English Language - A Level Course in St Helens

Entry Requirements

Grade 5 in GCSE English Language and a grade 5 in GCSE English Literature (if studied).

Exam Board Specification

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Course Leaflet

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What you will study

Language variation: Comparing unseen texts
Child Language: How children learn to speak and write
Investigating Language: Research skills on topics including gender identity, power and journalism
Crafting Language: Original writing on a genre of choice, e.g. travel writing, short stories, reviews

You will learn, understand and apply new terminology to help you write analytically and concisely.

Eight English Books stood up in a row on a table in st helens sixth form

Assessments

Three exams at the end of the second year (80%)
One piece of Coursework (20%)

Course Support

The English Department takes pride in the level of support we give to our students:

Regular individual interviews with your own specific tutor
Staff support to enable you to achieve the best grades possible
You can ask for help from any tutor
Revision classes

Enrichment Activities

Theatre visits & trips to places of literary interest
Study days on specific exam modules
Creative writing workshops
Exam preparation delivered by Senior Examiners
Conferences on English Language
Enrichment Programme offering debating, personal creative writing, poetry group

Progression

English subjects are challenging, but are an excellent preparation both for university and your future career. For instance careers include:

Journalism
Sales
Teaching
Management
Administration
Information management
Publishing
Careers in public services.

Three female students sat at a table talking

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Studying A level English Language at Carmel has allowed me to read critically, write analytically, and communicate with confidence on a different range of genres.

Personally, I particularly enjoy Language Change, as we study data sets from the 1700s up to the present day, which is both challenging and interesting.

Ella Gray

Now studying English Language at the University of York