Beyond the author: how meaning is made in English Literature
Close reading is the core skill A-level rewards, but it rests on a question it rarely answers. Where does a text's meaning actually come from: the author, the words on the page, or the reader? The strongest applicants can think about this.
Reading unseen poetry in A-level English Literature
The unseen poem unsettles students because there is nothing to revise. But there is a reliable method for reading a poem you have never met, and it can be learned.