A LEVEL (AQA)

On this course, you will examine the different types of language that are used around you, from formal prose to political speeches, from chatting to friends to 'new', emerging areas of communication such as the language used in social media. You will study how language varies from one place to another, as well as between different social groups and situations. The course includes textual analysis and understanding the structure of English, how English emerged and how it is changing. You will develop your analytical skills to enable you to understand various spoken and written texts. You will also examine how language is acquired from infancy and how words develop various meanings over time.

Key topics

• developing and applying your understanding of the concepts and methods appropriate for the analysis and study of language

• exploring data and examples of language in use

• engaging creatively and critically with a varied programme for the study of English

• developing your skills as producers and interpreters of language
  

You will

• study language by exploring textual variety and children’s language development

• explore language diversity and change over time

• study the key concepts of audience, purpose, genre and mode, and explore language in its wider social, geographical and temporal contexts

• explore processes of language change: this part of the subject content also requires study in social attitudes to and debates about language diversity and change

• develop and reflect upon your own writing expertise

• pursue a study of spoken, written or multimodal data, or a mixture of text types, demonstrating knowledge in areas of individual interest