Welcome Back!

Welcome back to school! We hope you have all had a refreshing summer and are ready for the challenges ahead. 

Already, we have booked tickets for Year 12 to see The Kite Runner in November at Bath Theatre Royal and there are plans to secure tickets for the NTL screening of Hamlet starring Benedict Cumberbatch.

We look forward to seeing you in lessons and hope that this will be an exciting and enjoyable year!

Congratulations to Hannah Emecz and Isobel Browne who have been elected to the positions of Principal Students for English Literature. 

Summer Task - Y12 to Y13

Summer Task - Finalising and Planning

Comparison NEA Question Ideas

The summer holiday is a great time to read...and plan coursework!

 

This summer we require you to attempt to finalise and plan your NEA comparison question. Below are the questions created by last year's students.

You may select one of last year's questions, if you wish, or you may construct your own question.

 

OCR Approved NEA Comparison Questions - Y13 (2016/17)

a) ‘Desire is shown in these texts to be a wholly destructive force.’

By comparing ways in which Williams and Sheers present the impact that desire can have upon those that experience it in 'A Streetcar Named Desire' and 'Skirrid Hill', say how far they confirm this view.

b) Compare and contrast ways in which Sheers and Williams present interactions between men and women in 'A Streetcar Named Desire' and 'Skirrid Hill'.

c) Compare and contrast the ways in which Sheers and Williams present the conflict between the old and the new in 'Skirrid Hill' and 'A Streetcar Named Desire'.

d) ‘Time heals all things.’

In the light of this statement, compare and contrast the ways in which the writers show how far ‘Skirrid Hill’ and ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ support this view.

e) ‘Successful cultures are ones that are able to retain their traditional values.’

Compare and contrast how far and in what ways 'A Streetcar Named Desire' and 'Skirrid Hill' support this view of different cultures?

f) ‘Our fantasies protect us from the harsh glare of reality.’

Compare and contrast the ways in which Sheers and Williams present the extent to which 'Skirrid Hill' and 'A Streetcar Named Desire' show how people’s fantasies can be a protective force.

g) ‘Where you are from has the biggest influence on who you are.’

Compare how far and in what ways Williams and Sheers support this view of personal identity in 'A Streetcar Named Desire' and 'Skirrid Hill'.

h) ‘The theme of loss is the central concern of the work of Sheers and Williams’.

Compare how far and in what ways you agree with this comment on the work of Sheers and Williams using 'A Streetcar Named Desire' and 'Skirrid Hill'.

The Brilliant Tim McGee - Hamlet Lectures

Tim McGee is a charismatic and very knowledgeable teacher who delivers detailed and compelling analyses of our set text Hamlet.

This video is the first in a series dedicated to helping you understand more about Shakespeare's famous play.

Here McGee introduces the play Hamlet to his senior class in an American classroom.

Ringwood A Level English Literature blog - Name needed!

Ringwood School English Department is beginning to develop a new English Literature blog for A Level students and YOU could be responsible for naming the site!


Currently, the working title of the blog - 'The Valley of Ashes' - is a promising start, with its literary link to The Great Gatsby, but we feel it's not yet 'the one'! So, we need your help.


Good blog titles should:


a) Be memorable and intriguing


b) Convey something literary


c) Be appropriate for a range of audiences to include parents, students and teachers


Comment below with your suggestions for the blog.


If your idea is adopted, not only will you have the kudos of naming the Ringwood blog to be used by students for years to come, but you may also be in line for a prize!

Specimen Papers - A Level Literature

Paper 1 - Specimen Materials


Paper 2 - Specimen Materials

Owen Sheers Interview with WJEC

To support your contextual discussion of Skirrid Hill for the NEA, here is a video of Owen Sheers in conversation with Welsh exam board WJEC.

A new blog is born!

Welcome to Ringwood School's new English Literature blog for Year 12 and Year 13 students!