English Language

Course summary

A-Level English Language explores the study of the English Language as a medium of communication and as a reflection of wider social factors such as gender, age, and social class. You will analyze texts produced by others and debate different theoretical viewpoints. The course moves beyond GCSE to study a variety of topics, including how language has changed over time, how children acquire and develop their language skills, regional language variation, and how language can be used and manipulated for various effects. The Non-Exam Assessment is a 2000-word essay that gives students the freedom to pursue their areas of interest and conduct a small-scale research project into any aspect of language, as well as produce a short piece of creative writing. It forms 20% of the overall A-level mark. The course allows students to develop independent approaches, and to undertake paired and group work. Critical understanding is developed by analyzing how language changes on an individual and global scale, and according to use. Year One: Language Variation & Language and Identity - How do class, gender, occupation, and location affect language use? Exploring Language Variation in different written genres. Year Two: Child Language Acquisition, Language Change & World Englishes.