ENGLISH LANGUAGE & LITERATURE
A Level
The combined English course is a great next step up from GCSE. You will learn how to evaluate any form of language use, be that written, spoken or something in between, like the ways we communicate online.
This course does explore fascinating literature, but through the language it is presented in. We discuss what meanings might be there in the texts, but more importantly how writers have created them. You will study two novels, one selection of poems and a play. Alongside the literary texts you will explore an anthology of varied non-literary texts like transcripts, message boards, news articles and YouTube adverts all about Paris, and how places and people there are represented. You will also learn writing skills and new language terminology which will benefit you in other subjects and in later life. All this, plus you get the chance to choose any literary text you like for the non-examined element.
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Preparing for this course
During the course you will study a novel called The Handmaid’s Tale. This has recently been made into a major, global television sensation. In preparation, we recommend buying and reading the novel and also watching the TV series.
More about the course
What will I study
English Combined is a unique course in its own right, as it seeks to explore how writers and speakers use language to tell stories, in novels, plays or poems. This insightful course explores how people, places, times and experiences are imagined and created, and will develop your vocabulary and terminology as you critically analyse it. You will also develop comparison and evaluation, presentation, essay writing and teamwork skills. As you progress on the course, you will improve your own creative writing in terms of style, audience and purpose. These skills are essential for higher education and future employment, and this is the reason why universities and employers value the English Combined qualification.
One of the most engaging aspects of the course takes the chance to study The Handmaid’s Tale, which has just been made into a major, global television sensation. If ever there was a story told to make us think again about the world in which we live and how we treat people who are not like us, this is it - and you get to study it at KGV. In a more detailed sense, the course is split into three assessments; two examination papers and a 3000 word piece of coursework that explores a specific technique or theme in both literary and non-literary texts.
Why choose English Combined at KGV
Your lessons will take place in large and bright classrooms within a state of the art building which are equipped with modern interactive white boards. This fantastic learning environment is supported by the passion of the teachers and their ability to captivate and inspire their students. It is within this nurturing and aspirational context that you will be able to achieve what you have always dreamed of, whether that has been to be an investigative journalist or even a speech and language therapist.
English Combined opens up a large, diverse range of subjects that you could study at university, and that is what makes it such an excellent choice if you are already considering higher education. You could choose from future careers in sectors such as business, marketing, and law, as well as journalism, medicine and criminology. Many previous students have studied at prestigious universities like Oxford, Durham and Liverpool.
Entry Requirements
Standard
5 GCSEs at grades 9 - 5 and or including, English Language and Maths at grade 4 or above.
Course specific
You will need a grade 5 or above in English Language .