GCSE English Literature

In this course, students are prepared for AQA GCSE English Literature (8702). The following four units are studied sequentially across Years 10 and 11. (For information about English Language, click here.)

Unit Content

Unit 1

Modern Drama: An Inspector Calls

Students study J. B. Priestley’s modern classic An Inspector Calls in order to develop their understanding of how writers construct meaning and how texts are shaped by the contexts in which they are produced. Through their study of this text, students develop a greater understanding of how key themes such as isolation, class division, generational divides, gender and social responsibility can be addressed in literature.

Sources and/or texts:

Key knowledge developed:

  • Knowing the characters, plot and themes of Priestley's play
  • Understanding how Priestley uses linguistic, structural and theatrical devices to create meaning
  • Understanding how twentieth-century society influenced the production of the play

Key skills developed:

  • How to learn, recall and interpret a range of key quotations from across the play
  • How to select a range of relevant information from the play in order to present an argument
  • How to produce a confident, personalised response that explores a range of aspects of the text

Assessment: Students' knowledge of this text is assessed in exam conditions as part of the mock exam series for Paper 2. Students write an extended, essay-style response to a thematic or character-based question.

Unit 2

Shakespeare Study: Macbeth

Students study Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth in order to develop their understanding of how writers construct meaning and how texts are shaped by the contexts in which they are produced. Through their study of this text, students develop a greater understanding of how key themes such as guilt, responsibility, murder, death and the supernatural can be addressed in literature.

Sources and/or texts:

Key knowledge developed:

  • Knowing the characters, plot and themes of the play
  • Understanding how Shakespeare uses linguistic, structural and theatrical devices to create meaning
  • Understanding how Jacobean society influenced the writing of the play

Key skills developed:

  • How to navigate an extract from the play, interpreting and analysing it with confidence
  • How to learn, recall and interpret a range of key quotations from across the play
  • How to select a range of relevant information from across the play in order to present an argument
  • How to produce a confident, personalised response that explores a range of aspects of the text

Assessment: Students' knowledge of this text is assessed in exam conditions as part of the mock exam series for Paper 1. Students write an extended, essay-style response to a thematic or character-based question.

Unit 3

Poetry: Power and Conflict Anthology

Understanding poetic forms and conventions is important in helping students to articulate emotions, thoughts and viewpoints. In this unit, students develop an understanding of poetic texts that have stood the test of time. They study 15 poems, covering key themes such as identity, the impact and reality of conflict, and individual emotions.

Sources and/or texts:

  • AQA provides an anthology for students to study as part of this course. Each student will be provided with their own paper copy of the anthology to annotate in class.

Key knowledge developed:

  • Understanding the ‘story’ of each of the 15 named poems
  • Understanding how poets use linguistic and structural devices to create meaning
  • Knowing relevant poetic terminology
  • Understanding how the context in which each poem was produced influenced its writing

Key skills developed:

  • How to learn, recall and interpret a range of key quotations from each of the poems
  • How to select a range of relevant information from across all the poems in order to present an argument or to draw a comparison
  • How to produce a confident, personalised response that compares how poets present their ideas

Assessment: Students' knowledge of the 15 poems is assessed in exam conditions as part of the mock exam series for Paper 2. Students write an extended, essay-style response to a thematic question in which they compare two poems. Separately, students are assessed on their response to a poem they have never studied before.

Unit 4


Nineteenth-century novel: A Christmas Carol

Students will study Charles Dickens' classic novella A Christmas Carol in order to develop their understanding of how texts construct meaning and how they are shaped by the contexts in which they are produced. Through their study of this text, students develop a greater understanding of how key themes such as guilt, responsibility, poverty, disability and the supernatural are addressed in literature.

Sources and/or texts:

Key knowledge developed:

  • Knowing the characters, plot and themes of the novella
  • Understanding how Dickens uses linguistic and structural devices to create meaning
  • Understanding how Victorian society influenced Dickens' writing

Key skills developed:

  • How to navigate an extract from the novella, interpreting and analysing it with confidence
  • How to learn, recall and interpret a range of key quotations from across the whole text
  • How to select a range of relevant information from across the whole text in order to present an argument
  • How to produce a confident, personalised response that explores a range of aspects of the text

Assessment: Students' knowledge of this text is assessed in exam conditions as part of the mock exam series for Paper 1. Students will need to write an extended, essay-style in response to a thematic or character-based question.