English Language
Paper 1: Language, the Individual and Society
- Textual variations and representations
- Children’s language development (0-11 years)
- Methods of language analysis are integrated into the activities
Assessed
- Written exam 2 hours 30 minutes
- 100 marks
- 40% of A-level
Questions
Section A - Textual variations and representations
Two texts (one contemporary, one older) linked by topic or theme.
A question requiring analysis of one text (25 marks)
A question requiring analysis of a second text (25 marks)
A question requiring comparison of the two texts (20 marks)
Section B - Children’s language development
A discursive essay on children’s language development, with a choice of two questions where the data provided will focus on spoken, written or multimodal language (30 marks)
Paper 2: Language diversity and change
- Language diversity and change
- Language disclosures
- Writing skills
- Methods of language and analysis are integrated into the activities
Assessed
- Written exam 2 hours 30 minutes
- 100 marks
- 40% of A-level
Questions
Section A - Language diversity
One question from a choice of two:
either: an evaluative essay on language diversity (30 marks)
or: an evaluative essay on language change (30 marks)
Section B - Language discourses
Two texts about a topic linked to the study of diversity and change
- A question requiring analysis of how the texts use language to present ideas, attitudes and opinions (40 marks)
- A directed writing task linked to the same topic and ideas in the texts (30 marks)
Non-exam assessment: Language in Action
- Language investigation
- Original writing
- Methods of language analysis are integrated into the activities
Assessed
- Word count: 3500
- 100 marks
- 20% of A-level
- Assessed by teachers
- Moderated by AQA
Tasks
Students produce:
- A language investigation (2000 words excluding data)
- A piece of original writing and commentary (1500 words total)
Here are some links you could click on to find out more about the study of English Language:
Listen to Stephen Fry talk to Jeremy Vine on BBC Radio 2 about What Makes Us Human? 3 minutes of bliss
Communication and language are skills that will take you into many fields - find out more here
Why language is so powerful. Who writes speeches? Is it the delivery or the words themselves that make a speech powerful? Watch Barack Obama in action to begin to answer these questions:
Click here to access the English Language Course Content in detail
If you have any further queries about this subject please email enquiries@beverleyj6.co.uk
Career Opportunities: Journalism, Law, Teaching, Public Relations, Media, Civil Service, Business, Marketing.