• Students will be negotiating their NEA task with their teacher and drafting their NEA response. It may be appropriate to factor in one-to-one NEA tutorials this half-term.
• The specification lists possible broad aspects of love for study. This is not an exhaustive list and students will find other interesting aspects through the study of their set texts and wider reading around this topic.
• Appropriate unseen poetry comparisons from past papers on the legacy specification LITA3 (Love through the ages) might be used.

Paper 1: ‘Love through the ages’

• Section A: Shakespeare

• Students analyse their Shakespeare play for: dramatic structure; stagecraft; dramatic characterisation and dramatic speech and language.
• Students consider the representation of aspects of love in their Shakespeare play, how this reflects the time in which the play was written and how this compares with the representation of these aspects in other reading about love from across time. (Unseen poems can continue to be studied alongside the play to exemplify this.)
• Students might consider TV, film or stage adaptations and/or critical views of their Shakespeare play to engage with possible alternative interpretations and how these reflect contexts of reception.
• Students should practise analysis of key passages from the play, each for the representation of a particular aspect of love, and make links to the wider play.

Paper 1: ‘Love through the ages’

Section C: Prose text

• Students analyse their set prose text for: narrative structure; use of time and place, characterisation and point of view.
• Students consider the representation of aspects of love in their set prose text, how this reflects the time in which the novel was written and how this compares with the representation of these aspects in other reading about love from across time (including the unseen poems, Shakespeare play and poetry anthology).
• Students might consider TV/film adaptations and/or critical views of their novel to engage with possible alternative interpretations and how these reflect contexts of reception.

Paper 1: ‘Love through the ages’

Section C: Poetry anthology

• Students analyse their set poetry text for: subject matter; voice, attitudes and ideas; poetic structure; imagery and sound effects.
• Students consider the representation of aspects of love in their poetry anthology, how this reflects the time in which the poems were written and how this compares with the representation of these aspects in other reading about love from across time (including the unseen poems, Shakespeare play and prose text).
• Students might consider critical views of their anthology poems to engage with possible alternative interpretations.
• Students produce maps to show links between the anthology poems and the prose text for: the broad aspects of love; authorial methods; contextual factors; different interpretations.
• Students should practise comparative analysis of their novel and poetry anthology for the representation of a range of aspects of love.

Revision and exam essay writing skills

Paper 1:

• Shakespeare
• Unseen poetry
• Comparison of poetry and prose

Paper 2:

• Single text
• Unseen prose
• Comparison of two texts

• Students revise their set texts.
• Students revise key quotations for Paper 1, Section A closed-book exam.
• Students revise key passages from their set texts for close analysis in open-book exams.
• Students revise the changing literary conventions and attitudes to the representation of love across time including the key poetry movements.
• Students revise the key events, movements, etc., which have influenced writers of their chosen time period for Paper 2.
• Students practise analysis of unseen poetry and unseen prose.
• Students revise the connections between the set texts to be used for comparative responses in Paper 1, Section C and Paper 2, Section B.
• Students respond to practise exam questions, including: writing of their own exam questions; annotation of exemplar scripts; pair planning and writing of exam responses before individual exam responses are written.

• AQA resource packages are available for all question types on all exam papers. These will help students and teachers with understanding the subtly different approaches required for the different question types and with setting their own practice exam questions.

Paper 1, Love through the ages

Paper 2, Texts in shared contexts