Co-teaching guide: Love through the ages
Our AS and A-level English Literature courses provide strong stand-alone qualifications that are fully co-teachable, so you can choose the approach that best suits your and your students’ needs.
The features that make them so co-teachable include:
- the same Assessment objectives (AOs) across AS and A-level
- a common mark scheme across all components of AS and A-level
- A-level texts available to students at AS
- AS content mirrors that of A-level Paper 1.
Love through the ages
Below, we outline how to co-teach the 'Love through the ages' content for both AS and A-level English Literature A.
AS paper/ section | AS assessment | A-level paper/ section | A-level assessment | Additional guidance |
|---|
| Paper 1
Section A | Study of one Shakespeare play.
Choice of:
Othello
Taming of the Shrew
Measure for Measure
The Winter’s Tale | Paper 1 Section A | Students are required to write about a passage from the play (passage printed in paper), and open out to wider play | The same Shakespeare play can be taught to both AS and A-level students.
Both AS/A-level assessments include a question which focuses on a passage and which invites links to the wider play so all students can be prepared in the same way |
| Students are required to write about a passage from the play (passage printed in paper), and open out to wider play | | | The necessary difference in demand in the assessment between AS/A-level lies in the increased complexity of the given view at A-level and in the provision of a stepped question at AS.
The stepped AS questions can also be used as a starting point for A-level students before they move onto questions without this scaffolding |
| Paper 1
Section B | Students respond to question on a poem from their choice of poetry anthologies (Pre/post-1900). The poem is printed in the paper | Paper 1 Section B | Students respond to two unseen poems | The poetry anthologies can be used to prepare A-level students for the unseen poetry in Paper 1, Section B.
A choice of both anthologies is available as the compulsory poetry text for A-level, Paper 1, Section C comparison |
| Paper 2
Section A | Students respond to one unseen prose extract | Paper 1
Section C | Students compare two texts, one prose and one poetry (minimum two poems) | AS preparation for unseen prose is useful for A-level students who will approach unseen prose in Paper 2, Section B.
Both AS and A-level students will be learning the required skills of comparison |
| Paper 2
Section B | Students compare two set prose texts | | | AS students can select prose texts from the same set text list as A-level students.
The additional prose text required at AS can be used as wider reading for A-level students and provides them with choice of prose text for comparison on Paper 1, Section C.
A-level students can study one of the two additional prose texts which appear on the AS set text list only for use in NEA. |