AS/A2 English Language (level 3)

This course is designed to enable you to:

• Experience and respond to a wide range of texts through discussion, analysis and creative writing
• Learn how to analyse and discuss the techniques that writers and speakers use to communicate depending on the audience and purpose
• Apply language methods and terminology to the writing of others as well as your own work

Is it for me?

AS/A2 English Language is very different from GCSE English Language. It offers a fascinating insight into how society uses the English language in writing and speech. You will have a chance to study language, gender, power and technology. If you enjoy studying English but are not especially interested in literature, this is the course for you. Assessment is a mixture of coursework (40%) and exams (60%).

What’s involved?

Year 1

Categorising Texts

This unit introduces you to the linguistic methods you will use throughout the course to analyse a variety of texts. You will learn how to classify and group texts according to concepts of genre (text type), audience and the context in which they were written. You will also study the topics of language and gender, power and technology.

Creating Texts

You will write for two different audiences and purposes. You can choose to write to entertain, instruct, persuade or inform – both tasks must have a different purpose. You will also write an analytical commentary for each piece which will explain your language choices.

Year 2

Developing Language

This unit is divided into two areas of study. The first, Child Language Acquisition, focuses on how children learn to speak, read and write. The second area, Language Change, looks at how the English language has changed (and continues to change) from 1700 to the present day.

Investigating Language

For this coursework unit you will produce two pieces of work. The first is an investigative research piece, based on an investigation into an area of language that interests you and which is approved by your class teacher. For the second piece, you will produce a piece of journalism, such as a magazine article, on the same topic to present your research to a non-specialist audience.

Entry Requirements:

A minimum of 5 GCSEs at grades A* to C including English Language.

Which courses go well with this?

This course combines well with media, film, communication studies and other humanities, arts or other courses. This may be taken with English Literature if the student has a keen interest in English Studies. This course cannot be taken with the combined English Language and Literature Advanced Level course.

Progression:

English Language will give you a wide range of options when you progress to university including English degrees, Teaching, and Journalism. It is also valued by employers.