English Language and Literature

Course summary

This balanced course brings together some skills from the study of English Language and some from the study of English Literature. You will combine literary and linguistic approaches in your interpretation and creation of texts. The literary strand gives you the chance to engage creatively and critically with a wide range of texts, including Renaissance drama and Victorian poetry. You will explore the influence of the contexts where the writers worked and discuss the texts’ impact on different readerships. The linguistic strand explores planned and spontaneous speech and considers how personal experience is presented in contemporary autobiography. Being a keen reader who enjoys discussing texts, you will be supported in gaining the specialist terminology and concepts which will give you a precise language to express your understanding. The examined components extend skills developed at GCSE, such as textual analysis, in further depth and breadth. The non-exam assessment component provides an opportunity for you to develop reflective skills and deepen your enjoyment as a producer and interpreter of language, through its focus on independent research, drafting and editing.