Aims and Curriculum at KS5
A Level English Language
Students of English Language are expected to develop:
• a proper knowledge and understanding of frameworks for the systematic study of
the structure of language, including phonology, lexis, grammar, semantics and
pragmatics;
• the ability to describe, explain and interpret variations of usage in both
spoken and written language;
• appropriateness and accurate control of written English for a variety of
audiences and purposes; this should include the production, interpretation,
adaptation or re-presentation of texts;
• the ability to understand, and (in A2) to evaluate, frameworks for elucidating
the structure of language, as well as how language is used.
The AQA Specification B, which we follow, is constructed on the premise that awareness of the ways in which spoken and written English is structured heightens students’ sensitivity to the variations of its use. Students are expected to acquire a sharper appreciation of how language is used and improved control in handling it. (N.B. the present A2 candidates are completing the OCR Specification. All future candidates will sit AQA (B)).
A Level English Literature
The principal aim of the OCR English Literature Specification, which we follow,
is to enable candidates to enjoy the study of literature. Specifically, it
encourages students:
• to develop their interest in and enjoyment of literary studies through reading
widely, independently and critically;
• to gain an insight into the traditions of English Literature, and to take the
opportunity also to read both texts in English written outside the UK and
literature in translation;
• to develop as confident, independent and reflective readers of a range of
texts, learning to express their responses effectively through speech and
writing;
• to use critical concepts and terminology with understanding and
discrimination;
• to reflect on their own responses to texts, informed by other readers’
interpretations, with an awareness of the contexts in which texts were written;
• to use their detailed knowledge and understanding of individual texts to
explore comparisons and connections between them, and to appreciate the
significance of cultural and historical influences upon readers and writers.
