Student Experiences

Hear from our students, past and present, on their experiences of A Level English Language and what they've been up to since...

Niamh

"My English experience has been...

"My English experience has been really helpful and I've loved it as it is so different to GCSE - with topics such as language diversity/change and children's language development being really interesting which definitely makes it easier to learn. Having Steph as a teacher over the last two years has been brilliant too as she really makes everything so engaging and easy to remember, and is always there to talk to if you have an issue, English related or not.
I watched my progress soar over the two years as well, due to how helpful feedback is - and how consistent it is - which is really good, especially when you're learning things completely new to you, so you're always guided and helped to get the best you possibly can. I couldn't recommend English enough as it has helped me so much with both written expression and understanding, which is so vital in many uni courses nowadays (and certainly is for mine), it's a really interesting and varied subject which you will never get bored of."

Thomas

"English for me...

"English, for me, has allowed me to not only amalgamate my creative side into the course; it has also helped me to improve my written abilities tremendously as the course enables you to write in many different styles ie from an academic essay to an abstract piece of coursework. And with the help of the teachers, I can happily say I feel confident in my abilities in this subject; a subject that has also given me transferable skills.
My favourite part of the course would have to be the coursework! I was allowed to pick a subject of my choice for both components of module, which allowed me to research topics that interested me and that I wanted to know more about. It was this flexibility that made the course enjoyable for me."

Anya

"Taking English at A Level...

"Taking English Language at A Level has taught me so many useful skills that I’ve been able to apply to other essay based subjects as well as my extended project qualification. Not only do you learn how to write in an articulate essay style, but you will learn about interesting theories and concepts about language change through the centuries and regional differences in language. My favourite part of the course was learning about children’s language development (both writing and speaking) which you’ll learn about at the beginning of second year.
I’m looking to go into child psychology and this topic related a lot to my studies in psychology and I based my language investigation coursework on this too. I would absolutely recommend taking English Language as it not only informs you of attitudes towards language change and diversity, but it’s useful in teaching you skills that you can apply elsewhere. "

"Having chosen to...

“Having chosen to do English Language at A-level has increased my understanding of English greatly. We were able to look at how our language differs based on age, gender and other factors. I found my favourite part of the course in my second year was our Language Investigation, I was able to research something I was passionate about while using my knowledge of English Language to discuss and evaluate the language used.
It is a great course to pursue as the teachers give you a great amount of guidance, while also being incredibly supportive every step of the way. English Language is incredibly valuable for your future as you can pursue a number of courses or careers with it.”

Rachel

"Studying English Language...

"Studying English Language for an A-level for the past two years has been great. I have enjoyed the whole course whether it be learning how children’s language develops to different theories about language differing between ages, genders regions etc. Learning about how English has evolved through the centuries is fascinating. Importantly, the teaching staff are amazing and will always offer help when required.
English Language is not only a brilliant subject to study, it also helps with your other subjects. My essay writing skills have developed enormously and this is very useful for any subject that requires long and balanced exam responses."

Reece

"English at QE..."

"English Language at QE has made me look at my language differently; I think more inquisitively about what I say, I look at how things are written, the choices behind it, what a writer is trying to achieve with their writing, and having the knowledge to understand this is why I recommend this course"

Holly

"English at A Level..."

"English Language at a-level appealed to me because I thoroughly enjoyed experimenting with language, especially in creative writing. The lessons themselves were extremely interesting, with topics such as Child Language Development (CLD) merging psychological aspects with the English Language.
Although this topic interested me greatly, due to me also doing a-level psychology, the most interesting section of the course for me was actually the coursework. One piece you submit is a language investigation. I enjoyed this significantly as it enabled a huge degree of freedom to choose whatever topic of language was most interesting to you. I chose how language in Ford advertising had changed from the 1940d to the 1980s.
The skills I have learned in English lessons are invaluable as they will help me through university with essays and eventually, my dissertation. I also plan to study marketing, where good, standard English is often expected to establish yourself as a professional."

Helen

"Best decision I've made..."

"I originally didn’t think about taking English Language, as I had already committed to doing English Literature. However, I ended up taking both and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. English Language helped not only with my other A-levels, but later on, with my degree. I have just finished my BA in English at King’s College London and am about to begin an MA in Writing, and throughout my undergraduate,I have used the skills and knowledge I gained from this A-level. For example, learning about; sentence functions, lexical terminology, the politics of language, and historical English, was extraordinarily beneficial to my further education, and I discovered I was at a significant advantage in comparison to other students who had not studied language before.
I found the topics intellectually stimulating and the coursework gave me an additional level of freedom to explore my own interests, which was both a creative and fun experience, rather than a burden and was certainly useful training for writing degree-level coursework. Moreover, the level of teaching was exceptional: when I first started this A-level, I was ignorant about a lot of things, especially about how language should be ‘judged’, and English Language gave me the tools to develop my own understanding, primarily, of how the world works. From how children learn to speak, to how accents and language have developed historically (which I found especially interesting when we studied American English), I left QE with a greater awareness of the important roles different communication methods have in life, and how it shapes and has shaped the world."

Bruna

"Having chosen English...

Adam

"Since leaving QE...

"Since leaving QE I went to Northumbria University to study Media and Journalism before switching after my first year exams to achieve a Level 5 Diploma in Digital Marketing. In my time at university I grew my journalism portfolio and made graphics for Sport Bible achieving over 1 million views on Facebook alone, interviewed major label artists and got to attend concerts in the North East.
My time at QE is one I look back on fondly with great memories and English amazing teachers who were supportive and patient in helping me achieve an A and B in their subjects. Whether it was the extra lessons or resources on the run up to exams, the hours of extra time they put into marking additional work or simply being a joy to be in a lesson with."

Lauren

"I'm a former student...

Since leaving QE and graduating from Bath University where I did Film Studies, I've acquired a full time job in IT working for a not-for-profit care and housing association. Whilst that takes up the majority of my week, I've still been keeping a hand in some productions, at the moment I'm in the final stages of a short film where I was asked to direct. Not only that, but I'm also writing a film review and theory blog and (hopefully) am due to start some academic research with one of my old lecturers at the University of Bradford. I can honestly say that QE formed the foundations of what I have achieved so far and what I hope to in future years. Without QE I would not have realised where my passions were within my field! I certainly couldn't have built on my knowledge without gaining the fundamentals in Film, Media, and English Lang. I'm extremely grateful for my old teachers at QE, who really gave their all and were passionate about their subjects.

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