Advanced - English Language & Literature

EXAM BOARD: AQA

AIMS
The course aims to encourage you to study language and literature as interconnecting disciplines. You will develop your ability to use linguistic and literary-critical concepts and analytical frameworks in commenting on a wide range of spoken language and written texts.

YEAR 12 SUMMARY
Non-Fiction:
In this component, you will develop your close reading and analytical skills by studying an anthology of non-fiction texts about the diverse and romantic city of Paris. You will learn a new, analytical language, enabling you to write about a range of texts. You might also have a go at writing non-fiction yourself.
Fiction:
You will study two texts: Atwood’s dark, dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale and a selection of poetry by a poet such as Carol Ann Duffy or Robert Browning. You will learn about why writers make the choices that they do to make their work effective. For example, which settings, points of view and narrative voices they use and why they do so.

YEAR 13 SUMMARY – A LEVEL QUALIFICATION
Telling Stories: Exam worth 40% of A Level.
In this component, you will develop the work completed in Year 12. You will consider how writers
produce prose fiction, poetry and non-fiction in a variety of forms. You will focus on settings, voices and genre and how they are used to tell stories.
Exploring Conflict: Exam worth 40% of A Level.
In this unit, you will explore how prose author Khalid Hosseini creates and uses conflict in The Kite Runner.
You will be asked to write creatively about this novel.
You will also consider how dramatists create conflict through speech in Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire.

NON-EXAMINED ASSESSMENT
Coursework: 20% of A Level
This component is your opportunity to be more independent. You will complete a formal investigation, for which you will be required to gather data (with the guidance of staff) and learn about a topic that really interests you. You might like to look at how writers present fiction and non-fiction events differently or how speech is used differently in different contexts.

COURSE ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
You should have achieved an Average Point Score across all your GCSE subjects of 4+ and a grade ‘6’ in both English Language and English Literature.

BEYOND SIXTH FORM
As a subject concerned with communication, analysing and developing ideas in detail, an A Level in English is useful for progression into fields including:
journalism, teaching, acting, law, the Civil Service, occupational therapy, Human Resources, speech therapy, writing, media and advertising.
However, the skills and knowledge you gain means that it is a useful and valuable subject for a huge range of courses and careers, including those that you might not expect!

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