A Level English Language
Are you fascinated by language? Do you want to know how it works, its many varieties, how it changes and what influences it? Then A Level English Language is the course for you. A Level English Language is a two year course which will give you the opportunity to develop your skills of linguistic analysis and explore language usage in a wide variety of situations and contexts. It offers a very different experience from GCSE English, as engaging with the real language of our daily lives – including its grammar – underpins all areas of the course. Students can expect a wide range of learning activities, with discussion and presentation central to the A Level experience. The course is assessed by two exams at the end of the second year, plus a non-examined assessment (coursework).
- Course Information
- Course Code
- LAENGLA
- Exam Board
- AQA
- Attendance Pattern
- Daytime
- Course Level
- Level 3
- Study Mode
- Full Time
- Course Location
- Langdale Road, Leyland
- Age Group
- School Leavers (16-18)
- Course Duration
- 2 years
- Overview
Have a look at the questions below: if you answer ‘yes’ to all or most, then this is the subject for you:
- are you fascinated by language and grammar?
- are you curious about language and gender, technology and power?
- are you keen to discover how children learn language so quickly?
- do you ever wonder why – or if – accent and dialect matter?
English Language at A Level enables you to:
- develop skills of linguistic analysis and evaluation
- explore language usage in a wide variety of situations and social contexts
- respond to written, spoken and electronic texts
- study child language acquisition and language change
In terms of enrichment, our London visit offers workshops at the British Library, hearing from its language experts and exploring its range of historical and contemporary language resources, whilst our visiting speakers – onsite or online – keep us up to date with the latest research and developments in language and linguistics.
What will I study?
In your first year you will explore a diverse range of texts from everyday contexts, analysing how they use language features to create different meanings and representations. You will also investigate how language is affected by region (accents and dialects) and by social factors such as gender and occupation, as well as how it changes over time. In addition you will develop your journalistic writing skills, creating opinion pieces about attitudes to language issues, and creating a piece of original writing as your first non-examined assessment. In your second year you will continue to explore language diversity, including global and ethnic varieties of English and children’s language development. You will also complete your second non-examined assessment: a data-based investigation into any area of language you have found particularly interesting.
Course Highlights:
Creative Writing and Debating Societies
- Entry Requirements
Overall requirements for the A Level Programme at Runshaw College require a minimum of 5 GCSE subjects at Grade 5, in 5 separate national curriculum subjects (including a minimum of grade 4 in both English and Maths). It is expected that most students will study 3 subjects – the option of doing 4 subjects for students who have an average GCSE grade profile of 8 or above will be considered on an individual basis. For more information on your future career path, visit www.informedchoices.ac.uk. View all our A Level courses in detail by clicking here.
This must include Grade 6 in English Language.
- How will I be assessed?
At A Level the subject will be assessed by 80% examination and 20% coursework.
- Progression Pathway
Like all English A Levels, English Language is highly valued by universities and employers, and will give you access to a wide range of courses and careers, including further study in language and linguistics. Its core analytical elements will prepare you for arts, humanities and scientific pathways, whilst engaging with and evaluating research into the links between language and society make English Language an ideal preparation for social science based degrees and employment. Above all, A Level English Language will considerably enhance your cultural knowledge and understanding, and help you to become a more astute and critical reader, a more creative and evaluative thinker, and a more effective communicator in a variety of forms.
- National Careers Service
For guidance about what careers subjects can lead on to please follow this link to the National Careers Service.
