The OCR Classical Greek A Level will be examined for the first time in summer 2018, and the AS Level in 2017.
A Level Course Overview
Component 01: Unseen Translation
Worth 33% of the A Level. In the 1 hour 45 minute exam students will be expected to translate a passage of unseen narrative prose into English, translate a passage of unseen verse into English, and scan two lines of verse.
For examination in 2018 & 2019 and 2022 & 2023 the unseen prose passage will be taken from Xenophon and the unseen verse passage will be taken from Euripides (iambic trimeter). For examination in 2020 & 2021 the unseen prose passage will be Thucydides and the unseen verse passage will be taken from Sophocles (iambic trimeter).
Component 02: Prose Composition or Comprehension
Worth 17% of the A Level. In this exam students will be expected to either translate unseen material from English into Greek, or demonstrate their understanding of a passage of unseen prose text through comprehension, translation and questions on syntax and accidence The unseen passage for comprehension, translation and questions on syntax and accidence will be a passage of oratory.
Components 03 and 04: Prose Literature and Verse Literature
Each worth 25% of the A Level, and each assessed with a 2 hour exam. Texts for study are divided into four Groups. Groups 1 and 2 are prose texts and 3 and 4 are verse. Teachers select one option for study in each group. The same author can be studied twice, or a different one chosen. This choice between depth and breadth is completely down to the teacher and has no impact on the accessibility or difficulty of the exam. The prescribed texts change every two years. All prescribed texts up to 2023 are listed in the specification on pages 10 and 12.
In addition to the material in Greek, there is further prescribed material in English which should also be studied for use in the longer essay questions in the exam.
Texts in Groups 1 and 3 are common to AS and A Level, so if you are co-teaching these courses you would be teaching these in the first year before the AS Level exams.
AS Level Course Overview
Component 01: Language
Worth 50% of the AS Level. In the 1 hour 30 minute exam students will be expected to translate a passage of unseen Greek prose into English, and either translate five sentences from English into Greek or demonstrate their understanding of a passage of unseen adapted narrative prose through answering comprehension questions.
Component 02: Literature
Worth 50% of the AS Level, and assessed with a 2 hour exam. Students study one prose set text and one verse set text and should have an awareness of the immediate literary context from which the set texts have been taken, however there is not prescribed material in English. Teachers select one option from those in the prescribed prose and verse lists. The texts in these lists are drawn from Groups 1 and 3 of the A Level.The prescribed literarure will change every two years, and all prescribed texts up to 2022 are listed in the specification on page 8.
Co-teaching AS and A Level
With the de-coupling of AS and A Level it is very likely that many teachers will have mixed classes of AS and A Level students in the Year 12. To help teachers understand how to co-teach these qualifications OCR have produced a useful guidebook which is available for free on their website.
Teaching and learning resources
OCR have a selection of free resources on their website and Bloomsbury have produced an endorsed anthology with supporting commentaries on the set texts.
More details
For full details of the OCR please see the OCR website.
