English
A Level · Pearson / Edexcel
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View topicsPearson Edexcel A-Level English Literature (9ET0) is built around four components: drama, prose, poetry, and a coursework component comparing two texts of the student's own choosing. The drama component pairs a Shakespeare play with another drama text and requires engagement with a critical anthology, which is assessed directly rather than treated as optional background.
Edexcel's prose component is thematically organised: students study two novels linked by a theme such as science and society or the supernatural, one of which must be pre-1900. The comparative demand is real: examiners reward essays that argue a genuine line about the relationship between the two texts, and penalise those that simply describe one and then the other.
Important Topics
- Shakespeare & Critical AnthologyA set play studied alongside assessed critical perspectives.
- DramaA second drama text studied comparatively with the Shakespeare play.
- Prose ThemesTwo thematically paired novels, at least one written before 1900.
- PoetryA poetic movement or named poet, plus unseen poetry analysis.
- Comparative ArgumentBuilding a sustained line of argument across two texts.
- CourseworkAn independent comparison of two freely chosen texts.
- Context & ReceptionHow period, production and reception shape meaning.
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