Our offer for AS and A Level English Language and Literature

Designed by experts. This specification was developed in conjunction with the English and Media Centre, who are leaders in the field of combined English language and literature study. Many of our supporting resources have also been written by the EMC team.

Choice for students and teachers. Students will study poetry, drama, prose and an anthology of non-fiction texts, with a wide range of set texts on offer including several post-2000 options.

Sensible ways of marking. We adopt a genuinely holistic approach to marking, and we tailor the ways in which the assessment objectives are applied, so that there is a fair and sensible approach to examining all responses.

Diversity is key. Our set text non-fiction anthology is refreshed every three years, ensuring a progressive, exciting and modern approach to language study. Working with Lit in Colour, we’ve also added exciting diverse text options and associated supporting resources for four new poetry and drama texts in component 02: If They Come For Us, Pepper Seed, Barber Shop Chronicles and Tribes.

Creative freedom for the NEA. Our coursework offers the opportunity for creative writing alongside close language analysis. Students have a free choice of their second NEA text, and any new text can be submitted for approval to OCR.

Refining skills and building expertise. Students are encouraged to engage with set texts and wider reading, enhancing their understanding and articulating fresh, individual responses to texts. Uniquely, students can write creatively in exam conditions and as part of their coursework. These skills provide students with thorough preparation for careers and/or further study.

We offer plenty of support. Practice papers, mark schemes and candidate exemplars, as well as resources for teaching and learning and CPD course bookings are all available on Teach Cambridge. We also offer free subject specialist support to all centres via our subject advisor team.