AQA have introduced a broader and more diverse range of literature from September 2025

AQA has announced that from September 2025, five new optional set texts will be introduced for A-level English Literature across both Specification A and Specification B. These new titles are additions rather than replacements, meaning that all existing set texts remain available. The first examinations to include these new texts will take place in the summer of 2027.

For Specification A (7712), which includes the theme Love through the Ages as well as World War I and its aftermath, and Modern Times, three new works will be available. Elif Shafak’s The Island of Missing Trees — a lyrical and emotional novel tracing a forbidden romance in Cyprus and the lasting legacy it leaves — will be added to the Love through the Ages paper. Anna Hope’s Wake — a novel which follows three women navigating grief, trauma, and resilience in the wake of war — will appear under the World War I option, and Bernardine Evaristo’s Mr Loverman — about a 74‑year‑old Antiguan Londoner — will be introduced to the Modern Times section.

For Specification B (7717), which is organised around the study of Texts and Genres, two new works will join the curriculum. Colin Walsh’s suspenseful Kala will be included under the option Elements of Crime Writing, while V. V. Ganeshananthan’s Brotherless Night, set during the Sri Lankan civil war, will be set for Elements of Political and Social Protest Writing.

These changes mean that schools will have the opportunity to teach a broader and more diverse range of literature from September 2025, without having to give up existing favourites.

To learn more, visit https://www.aqa.org.uk/a-level-literature-new-texts.