English Language/Literature

This A-Level course blends the study of English Language and Literature, helping students explore how writers and speakers use language to shape meaning. It encourages creative, critical, and independent engagement with a wide range of texts, from novels and poetry to drama and real-world discourse.

The course is structured around three key areas:

Telling Stories – includes analysis of place, prose fiction (novels), and poetic voice.

Exploring Conflict – focuses on re-creative writing, commentary, and dramatic encounters.

Making Connections – a personal investigation comparing literary and non-literary texts.

Students may study texts such as Frankenstein, The Kite Runner, The Great Gatsby, Othello, or A Streetcar Named Desire, and poetry by Duffy, Heaney, Browning, or Donne, alongside non-fiction and spoken texts.

Paper 1 (Telling Stories) – 3-hour exam (40%)

Paper 2 (Exploring Conflict) – 2.5-hour exam (40%)

Non-Exam Assessment (Making Connections) – 2,500–3,000 word investigation (20%)

All exams are taken at the end of the course. Some elements are open book (i.e. you can have a blank copy of the text with you in the exam).

Grade 5 in GCSE English Language and Grade 5 in GCSE English Literature (subject to staffing).

You must have achieved a grade 5 in English Language and English Literature at GCSE to take this course.

This course develops skills in analysis, argument, creativity, and research so is ideal for degrees in English, journalism, law, media, education, and more. It also supports careers requiring strong communication, critical thinking, and textual interpretation.