'My most enjoyable English lesson was when Dr. Bickley, who is a great authority on the Gothic style, spoke to us about this period of literature which we were studying, focusing on Robert Louis Stevenson's novella Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It helped a great deal with our coursework and I really enjoyed the fact that we went beyond the syllabus.'
Serena, 15
Girls take GCSE English and English Literature with the OCR board.
For English Literature they study six texts, two from each genre (poetry, prose, drama), half of which will have been written before 1914. One of these will be by Shakespeare. The course is assessed partly by examination, and partly by coursework.
For English they compile a coursework folder of fictional and non-fictional writing, and are assessed on a variety of speaking and listening activities. They take two examinations, in which they are asked to respond to literature from other cultures and to unseen non-fiction and media texts, and to write in a variety of different styles.
