Exam Board – AQA

Qualification – A Level

Entry requirements – 5 x GCSEs at grades 9-4, including a grade 5 in English

Course specification

This is an accessible and stimulating course in which students engage creatively and independently with a variety of spoken, written and multi-modal texts.

Designed with a focus on the integration of language and literature, this specification enables students to see how linguistic and literary methods are related and to explore these links in their work. Offering clear skills progression from GCSE, this course allows students to build on the skills and knowledge already gained and prepare for their next steps.

The variety of assessment styles used, such as re-creative writing, commentary writing, discursive essays and research-based investigative writing, allows students to develop a wide range of skills. These include the ability to read critically, analyse, evaluate and undertake independent research, which are invaluable for both further study and future employment.

Syllabus content:

  • Remembered places
  • Imagined worlds
  • Poetic voices
  • Writing about society
  • Critical commentary
  • Dramatic encounters
  • Making connections
  • Methods of language analysis

Students are examined by:

Two written exams worth 40% each and non-exam assessment (coursework) worth 20%.