Greek

GCSE

The format of the GCSE is exactly that same as for Latin, q.v.

Why should I continue Greek?

  • You have embarked on the journey and have already mastered way-out concepts such as the “Middle Voice”
  • Greek is even more interesting than Latin: you will have to think hard about different idioms
  • Greek literature is still being revisited, eg: on the London stage. You will have the satisfaction of trying to understand the original words
  • Greek is fun in the sense that getting down to some really hard work is more fun than fun
  • You know you love it really

A Level Introduction

The Greeks were a fascinating race, perhaps the most artistic, literary and innovative of ancient peoples, and in studying their language for AS and A2 level we meet them in the most direct way possible — through their writings, which bring them to life again in a way that no museum exhibits or history courses can.

Literature

The AS and A2 courses have a large literature element, and the most interesting set texts are chosen by the teachers from a list provided by the examination board. Over the last few years these have included parts of the epic oral poems of Homer: the Iliad, about the great Greek hero Achilles and his anger at being snubbed by his commander-in-chief as they are besieging Troy, an anger that led to awful consequences for the Greeks and for Achilles himself; and the Odyssey, the epic poem telling the story of the return home of Odysseus from Troy to Ithaca after the Trojan War; plays of Euripides (who, along with his fellow — Athenians Aeschylus and Sophocles, wrote the first dramas that exist in Europe), such as the Bacchae, in which the king of Thebes, Pentheus, tries to stop the god Dionysos from initiating his worship in his city and ends up being torn limb from limb by his mother Agave and her sisters who have been maddened into the mountains by the god and think Pentheus is a lion; Thucydides, who wrote the first analytical history book still in existence today, about the great war between the Athenian Empire on the one side and the Spartans and the Peloponnesians on the other.

Aren’t these ancient books irrelevant today?

Not at all! Because these works of literature are much older than literature normally studied in schools, this does not mean that they are any less relevant or fascinating — quite the opposite is true. The Greeks of two and a half thousand years ago, although in some ways very different from us, are in many other ways just like us, with the same emotions, hopes, fears and love of life. Their world was young and vibrant, and their ability to invent was amazing. They knew the Earth is round, and they had even calculated its size remarkably accurately. We can learn a great deal about life and about ourselves from these people.

What qualifications do I need to take AS level Greek?

To take AS and A2 level Greek you need a good grade at GCSE. If you can cope with all the complicated word-endings and grammar you had to learn at that stage, you will be able to manage the language for A level work with little problem. You need to have a liking for thinking — about literature and its qualities as well as the language, and a desire to find out more about these fascinating people at first hand from their own works. With these qualities, you would find Greek at this level very enjoyable.

Does the course involve any coursework?

Thankfully not. It is entirely exam-based with the literature paper worth 70% and the language paper 30% at AS level with these weightings reversed at A2.

Where does it lead?

Many sixth formers who have taken Greek have gone on to study Classics at University. Others have taken other subjects at degree level, such as Law. Whatever course is chosen after the AS and A2, the same careers are available as for most other Arts degree subjects, and specific careers advice is available elsewhere in the booklet.

Exams

AS

  • Paper 1 Set Text Questions
  • Paper 2 Set Text Essay (in English) and translation
  • Paper 3 Unprepared translation paper

A2

  • Paper 1 Set Text paper.
  • Paper 2 Unprepared translation.
  • Paper 3 Comprehension.