Overview
Is there really anything better than losing yourself in a good book? Whether you love novels, plays or poetry, studying English Literature allows you to immerse yourself in texts with the aim of scrutinising and debating.
The IGCSE English Literature online course is an ideal choice for anyone who wants to boost their employability in a wide range of careers, such as teaching, journalism, marketing, and law. All while studying through a distance learning course complimented with a tutor.
What you'll learn
Unit one will focus on the 1945 play written by English dramatist J.B Priestley. You’ll examine themes and characters, as well as analyse language, structure, and form. You’ll also consider themes and characterisation, asking some crucial questions about characters such as Mr Birling: why is he so greedy, and is he all bad?
In unit two, you’ll begin your exploration of the classic Shakespearean tragedy ‘Romeo and Juliet, taking a look at the first five acts. You’ll learn a little more about the play in context, and the themes and characters.
In the third unit, you’ll explore the language of Shakespeare along with his choice of structure and form, and develop an informed personal response to the play.
In unit four, you’ll begin by exploring some key poetic terminology, a few of the approaches commonly taken to analysing poetry, and begin to apply what you’ve learned to unseen poetry.
Moving on to unit five, you’ll begin to delve into your poetry anthology, taking a look at classics such as ‘If’ by Rudyard Kipling, ‘Half-past two’ by U.A Fanthorpe, ‘Piano’ by D.H Lawrence, and ‘Sonnet 116’ by Shakespeare, along with the poem ‘Prayer Before Birth’ by Louis MacNeice.
Time for more poetry! In unit six, you’ll take a look at other classic works such as ‘La Belle Dame sans Merci’ by Keats, ‘Poem at Thirty-nine’ by Alice Walker, ‘The Tyger’ by William Blake, and ‘Do not go gentle into that good night’ by Dylan Thomas. You’ll look at other poetic work, such as ‘War Photographer’ by
Carol Ann Duffy, and ‘My Last Duchess’ by Robert Browning. Moving on, you’ll examine Christina Rossetti’s moving poem, ‘Remember’, as well as John Agard’s thought-provoking piece, ‘Half-caste’.
In the final unit, you’ll take a deep dive into the 1937 novella by John Steinbeck, which narrates the experience of two displaced ranch workers George Milton and Lennie Small. You’ll delve into the themes and characters, and analyse language, structure and form.
Extra info
Awarding Body
Edexcel is the UK’s largest awarding organisation offering academic and vocational qualifications in schools, colleges and workplaces in the UK and abroad. Edexcel is a multinational education and examination body covering A-Level Courses and GCSE Courses.
Course Outcome
Upon successful completion of this home learning course, you will receive an IGCSE in English Literature, issued by Edexcel. This syllabus (4ET1) has been chosen specifically because it is the best suited to distance learning.
How is this course assessed or examined?
You can enrol now for examinations for Summer 2024.
You will be required to complete two standard IGCSE standard written exams. All exams must be taken in the same session.
- Paper 1: 1 hour 45 minutes, 50% of IGCSE, 80 marks.
- Paper 2: 2 hours 15 minutes, 50% of IGCSE, 80 marks.
We provide a guaranteed exam space in one of our partner exam centres around the UK. Check where your closest exam centre is.
There is no coursework to complete during your course; however, you will also be required to complete one introductory assignment and nine assignments. These do not contribute to your final grade but provide you with an opportunity to submit work to your tutor for marking and feedback. This will help you to gauge your progress as you work through the course.
Entry requirements
There are no formal entry requirements for this level two IGCSE course. However, it is recommended that you have an intermediate ability to read and write in English.
