English Literature A Level and GCSE Audio Tutorials

Great Expectations – Charles Dickens

Our series on Great Expectations is written and recorded by Ian Brinton, a former Head of English for Dulwich College and Sevenoaks School, and also a prolific writer on Dickens. The series analyses the major characters and themes that run through the book. There are individual podcasts on MIss Havisham, Estella, Wemmick and Magwitch, there and on the key themes including prisons, the concept of a gentleman and guilt. It also looks at the different endings Charles Dickens wrote.

A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol is amongst the most famous of Dickens’ works, and Ebenezer Scrooge, the chief character, is perhaps the best-known and most distinctive of all his creations. Our Edexcel GCSE English Literature series for A Christmas Carol will guide you through everything you need to know about this classic of Victorian literature and help you understand how best to approach it in your exams.

Never Let Me Go

Never Let Me Go is the haunting story of a group of friends whose purpose in life is far removed from that which any of us might expect. The GCSE podcast series for Ishiguro’s novel will take you on a journey through the book and help you prepare for your exams at the end of the school year. The podcast series examines all the different genres associated with the book, the importance of context, the core themes art and creativity, ethics of cloning, outsider status and mortality, gives a detail overview of the characters involved and then includes a detailed analysis of the book itself, chapter by chapter. It is brought to you by experienced head of English and exam board specification writer, Stephen Lucas and Dr Laura Salisbury, Senior Lecturer in English Literature at Exeter University.

The History Boys - Eduqas

The History Boys is Alan Bennett's award winning play including the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play and the 2006 Tony Award for Best Play. All of our tutorials take you through all you need to now for your GCSE, including genre, context, analysis of key characters and the major themes that run through the play, including sexuality and education. The final podcast will give you an overview of what questions you should expect and how to answer them. The History Boys is also a text for AQA

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, or sometimes known more simply as Jekyll & Hyde has entertained readers for over 100 years. Written by Robert Louis Stevenson the novella has impacted our natural language with the phrase "Jekyll and Hyde" coming to mean a person who is vastly different in moral character from one situation to the next. Our GCSE series has been written so that you will fully understand the context, genres, themes and characters of this wonderful novella and will guide you through the course and help prepare you for your GCSE English Literature exam. Jekyll and Hyde is a text for Edexcel, AQA, Eduqas and OCR.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon is a fabulous book. A story written from the viewpoint of an autistic child it addresses many issues, such as attitudes to mental illness and parent-child relationships. Our GCSE Literature series explores the key themes, characters, context, genre, form and structure of the book. We also look at all the chapters in detail before rounding off with tutorials on key quotations and how to answer the all important exam questions. Written by Laura Broadbent, an experienced writer and teacher. We are delighted that the part of Christopher is played by Chris Ashby who played the part in the West End

Macbeth

Our Macbeth series for GCSE English Literature is one of our favourites. Our authors, Catherine Hartley and Stella Vassiliou, two fabulous teachers (both 1st class honours graduates from Oxbridge) bring to life and explain one of Shakespeare's most famous tragedies. We are also honoured to have the renowned Shakespearean actor, Guy Henry, play Macbeth throughout the series.

An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley

The GCSE podcast series for JB Priestley’s play, An Inspector Calls, will give you invaluable insight for your GCSE and help you prepare for your exams at the end of the school year. It looks at the genre, structure and plot, why the play is enduring, the context of the play and how it was a voice for Priestley’s beliefs, gives a detail overview of the characters involved and then includes a detailed analysis of the play itself as well as giving hints and tips on exams techniques.

Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre is a turbulent love story with many different themes, twists and compelling characters, making it a fascinating novel to study. In our tutorial series, written by Charlotte Unsworth, an experienced English teacher, we will analyse the key characters and themes within Jane Eyre, as well as having a detailed look at the importance of the settings. We finish with a tutorial that has been designed to help approach exam questions. Best of luck.

Pride and Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen was one of the most popular novels of its day and it continues to be so, with many film and small screen adaptations. In this series we examine all the key aspects that you will need to know and understand for GCSE English Literature, ranging from its context, major themes, character analysis and look at all the different chapters. It's penultimate tutorial examines some of the most pertinent of quotations, including; "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.”, which gives a clue to the type of book it is. Written by Jan Heron, a English teacher of many years and one who holds 5 stars on the Rate My Teacher website, Jan is also an exam board examiner so knows what is required to achieve good grades.