You are studying English Literature AQA A (7711/1) A2. There are sample papers and markschemes here: http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/english/as-and-a-level/english-literature-a-7711-7712/assessment-resources

A LEVEL ENGLISH LITERATURE EXAM PAPERS

* The only ‘closed book’ question is on Othello. For all the other texts you will be provided with a ‘clean’ (unannotated) copy of the text you have studied in the exam. * The same assessment objectives (AO1, AO2, AO3, AO4 and AO5) apply to all exam questions and you will be reminded of these on the first page of the exam papers. * There is no choice of question, except where stated (eg. Paper 1, section C, Paper 2,Section A)

PAPER 1 LOVE THROUGH THE AGES (3 hours)

40% of A level - 75 marks ● Section A (25 marks) Passage from Shakespeare’s Othello with a linked question. Typical wording: ‘Statement about the play’. In the light of this view discuss how Shakespeare presents [x] in this extract and elsewhere.’ ● Section B (25 marks) Unseen poetry - a question on two unseen/unprepared poems. Typical wording: It has been said that poet 1 does such and such while poet 2 does such and such. Compare and contrast the presentation of love in the following poems in the light of this comment. ● Section C (25 marks) Tess of the D’Urbervilles and an Anthology of post 1900 poetry on the theme of love. Typical wording: ‘Compare how the authors of two texts you have studied present ideas about [issue/idea eg. passion/barriers to love etc.]’ (choice of 1 question out of 2 choices)

PAPER 2 TEXTS IN SHARED CONTEXTS. OPTION B - LITERATURE FROM 1945 TO THE PRESENT DAY (2 and ½ hours)

40% of A level - 75 marks Texts studied: A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams; Feminine Gospels, ; The Handmaid’s Tale, For this paper you will have to choose (on the day of the exam or in your head beforehand) one of 3 options within the paper itself. (Option 2 is given below as an example).

* Option 1 = single essay on Feminine Gospels, then comparison of Streetcar and Handmaid’s Tale (choice of 1 question out of 2 choices) * Option 2 = single essay on Streetcar, then comparison of Feminine Gospels and Handmaid’s Tale * Option 3 = single essay on Handmaid’s Tale, then comparison of Feminine Gospels and Streetcar

● Section A (eg. option 2) (25 marks) Typical wording: ‘Examine the view that Streetcar ‘. . . or [quotation] and ‘Examine this view of Streetcar’ (choice of 1 question out of 2 choices) ● Section B (eg. option 2) (25 marks) Unseen prose extract (extract from a novel or short story published after 1945) Typical wording: Examine the significance of [issue/idea eg. isolation/passion/repression] in this extract Contextual linking of two texts (25 marks) Typical wording: [quotation giving a view] Compare the significance of [issue/idea eg. isolation/passion/repression] in two other texts you have studied (For option 2 you would answer on Feminine Gospels and The Handmaid’s Tale)

Love through the ages

AQAs list of topics to look at: Although not an exhaustive list of aspects of Love through the ages, areas that can ​ usefully be explored include: romantic love of many kinds; love and sex; love and loss; social conventions and taboos; love through the ages according to history and time; love through the ages according to individual lives (young love, maturing love); jealousy and guilt; truth and deception; proximity and distance; marriage; approval and disapproval

Othello

1. Re-read the play. If you struggle to understand any bits, compare with a modern translation online – Sparknotes has ‘No Fear Shakespeare’ for this. It sounds horrible but at least you’ll understand the meaning. Look for passages related to love that might be possible extracts to analyse in depth. Remember you are given an extract and you are asked to do a close analysis of it and link it to the wider text. 2. Do a map of the play. Here’s a reminder of stuff you could include: Go through all your notes on Othello and make sure they are in a logical order. Brief summary of what happens Comments on language and register: verse- rhyming couplets, formal, rhetorical, ceremonial, fractured, calm? prose – intimate, conspiratorial, bawdy, demotic, a letter? Themes/Imagery- the exam is called ‘Love through the ages’ so focus on love/passion/courtly love/marriage/jealousy. However it is worth looking at the other themes and how they tie into love e.g. race/gender/appearance vs reality etc Stagecraft – presentation of character, soliloquy, aside, effect of entrances/exits, action, tension/suspense, comic relief, pace e.g. short, fast scenes Interpretation – points of debate, e.g. Othello is a tyrant and seals his fate/Othello is fragile and needs help Context – any RELEVANT context. Historical, social, literary etc. greek tragedy, perception of Venice and Italy in the Renaissance, Jacobean era and James 1st, Moors, Shakespeare’s sources. THIS DOESN’T MEAN YOU HAVE TO COVER EVERY BULLET FOR EACH SCENE – YOU MUST USE YOUR OWN JUDGEMENT TO INCLUDE WHAT’S IMPORTANT

3. Create quote cards and keep them about your person for regular perusal. Aim to have quotes from different characters/themes related to love. 4. Read your Othello booklet and the critical/contextual materials you have been given. Pull out a few big, interesting ideas and record on your index cards. Make sure you can link the ideas to episodes from the text. 5. Watch some productions of Othello. YouTube is a good place to start. See links below. 6. Speed plan answers for the questions in your booklet. Perhaps even write an essay (happy to mark any extra essays you do). The more practice the better!

Unseen poetry 1. The AQA LITA3 was an old specification but it had unseen poetry element. This website has some of these past papers and sample responses. This is an old spec so some of the elements differ (construction of question/need to link to another anthology) but it it may help to practice questions/ get ideas about what to write: http://www.sandwich-tech.kent.sch.uk/313/english-literature 2. This is the book I got the ‘Valentine’ analysis from. If you found it helpful you might want to get the book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Art-Poetry-GCSE-Beyond/dp/0993077854/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1481808092&sr= 8-2&keywords=neil+bowen+art+of+poetry 3. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-Aj7x6gMaAzyRdjumhn9BkhOiaOfVnlJ1kViAp2WLGo/edit?usp=sharing is ​ the grid I have given you with key terms. 4. This is the guide on how to construct a comparison argument: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TVw0a8_8BBLmXzcor7YVpx8yrEtzCMLJpb6pe_gKLOA/edit?usp=sharing

Tess and the AQA Anthology of Love Poetry through the Ages Post-1900 You need to refer to at least 2 of the poems from the anthology in your comparison. Identify the poems that link closely to Tess and revise these. There may be a poem or a few poems that don’t link that well and are therefore not worth revising in detail. 1. Read through your anthology and make notes on how the poems link to Tess. The links might be by theme/imagery/structure. 2. You will always be writing about love in some way: infidelity, women/men, unrequited, pursuit of love, love making you complete, love transforming, forbidden love, betrayal in love. Think about the way love is portrayed in Tess and what links you might be able to make to the poems. Perhaps create mind maps around each of these ideas with events, quotations, lines that link. 3. Viewpoint has useful resources including powerpoints from lessons, sample essays and a blank copy of the anthology: http://viewpoint.qmc.ac.uk/sites/ELI-3D-N-H/AS-Eng-lit-new/pa/Shared%20Documents/Forms/AllItems.aspx 4. Check you have annotated all the poems in your booklet. If you haven’t, ask a friend for a copy of their notes and check viewpoint for a powerpoint from the lesson. There is a good book with essays on these poems The Art of Poetry: AQA Love Poems Through the Ages, Post 1900 poems (Volume 5) Paperback – August 19, 2016 Neil Bowen and others.https://www.amazon.co.uk/Art-Poetry-Poems-Through-poems/dp/0995467102/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1 ​ 481805490&sr=8-5&keywords=art+of+poetry+neil+bowen The Study Revise guide is also good as it is designed for this specification. Study and Revise for AS/A-level: AQA Anthology: love poetry through the ages (Study & Revise for As/a Level) Paperback – 29 Jan 2016 by Luke McBratney: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Study-Revise-AS-level-Anthology/dp/1471853837/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_3?_encoding =UTF8&psc=1&refRID=8NMCTNESWD1RRYVF1952 Can be bought from other outlets! ​ 5. Create a grid like the one below for each of the poems:

Types of Verse imagery Figurative language allusio Sound patterning Structure Anything love form (metaphor/simile) n (rhyme, assonance (caesura/enjambment else you etc) etc) notice

6. This is the document linking the poetry to Tess: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1G2P_SgZ3EzD2neOrefpdi_iOlkqgMfOil_BjqBcK20M/edit?usp=sharing Alternatively you can create your own... To find quotations from Tess you can use this etext. Just do CTRL+ F to find a particular word/expression. http://www.gutenberg.org/files/110/110-h/110-h.htm The specimen paper gives us an example of the type of question you are likely to get. Compare how the authors of two texts you have studied present ideas about passion. Compare how the authors of two texts you have studied present barriers to love. You will always be writing about love in some way: infidelity, women/men, unrequited, pursuit of love, love making you complete, love transforming, forbidden love, betrayal in love. Think about the way love is portrayed in Tess and what links you might be able to make to the poems.

Poem Quotation/s from poem that links in some way. Explain why. Themes/ideas/structure points that link to Tess. Quote from Tess if you can. You can do differences.

I, being... 7. Think about the contexts of the texts. Tess: rural life and industrialisation, the question of ‘purity’, modernity and old aristocracy, realism, the different versions of the text etc… make comparisons/contrast points to the times the poems were set e.g. roles of women, work, modernism/post-modernism, attitudes about sex etc... 8. Devise questions and then write plans for them. The questions take the form of: Compare how the authors of two ​ texts you have studied present ideas about (topic related to love). Think about the topics related to love and ​ place them in the brackets e.g. infidelity, women/men, unrequited, pursuit of love, love making you complete, love transforming, forbidden love, betrayal in love.

Modern Times AQAs list of topics to look at: Although not an exhaustive list of aspects of Modern times, areas that can usefully be ​ explored include: wars and the legacy of wars; personal and social identity; changing morality and social structures; gender, class, race and ethnicity; political upheaval and change; resistance and rebellion; imperialism, post-imperialism and nationalism; engagement with the social, political, personal and literary issues which have helped to shape the latter half of the 20th century and the early decades of the 21st century.

Streetcar 1. Do a map of the play. Here’s a reminder of stuff you could include: Go through all your notes on Streetcar and make sure they are in a logical order.

● Brief summary of what happens ● Remember A02. Annotate the play looking particularly at: monologues, soliloquies,expressionism, staging, build up to climax at the end of each scene, lighting, music, tragedy, the construction of 11 scenes,exposition, imagery, symbolism, characterisation (clothing, actions, dialogue (formality), denouement (the final resolution of the intricacies of a plot), effect of entrances/exits, action, tension/suspense, comic relief, pace e.g. short, fast scenes ● For A05 interpretation – points of debate, e.g. Stella’s treatment of Blanche at the end is understandable or Stella’s treatment of Blanche is callous. For A05 You may want to discuss Benedict Andrews’ 2014 staging choices. You may also comment on Elia Kazan’s 1951 film (worth looking again at the censorship of homosexuality). ● Themes/Imagery- the exam is called ‘Modern times’ so focus on themes such as: identity/gender/politics/social changes. ● Context – any RELEVANT context. Historical, social, literary, biographical etc.. expressionist theatre, homosexuality/mental health stigmas, gender roles, Tennessee Williams’ life and other plays (gay, his sister’s mental health (she had a prefrontal lobotomy and was institutionalised), father’s alcoholism (use a sprinkling of biographical context)), Old South vs the New, post WW2 rebuilding, crisis of masculinity, jazz and other musical allusions, Southern Belle. ● THIS DOESN’T MEAN YOU HAVE TO COVER EVERY BULLET FOR EACH SCENE – YOU MUST USE YOUR OWN JUDGEMENT TO INCLUDE WHAT’S IMPORTANT

2. Although it is an open book exam it is still a good idea to revise quotes.Create quote cards and keep them about your person for regular perusal. Aim to have quotes from different characters/themes. 3. Read your Streetcar booklet and the critical/contextual materials you have been given. Pull out a few big, interesting ideas and record on your index cards. Make sure you can link the ideas to episodes from the text. Watch the productions of Streetcar. 4. Speed plan answers for the questions in your booklet. Perhaps even write an essay (happy to mark any extra essays you do). The more practice the better!

Handmaid’s 1. A02: not a complete list- fragmented postmodern narrative,doubling, unreliable narrator, defamiliarization, tense shifts, dystopia, (that bit at the end), exposition, imagery, symbolism, characterisation (clothing, actions, dialogue (formality), denouement (posh word for ending- the final resolution of the intricacies of a plot) 2. A03: Handmaid’s first published 1986: Atwood wrote it shortly after the elections of Ronald Reagan in the United States and Margaret Thatcher in Great Britain, during a period of conservative revival in the West partly fueled by a strong, well-organized movement of religious conservatives who criticized what they perceived as the excesses of the “sexual revolution” of the 1960s and 1970s. The growing power of this “religious right” heightened feminist fears that the gains women had made in previous decades would be reversed. Other dystopias (1984/Brave New World) 1980s fears about declining birthrates, the dangers of nuclear power, and -environmental degradation. Puritanism. Totalitarian states. Cultural Revolution China/Hitler’s germany. 1980s Iran (particularly Islamic fundamentalists view of women). Allusions to biblical texts/religious movements. Margaret Atwood has commented on the Handmaid’s relevance to today: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/10/books/review/margaret-atwood-handmaids-tale-age-of-trump.html?_r=0 you ​ could get all political in the exam if you wanted! 3. Re-read the novel and pull out the best quotes. You could do this via character/theme. See list of themes above. 4. Don’t watch the film version but hopefully the hulu version will be good. 5. Read your booklet and pull out good critical quotes and ideas.

Feminine Gospels 1. A02: listing, enjambment, caesura, end stop, internal rhyme, conceits, metamorphosis, ambiguity, the particular and general, colloquial language and idioms, sibilance, consonance, definite modality, black comedy, allusion, alliteration, near sonnet form, active/passive voice, past/present tense etc. 2. A03: Afghani/Iraq war, feminism and presentation of women through history, hysteria, male gaze, herstory, capitalism/consumerism, allusions to events/people/things (look these up and perhaps do a bit more research), postmodern writer, fairytale tradition, biblical allusions. 3. Use the grids in the back of the booklet to link together ideas.

Linking the texts Modern times, areas that can usefully be explored include: wars and the legacy of wars; personal and social identity; changing morality and social structures; gender, class, race and ethnicity; political upheaval and change; resistance and rebellion; imperialism, post-imperialism and nationalism; engagement with the social, political, personal and literary issues which have helped to shape the latter half of the 20th century and the early decades of the 21st century. Look at these themes and think about which ones are relevant to your texts.

Create quote banks and links between texts perhaps looking at: Not an extensive list: Identity,motherhood, gender roles, political change, environmental change, fertility, homosexuality, mental health, transgressive women.

This is a grid linking the texts. It is better you create your own as you will remember this more but this might give you some ideas: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OuaqhxJ2BRi6ikUJWsovdYTDxLpBtpFvYkZz6YJhkRQ/edit?usp=sharing

Essay titles to plan/write paragraphs or essays

Love through the ages: Paper 1 Tess and poetry. Compare how the authors of two texts you have studied (ie Tess and the Anthology) present the ways ​ love is affected by social conventions and taboos. Compare how the authors of two texts you have studied (Tess and the Anthology) present ideas about the pursuit of love Othello. Find extracts (about A4 size) and think about how they present: jealousy, passion, marriage etc... ​ Unseen poetry. For poetry the poetry foundation has poems by theme. Print out random poems related to love and ​ have a stab at analysing them. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems#page=1&subjects=20

Modern times: Paper 2 Comparison questions (linking 2 texts out of the 3 studied- Streetcar, Handmaid’s and Feminine Gospels.) ​ ‘Modern literature shows us identity is always shaped by society’ Compare the significance of society in two of the text you have studied. Remember to include in your answer reference to how meanings are shaped in the texts you are comparing.

‘Modern literature’s driving force is the suppression of sexual desire’ Compare the significance of society in two of the text you have studied. Remember to include in your answer reference to how meanings are shaped in the texts you are comparing.

Modern literature shows characters struggling to come to terms with the changing world. Compare the significance of people coming to terms with change in two other texts you have studied. Remember to ​ ​ include in your answer reference to how meanings are shaped in the texts you are comparing.

Streetcar The restraints that society imposes are felt as sharply by male as female characters. Examine this view of A Streetcar Named Desire.

Our greatest fear is not death, but being alone. Examine this view of A Streetcar Named Desire.

Handmaid’s ‘In Gilead, power gets to decide what’s true.’ Examine this view of Atwood’s presentation of truth in The Handmaid’s Tale.

‘Atwood presents Gilead’s control of language as the core of its power.’ Examine this view of Atwood’s presentation of language in The Handmaid’s Tale.

Feminine Gospels A critic has said of ‘Feminine Gospels’ that it is “all sound and fury that deafens rather than delights”. Examine this view.

“The collection teaches us about the joys and responsibilities of sisterhood.” Examine this view.

Examine the view that Feminine Gospels ‘presents suffering as a key element of female experience.’

‘Auden said poetry makes nothing happen. But I wonder if the opposite could be true. It could make something happen.’ (Carol Ann Duffy) Examine the view that Duffy’s poems want to ‘make something happen’

For unseen prose this blog has a number of extracts you could analyse using the question: ​ ​ Explore the significance of identity in this extract. Remember to include in your answer relevant detailed analysis of the way (author) shapes meanings in texts. https://aggsliterature.wordpress.com/2009/03/15/novels-which-explore-the-struggle-for-modern-identity/

Resources Websites Crossreflit is a really good study site. It has specific guides on Handmaid’s, Othello, Tess and poetry: ​ http://crossref-it.info/ Sparknotes, shmoop and litcharts are all good revision guides online: Litcharts: http://www.litcharts.com/lit/othello http://www.litcharts.com/lit/tess-of-the-d-urbervilles ​ ​ Sparknotes: http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/othello/ http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/tess/ ​ ​ Shmoop: http://www.shmoop.com/othello/ http://www.shmoop.com/tess-of-the-durbervilles/ ​ ​ These are useful to create quote banks, understand key themes and check your knowledge. If you are really struggling to understand Shakespeare, sparknotes have something called No Fear Shakespeare which translates the lines into modern English. On the whole, it is good, however, be careful as it doesn’t pick up all the subtleties of the text.

Project gutenberg is useful for getting etexts of texts out of copyright. You can find Tess and Othello on here and do ​ ctrl+F to find specific quotes. Useful for building quote banks and knowing how often a particular word is used in a text: https://www.gutenberg.org/

Futurelearn run online courses. Register your interest in https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/othello and ​ ​ ​ https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/shakespeare-and-his-world run by the University of Birmingham and the University ​ of Warwick.

Peripeteia is aimed at students studying English at A-Level or University, and facilitates discussion on everything from ​ to James Joyce, prolific short story writers to the War Poets. Some useful essays hidden in this site on Streetcar and the poetry anthology http://peripeteia.webs.com/ ​

Books Hodder education have written revision guides designed for your specification. They are part of the Study and Revise ​ collection. Obviously don’t buy them all! There are copies in the library and perhaps buy a guide if the text has been a particular struggle. If you are on a bursary at college ask Denise Valler if we can purchase copies for you. Othello:https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Books/Study-Revise-level-Othello-Eurostars-Pete-Bunten/1471853926/ref=s ​ ​ r_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481808448&sr=8-1&keywords=study+revise+othello Tess:ttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Study-Revise-level-DUrbervilles-Level/dp/1471854019/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid= ​ ​ 1481808539&sr=8-1&keywords=study+revise+tess Streetcar:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Study-Revise-AS-level-Streetcar-x/dp/147185373X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qi ​ ​ d=1481808578&sr=8-1&keywords=study+revise+streetcar Post 1900 poetry:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Study-Revise-AS-level-Anthology/dp/1471853837/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1 ​ ​ 481808640&sr=8-3&keywords=study+revise+poetry

Yorknotes and the Phillip Allen guides are also good and you can often pick up cheap copies of these in charity shops. ​

A Little History of Literature by John Sutherland gives a general overview of literature through the ages. It is very ​ accessible and a good way of getting your head around the different eras.

The Art of Fiction by David Lodge will help you understand different elements of the novel. It is written for ​ undergraduates so it is probably for someone who intends to study English at university.

Neil Bowen runs the peripeteia website and has written guides on essay writing and poetry. They are very good. ​ The Art of Writing English Literature Essays: for A-level & Beyond Paperback – 26 Jul 2015 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Writing-English-Literature-Essays-level/dp/099307782X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=148180897 0&sr=8-1&keywords=essay+writing+neil+bowen The Art of Poetry: AQA Love Poems Through the Ages, Post 1900 poems: Volume 5 Paperback – 19 Aug 2016 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Art-Poetry-Poems-Through-poems/dp/0995467102/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1481809034&sr =8-4&keywords=poetry+neil+bowen Unseen poetry. How to analyse: The Art of Poetry: For GCSE and Beyond: Volume 1 Paperback – 14 Nov 2015 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Art-Poetry-GCSE-Beyond/dp/0993077854/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1481809076&sr=8-2&key words=poetry+neil+bowen

Videos Streetcar directed by Benedict Andrews 2014 https://archive.org/details/AStreetcarNamedDesireWithGillianAnderson ​ ​ Streetcar directed by Elia Kazan 1951 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtggzzLbq5M

BBC 2008 Tess of the d’Urbervilles (quite true to the original text so useful to help remember plot- not all that interesting ​ for different interpretations): http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2739yo_tess-2008-part-1_shortfilms ​

Lego version of Othello (really awful acting!): https://archive.org/details/Othlego1.1 ​ ​

Adrian Lester (Othello) and other cast members discuss the 2013 production of Othello at the National Theatre.National ​ ​ Theatre Discover’s playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyoCIwJn9Ic&list=PLJgBmjHpqgs5wXwlfECRu-9bcLtoYSPKI Not all the links work but this is a good way of seeing how different directors interpret the play: http://www.readingart.net/othelloclips

Digital theatre plus has an adaptation of Othello and a documentary about Shakespeare and Italy. Username: ​ ​ ​ [email protected] Password: studentaccess122 https://www.digitaltheatreplus.com/plays-and-productions ​ ​ ​

Oxford University lecture on the feminist tradition in literature: ​ http://writersinspire.org/content/classical-feminist-tradition-lecture

Radio/Audio (Wider listening) In Our Time is a Radio 4 show that covers a specific historical, philosophical, religious, cultural or scientific topic. Melvyn ​ ​ Bragg hosts discussion of the week's subject featuring what Bragg has characterised as "three absolutely top-class ​ academics" on the subject. They are quite academic but are worth downloading to have on in the background when you lounge, run, bake, game. You never know what might stick! Tess of the d’Urbervilles: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b078zcrr ​ ​ marriage: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00548c2 ​ Shakespeare’s work: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00546s8 ​ ​ Shakespeare’s life: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00547ct ​ ​ Victorian pessimism: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007d9k6 ​ ​ Industrial revolution: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00wqdc7 ​ ​

University of Oxford has a series of lectures. http://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/units/faculty-english-language-and-literature Here ​ ​ ​ is Emma Smith’s lecture on Othello: http://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/othello ​ ​ ​

Duffy reading some of her poems: ​ http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/english/writingprog/archive/writers/duffycarolann/090102/