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Set Texts Companions for AS & A Level OCR Latin

Verse Literature 2019–2022

Original translation and detailed commentary – including notes on style, grammar and context, picking up where the set text notes end. Give it to students either as a complete companion, or as handouts to support your class teaching. The perfect complement to the set text!

A one-stop-shop with all the information that a student would need to achieve the top grades

S Thomson, Teacher & Peer Reviewer
AS and A Level
  • All styles of exam questions including AS 10-mark and 15- to 20-mark A Level essay questions
  • Detailed notes on metre and context for A Level students
  • Latin text provided alongside a precise but clear translation
  • Detailed line-by-line notes on grammar, translation, style and context
  • Activities and practice exam questions help students engage with and develop an in-depth appreciation of the text
  • Specifically designed to support students in areas identified for improvement in examiners' reports
  • Written by an experienced examiner
  • Glossary of linguistic terms

Jump to Prose Literature 2019–2022 resources.


I would be lost without these resources! Please keep producing them.

K Morris, Teacher & Peer Reviewer

What do teachers say about this resource? (9980)

This is a comprehensive guide to the Latin prescription for the A level which would be an invaluable resource for learners and teachers in tackling these difficult poems. The resource is particularly impressive in its explanations of the dense cultural references inherent to the Odes, which would be a particular stumbling block for pupils not as steeped in Augustan context as the authors of this resource. While these are quite verbose, this is necessary for texts as complicated as these. Learners not only have access to an accurate and well-explained translation of these difficult poems but detailed notes on cultural references and style, which will be invaluable for revision or teaching of these poems. The practice exam questions towards the end of the resource, with their accompanying OCR-style mark scheme, will also be of huge benefit in preparing for the examination.

A Hollingbury, Classics Teacher & Peer Reviewer

Very good – comprehensive, but not so long that students switch off. Focused on what students need to know for the examination, but with enough scholarly depth to push the brightest a little beyond the curriculum. The style notes are very good, and fill in the gaps that the OCR official commentary deliberately leaves open. Having material that specifically deals with the Odes needing to be read in English for the 20-mark question is much appreciated – the summary material with suggestions of themes and essay topic is fantastic and I was impressed to see it – this is often an area of weakness in pupil preparation, and in the resources available for the set texts. The sample examination material is of an excellent standard and makes teachers’ lives so much easier – given there are no past papers on this text, having good quality questions with mark schemes that match the spec so well is hugely valuable.

S Thomson, Head of Classics & Peer Reviewer

What do teachers say about this resource? (9854)

Overall, an excellent resource. The commentary is clear but concise: the help it gives on grammar and translation is pitched at the right level to guide students through the translation, and the commentary notes give enough depth and the right kind of analysis for students to be able to gain from them straight away. The presentation and layout of the practice examination questions is excellent. Lastly, the final appendix is excellent: a great summary of key technical terms, both grammatical and stylistic, is a useful reference guide and will be valuable not just for this set text, but for any A Level set text.

S Thomson, Teacher & Peer Reviewer

Excellent! This is the best resource I have reviewed to date: it’s well-researched and contains everything an A level student (and teacher) needs to know to understand the text fully, from historical and literary background to the intricacies of the metre and literary analysis. The material should enable students to get to grips with the text on a number of levels: it’s easy to navigate, the translation is meticulously accurate yet clear, and the style and context notes cover a wide range of key details and information, while setting the selection within the wider context of the book, the poem and 1st century Roman literature.

K Morris, Teacher & Peer Reviewer

What do teachers say about this resource? (9338)

This is a hugely useful resource: a one-stop-shop with all the information that a student would need to achieve the top grades in the relevant sections of the AS or A2 examination on this text. The commentary gives clear and practical linguistic help, pitched at just the right level for AS students, and the stylistic notes are just the right level: clear and useful points at the right depth of analysis for students to see straight away how they can use the information in an examination. The other available commentaries are pitched at a level well above that of secondary school students, and the official commentaries deliberately avoid this kind of stylistic analysis which is the bread-and-butter of the actual mark schemes. It is all topped off by useful sample assessment material to test students’ progress. Overall, a well-designed, well-targeted and useful resource.'

S Thomson, Teacher & Peer Reviewer

Some interesting comments on word meanings and derivations...I like that there are 2 mock papers, covering a lot of the material.

C Bird, Tutor & Peer Reviewer

What do teachers say about this resource? (9816)

This resource offers a comprehensive guide to the prescribed literature and Ovid himself which will meet the requirements of teachers and pupils in explaining and translating the poetry set for A level. The resource offers clear guidance on the correct translation of the set poems, alongside literary discussion of style and content. It is particularly good at explaining the contemporary and mythological references that Ovid makes, and in including the poems set in English and discussion of these it is particularly valuable. The notes are essentially a guide to exactly what needs to be included in candidate answers to score highly on every type of question set for the Verse Literature examination. The suggested activities are particularly good for extension tasks beyond the syllabus.

A Hollingbury, Teacher & Peer Reviewer

I would not hesitate buying this resource for my A level classes, or recommending this resource to my students. This resource contains a detailed section concerning Ovid’s life and the history of his works, this includes his reasons for writing love poetry, his outside influences (such as his interest in rhetoric) and discussion concerning writing in the climate of Augustus. This will be invaluable information for the 20-mark question of the OCR exam paper. There are also valuable practice questions available within the resource which will be necessary for the OCR exam. Each practice question contains a mark scheme for teachers.

A Prescott, Teacher & Peer Reviewer

What do teachers say about this resource? (9655)

Great! A really valuable resource to enhance the teaching of this text at A Level. It contains a useful introduction with just the right amount of background information, a fluid yet relatively literal, accurate translation (with relevant explanations where deviations have been made from a more literal translation), helpful notes with appropriate explanation of the text, and sample questions set out in the format of the AS exam paper, which will save teachers a lot of time! I would be lost without these resources! Please keep producing them.

K Morris, Teacher & Peer Reviewer

This resource provides excellent style and context notes to help with close analysis of the text. All literary techniques are addressed and the links to the Augustan regime and the idea of piety is discussed well in relation to the character of Aeneas, as well as his more Homeric ideals which are addressed within the second half of the Aeneid. It provides valuable benefits for the specific questions on the OCR exam board, it caters well for the 15 mark question which focuses upon the style that Virgil uses and the literary techniques he has employed throughout. There is also ample information to cater for the 20 mark question for the OCR exam which asks students to discuss the character and/or theme found within the text - the 'dummy' exam questions provided will aid teaching for these style of questions. There is also a good translation provided together with style notes, which is especially important for the OCR exam board.

A Prescott, Teacher & Peer Reviewer