English

Specification

Entry Requirements

Grade 6 or better in GCSE English/Literature.

Course Content

If you enjoyed English at GCSE and actively enjoy reading and researching around a topic, this could be the right option for you.

English is a course that encourages your independence of thought and an enthusiasm for Language/Literature. It is very important that you develop your own ideas in your responses to texts, building on and enhancing the skills you have gained at GCSE.

You will study a rich range of complete texts, extracts and shorter texts from a broad spectrum of types. You will not be ‘taught’ texts in the same way as you were at GCSE. You will be expected to have a personal relationship with texts. Your ideas about Linguistics/Literature will be challenged. You will be asked what the purpose of Language/Literature is and why we study it. You will be asked to explore how writers achieve effects in their works and what choices they have made to impact upon the reader. You will consider the ideologies and points of view of writers and their social and political context.

Progression Routes

English is a broad and inclusive subject that prepares you well for the demands of Higher Education. It is one of the most popular subjects to study at university level.

English is a very useful subject for any career where you communicate with people. Occupations such as journalism, education and marketing are all keen to employ successful English graduates. Career opportunities are abundant to an individual with a degree in English because skills gained from this area of study can be easily applied to many career areas. Individuals possessing the ability to think clearly and critically, to analyze and interpret data, and communicate results are in great demand by employers.

English Language

The course is structured around 4 modules. In Year 12 students study “Language: Context & Identity” and “Child Language” both of which are tested through external examinations. In Year 13, students revisit “Language Variation” and “Child Language” as well as completing a further examination in “Investigating Language”. In this A Level year, students will also complete a piece of non-examined assessment, a coursework folder on “Crafting Language” where they will submit two pieces of writing from the same genre and an extended commentary, reflecting and analysing their own written work.

English Literature

The course is structured around 4 modules. In Year 12 students study “Poetry & Drama” including a modern anthology of poems and A Streetcar Named Desire. While during the “Prose” components students study Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. In Year 13, students study each component separately, “Drama”, “Prose” and “Poetry”. In this A Level year, students will also complete a coursework piece, comprising of an independent comparative essay