English Literature IGCSE anyone done it?

[montag]

Hi all,

We are embarking on Igcse English literature, we are going it alone, with Edexcel student book.

I need a bit of advice from anyone who may have done this.

In particular which texts to read, are you expected to read all texts? I know the obvious answer would be yes, but other course providers seem to study just 1 of each prose and play from a selection of about 10. Surely anything could come up in exam?

Thanks for reading.

The best place to ask this question is the HE Exams Yahoo list. Lots of people with experience of taking exams including Catherine Mooney, who prepares EHE students for IGCSE English and is an examiner.

Hi Montag - my two girls are starting this in September. They re going to study Of Mice and Men and Inspector Calls though you can do other texts - but this is a popular mix. Get both of the books and the dvds. Also buy York Notes - you can get them all through Amazon. I've just taken my two girls out of school and they are going to embark on English Lit, English and RE. I've bought the books from a structed learning site - v. v. expensive but think I'm going to do a bit of research on the IGCSE English to save a packet of money. Good luck xx

DS did it 3 years ago with Edexcel through an internet school. They did Julius Caesar, The Tempest, A Christmas Carol, Pride & Prejudice, and The Importance of Being Earnest. Plus a mix of poetry which I think was a standard for the syllabus. So I think the important thing is just to pick a range from the available list of texts rather than trying to cover everything.

Thanks for the replies, that does clarify things.

Yes, we just did it this summer but we did CIE rather than Edexcel. We did the Edexcel English Lang but I preferred the Cambridge spec.

For what it's worth we studied Wuthering Heights, Death of a Salesman, 1984 and Tennyson's poems. DD really enjoyed it, so much that she goes to college in September to do English Literature A level.

Oh, and definitely don't study all the texts, whichever spec/board you are doing. Pick the minimum and know them really well.

Are you permitted to take the texts into the exam for Edexcel?

Hi pasturesolympia,

No I don't think you are.