AS and A-Level

English Language and Literature

2015-2017

Welcome Pack and Induction Booklet

Key Staff:

Mrs. N. Goodger: Learning Leader for Key Stage 5 English. ngoodger@thehazeleyacademy.com

Mr. S. McGivern: Director of Learning for English. smcgivern@thehazeleyacademy.com

Mr. D. Lane: Literacy Co-ordinator. dlane@thehazeleyacademy.com

Mr. Lane will be teaching both English Language and Literature Option Blocks.

Mrs. G. Williamson: Director of English. gwilliamson@thehazeleyacademy.com

Key Texts:

As will be seen in the breakdown, there are several key texts for the exams. It is important

to make notes for revision purposes and have the texts in order to revise and complete

independent study.

We recommend that you purchase these texts to allow you to write in them. If you wish to,

we can arrange this to be done through school.

The versions that we have ordered are below, however feel free to buy whichever edition

you wish.

The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood. ISBN 10: 0099740915, ISBN 13: 9780099740919 The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini. ISBN 10: 140882485X, ISBN 13: 9781408824856 A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams. ISBN 10: 0811216020, ISBN 13: 9780811216029

Course and exam overview for AS and A-Level

Initially this course was advertised as a two-year course, however we have since then

decided to include the option of sitting the AS exam. This will allow students to check their

progress mid-way through the course and gain a qualification by the end of Year 12.

Entry requirements: B grade of the English Language GCSE Unit 1 Exam.

Much of what is studied for AS can be carried over to the A-Level exam at the end of Year

13.

AS Exam

At the end of Year 12, the AS Exams are taken. There are two Exam Papers for this.

Paper 1, Section A: a closed book, analytical response to an extract from The Handmaid’s

Tale by Margaret Atwood.

Paper 1, Section B: Comparative analysis of two named (and provided) poems from the

Robert Browning Anthology.

Paper 2, Section A: Comparative analysis of two named (and provided) texts from the Paris

Anthology.

Paper 2, Section B: Re-creative writing. Creative writing based on one of the named Paris

Anthology texts from Section A, followed by a commentary which explores how and why

you wrote it in this way.

A-Level Exam

At the end of Year 13, two exams are taken and one non-exam assessment is entered.

Paper 1, Section A: Comparative analysis of two named (and provided) texts from the Paris

Anthology.

Paper 1, Section B: A choice of two questions – only answer one. An open book, analytical

response to an extract from The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood followed by an

exploration of the rest of the novel.

Paper 1, Section C: A comparison of the Robert Browning Anthology poems. Choice of two

questions – only answer one.

Paper 2, Section A: Re-creative writing of The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, followed by a

commentary which explores how and why you wrote it in this way.

Paper 2, Section B: A choice of two questions – only answer one. An open book, analytical

response to a named section from A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams followed

by an exploration of the rest of the play.

Non-Exam Assessment (NEA) 20%

This replaces, what was originally, coursework. It is an independent, comparative study of a

theme or element within non-fiction and fiction texts.

You will study a range of extracts in class as a starting point, however you will be able to

choose your own to further develop your independent work. This will need to be discussed

with your class teacher, along with the point of comparison, to ensure the title is highly

appropriate to the unit.

It is worth 20% of the final A-Level. There is a strict NEA policy which we will be adhering to,

which means only two drafts will be handed in to your teacher for marking. We will begin

preparing for this after the AS exam and it will be completed by Christmas.

Year 12 and 13 Teaching Breakdown

12 Sept-Oct Nov-Dec Jan-Feb Feb-March April-May June-July

Exams from May

Exams

EJL Terminology and Analysis Induction

Paris Anthology - extracts

Paris Anthology: comparative writing

Robert Browning poetry

Revising, reviewing, developing

Introduction to NEA extracts

ESM /ENG

The Handmaid’s Tale

The Handmaid’s Tale

Creative writing skills

Re-creative and commentary writing

Revising, reviewing, developing

Streetcar Named Desire

13 Sept-Oct Nov-Dec Jan-Feb Feb-March April-May June-July

Exams

EJL NEA - development

NEA - completion

Robert Browning

Paris Anthology

Revising, reviewing, developing

ESM /ENG

The Kite Runner

The Kite Runner – Creative Writing and Commentary

The Handmaid’s Tale

Revising, reviewing, developing Streetcar Named Desire

Revising, reviewing, developing

Revising, reviewing, developing

Marking Criteria: Analysis

Marking Criteria: Creative Writing

Marking Criteria: Commentary Writing

Important Skills:

Analysis of a writer’s intentions

Identification and analysis of linguistic, literary and rhetorical devices

Comparison of texts

Supporting comments with quotation and/or textual references

Analysing the impact of social and historical context on the construction and reception of

fiction and non-fiction texts

Careful crafting of own creative texts

High standard of structural organisation and accuracy in spelling, grammar and punctuation

Understanding and criticism of your own work

Time management

Planning and organisation

Love of reading a wide range of fiction and non-fiction – you should be developing your

analytical skills by reading widely outside of class. At least one text per fortnight in addition

to what is studied for lessons

Enthusiasm and an enjoyment of English Language and Literature

Confidence to contribute to class discussions, debates and teaching and learning

Summer Homework – due your first English Literature lesson as a Year 12

This will go towards your PR1 assessment. Please look at the marking criteria to help you

with your responses.

1. To read The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, making detailed notes on how

the imagined world of Gilead and its characters are presented within the text.

Identify specific techniques used by the writer and relationships between the

characters. Include key quotes. This can be as a typed and bullet pointed document

or can be more creative in design. However you work best.

2. Write a mini-essay (400-500 words in length) exploring how the writer in the article

Paris Syndrome: A First-Class Problem for a First-Class Vacation presents Paris.

Analyse the writer’s use of devices to present Paris. You should consider:

• the language choices made and their likely effects • the audience and purpose of the text • aspects of mode.

Please return the pages with your essays, along with any annotations and planning.

(Analysis marking criteria)

3. Refer to the article Paris Syndrome: A First-Class Problem for a First-Class Vacation.

Recast this as a before and after Paris trip blog, where the writer is describing their expectations and the reality.

You might consider:

• what is appealing to the blogger beforehand • how the local area might best be described on their return. You should write about 300 words. (Creative writing marking criteria)

4. Then identify four specific examples of language in your writing and explain your reasons for using them.

You should write about 300 words. (Commentary marking criteria)

Paris Syndrome: A First-Class Problem for a First-

Class Vacation

At least 20 people this summer -- most of them Japanese -- have suffered from the disorder after realizing Paris isn't what they expected As tourist season here in Paris winds to a close and the air once again becomes crisp, fresh, and new, we must unfortunately acknowledge that it does not end without a few casualties. Yes, this summer, like the ones that have come before it, has claimed at least 20 victims of a very particular affliction: Paris Syndrome. And though it may sound like a disease unique to freshman girls with Le Chat Noir posters everywhere, it is a serious disorder that causes tourists, especially Japanese tourists, many problems on their trip through the City of Light. And what is Paris Syndrome, exactly? Simply put, it's a collection of physical and psychological symptoms experienced by first-time visitors realizing that Paris isn't, in fact, what they thought it would be.

It is no secret that the representation of Paris in entertainment is a limited one. If the subject matter even makes it past the World War II era, one is still usually going to get a fairly idealized picture. Watching movies set in Paris leaves one with an image of the city that is quaint, friendly, affluent, and likely still in black-and-white. When we use Paris in advertisements, it is invariably some non-threateningly attractive young woman riding a bike around the side streets or skipping down the Champs-Elysées, daintily nibbling a macaroon. We imagine the whole city just smells like Chanel No. 5 and has a government-mandated mime on every corner. And nowhere is this narrow view of Paris more prevalent than in Japan, where the media portrays the city as one filled with thin, gorgeous, unbelievably rich citizens. The three stops of a Parisian's day, according to the Japanese media, are a cafe, the Eiffel Tower, and Louis Vuitton.

This illness seems to have taken its place as the 21st century gout -- just slightly too privileged a

problem to sympathize with.

Yet, despite our international desire to imagine that this is a city where pigeons stay in the parks and the waiters occasionally burst into song, Paris can be a harsh place. It has its share of social

problems: crime, filth, inequality, and -- our special treat for the visitors -- not-so-friendly locals. Parisians are constantly breaking new scientific ground when it comes to being unaccommodating and even disdainful towards foreigners. If you do not speak French, you can look forward to stumbling through many uncomfortable, labored conversations with people who resent your very existence. The service industry, too, is notorious for treating tourists like something they recently scraped from the bottom of their shoes. Even the public transportation, instead of being the jolly metro cars in antique underground stations we see in films, are hot, overcrowded carriages filled with groping couples, screaming children, and unimaginably loud accordion music.

And while this does not stop Paris from being a wonderful, beautiful city -- every city has its pros and cons -- the fact that its downsides are wiped so institutionally clean from the media isn't doing it any favors. Unlike New York, which embraces its gritty underbelly in its public image -- "Hey, you might get shot walking to the post office, but that's what makes it fun!" -- the world seems determined to represent Paris as perpetually spinning inside a little girl's music box. This disparity between what we see and what we get hits tourists, and it hits some of them very hard.

Paris Syndrome manifests itself differently in different people, but amongst the most common symptoms are acute delusions, hallucinations, dizziness, sweating, and feelings of persecution. The shock of coming to grips with a city that is indifferent to their presence and looks nothing like their imagination launches tourists into a psychological tailspin which, in at least six cases this year, necessitated the patient being flown back to his or her country under medical supervision. Usually, though, bed rest and hydration seem to take care of the problem within a few days. The Japanese Embassy, though, has had no shortage of people who, in the throes of the Syndrome, call or visit to be reassured that the city is not going to collapse in upon them.

This illness seems to have taken its place as the 21st century gout -- just slightly too privileged a problem to sympathize with. One imagines women with large, ornate folding fans fainting on street corners and mustachioed men's monocles dropping, with a little tinkle, into champagne glasses. Yet, for those who succumb to it, Paris Syndrome and its after-effects are very, very real. Sufferers have reported being traumatized by the experience, of fearing ever traveling again.

But what is the city to do about it? Should they accept that there is an actual medical condition associated with how much of a disappointment Paris can be? Should they embrace the risk? Even if they went that route, what PR firm would be capable of turning "some people are hospitalized from how scary and mean our city turns out to be" into "Paris: Only the strong survive"? No, it is in Paris' best interest to continue feeding into the rose-colored glasses the world seems so ready to see it through. Paris tourism only climbs with every Amélie, or Dior perfume commercial directed by Sofia Coppola. Last summer, the image all over Paris' tourism brochures was a gorgeous model with a small Eiffel Tower strapped to her forehead with red, white, and blue ribbon. She was, literally, a Gallic unicorn. That is how far their delightful, twee little presentation has been taken.

So how can tourists prepare themselves for the City of Light, and avoid being rushed home with a doctor on an emergency flight back to their homeland? If repeated viewings of La Haine and Taken are not appealing, and extensive reading on the 2005 suburb riots would require too much time on Wikipedia, they could always just remind themselves of the realities of the city they're so excited to visit. They could remember that obesity is a growing problem in France, that McDonald's, KFC, and Subway are popping up like acne all over the city, and that pickpocketing and mugging are some of the most common crimes in the area. They can remember that, despite how beautiful the sun is setting behind the Eiffel Tower, at the base of the structure, there are sure to be hundreds of pushy men screaming at you to buy their 1-Euro trinkets. They can remember that it is not a tipping culture here, servers are getting paid the same amount either way, so their attitude towards you will

depend solely on how nice you are willing to be to them. The customer is not always right -- he simply exists. That is as far as the Parisian waiter is willing to take it.

With these things in mind to balance out a shoebox full of Doisneau's most charming photos, one can expect a Paris that meets the reasonable portrait in one's imagination. The city will be dirty, crowded, loud, and indifferent -- but it will be beautiful and breathtaking. And as long as one does not expect the furniture to spring to life and help you get ready for your dance with the Beast, a trip to this city will be fulfilling, exciting, and, most importantly, free of debilitating hallucinations.