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
You will be taught by enthusiastic, dedicated and highly experienced tutors with extensive knowledge of setting and marking papers for national examining boards. As a result, our English Language students achieve excellent examination results: the pass rate is 100% and the success rate at A2 is ‘outstanding’.
There are also opportunities to participate in a wide range of enrichment activities such as:
- Creative Writing Society
- English Society and English Academy
- Debating Society
- Our student newspaper – The Runshaw Insider
What will I study?
Something that is a world away from GCSE English! Expect your linguistic journey to be both varied and challenging. You will explore the English language from all angles, delving inside to see how it works, and ranging outside to understand its multiple influences. Along the way it will become obvious why English is the main language for over one billion speakers – that’s one in seven of the world’s population. You will also learn why it has variously been described as a ‘hoover’, ‘as slippery as cream buns’ and a ‘mirror of our society’.
Course Highlights:
Creative Writing and Debating Societies
- Entry Requirements
For our A Level programme our entry requirements are a minimum of 5x Grade 5.
*Please note that A Level English requires a Level 6 in GCSE English
*Please note that A Level Maths requires a Level 6 in GCSE Maths
*Please note that A Level Biology requires a Level 5 in GCSE Maths and a Level 6 in GCSE Science.
*Please note that A Level Chemistry, Physics and Geology require a Level 6 in GCSE Maths and Science.
- How will I be assessed?
At A Level the subject will be assessed by 80% examination and 20% coursework.
- Progression Pathway
You might want to progress to a degree in English Language or Linguistics; If not, English Language supports a wide variety of other subjects, and opens the door to a diverse range of career opportunities. These include administration, publishing, journalism, media, law, personnel, management and teaching, for which English is a core National Curriculum subject. In addition, the analytical, communication and evaluation skills you will acquire are highly regarded by both employers and universities, and are also valuable in their own right.
- National Careers Service
For guidance about what careers subjects can lead on to please follow this link to the National Careers Service.
