Students follow the OCR Classical Civilisation course.

Component 11: The world of the Hero. Students study the Odyssey and its context and The Aeneid and its context, engaging with literature from both Ancient Greece and Rome. This unit comprises of both cultural analysis as well as literary appreciation. Assessed by a 2-hour and 20-minute exam and this comprises 40% of the A Level.

Students study a further two examined units that focus on the history of elements of Ancient Greece and Rome and explore source material.

Culture and the Arts: Invention of the barbarian; This component allows learners to explore how the Greeks saw themselves as distinct from their ‘barbarian’ neighbours. It combines study of the history of Greek relations with those they view as ‘Barbarians’ with a study of visual and written source material. Assessed by a 1 hr 45 min exam, comprises 30% of the course.

Beliefs and Ideas: Love and Relationships: Ideas about love and relationships are key aspects of the literature, thoughts, and ethics of any society. This component pays particular attention to same-sex relationships in the ancient world and gender roles in society. This component offers the opportunity for learners to recognise and relate to the passions, frustrations and delights of love in the ancient world. The ethical questions raised by these ideas continue to be wrestled over by successive generations and this unit will generate interesting and important discussions about love, desire, sex, sexuality and the institution of marriage. We study the key authors of Sappho (one of few women writers in the ancient world), Plato, Ovid and Seneca.

Summary of course:

• The opportunity to examine the extraordinary societies of the Greeks and the Romans.
• The epic poetry of Homer and Virgil.
• The basis of core values of the ancient world.
• Exploring a wide range of sources from art and architecture to inscriptions and historical accounts.
• Famous personalities, myths and legends, thought-provoking philosophies, emotive tragedies.
• The civilisations of Greece and Rome lie at the heart of Western Culture and are still vibrant and influential today.
• Exploring how the Greeks viewed their foreign neighbours, such as the Persians.
• Examining the ways in which the Greeks and Romans viewed love and relationships. We pay close attention to same sex relationships in the ancient world in particular.

Through lessons, your own research and note-taking, audio-visual presentations and classical literature. There are visits to classical sites and the British Museum; you will actively participate in lessons through discussion, role play and presentations. You will develop your essay writing skills through essay and structured questions. These will provide the basis for feedback and guidance on their production.

There is no coursework in either year of study.
There will be three exams in total.
You will be examined at the end of the two year course but with mocks being sat at the end of Year 12.

Please refer to our entry requirements document.

You do not need to have studied Classics, Latin, Greek or History at GCSE.

Classical Studies, Ancient History, Archaeology, Law, Anthropology, Philosophy, even Medicine.
There are many classical scholars in the Civil Service, banking, accountancy, and computer programming, teaching, management, the Army. The breadth of knowledge acquired and skills of forensic analysis will stand you in good stead for almost anything.