British Lit & Comp Year 1-Shakespeare & Austen – Live Class

Description

British Lit & Comp Year 1-Shakespeare & Austen – Live Class

For Autumn 2025 Enrolment

A class looking at great works of British literature, which have shaped the western civilisation.  This class will give your teen a solid understanding of the texts, how to analyse and write about the text. At the end of the year your teen will write a response to literature essay, on a text of their choice. 

Course Taster Session: Shakespeare

Get Your British Literature & Composition Sample Lesson Here.

This is a full high school credit if you are doing the US transcript. But the texts are also set for examination in iGCSE/A level. Therefore, a student taking this class could use it to aid their study for the iGCSE/A level English lit. The skills acquired in the essay writing are also transferable for the UK exam system.

Day & Time: Mondays 12:30 – 2:00 PM GMT (Two 40-minute sessions with a short break in the middle.)

Location: Zoom Meeting

Tutor: Emma Cummings

Prerequisite: Pre-GCSE English Grammar & Writing or equivalent (the ability to write a 5 paragraph essay and have an intermediate understanding of grammar).

Required Materials:

• First Semester
  • Oxford School Shakespeare: Merchant of Venice,
  • Merchant of Venice Workbook,
• Second semester
  • Pride and Prejudice (Wordsworth Classics) by Jane Austen
  • Pride & Prejudice Workbook
  • Poetry Analysis – Romantic Poets Workbook

This class will develop skills in discussion, literary analysis, themes, cultural context, characterisation, and an introduction to literary criticism. We will look at how to structure and write essays as a response to literature;  both persuasive and comparison.

Year 1*

Semester 1

• Shakespeare: A Merchant of Venice (set text for iGCSE edexcel and A level Cambridge)

Semester 2

• Jane Austen: Pride and Prejudice (set text for iGCSE edexcel and A level Cambridge)

Additionally, a text of their choice from a chosen list of texts.

After year 1 there is the option of taking year 2 of the class where we build on the first year and look at Dickens and British poetry. From this, the student will write a final essay. 

The Contextual History – Year 1 – Tudor & Georgian Era course is a required companion to this course for those studying for the iGCSE Literature exam.  Students following the USA High School Diploma & Transcript model will receive 1 Social Studies and 1 Literature & Composition credit for each class successfully completed with a passing grade when taking both courses.

*Year 2 for both British Literature & Contextual History is necessary for the complete preparation for the iGCSE Edexcel or A-Level Cambridge exam.  Year 2 of these courses is planned for release in 2024 for the 24-25 school year.

More details about how these courses can be used for both the UK Exam Model & the USA High School Diploma & Transcript Model are here.