Latin

After covering most of the necessary grammar at GCSE, choosing Latin at A Level presents the unique opportunity to explore Rome and the original texts that have fascinated scholars and readers alike for millennia: from admiration of Ovid’s love

poetry to investigation of Cicero’s legal and political speeches, from embarking upon Virgil’s epic Aeneid to engrossing oneself in Tacitus’ Roman history. The study of the Latin language provides excellent training in logical and analytical thought, while immersion in the Roman world connects students to their historical, social, and literary heritage, fostering a deeper understanding of our own culture and society. Latin works particularly well with Theology and Classical Greek, but also History, English, the Sciences, Politics, Drama and Modern Languages.

Course Details

OCR: Advanced GCE in Latin (H443):

Language: Students will develop their knowledge of Latin vocabulary and linguistic structures through reading and studying texts and stories in Latin (a substantial proportion of the necessary grammatical content has already been covered by the end of Year 11). They will learn not only to translate original texts with stylistic flair, but also to render English prose in precise and sophisticated Latin.

Literature: Students explore some of the most fascinating, important, and influential literature ever composed. They will read extracts of Latin texts and answer questions in English on the passages they have studied and prepared in lessons. Included in the literature prescription for examination are Virgil’s Aeneid Book IV and the poems of Ovid, amusing and heart-breaking in equal measure.

Classical Greek

Classical Greek is among the world’s most fascinating languages. Studying the language used by Sophocles, Socrates, and Pericles means immersion in the literature, philosophy, and politics of a civilisation without which our own would not exist. An ancestor of modern European languages, Classical Greek also affords its students rare insight into the very nature of the languages we speak today. The study of Classical Greek at A Level fosters high-level linguistic and literary analysis, marking out those who pursue it as outstanding and sophisticated thinkers. As the language of the Bible, Classical Greek complements the study of Theology, as well as Latin, English, the Sciences, Politics, and languages.

Course Details

OCR: Advanced GCE in Classical Greek (H044):

Language: Students will develop their knowledge of Greek vocabulary and linguistic structures through reading and studying texts and stories in Greek (a substantial proportion of grammatical content is covered by the end of Year 11). They will then develop their linguistic competence to translate original texts with stylistic flair.

Literature: Students explore some of the most fascinating, important, and influential literature ever composed. They will read extracts of Greek texts and answer questions in English on the passages they have studied and prepared in lessons. Included in the literature prescription for examination in 2025 are excerpts from Homer’s magnificent Odyssey, Plato’s exploration of the concept of love in his Symposium, and the tragic fall of Ajax depicted in Sophocles’ eponymous play.