English Language and Literature

Course summary

The two set texts for Paper 2, Section B require a strong level of comparative writing ability and so, by putting these two texts at the start of Year 12, we have created opportunities to teach these texts individually, but then also ensure enough time to draw them together. This is typically the weakest section of the Paper 2 exam and yet is worth the most marks, and therefore needs time to scaffold and rehearse attempts. The Anthology is drip-fed across the two years; this works well as students build their analytical skills and it also gives opportunity to build in unseen material of a topical nature (e.g. lots of discussion about gender in the media has fed into whether students consider language to be gendered; issues regarding Facebook and privacy alongside Wilde’s extract in the Anthology). The intention is to ‘feed’ students a wealth of material so that they become critical thinkers, analytical writers and begin to examine and craft their own writing for impact. We foster an appreciation of ‘production’ and ‘reception’ and encourage students to view their own coursework in this way. Using the Costa Short Story competition in Term 2 also introduces students to the notion of writing for an audience. An additional text, ‘The Art of Fiction’ by David Lodge is also used to supplement and encourage writing as a conscious construct. These are essential skills for any work related environment and students are often keen to draw upon examples from their own experience of work, or different contexts, where they have applied language in a particular way for the context, audience and intended impact.