Name of the Subject: Literature in English (0475)

Curriculum: IGCSE
Grade level: 9
School Year: 2023 - 2024
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COURSE DESCRIPTION:

The syllabus enables learners to read, interpret and evaluate texts through the study of literature in
English. Learners develop an understanding of literal meaning, relevant contexts and of the deeper
themes or attitudes that may be expressed. Through their studies, they learn to recognise and
appreciate the ways in which writers use English to achieve a range of effects, and will be able to
present an informed, personal response to the material they have studied.

The syllabus also encourages the exploration of wider and universal issues, promoting learners’
better understanding of themselves and of the world around them.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

The aims are to develop learners who:

• enjoy the experience of reading literature

• understand and respond to literary texts in different forms and from different periods and cultures
• communicate an informed personal response appropriately and effectively
• appreciate different ways in which writers achieve their effects
• experience literature’s contribution to aesthetic, imaginative and intellectual growth
• explore the contribution of literature to an understanding of areas of human concern.

REFERENCE MATERIAL:
Text Book: Cambridge Subject Guide for Literature and Prescribed Texts
Reference books: Harold Bloom-Critical Readings, Cambridge IGCSE Literature in English (Russell
Carey)
COURSE EXPECTATIONS:

What to expect from the teacher:

● Pace & pattern: Expect to move through the year’s content following the cycle schedule.
● In-class work: Expect to use class time efficiently and productively.
● Homework: Expect to have daily assignments, supplemented by other worksheets

What is expected from the student:

 ● Keep up to date with the work. Seek help whenever required. If the students miss a class
due to absence, they should find out from their classmates the content covered in the
missed class and go through it on their own.
● Autonomous learning: To become or continue being a proactive self-motivated learner.
● Students are expected to maintain a high level of academic honesty and interaction.
● Students are required to keep the texts being studied in the class ready for reference.
● Students must be sincere about the reading tasks given to them and come to the class
prepared.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

1. Practice – homework and reviewing content must be done before coming to class.
2. Notebooks – note-taking: Use your notebook to copy examples, take notes and key
information.
3. Become familiar with the difficulty and style of IGCSE past paper questions.
4. Late / make up assignment policy: 10% will be deducted from the grade of any work
submitted after the due date. Work submitted substantially late will have a percentage
deducted in accordance with the period of delay. If a student is absent, the assignment
must be turned in on the first day back to receive full credit. The idea behind this is that
students are responsible to check with their teacher to make up missed work.
5. Tardiness: Be on time for class. All delays or absences will be noted.
6. Academic honesty: Have in mind that plagiarism will lead to serious consequences.
Distinguish between correct paraphrasing, direct quotation, and citation formats. Any
notebooks or homework that looks too similar will also face serious penalties.
7. Respect: Respect each other’s voice. Listen to each other.

Paper 1- Poetry and Prose

Students answer two questions: one from Section A (Poetry) and one from Section B (Prose). All
questions carry equal marks (25 marks each).
There is a choice of two questions on each text.
Relevant passages/poems are printed on the question paper.
All questions encourage an informed personal response and test all four assessment objectives.
Students will have to demonstrate the following:
• knowledge of the content of the text – through reference to detail and use of quotations from the
text
• understanding of characters, relationships, situations and themes
• understanding of writer’s intentions and methods – response to the writer’s use of language
• personal response – sometimes directly (answering questions such as ‘What do you think?’,
‘What are your feelings about…?’) and sometimes by implication (answering questions such as
‘Explore the ways in which…’)
Paper 4- Unseen
Students answer one question from a choice of two. Both questions require a critical commentary
on and an appreciation of previously unseen literary writing printed in the question paper. One
question is based on a passage of literary prose (such as an extract from a novel or short story); the
other question is based on a poem or extract from a poem.
End Semester Exams
This exam will include all the topics covered in this semester. It will be scheduled in the month of
November.

Course details:

Paper 1: Set Text

Poetry: From Songs of Ourselves Volume 1, Part 4, the following 10 poems:

Margaret Atwood, ‘The City Planners’

Boey Kim Cheng, ‘The Planners’

Thom Gunn, ‘The Man with Night Sweats’

Robert Lowell, ‘Night Sweat’

Edward Thomas, ‘Rain’

Anne Stevenson, ‘The Spirit is too Blunt an Instrument’

Tony Harrison, ‘From Long Distance’

W H Auden, ‘Funeral Blues’

Thomas Hardy, ‘He Never Expected Much’

Fleur Adcock, ‘The Telephone Call’

Prose:

Fire on the Mountain, Anita Desai (Novel)

Paper 4

Unseen Prose and Poetry

ASSESSMENT OVERVIEW:

The assessment objectives (AOs) are:

AO1 Show detailed knowledge of the content of literary texts in the three main forms (drama, poetry and prose),
supported by reference to the text.

AO2 Understand the meanings of literary texts and their contexts, and explore texts beyond surface meanings to
show deeper awareness of ideas and attitudes.

AO3 Recognise and appreciate ways in which writers use language, structure and form to create and shape
meanings and effects.

AO4 Communicate a sensitive and informed personal response to literary texts.

Assessment Overview

Assessment type/category Weighting (%)

Homework/Worksheets /Presentations/Short Quiz/Class tests Total 25%

Summative test: Total 25%

End Semester Exam/Year End Exam Total 50%

GRADE THRESHOLD (to be taken as the average of last three years grade thresholds)
FOR IGCSE

GRADE A* A B C D E F G U
% 100-76 75-59 58-50 49-41 40-36 35-31 30-25 24-19 18-0
MARKS

MONTHLY SYLLABUS COVERAGE PLAN

MONTH TOPIC PAPER

Ice breaker activities

July Orientation to the subject and setting expectations

Introduction-Knowing the students, their strengths and weaknesses

Set Text- Poetry From Songs of Ourselves Volume 1, Part 4

Discussion on conventions, genre, literary devices, structure, syntax. Paper 1

 Boey Kim Cheng, ‘The Planners

Thom Gunn, ‘The Man with Night Sweats’

MONTH TOPIC PAPER

August Paper 1
Set Text- Poetry From Songs of Ourselves Volume 1, Part 4

Discussion on conventions, genre, literary devices, structure, syntax.

· Margaret Atwood, ‘The City Planners’

Set Text- Prose- Introduction

Discussion on conventions, genre, literary devices, structure, syntax

· Fire on the Mountain, Anita Desai (Part 1: Chapters 1-10)

September Paper 1
Set Text- Prose- Discussion on conventions, genre, literary devices,
dramatic structure, syntax.

· Fire on the Mountain, Anita Desai (Part 2: Chapters 1-10)

Unseen (Poetry and Prose): Techniques of deep reading, learning to

annotate, planning, gleaning out big ideas.
Paper 4
Students will analyze an unseen poetry and prose and will have a class
discussion based on that followed by a literary commentary.

October Paper 1
Set Text- Poetry

· Robert Lowell, ‘Night Sweat’

Set Text- Prose- Discussion on characterization, setting and culture

· Fire on the Mountain, Anita Desai( Part 2: Chapter 11-21)

November
Set Text- Poetry Paper 1

· Edward Thomas, ‘Rain’

End of
Semester Exam
Revision of end semester exams
December Paper 1
Set Text- Prose- Discussion on characterization, setting and
culture

· Fire on the Mountain, Anita Desai (Part 3: Chapter 1-13)

January Set Text- Prose- Character based/Thematic Question Paper 1

· Fire on the Mountain, Anita Desai

Set Text- Poetry

• Tony Harrison, ‘From Long Distance’

February
Set Text- Poetry Paper 1

· Anne Stevenson, ‘The Spirit is too Blunt an Instrument’

· W H Auden, ‘Funeral Blues’

Paper 4
Unseen prose and poetry

o write a critical commentary on an unseen poem and a prose

extract.
o demonstrate an appreciation of the text

March Paper 1
Set Text- Poetry

. Thomas Hardy, ‘He Never Expected Much’

· Fleur Adcock, ‘The Telephone Call’

April Paper 1
Recapitulate all the components for the YEE Paper 4
Scaffolding
Remedial sessions

May Year End Exams - Literature in English (0475)

Year End Exams

June
Research - Shakespearean texts and times

Close study – drama text - Antony and Cleopatra