Student Guide to A Level AQA A Texts in Shared Contexts

Available for:
  • Modern Times: Literature from 1945
    to the Present Day

Support students’ study of this exciting and diverse component. Student-friendly notes provide expansive coverage of the relevant social, political, personal and literary issues across the core and comparative texts.

Pitched appropriately ... and clearly focused on the wider requirements of the exam...

...A really useful, go-to guide for students to revise from, and fill in gaps in their knowledge of social and cultural context

K Chanter, HoD & Peer Reviewer
  1. Introductory notes to context provides a clear and concise overview of the period. Also included! Easy-to-navigate timeline of key events and texts.
  2. Detailed analysis divided into helpful subsections provides essential context and analysis across the A Level AQA A specified texts.

    Throughout:
    • Varied activities consolidate learning while essay skills tasks build confidence. All fully cross-referenced to the AOs.
    • Further reading suggestions introduce students to more texts from the period – great for unseen practice!
    • Plus! Key themes and events for each subsection.

  3. Practice essay questions provide exam preparation while peer-/self-assessment mark schemes track student progress.

A brilliant independent resource

K Chanter, HoD & Peer Reviewer

Plus!

  • Key term glossary supports students in learning advanced contextual and literary terminology – to hit AO1 and AO3.
  • Indicative content for all activities.
For Modern Times: Literature from 1945 to the Present Day, subsections include:
  • Wars and the Legacy of Wars
  • Personal and Social Identity
  • Religion and Morality
  • Political Upheaval and Change: Resistance and Rebellion
  • Nationalism

What do teachers say about this resource? (8220)

A really useful overview... I love the thematic approach... The specific AO focus was also useful and the discussion questions prompted interesting responses... The contextual overviews and discussion questions are fantastic and will really enrich pupils knowledge of event in the 20th century. The self/peer mark scheme and glossary of key terms are also incredibly useful to pupils... Really clear layout with interesting choices pf supporting images and infographics.

C Peake , Head of English, Torquay Girls Grammar School & Peer Reviewer

Really helpful to have an overview guide to the requirements of the paper as a whole with a sharp focus on relevant contextual insights from 1945-present, and comprehensive guidance about how this knowledge can be embedded into timed responses across the paper. Introduction is clear and useful for both student and teacher. Guidance given on timings across paper too – a lot needs to be embedded within the time frame, so useful to consider early in exam preparation... Close focus on demands of paper and criteria for success. I like the simplification of the AOs too – makes it memorable for student and teacher! Focus on the different contexts e.g. literary, socio-historical is very useful – a good reminder to students about what needs to be considered. Model paragraphs useful for awareness of where points can be gained, and what a middle and strong response look like... Very detailed pack. Considered links to a range of texts. Interesting to have a core text in some sections and then comparative aspects in other texts. Active learning and discussion tasks are well considered... Key words very useful. All contextual insights are closely linked to texts so relevance and application within an essay are clear. Also interesting to consider how different pairings of text could work and possible themes too. Detailed lists of themes. Sections are thoughtfully ordered. Good range of tasks... Glossary very helpful... I like the annotation of exemplar paragraphs – very useful for students to see how an examiner might think and reward... Matches and interprets the specification very well. Very focused throughout and gives teacher and student lots to think about... Introduction is very clear and systematic. Students can work through or dip into key sections. Model answers are very useful and linked activities encourage students to extend points and improve... A very interesting resource.

N Phillips, Head of English & Peer Reviewer

An excellent resource. Thorough and accessible for students with activities that encourage independent thinking... The timelines are very useful and the way that key words are separated and highlighted is supportive for students... It supports A Level students in understanding literary criticism and gives them a good grounding... The resource refers to the AOs and shows clearly how marks are awarded. It matches and interprets the spec entirely.

A Powell, Teacher & Peer Reviewer

This is such a valuable resource! Anyone teaching AQA option B should buy it!

I really appreciated the wider reading suggestions for each 'theme' they gave students the opportunity to explore areas that interested them personally... This resource in invaluable to students studying AQA option B! It focuses on the context and the links between themes and ideas, which would really help students to see the correlation between texts and not as stand alone literature. It is pitched really well - as in it would support students but there is still the opportunity for challenge and further reading to push high ability students... The introduction is amazing - it makes the options clear and sets it out in a clear and concise way so students don't get confused. There are constant links to the AOs throughout which reminds students of what they need to include in their response.

T MacCormac, Teacher & Peer Reviewer

Another excellent resource. Pitched appropriately for the ability levels apparent in A-Level classes, and clearly focused on the wider requirements of the exam... I think that this resource is a really useful, go-to guide for students to revise from, and fill in gaps in their knowledge of social and cultural context... The timelines were really useful, and I particularly liked that they were contextualised with the set texts... The mock questions were also brilliant, along with the checklist, and the answers, I would agree, would make suitable indicative content for students to be working with... A brilliant independent resource.

K Chanter, HoD & Peer Reviewer