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Sylvia Plath's Ariel

Comprehensive Study Guide for A Level AQA A ELLA4

Written with the dual literary and linguistic approach in mind. Perfect for those studying this striking collection as part of A Level AQA A Language & Literature.

An initial analysis of each poem with additional detailed notes on Plath's use of:


Well written and clearly targeted to meet the demands of comparative coursework

S Brunner, Teacher & Peer Reviewer
  • References
  • Lexis
  • Semantics
  • Phonology
  • Poetic form
  • Grammar
Includes vital AQA ELLA4 coursework guidance:
  • Key points for essay writing
  • Developing analytical comparison
  • Answering a thematic question
  • Answering a feature-based question

This is a well named resource as it is very comprehensive!

M Courtney-Holt, Teacher & Peer Reviewer

What do teachers say about this resource? (4242)

Absolutely brilliant resource. Excellent. Really detailed and focused on the ELLA4 coursework and how to help students achieve highly in this essay. Excellent detailed linguistic and stylistic points about each poem. The timeline linking Plath's biography to when the poems were written is a useful approach which will encourage students not to simply churn out biographical details, but make links to the texts. Very clear focus on individual AOs for ELLA4 coursework & helpful advice on how to approach the essay and meet these requirements. The analysis of each poem is broken down using different frameworks which will encourage students to use a range of approaches to the poems. Advice for students is practical and helps to develop their written work.

H Dyson, Course Manager & Peer Reviewer

This is a well named resource as it is very comprehensive! An erudite, highly accessible and enjoyable resource. Great for teaching and guided independent learning. In reading poetry, readers need to be able to make sense of details and then re-read it in the light of the whole poem. Students as poetry readers and essayists need to be able to zoom from the smallest aspects to the whole picture; this resource provides an excellent model and training for that.

M Courtney-Holt, Teacher & Peer Reviewer

A solid and valuable resource. A clear, step by step guide for each poem. The strength of this resource is that it doesn't spoon-feed the learners but it gives them a springboard for ideas in a well structured way.

N Worgan, HoD & Peer Reviewer

Well written and clearly targeted to meet the demands of comparative coursework. Organisation of commentary follows a fixed scheme (considering references, lexical, semantic, grammatical and form-related points), which helps set pupils up in making links between the texts. The timeline is very well structured and makes excellent links between date-event-poem through layout.

S Brunner, Teacher & Peer Reviewer