Latin

OCR's A-Level Latin course invites students to build on their GCSE knowledge and engage deeply with the language, literature, and culture of ancient Rome. You will develop advanced linguistic skills through unseen translation from Latin to English and, if you choose, English to Latin prose composition. Alongside this, you will study prescribed prose and verse set texts, exploring the works of iconic authors such as Cicero, Tacitus, Virgil, and Ovid. The course is designed to cultivate not only precise translation but also literary appreciation, analytical thinking, and an understanding of the historical and social contexts that shaped these texts.

The specification is structured into four components, giving a balanced blend of language and literature. Component 1 focuses on unseen translation, testing your ability to translate both a prose and a verse passage without prior study. For Component 2, you can either tackle prose composition (translating a short English passage into Latin) or opt for prose comprehension, which assesses your understanding of unseen Latin through short-answer questions. Components 3 and 4 are the set texts: one prose author and one verse author, studied in depth over the two-year course. The set texts rotate periodically, so you'll always encounter fresh material while still being examined on a manageable selection of lines.

Throughout the course, you'll refine your grasp of Latin syntax, style, and idiom, while also learning to analyse literary techniques, characterisation, and themes. The OCR approach encourages independent thought and critical engagement—skills highly valued by universities and employers. By the end, you'll have not only a thorough command of classical Latin but also a richer appreciation of how Roman literature continues to influence the modern world.