English Language and Literature

A-Level English Language and Literature

Exam board: AQA

Why study A-Level English?

A-Level English Language and Literature develops the work you did in English at GCSE and allows you to explore some of the most popular areas of English in greater depth.

What will you study?

We study a range of literature texts from Shakespeare’s violent tragic love story, Othello; through the American Jazz Age classic The Great Gatsby; to the dark dystopian world of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale. Studying these texts will enhance your ability to analyse and develop your own arguments, which are vital skills in many other subjects and careers.

In the English Language sections of the course we will develop your skills as an author, with a range of creative writing tasks and explore how to analyse how people use language in their everyday lives.

As you progress through the course, the knowledge you gain from the English Language modules will elevate your understanding of the literary texts, whilst the skills you harness in the English Literature modules will similarly entwine with the Language work you produce.

Who is the course suitable for?

To study English you must enjoy reading and working with narrative, language and current affairs. English can lead to a very wide range of career paths. It is a subject which the top universities like students to have studied and makes a good choice for people looking for jobs in the law, education, human resources, journalism and more.