Preliminary Examination in English Language and Literature
Differences from 2014/15 to 2023/24
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Each candidate shall offer four papers, as set out below. Paper 1 shall be examined by portfolio submission in the third term. Papers 2, 3, and 4 shall be examined by written examinations of three hours’’ duration.
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1.
The paper will be examined by a portfolio of work, comprising one commentary answer and one discursive essay, of not fewer than 1,500 and not more than 2,000 words each. Footnotes will be included in the total word count, but bibliographies do not count towards the limit. The list of questions for this paper will be divided into
SectionaAsection(Language)on literature andBa(Literature)section on language and will be published on Monday of the fourth week of the Trinity Term of the first year. Candidates must select one question from Section A and one question from Section B.Questions in
SectiontheAsection(Language)on language invite candidates to make their own selection of texts or passages of texts for commentary, in accordance with the terms of the particular question chosen. Copies of the texts or passages used must be included as an appendix to the portfolio. The combined length of all texts or passages chosen must not exceed 70 lines. The texts or passages used will not count towards the word limit for the commentary answer.TwoA typedcopiescopy of the portfolio must be submitteddelivered tousing theChairUniversityofapprovedExaminersonlineforassessmentthe Preliminary Examination in English Language and Literature, Examination Schools, High Streetplatform, by noon on Thursday of the fifth week of the same Trinity Term. A certificate, signed by the candidate to the effect that each answer is the candidate's own work, and that the candidate has read the Faculty guidelines on plagiarism, must bepresented togetherincluded with each portfolio.Following the publication of themes for this subject on Monday of the fourth week of Trinity Term, the candidate must neither discuss his or her choice of themes nor the method of handling them with any tutor. Every portfolio must be the work of the candidate alone, but he or she may discuss with his or her tutor the subjects and approach to the essays up until the stated publication date of the portfolio themes.
Portfolios previously submitted for the First Public Examination in English Language and Literature may be resubmitted. No answer will be accepted that has already been submitted, wholly or substantially, for a final honour school or any other degree of this University, or degree of any other institution.
Work deemed to be either too short or of excessive length may be penalised.
Candidates must avoid duplicating material used in this paper when answering other papers. In addition, candidates are not permitted to duplicate material between
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–– 1350The examination for paper 2 will be divided into Section A and Section B.
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Passages will be set from texts specified in the English Preliminary Examination Handbook for the year of examination.
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