Who is the course for?

This course is ideal for students who are interested in how language works in a wide variety of different contexts and genres. This very popular A level qualification is very useful for students progressing on to English and journalism undergraduate courses and considering careers in teaching, journalism and other media-related areas.

Content outline

This course is all about how language works.

At AS you will analyse how meaning is created in a variety of different texts, for example advertising, journalism, children’s literature, etc. You will be given the opportunity to write creatively within a literary genre (short story, dramatic monologues, etc), commenting upon the conscious language decisions you have made in constructing your piece. Spoken language of the media (soap operas, radio phone-in programmes, reality TV shows) will be investigated in a practical manner.

At A2 you will research and investigate language issues such as accents & dialects, exploring gender issues, language change over time. There will be another opportunity to write creatively, but this time writing within a non-literary genre (broadsheet article, film review, travel writing, etc). The A2 course builds upon the skills and knowledge developed at AS, but this time analysing historical texts and conversation transcripts.

Visiting Lecturers

David Crystal, leading linguist and author, visits the English Department at Wyke Sixth Form College.