AS/A Level English Language

AS/A LEVEL ENGLISH LANGUAGE

WHAT IS ENGLISH LANGUAGE?
A Level English Language provides you with the opportunity to study language in a methodical way, as well as enabling you to develop your own language use. There are many topics which will be new to you, such as the study of child language acquisition, the way we use language in different social contexts and the study of different varieties of English. Equally, you will find some familiar areas such as original writing and textual analysis.

WHY STUDY ENGLISH LANGUAGE?
Because you have an enquiring mind and enjoy discovering new things about the language that you use everyday and because you enjoy using that language in a variety of situations for a variety of tasks.

USEFUL SKILLS & INTERESTS
You should have a good command of English yourself and be prepared to develop these skills while at the same time analysing spoken and written language in some detail.

COURSE STRUCTURE & CONTENT
In the first year you will develop your skills at analysing texts using linguistic frameworks at the same time as writing for a wide variety of audiences and purposes and reflecting carefully on the writing process. You will also study how language might reflect social values and how children acquire language. In the second year you will continue to develop your analytical skills as well as looking at the way language changes. You will also carry out an independent piece of research into an aspect of language that interests you.
Please note: this course is not one which features creative writing in any depth; it is mainly a linguistics course.

HOW WILL I BE ASSESSED?
In the first year you will sit one external exam of 2 hours and produce a coursework folder. In the second year there is one exam of 2 hours and one piece of coursework.

COURSE COMMITMENT
You will be expected - as with any A Level - to read around the subject and study intensively in your own time, with about four hours of homework per week. Throughout the course we expect you to read texts, which are not directly related to the specification but are of interest thematically and linguistically. We also ask you to keep a reading diary.

COURSE COSTS
We believe it is important for you to have a variety of experiences related to your studies. We offer theatre visits, attend specialist conferences and organise visiting speakers who often lead workshops with our students.

PROGRESSION ROUTES
English Language combines well with many other disciplines and so it is helpful for many Higher Education options. It is an ideal basis for specialist vocational training including teaching and speech therapy. No matter what your future career you will have to use language and this A Level gives you opportunities to practise using it and will give you a solid base on which to build.