ABSTRACT
Apart from ‘sustained wider reading’, which is tested in the coursework through the Extended Essay, all the assessment objectives are also tested by the examination papers. As well as clarifying how opportunities can be provided through the coursework to develop the skills needed in the examinations, it is important to be more analytical about exactly what it is that distinguishes coursework from end-of-course examination work. The relationship between the systems of assessment for candidates’ coursework and their examination scripts points to the necessity for teachers to adopt an approach to course planning and teaching which sees the coursework and the written papers as parts of a whole. The relationships between the assessment systems are more explicit, and this provides even greater impetus for teachers to ensure that they develop A level literature courses which will combine content and process in order to encourage the development of students’ skills throughout all the components of the examination.
