All about A level English Language – course information

What's A Level English Language about?

A Level English Language has become a popular and academically prestigious qualification, one that has grown significantly in recent years as an increasingly diverse range of students becomes fascinated by how we communicate and interact with others in different contexts. As a pathway to university study, English Language is ideal for most disciplines as it brings together elements of the social sciences, humanities and creative subjects while requiring forensic analytical study of texts, transcripts, and even multi-modal forms like messaging. Students are, equally, encouraged to explore their own writing by producing original material across a range of styles and genres. Budding journalists often find the material generated by the course forming the basis of their first published material, while the surge in the number of students enrolling for separate and combined English Language/Linguistics courses in universities demonstrates their engagement with the preparatory A Level course.

What sort of work is involved?

Variety is the key here - most courses will require you to explore the effects of written texts in a range of registers and styles and they will, in turn, ask you to experiment with the drafting and editing of creative and re-creative material of your own based, in part, upon these models. There is scope for detailed discussion of the material in class, for extensive independent reading of articles by linguists and those involved in complementary areas of study, for example sociology and child psychology, as well as interesting fieldwork, requiring students to collect information and conduct interviews with members of the public regarding language in everyday use. Essays will form a major part of the assessment profile, but these will often be based on stimulus material available in the examination, and will focus on the evaluative process as much as the technical accuracy of the student’s writing. You do not need to be a voracious reader to benefit from the course; neither does your own writing need to be flawless!

What background do I need?

A good pass grade in GCSE English Language - widely recognised as a 5 - will be sufficient to enable students to progress and develop. Although some of the A Level material will build on work done at GCSE, much is new and therefore a willingness to learn and a confidence to express ideas on paper and verbally are the most important attributes students should possess. GCSE passes in linked subjects like English Literature, History, Geography and other humanities/social sciences may help prepare students for the essay writing and the research elements but there are very few stipulations and most students with a positive work ethic and an open minded approach thrive on the courses offered.

Where can it lead?

University English Language and Linguistics departments are vibrant and forward-thinking places and a degree course in English Language, with or without an associated discipline, is to be recommended. For most degree courses, universities welcome the study skills that English Language A Level promotes, such as independent research, data manipulation, evaluative writing and accurate, fluent prose. That English Language is a multidisciplinary subject is very helpful to students who wish to keep career options open at 18 and who may look for the possibility to move on to postgraduate courses in subjects as varied as Law, Modern Foreign Languages and Education. The versatility that an A Level in English Language offers students allied to the esteem in which it is held by universities and prospective employers makes the subject ideal for those embarking on most career pathways not least because organisations are keen to recruit those with very competent spoken and written communication.

One year?

The English Language course is accessible for those wishing to study it over three terms although some structured preliminary work before joining may be beneficial. Assuming guided learning hours are broadly the same as other A Level subjects receive, students should be able to cover all material and be well prepared for the examination units and for the twenty percent NEA (teacher-marked, non examined assessment), if appropriate. There is ample evidence of students completing the course in a year attaining very impressive grades but do expect to have to invest more of your own time in catching up with course content missed and consolidating essay writing through practice.

Assessment

All major examination boards offer English Language A Level and most have a built in coursework (NEA) unit. CIE offers an examination-only route with the opportunity to take the AS units in November or June and to carry the result forward, completing the A2 units in subsequent exam sessions. The AQA course is one of the most popular, though it has many features in common with all other examination boards in terms of topic areas, and consists of the following:

Unit 1: Language, the individual and society

The first section of this examination paper will test candidates’ ability to manipulate methods of language analysis to explore concepts of audience, purpose, genre, mode and representation in relation to two unseen texts. There will be some subject specific terminology that students will be expected to know and to apply appropriately.

The second section offers a specific focus on Child Language Acquisition and deals with the stages of spoken language acquisition through to the age of around seven as well as the theories underpinning this development. There will also be an expectation that students will understand how reading and writing acquisition is achieved. Source material, often in the form of a transcript, will be provided to help guide the student response.

Total time available - 2 hours 30 minutes

Unit 2: Language diversity and change

The first section of this examined unit will look at how language use varies across gender, social class and ethnicity, as well as how the English language has developed and changed over time. Students will be expected to have studied texts during the course across a range of social and historical contexts and will be asked to write an extended essay using their knowledge and understanding.

The second section focuses more specifically on the idea of discourse - that language conveys attitudes and forms of representation that are being projected by the producer and are directed at influencing the listener/reader. There will be two unseen texts that will guide students’ response but wider knowledge must be incorporated.

Total time available - 2 hours 30 minutes

Unit 3: Language in Action

This is the independent investigation and is marked by teacher assessment. It is not examined and covers 20% of the award.

The aim of this area of study is to allow students to explore and analyse language data independently and develop and reflect upon their own writing expertise.
It requires students to carry out two different kinds of individual research:

• a language investigation (2,000 words excluding data)
• a piece of original writing and commentary (750 words each).

Students can choose to pursue a study of spoken, written or multimodal data, or a mixture of text types, demonstrating knowledge in areas of individual interest.
In preparation for this, students need to study how to:

• identify an appropriate investigation topic and research questions
• select and apply a methodology for data collection and analysis
• work in greater depth and with greater range
• transcribe spoken data where appropriate
• use language concepts and ideas

English Language at A Level is both an engaging and a rewarding one for students who possess intellectual curiosity and a general interest in communication.

This article was written by Bob Simpson, Head of English, Rochester Independent College.