A famous philosopher once wrote My language is the limit of my world. What did he mean by this? Well one thing he meant is that language names everything. If you don't know the name of something you can't describe it and therefore you don't really understand its concepts and uses. An understanding of language therefore is perhaps the most important skill you can learn in your entire life. The A-Level English Language course delivered at Abbey is accessible and invigorating, helping you to both harness and sculpt language into anything you want it to be.

How Does English Language Affect Me?

Language is everywhere and has a major impact on technology, business, entertainment, the workplace, gender, politics and power. Studying the subject will give you a great insight into the global issues surrounding language's usage and its future. The course will give you the skills to be able to see why language choices are made and ultimately for you to make the best use of written and spoken choices in any given situation. English Language is an exciting opportunity allowing you to study for pleasure, be creative and come out with a skill that can be used in the workplace.

So what is English Language?

It is the systematic study of your own language. You will analyse everything from crisp packets to old English texts, from discovering why language makes us different from all other animals, to find out why and how a chat-up works (or doesn't!)

What can I do with my English Language A-level?

There is no limit to the possibilities that English Language can give rise to. Career opportunities include: journalism, speech therapy, advertising, creative writing, teaching, broadcasting and further study at university.

What isn't English Language?

It is important to understand that English Language is not anything like your GCSE studies. It is ultimately far more exciting!  However it is not a creative writing course, nor an essay-writing course (although it has elements of both). The course will involve much that is new and show you how relevant English Language is to everyday life. 

What GCSE qualifications will I need?

You usually need a B grade at GCSE English, but a C at both Language and Literature may be sufficient with your English teacher's strong personal recommendation.

Are there any set texts?

The examination is not based around set texts like A Level Literature although you must want to read texts of some sort: newspapers, magazines, novels, poetry, etc. You will be given various textbooks to study and passages from texts as handouts.  You will be encouraged to read books on the theory of the English Language and to research topics on the Internet. Research is an important feature of the course and you will have the opportunity to collect mini-texts and record speech for study purposes and presentations in class. The coursework element allows you the freedom to pursue your interests and to suit your personality and skills, at both AS and A2.

What must I bring to the course?

A genuine interest in your own language, a spirit of adventure and inquiry into big and small questions (what are the origins of language? Alongside such questions as why do The British talk about the weather?). You will have a real desire for learning something new; a willingness to study independently, the ability to participate in classroom workshops and a love of reading, speaking and writing.

James Davies
Head of English