English Language A Level

A Level English Language Do you want to find out…        

How you learned to talk, read and write?

How people know to change the way they speak depending on whom they are speaking to?

If men and women use language differently?

How people in power use language to exert authority and influence others?

Why the English language in the United Kingdom sounds different every 24 miles?

Why teenagers use language differently to adults?

How and why we adapt the English language when using social media and other technologies?

How the English Language has changed since 1550?

If the answer is ‘YES!’ then the A Level English Language course is for you!

This course develops your understanding of how the contexts of language production and reception affect language choices. You will explore how writers and speakers present themselves to their audiences, constructing identities through their language choices. You will learn how to analyse linguistics, using methods such as grammar, lexis, pragmatics, semantics, graphology and discourse.

Which courses accept A Level English Language?

English A Levels are qualifications named by a number of university courses as an essential entry requirement (please note that English Language is not recognised as a Facilitating Subject for applications to Oxford and Cambridge Universities). Courses which A Level English Language will equip you well for include:        

English Media Studies (including Communication Studies) Speech Therapy Drama History Modern Languages Psychology Sociology

How is A Level English Language different to what I have done at GCSE? The course builds on your understanding of what language does and how it varies to perform different functions. The skills of analysing, evaluating and comparing texts that you have learned during your GCSE English Language course will be deepened and broadened. You will also develop your writing skills, which requires accuracy in spelling, punctuation and grammar.

A Level English Language at a glance Component 1: Language Variation (35%) Exam: 2 hours 25 minutes Section A – Individual Variation One question on two thematically linked unseen 21st Century texts, answer as an extended comparative essay, discussing how contexts affect how writers represent themselves to the reader.

Section B – Variation over Time One question on two thematically linked unseen texts from two different time periods, answered as an extended comparative essay, discussing how the English Language has changed over time in its spelling and grammar usage.

Component 2: Child Language (20%) Exam: 1 hour One question based on a set of unseen data which could be either spoken or written language being used by children between the ages of 0 and 8. The question will ask you to discuss the relationship between language acquisition and literacy skills that children are taught, including the beginnings of reading. You will also need to refer to appropriate theories of children’s language development.

Component 3: Investigating Language (25%) Exam: 1 hour 45 minutes Before the exam, you will have selected and studied a language area from five topic areas: o Global English o Language and Gender Identity o Language and Journalism o Language and Power o Regional Language Variation Section A – one question on unseen data discussing the speech or writing in light of the topic you have researched.

Section B – one evaluative question on the topic you have researched, making connections with the data from your own research and investigation.

Component 4: Crafting Language (20%) Coursework (no exam) Assignment 1 – You will produce two pieces of writing from the same genre, but for different purposes and/or audiences.

Assignment 2 – a commentary in which you reflect on the language choices you made in the two pieces of writing done for Assignment 1.

Entry Requirement A good pass in GCSE English Language (Grade 6 or above) is expected.

Our A Level English Language Results Number of students

A*/A

B

C

D/E

U

Pass rate A*-A (%)

Pass rate A*-B (%)

Pass rate A*-E (%)

ALPS1 Grade

2017**

31

9

9

10

3

0

29

58

100

3

2016

20

8

10

2

0

0

40

90

100

2

2015

29

11

9

6

3

0

38

69

100

3

**New specification following A Level reforms in 2017 1

ALPS is a national system to measure the progress of students’ performance at A Level in relation to their GCSE results. An ALPS Grade 1 would put the students’ progress at A Level in the top 1% in the country, whereas an ALPS Grade 9 would put the students’ progress in the bottom 1% of nationwide performance. ALPS grade 2 is the top 10% of providers, ALPS grade 3 is the top 25% of providers.