ST. MARY'S CANOSSIAN COLLEGE

A. Objectives

  • To fortify students’ power of textual analysis and expression in speech and writing
  • To extend students’ exposure to, and interest in, works of literature
  • To develop students’ sensitivity in the study of literature which gives them insight into life as a whole
  • To help students foster, and demonstrate, their best potentials in the HKDSE

 

Last Updated: 2021-08-30 13:28


 

B. Subject Teachers

Name of Teachers

Levels

Ms Bridget Ho (Panel Head)

F.3, F.4 & F.6

Ms Manna Li

F.3 & F.5

Mr Adam Dowler

F.2

Ms Fanny Leung

F.2

Ms Monima Pun

F.2


 

Last Updated: 2025-09-30 09:54


 

C. Assessment System


F.2-3

Coursework

Weighting (%)

100

 

F.4

First Term

Second Term

Coursework

Tests

Mid-Year Exam

Coursework

Tests

Final Exam

Weighting (%)

10

20

70

10

20

70

 

F.5

First Term

Second Term

Coursework

Tests

Mid-Year Exam

Coursework

SBA proposal

Tests

Final Exam

Weighting (%)

10

20

70

5

5

10

70





 



F.6

First Term

Tests

Final Exam

Weighting (%)

30

70


 

Last Updated: 2024-09-03 12:42


 

D. Assessment Syllabus

 

F.4 

 
 
 
 
 
 

First Term 

 
 
 
 
 

Test  

 
 
 
 
 

The Road

 
 
 
 

Test  

 
 
 
 

1 unseen poem 

 
 
 
 

Mid-Year Exam 

 
 
 
 
  • The Road 

  • 1 unseen poem 

 
 
 
 
 

Second Term 

 
 
 
 

Test  

 
 
 
 

2 set poets & 1 unseen poem 

 
 
 
 

Test  

 
 
 
 

The Road 

 
 
 
 

Final Exam 

 
 
 
 
  • The Road 

  • 6 set poems & 1 unseen poem 

 

 
F.5 

 
 
 
 
 
 

First Term 

 
 
 
 
 

Test  

 
 
 
 
 

4 short stories 

 
 
 
 

Test  

 
 
 
 

The Merchant of Venice: Act I

 
 
 
 

Mid-Year Exam 

 
 
 
 
  • 4 short stories 

  • The Merchant of the Venice:  Acts I-III 

 
 
 
 
 

Second Term 

 
 
 
 

Test  

 
 
 
 

The Merchant of Venice 

 
 
 
 

Test  

 
 
 
 

12 set poems & 1 unseen poem 

 
 
 
 

SBA 

 
 
 
 

SBA outline/ proposal 

 
 
 
 

Final Exam 

 
 
 
 
  • The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie  

  • The Merchant of Venice 

  • 6 short stories 

 

F.6 

 
 
 
 
 
 

First Term 

 
 
 
 
 

Test  

 
 
 
 
 

The Merchant of Venice 

 
 
 
 

Test  

 
 
 
 

All short stories   

 
 
 
 

Test  

 
 
 
 

15 set poems & 1 unseen poem 

 
 
 
 

Final Exam  

 
 
 
 

The entire HKDSE syllabus 

 

 

 

Last Updated: 2025-09-30 09:56


 

E. Subject Resources

Content Area Reading List

 

Poetry

        Abbs, Peter and John Richardson. The Forms of Poetry: a practical study guide for

                   English. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,1990.

        Bloom, Harold. The Art of Reading Poetry. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 2004.

        Heaney, Seamns and Ted Hughes ed. The Rattle Bag. London: Faber and Faber,1982.

        McRae, John. The Language of Poetry. London: Routledge, 1998.

        Padel, Ruth. 52 Ways of looking at a Poem. London: Vintage Books, 2002.

        Strand, Mark and Eavan Boland. The Making of a Poem. London: W.W. Norton &

                   Company, 2001.

 

Novel (The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie)

Bailey, James. Muriel Spark’s Early Fiction: Literary Subversion and Experiments with Form.

Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2021.

Bower, Anne L. “The Narrative Structure of Muriel Spark’s The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.”

The Midwest Quarterly, 31, 4, Summer 1990, pp. 448.

Carruthers, Gerald and MclIvanney, Liam, editors. The Cambridge Companion to Scottish

Literature. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012.

Gardiner, Michael and Maley,Willy. The Edinburgh Companion to Muriel Spark. Edinburgh:

Edinburgh University Press, 2010.

Jeffares, A. N. and Bushrui, Suheil, editors. York Notes on The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.

Beirut: Longman & York Press, 1995.

Mullan, John. How Novels Work. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.           

Robb, David S. Muriel Spark’s “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” (Scotnotes). Association for

Scottish Literary Studies, 1999.

 

 

Short Story

        Bell, James Scott. Write Great Fiction: Plot & Structure. Ohio: Writer’s Digest Books,

                   2004.

        Gardner, John. The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers. New York: Vintage

                   Books, 1991.

        Gioia, Dana and R.S. Gwynn. The Art of the Short Story. New York: Pearson Longman,

                   2006.

        Gwynn, R.S. Fiction – A Pocket Anthology. New York: Pearson Education, Inc., 2009.

        Kempton, Gloria. Write Great Fiction: Dialogue. Ohio: Writer’s Digest Books, 2004.

        Knight, Damon. Creating Short Fiction: the Classic Guide to Writing Short Fiction.

                   New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 1997.

        Kress, Nancy. Elements of Fiction Writing: Beginnings, Middles & Ends. Ohio: Writer’s

                   Digest Books, 1993.

        Kress, Nancy. Write Great Fiction: Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint. Ohio: Writer’s

                   Digest Books, 2005.

        Noble, William. Elements of Fiction Writing: Conflict, Action & Suspense. Ohio:

                   Writer’s Digest Books, 1994.

        Rozelle, Ron. Write Great Fiction: Description & Setting. Ohio: Writer’s Digest Books,

                   2005.

 

Play (The Merchant of Venice)

Bailey, Amanda. "Shylock and the slaves: Owing and owning in The Merchant of Venice."

Shakespeare Quarterly, vol. 62, no.1, 2011, pp. 1-24.

Ludwig, Carlos Roberto. "Is The Merchant of Venice a Comedy or a Tragicomedy?" Letras de

Hoje vol. 56, no.1, 2021.

Lupton, Julia Reinhard. "Exegesis, Mimesis, and the Future of Humanism in The Merchant of

Venice". Religion & Literature, vol.32, no.2, 2000, pp. 123-139.

Newman, Karen. "Portia's Ring: Unruly Women and Structures of Exchange in The Merchant

of Venice." Shakespeare Quarterly, vol. 38, no.1, 1987, pp. 19-33.

Spiller, Elizabeth A. "From Imagination to Miscegenation: Race and Romance in

Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice”. Renaissance Drama, vol.29, 1998, pp. 137-164.

Willson, Michael J. "View of Justice in Shakespeare's the Merchant of Venice and Measure

for Measure." Notre Dame Law Review, vol. 70, No. 3, 1994, pp. 695.

  

Film

        Bergan, Ronald. Film. London: Dorling Kindersley Limited, 2006.

        Giannetti, Louis. Understanding Movies. 12th ed. New York: Allyn & Bacon, 2010.

        Hunt, Robert Edgar, John Marland and Steven Rawle. Basics Film-making: the language

                   of film. USA: AVA Publishing SA, 2010.

 

Online Study Guides

        http://www.classicnote.com

        http://sparknotes.com

        http://yorknotes.com

        http://cliffnotes.com

 

 

 

 


 

Last Updated: 2026-03-25 09:26


 

F. School-based assessment (SBA)

 

Objectives

The primary rationale for SBA in Literature in English is to enhance the validity of the overall assessment and extend it to include a more extensive range of learning outcomes through employing an assessment mode that is not possible in an examination setting.

 

SBA Requirements

The SBA component of Literature in English constitutes 20% of the total weighting for the subject.

It involves the preparation of

         an analytical study of at least one film/filmmaker/film genre OR

         an essay on a topic related to at least one film/ filmmaker /film genre

of around 2000 to 2500 words.

 

Work for the SBA should not be exclusively or extensively based on the films in the List of Set Texts. Similarly, work for the SBA should not be exclusively or extensively based on film adaptations of the written texts in the List of Set Texts. Candidates can use the texts they study as an inspiration for their SBA work, but they should not include detailed analysis of those works.

 

The main film(s) chosen for study should have been made originally in English. Candidates should be encouraged to take the opportunity to explore in depth areas such as the content, filmic techniques and socio-cultural background underpinning the production of the film(s). Extended essays which deal exclusively with such subjects as history, sociology, psychology or science are not appropriate.

 

Submissions for SBA work should not exceed the word limit, which includes footnotes. Work should be typed on A4 paper with the task type(s) clearly indicated on the front cover and presented in a folder.

 

Record Keeping

Students are responsible for keeping a proper record of their work until the end of the assessment process, as it may be required for inspection at the request of the school or the HKEAA.

 

Absence from Assessment

Students failing to submit work for assessment without legitimate reasons will get a zero mark in the assessment(s) concerned. Schools may consider issuing a warning letter to the student concerned to remind him/her of the consequences of absence from assessment or failure to complete the work.

 

Malpractice - Plagiarism

Zero marks will be given to the task in which serious plagiarism is proven. In addition, a penalty of downgrade by one level will be imposed in the subject concerned. For extreme cases, e.g. repeated offence of plagiarism, candidates may be subject to disqualification from the subject(s) concerned or the whole examination.

 

Source: Literature in English SBA Teachers’ Handbook

https://www.hkeaa.edu.hk/en/sba/sba_hkdse_elective/dse_subject.html?17&2

 

General Timeline for SBA work

School Year

Time

Task

F.5

 

November - December

Research and decide on an appropriate film/ filmmaker/film genre.

After Lunar New Year Holiday

Submit first proposal.

After Easter Holiday

Submit final proposal.

F.6

First day of school in September

Submit first draft of the essay.

October

Submit second draft.

November

Submit third draft.

Early December

Submit final essay.

 

 

 

Last Updated: 2026-03-25 09:30