English Language

Course summary

A Level English Language is a course designed to develop your knowledge and enjoyment of English. It introduces students to the formal study of the English Language - its organisation and structure and the variations in how people use and learn language when speaking, reading and writing. You will learn how to critically analyse texts produced for a range of contexts - both formal and informal - and explore the ways in which those contexts have influenced the language used. Your ability to use precise terminology, which has begun in GCSE, will be extended. Skills of academic discourse are developed through critical analysis but also through individual investigations, where real life data is sourced and studied. Moreover, English Language students produce their own creative writing in both fiction and non-fiction genres as part of the coursework component. Although this course naturally builds on the skills developed at GCSE, the A Level takes the study of Language into new and interesting places. With a grounding in the study of real life language use, students will explore the ways in which language shapes and challenges our understanding of the world; how English has developed over time; how children acquire language; and the role English plays in the wider world.