English Language A Level

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Is there such a thing as ‘good’ and ‘bad’ English? How do powerful people use language to control and influence others?

Why do teenagers use slang? On this very popular course, we teach you how to answer those questions – and many more.

If you enjoyed exploring the way writers use language in GCSE English Language and want to find out more about how language works, English Language is perfect for you. This is a course which appeals to students who are both analytical and creative in their thinking and writing, and by the end of this two-year course you’ll be writing opinion pieces, travelogues, and reviews that many published journalists would be proud of. By building upon the skills you acquired at GCSE, our experienced team will prepare you for a more scientific approach to the study of language, with content that links directly to university subjects such as Linguistics.

We take a deep dive into the big language issues, seeking the answers to questions like:

Is there such a thing as ‘good’ and ‘bad’ English?

How do powerful people use language to control and influence others?

Why do teenagers use slang?

English Language links well with many other A Level courses, such as, Psychology, Sociology, History, Media Studies and Law.

We don’t do fancy gimmicks — we just teach a complex and challenging subject to a very high level. In lessons we use a variety of teaching and learning methods to help you retain and apply the core knowledge, but our aim is quite simple: to reinforce the learning of linguistic knowledge. If you find yourself struggling, we do have additional lunchtime support sessions, and we pride ourselves on the quality of our feedback.

The A Level English Language course is made up of 4 components.

COMPONENT 1: LANGUAGE CONCEPTS AND ISSUES (2 HOUR WRITTEN EXAM WORTH 30%)

You will analyse spoken language transcripts from a wide variety of contexts, from television chat shows to sports commentaries and domestic conversations. You will also learn about language issues, with topics including attitudes towards Standard English, Language and Power, Language and Situation, and Child Language Acquisition.

COMPONENT 2: LANGUAGE CHANGE OVER TIME (2 HOURS 15 MINUTES WRITTEN EXAM WORTH 30%)

In this component, you will analyse a wide variety of written texts covering a period of 500 years from 1500-2000. We look at how different genres (newspaper reporting, recipes, love letters, etc.) have changed over time. You will also be studying written language data from the 21st century, from text messages and chat room language to the language of Twitter and Facebook.

COMPONENT 3: CREATIVE AND CRITICAL USE OF LANGUAGE (1 HOUR 45 MINUTES WRITTEN EXAM WORTH 20%)

Students will write a piece of creative fiction and non-fiction, accompanied by an analytical commentary evaluating their decisions.

COMPONENT 4: NEA: LANGUAGE AND IDENTITY (COURSEWORK WORTH 20%)

Students will collect data from a range of spoken, written and multi-modal texts. They will be choose a topic from one of the following areas: language and self-representation; language and gender; language and culture and language diversity

20% Coursework, 80% Exams

Information on course specific and pathway specific entry criteria can be found on our website.

A Level English Language can assist you progressing on to many specialist undergraduate courses, particularly Law, Psychology and Sociology. As well as providing an excellent route on to English-related undergraduate courses, there are many other pathways our students take. Here are just some of the subjects our students have gone on to specialise in: Linguistics Journalism Speech Therapy Sports Reporting Creative Writing Digital Media Studies