A Level Latin

Vires acquirit eundo (We gather strength as we go)

Studying Latin at A-Level offers students the opportunity to expand on the skills and foundations developed at GCSE. Thereby, enabling the students to further explore the language and literature in greater depth. Again, there is no coursework/NEA component; as students are assessed by final exams. 

At Kew House, we follow the exam board OCR at A Level. The Assessments are in the following format: 

Paper 1 – Unseen translation, 1 hour 45 minutes, 33% of total mark. 

Unseen translation entails translating two ‘unseen’ passages of Latin into English. One by a prose author, (Livy) and the other by a poet, (Ovid). Through the duration of the course, students will translate a variety of passages by these prolific writers in order to accustom themselves to their styles and vocabulary.  

Paper 2 – Prose composition, 1 hour 15 minutes, 17% of total mark. 

Prose compositions require students to translate a short passage of English into Latin. Building up their confidence to translate ‘the other way around’ will in due time allow them to integrate specific grammatical and stylistic constructions that will enhance the pupil’s marks.  

Paper 3 – Prose literature, 2 hours, 25% of total mark. 

Students approaching the prose literature will read extended passages by one or two prose authors. This enables the students to discuss the author’s themes and techniques in an essay format. 

Paper 4 – Prose verse, 2 hours, 25% of total mark. 

The fourth area the A Level concentrates on, is verse literature. Students read protracted passages by one or two authors; the exam then follows the same format as the prose literature. 

Pursuing the study of Latin A Level can grant you the opportunity to venture into a variety of career pathways including; history, law, archaeology, medicine and natural sciences.