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Greek
OCR 1941 100% Written examination
Language (50%) Length of examination: 2 hours
Verse Literature (30%) Length of examination: 1 hour 30 minutes
Greek Life Topics (20%) Length of examination: 45 minutes

At various points in the Cambridge Latin Course, you will have been aware of the influence the Greeks had on Roman civilisation. The Romans looked up to the Greeks in many respects and tried to rival their Literature and Art. The civilisation of Ancient Greece, in particular that of the city of Athens, has had a huge impact on modern civilisation: for example, in any major English city, you are bound to see the influence of Greek architecture on all sorts of buildings. The Athenians were the people who developed the concepts of democracy and drama, and who wrote some of the first works of philosophy, mathematics and science. Huge numbers of words in Greek have come into the English language so Greek will seriously improve your vocabulary.

Greek also had a major influence on the Latin Language, even if its alphabet is different. Students who enjoy the logic and structure of Latin will almost certainly enjoy grappling with another ancient language. The content of the Greek GCSE course is similar to that of the Latin course, although with different weightings: Language (50%), Literature (30%) and Civilisation (20%).

Greek will teach you all sorts of valuable skills and as such is highly prized by universities and employers. It will train your mind to think analytically and logically, to solve problems and to recognise language patterns. What is more, the Literature and Civilisation components will help you with developing extended answers, marshalling knowledge, analysing sources and constructing arguments. As such, it is arguably one of the most impressive GCSEs to have under your belt.

As well as working towards the Language module, we will also prepare you for a Greek Life Topic in the Lower Fifth year: this is likely to be Greek Religion or Athletic and Theatrical Festivals. This paper is very enjoyable and provides a useful basis for the study of Greek Literature. In the Upper Fifth, we will read the Verse Literature text, which is usually either extracts from Homer or from Euripides, the 5th century BC Tragedy writer. If you study the Tragedy text, the theatre trips that we run in the Department will certainly be a superb complement to the study of the set play.

Greek can be taken on its own but it is obviously an excellent complement to Latin. Students who wish to study Greek in the Sixth Form must take Greek GCSE as we do not offer Greek to beginners.