AQA · A Level
AQA A Level English Literature
AQA A-level English Literature B (7716/7717). What it covers, how it is assessed, a link to the official specification, and the free study material Marlbridge publishes for it.
- Syllabus
- 7712 / 7717
- Board
- AQA
- Qualification
- A Level
- Not your course?
- Change course
Topics and resources
Each topic below is from the official AQA document for AQA A-level English Literature B (7716/7717), with its study guides, revision notes and practice questions together. Everything here is for AQA A Level English Literature (7712 / 7717) only.
- Learn with study guides
- Revise with revision notes
- Practise with practice questions
Searches topic names and resource titles for this course only.
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- Topic 1
Literary genres
Covers Aspects of tragedy, Aspects of comedy
Study guides
Revision notes
Practice questions
- Topic 2
Texts and genres
Covers Elements of crime writing, Elements of political and social protest writing
Study guides
Revision notes
Practice questions
- Topic 3
Theory and independence
Covers Text selection
Study guides
Revision notes
Practice questions
Source: AQA — official specification pages at aqa.org.uk/subjects/english/a-level/english-7717/specification — English Literature B, for first teaching 2025 (AS 7716; code matches this site's overview record). Verified 2026-08-19. Every subtopic the document lists is shown. A topic listed here is part of the syllabus; it does not mean Marlbridge has published material for it. Always check the current syllabus for your examination year.
About this course
- Qualification
- AQA A Level English Literature
- Spec code
- 7712 / 7717
- Does Marlbridge teach it?
- Yes — request a free trial class
- Who teaches it?
- Ammar Bilal
- Are resources available?
- Yes — 9 published
- Is enrolment open?
- Enquire to join — no online enrolment yet
- Official specification
- AQA specification
- Topic checklist
- Printable 7712 / 7717 checklist
- Where was this verified?
- 2026-08-19, official AQA specification
Compiled and maintained by the Marlbridge Academic Team, checked against the official AQA specification on 2026-08-19.
Spotted something wrong on this page? Report an error — see the corrections policy.
The qualification
AQA A-level English Literature B (7716/7717)
Marlbridge's summary of the course
AQA A-level English Literature B centres on different ways of reading and the connections that exist between texts within a literary genre, encouraging students to arrive at their own interpretations.
The board's own description is on the official AQA syllabus page.
AQA offers two A-level English Literature specifications: Literature A (7711 AS / 7712 A-level) and Literature B (7716 AS / 7717 A-level). This entry’s taxonomy verifies Literature B (7717): Paper 1 ‘Literary Genres’ (tragedy/comedy options), Paper 2 ‘Texts and Genres’ (crime/protest writing options), plus non-exam assessment ‘Theory and Independence’. The ‘7712’ half of the code refers to Literature A: Paper 1 ‘Love through the ages’, Paper 2 ‘Texts in shared contexts’, plus non-exam assessment ‘Independent critical study: texts across time’ – independently verified against its own official specification-at-a-glance page (2026-08-28), but NOT recorded as its own separate assessment record because this dataset's single english-literature entry for this board+qualification can only represent one 'current' specification at a time; the verified 7712 facts are preserved for future work rather than re-researched.
Specifications change between examination series. Always confirm the current syllabus and assessment structure on the AQA syllabus page for your examination year.
Assessment structure
Linear qualification
| Component | Duration | Marks | Weighting | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7717/1: Paper 1: Literary genres | 2h 30m | 75 | 40% | Written exam |
| 7717/2: Paper 2: Texts and genres | 3h | 75 | 40% | Written exam |
| 7717/NEA: Non-exam assessment: Theory and independence | — | 50 | 20% | Non-exam assessment |
Source: official AQA specification, verified 2026-08-28. Directly confirmed against the official AQA specification-at-a-glance page. This is AQA's updated English Literature B specification for first teaching September 2025 (spec PDF dated 21 Oct 2025), first A-level exams 2027 per the page's own banner; The first assessment is recorded as 2027. Linear. Paper 1 (Literary genres – choice of Option 1A 'Aspects of tragedy' or Option 1B 'Aspects of comedy'; one Shakespeare text, a second drama text, and one further text, one of which pre-1900): 2h30, closed book, 75marks, 40% of A-level – Section A Shakespeare passage-based question (25), Section B Shakespeare essay (25), Section C texts-linking essay (25). Paper 2 (Texts and genres – choice of Option 2A 'Elements of crime writing' or Option 2B 'Elements of political and social protest writing'; one post-2000 prose text, one poetry text, one further text (one pre-1900), plus an unseen passage): 3h, open book, 75marks, 40% of A-level – Section A unseen-passage question (25), Section B set-text essay (25), Section C texts-connecting essay (25). Non-exam assessment (two 1,250-1,500 word essays on two texts informed by the Critical Anthology, one of which may be re-creative with commentary): 50marks/20% of A-level, teacher-assessed and AQA-moderated. Total 200 marks. AQA's own title for this combination, as recorded on this site, is 'English Literature B (7716/7717)'; this record is specifically the A-level (7717), not the AS (7716).
Questions about this course
How is AQA English Literature (7717) assessed?
AQA English Literature (7717) is assessed through: 7717/1 (Paper 1: Literary genres) — 2h 30m, 75 marks, 40% of the qualification; 7717/2 (Paper 2: Texts and genres) — 3h, 75 marks, 40% of the qualification; 7717/NEA (Non-exam assessment: Theory and independence) — no fixed duration, 50 marks, 20% of the qualification. It is a linear qualification. Source: official AQA specification, verified 2026-08-28.
What topics does AQA A Level English Literature (7712 / 7717) cover?
3 topics in the current syllabus: Literary genres; Texts and genres; Theory and independence. The printable topic checklist lists every topic and subtopic on one page.
Can I get a tutor for AQA A Level English Literature (7712 / 7717)?
Yes. Marlbridge teaches AQA A Level English Literature (7712 / 7717) live online, one-to-one or in small groups, taught by a named subject teacher from its academy in Lahore, Pakistan. The first trial class is free.
Are there free AQA A Level English Literature (7712 / 7717) revision notes and practice questions?
Yes. Marlbridge has published 9 free resources for this course (practice questions, study guides, revision notes), free to read with no sign-up.
The subject
English Literature teaching and study resources, organised by level, board and topic.
English Literature at other qualifications
These are separate qualifications with different syllabuses and assessments — not different names for the same course. Check which one your school enters you for.
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