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Qualification and assessment structure
Paper 1 and Paper 2 are each worth 40 percent and the independent critical study is worth 20 percent.
19
Objectives
10
Flashcards
10
Questions
90 min
Study time
AqaA LevelEnglish Literature AQualification structure and assessment objectives
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What you need to know
19 objective pages available
Updated specification boundary3 objectives
- Identify this curriculum source as the updated AQA 7712 specification for first assessment in 2027.
- Keep 2027 optional-text additions separate from the final-2026 specification version.
- Distinguish A-level English Literature A 7712 from AS English Literature A 7711.
Historicist course design4 objectives
- Explain the difference between diachronic and synchronic literary study.
- Connect texts to the contexts in which they are written, received and understood.
- Develop autonomous interpretations through comparison, wider reading and critical debate.
- Distinguish literary context from biography and unsupported historical background.
Paper 1 assessment4 objectives
- Describe Paper 1 as a three-hour examination worth 75 marks and 40 percent of the A-level.
- Explain that students study one Shakespeare play, one prose text and one poetry text, with one comparative text written pre-1900.
- Distinguish the Shakespeare passage-linked essay, unseen-poetry comparison and set-text comparison sections.
- Apply the open-book rule only to the comparative prose and poetry section.
Paper 2 assessment4 objectives
- Describe Paper 2 as a two-hour-thirty-minute open-book examination worth 75 marks and 40 percent of the A-level.
- Distinguish Option 2A WW1 and its aftermath from Option 2B Modern times.
- Explain that students study one prose, one poetry and one drama text, with at least one written post-2000.
- Distinguish the single set-text essay, unseen contextual-linking response and comparative essay.
Non-exam assessment4 objectives
- Describe the non-exam assessment as a comparative critical study of two texts worth 50 marks and 20 percent of the A-level.
- Explain that at least one selected text must be written pre-1900.
- Produce one extended comparative essay of 2500 words and a bibliography.
- Apply all five assessment objectives to the independent critical study.
Key terms
ThemeSymbolismNarrative voiceMotifDiachronicSynchronicIntertextualityCultural ContextContextual analysisContextual AnalysisAssessment structureComparative analysis
Exam tips
- Close Reading: Pay attention to language choices, imagery, and structure in the text.
- Use textual evidence: Always support your arguments with specific examples from the text.
Common mistakes
- Overlooking Context: Always consider how the context influences the themes and characters in the text.
- Over-reliance on plot summary: Focus on interpreting the text and providing textual evidence to support your analysis.
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