Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
by Edward Albee
Assigned across 1 curriculum list
Grade placement varies by school — the median assigned book spans 4 grade levels (83% span three or more, across 13,258 source-cited assignments).
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee is assigned in US schools at grades 11–12. It appears across 1 curriculum reference, sourced from state DOE pages and AP/IB/Common Core syllabi. Every citation below links to the primary source.
This page shows where Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.
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- Grade range
- Grades 11–12
- Age range
- Ages 16–17
- Pages
- 242
- Reading time
- about 4h 25m (est.)
- First published
- 1962
- Genre
- Realistic Fiction
- ISBN-13
- 9780451158710
New to these terms? Reading levels by grade
More formats & details
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About this book
George, a disillusioned academic, and Martha, his caustic wife, have just come home from a faculty party. When a handsome young professor and his mousy wife stop by for a nightcap, an innocent night of fun and games quickly turns dark and dangerous. Long-buried resentment and rage are unleashed as George and Martha turn their rapier-sharp wits against each other, using their guests as pawns in their verbal sparring. By night's end, the secrets of both couples are uncovered and the lies they cling to are exposed. Considered by many to be Albee's masterpiece.
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See all books like Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?→ — matched on theme + reading level.
Why widely assigned
This Realistic Fiction title, typically at grades 11–12. Written in the 1960s; pairs with curriculum units on plays and american drama; cited across 1 curriculum framework.
Themes
plays · american drama · english drama · married people
Where this book is assigned
Cambridge AS & A-Level English Literature (9695)
- required·11th gradesource: Prescribed set text for Cambridge International AS & A Level Literature in English (9695), Paper 1 Section A (Drama), for examination in 2027. Transcribed from the official Cambridge International syllabus (721410-2027-2028-syllabus.pdf). Set texts rotate
- required·12th gradesource: Prescribed set text for Cambridge International AS & A Level Literature in English (9695), Paper 1 Section A (Drama), for examination in 2027. Transcribed from the official Cambridge International syllabus (721410-2027-2028-syllabus.pdf). Set texts rotate
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Common questions
- What grade level is Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf??
- Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 11–12. Specific grade placement varies by curriculum — AP Literature and IB English Literature typically use it in grades 11-12.
- How long does it take to read Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf??
- It takes about 4h 25m to read Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (242 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 265 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
- What curricula assign Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf??
- Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? appears on reading lists for Cambridge AS & A-Level English Literature (9695). Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
- Is Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? banned in schools?
- Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? does not appear in PEN America's Index of School Book Bans 2022-2024. No documented multi-district removals on record, but individual districts may challenge titles locally.
- What themes does Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? explore?
- Central themes in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? include plays, american drama, english drama, married people. These themes match how the book is discussed in most curriculum guides and AP Literature prompts.
Why this book is on this list
How we classifyHide
Each dimension below is sourced from a public reference. The full framework is documented on the classification standard page.
- Lexile measure
- Not classified — this book has no published Lexile measure.
- Grade band
- Grades 11–12 — drawn from state ELA frameworks and AP/IB syllabi citing this book.
- Curriculum alignment
- Cited in 1 curriculum on this site (see “Where assigned” above for primary-source links).
- State-level evidence
- Not yet documented in a state-level framework on this site.
- Removal / banning records
- No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
- Seasonal / contextual tags
- Tagged for: Paper 1 Section A (Drama).