Syllabus Content

Literature in English covers a myriad of skills ranging from communication, literacy to critical thinking. Through the interpretation of different texts, students learn that there are various ways to interpret a set text. As such, students are geared to find their own voice by staying true to their beliefs and seeing the world from their perspectives.

At the Lower Secondary levels, students will be exposed to Prose, Poetry and Drama. Progressing to Upper Secondary, students have the option to choose between Elective and Pure Literature. Both differs in the depth of content covered.

For the JC curriculum, students have the option to take Literature at H1, H2 or H3 levels depending on their level of competency in the subject.

For the IB Program, Literature differs in difficulty, offered at Standard Level (SL) and Higher Level (HL).

Exam Format

O Levels

Schools will study 2 different set texts in which the texts vary across the years and the choice by the school department.

For O Level students, Paper 1 comprises of two sections – Prose and Unseen Poetry, with the total weightage of 50%. For the Prose section, one passage-based and two essay questions will be set. Students are only expected to write an essay based on one question of their choice. For the Unseen portion, there are no set texts. Students will be given two unseen poems, of which 1 or 2 would be local poems. Here, students are expected to analyse the poems through different literary techniques to the best of their ability.

Paper 2 focuses on Drama, with a weightage of 50%. Students will study only one set text out of the 5 texts for this and the choice is made by the school department. In this paper, students would have to answer one compulsory passage-based question as well as an essay question based on their set text. 

A Levels

At A Levels for Paper 1., there are 3 different sections – Poetry, Prose and Drama. For Poetry, there will be two questions set, targeted to assess student’s analytical and comparison skills.  For Prose, students will study one set text chosen by the school. Two questions will be set for each text of which one essay question and a passage-based question. Students are expected to only answer one question on one text. Similarly, for the Drama section, students will answer only one question from the set text they have studied, having the option to choose from either the essay or passage-based question.

Papers 2 and 3 are elective papers. In addition to Paper 1, different schools will choose either Paper 2 which is a period-based paper or Paper 3, a topic-based paper. For Section A, students will choose to attempt one question from 2 unseen text extracts given. Section B focuses on Comparison. From the 3 texts that they have studied, they are to choose 2 set texts to write a comparative essay. For Section C, they will answer one question that focuses on analysis of one set texts. However, they cannot choose the texts that they have used in Section B. 

Literature Tuition

Through Literature tuition, tutors help students overcome the fear of Unseen poems. One of the major fear amongst students is not knowing how to prepare for the Unseen portion which covers a portion of the exam. Students will have a better understanding on how to approach unseen poems through ample practice greater exposure to various question types and writing styles. In addition, tutors will enhance students’ understanding of the different set texts through closer text analysis.

Our tutors

Elite tutor offers a diverse range of Literature tutors that can facilitate your learning. Ranging from student tutors, graduate tutors to MOE tutors, you are able to choose one that best suits your learning, in which we feel is of utmost importance.