A Level - English Language & literature

What you'll study

AQA English Language and Literature focusses on the study of a range of literary texts (The Handmaid’s Tale, The Great Gatsby, Carol Ann Duffy’s Poetry and A Streetcar Named Desire) and a non-literary anthology of texts linked to the theme of Paris.

Students study for two years, with two exam papers at the end of Year 13.

• Paper One – Telling Stories
• Paper Two – Dramatic Conflicts

Paper One is taught in Year 12 and Paper Two is taught in Year 13.

NEA – This replaces, what was originally, coursework. It is an independent, comparative study of a theme or element within non-fiction and fiction texts.  You will study a play in class as a starting point; however, you will be able to choose your own articles and extracts to further develop your independent work. This will need to be discussed with your class teacher, along with the point of comparison, to ensure the title is highly appropriate to the unit. 

What you'll love

You will experience the enjoyment of studying great works of fiction and non-fiction and will deepen your appreciation of a variety of texts, authors and genres. Alongside this, you will also have the opportunity to engage in creative writing tasks in order to deepen and challenge your understanding of classic modern texts. There are many opportunities for debate, group work as well as independent work.

Why take it?

• A better understanding of humanity and the world
• It will develop skills that will be essential for many jobs such as debating and matching theory to practice.
• Key jobs that are reliant on English include: Journalism, barristers, lawyers, teachers, marketing and advertising, sales
• Theatre trips, festival visits and competition are all part of the study experience.

Click the link below for exam specification and past exam papers.

Exam specification and past papers