English Language – A Level

Special Entry Requirements

In addition to the A Level entry requirements, you will need a minimum of a grade 5 in GCSE English Language.

Subject Intent

Our English Language course has been developed to make students aware of the importance of language in society, its power to affect change, form ideas and identities and create meaning. We aim to develop our students’ own language skills so that they can operate effectively, if not impressively in educational, professional and social situations. Our English Language course will give students the opportunity to:
• study a rich variety of spoken and written language, confidently deconstructing it, labelling lexical and syntactical parts and analysing how meaning is created
• develop their writing skills by engaging in a range of writing styles, discursive, journalistic, analytical and creative
• use a wide range of appropriate and ambitious vocabulary with precision
• develop the ability to analyse and critique their own work, making improvements and amendments
• work independently and collaboratively on a range of projects
• develop academic research skills such as referencing and footnoting to help prepare for further study
• develop oral skills in presentations, discussions and negotiations that may be transferable to any workplace setting
• develop empathy, tolerance and a better understanding of themselves and the people around them by studying the pragmatics behind a range of interactions
• preparing for the workplace by exploring the language of different occupational settings, roles and hierarchies

Course Introduction

This course consists of the study of linguistics and socio-linguistics. It is very different from English GCSE. It develops analytical skills, oral communication skills and writing skills. Students are encouraged to write for a range of different purposes and audiences and are assessed in the second year on their ability to replicate different genres of writing.

Preparing for A Level English Language

We have created some transition packs to show you the kind of work that you will be doing at level 3 and to help you prepare for September.

Leaping into Language

This is an additional booklet which we have found very useful to help bridge the gap between GCSE and A Level. It includes a resource booklet and audio files:

If you have any questions about the course, please email admissions@s6f.org.uk

Course Modules

Students study the English Language through a range of different frameworks. This prepares them for the analysis of short texts in the exam. These texts can range from adverts and leaflets to blogs and websites. They also study a range of socio-linguistic topics to help them discuss how language works in society. This involves studying varieties of English such as regional language, global English, occupational language, and language and gender. Students will also take units on children’s language and language change.

The non-examined assessment in English Language comprises of a piece of original writing (usually a piece of opinionative journalism) and an investigation into an area of language study. Students have undertaken research into diverse areas, for example ‘Do twins learn language at the same rate?’, ‘How are immigrants represented in the British press?’, ‘How does a child’s writing develop between the ages of 5 and 7?’, ‘Do TV sports commentators use language differently when commentating on men’s and women’s sports’, ‘How have children’s toy adverts changed over time?’.