At St Edward’s, our English Language course will equip you with the skills to develop your appreciation of English through learning about its structure and its function.

Why Study A Level English Language?

In English Language you will develop your ability to express yourself through speech and writing, producing texts for different audiences, purposes and in different genres. The variety of assessment styles used, such as data analysis, discursive essays, original writing and research-based investigative writing, allows you to develop a wide range of skills which are invaluable for both further study and future employment.

English Language is a great choice if you are interested in reading and writing non-literary material, and studying media texts. You should also be interested in examining how we acquire language, and how we use spoken language to interact. You will learn to use new technical vocabulary effectively, so that your discussions and written work are more precise.

The course content requires you to complete two pieces of original writing worth 20% and a language investigation in preparation for one of the examined modules. There are also examinations in the use of language in society, child language acquisition and the history and diversity of the English language, worth 80%.

This course is particularly suitable if you are interested in studying English Language, Linguistics or English Studies in Higher Education. It encourages you to take responsibility for your learning and gives you a strong grounding in the academic principles relating to working with data. The style of teaching and learning will give you academic confidence, as well as knowledge about the English language.

Course Contact

Mrs Alice Bell
KS5 English Subject Leader

Course Content

Component 1 – Language Variation
External assessment. 2 hours and 15 minutes. 35% of total qualification

Component 2 – Child Language
External Assessment.  1 hour and 15 minutes.  20% of total qualification

Component 3 – Investigating Language
External assessment. 1 hour and 45 minutes.  25% of total qualification

Component 4 – Crafting Language
Internally assessed. Externally moderated. 20% of total qualification

Exam Board: Edexcel

Where can this take you?

After studying English Language at St Edward’s, you could move on to specific Journalism or joint English degrees; previous students have taken up speech therapy and quite a few have gone into teacher training or other aspects of education. This in an excellent A Level for you if your are interested in the power of language and how written and spoken language achieves different purposes. Anyone interested in Writing, Media, Business, Advertising, History or Psychology would find this course illuminating.

Key information

Download Entry Requirements

Student Testimonials

"English Language A level is very different from English GCSE, in a good way! You learn about child language and how they develop from 0-5. What I love is that you also learn where and how English started and its similarities with other languages such as French."

A Level English Language student

"The open discussions with the class make processing and understanding the content easier. It is a significant step up but it does become manageable."

A Level English Language student