Welcome to KS5 English Language and Literature

Department Leader: Nick Hall

The examination board for this qualification is AQA.

Our A-level English Language and Literature specification draws on the academic field of stylistics to create an integrated English Language and Literature course. We bring literary and non-literary discourses together and explore the creation of meaning in written and spoken texts through both analytical and creative writing.

Students will complete an introductory unit on stylistic analysis.  They will learn how to analyse texts using a series of language levels.

• Students will study a collection of non-fiction texts and extracts based on the topic of Paris.  They will be expected to complete detailed stylistic analysis of these and apply their learning to the contexts of culture and society: people and places.
• Students will complete a study of two focus literature texts.  We study The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood and a collection of poetry by John Donne.  The focus is understanding how writers construct imagined worlds through point of view, places, events and character.
• Using the Paris Anthology and the literary texts, students will recast the content into new material. This could involve a shift in form, purpose or perspective.  They will learn to write thorough analytical commentaries explaining their own writing.

Students will continue to develop and apply their understanding of stylistics. The literary focus is on dramatic encounters. The topics covered in Year 13:

• A study of a play text, The Herd by Rory Kinnear. The focus is on the representation of conflict.
• Students will read and analyse a The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and then apply their skills of textual recasting to work content into new forms and styles.  They will be required to write a formal commentary on the recasting.

Additionally, students will undertake a 3000-word research project exploring connections between literary and non-literary texts of their choice. This piece forms the non-examined unit for the course and represents 20% of the final grade.

Any queries about this course can be directed to Mr Hall, nickhall@kba.uk

The AQA page for the English Language and Literature course is the best place to start. It has details of the course, mark schemes, past papers and examiner reports.

https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/english/as-and-a-level/english-language-and-literature-7706-7707/specification-at-a-glance

We provide all students with a login to the English and Media Centre, which publishes e-versions of all its magazines. They are a huge resource for students of Language and Literature

https://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/

Students will develop understanding of different schools of literary and critical theory and Shmoop is a good starting point for this work.

https://www.shmoop.com/study-guides/literary-schools-of-theory

To help with a more detailed working understanding of English Language, especially grammar, the British Council offer lots of helpful resources, games and apps.

http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/?_ga=2.204353495.610276896.1580369140-1729316352.1580369140

And finally, the most useful resource is the library. Students who read extensively and beyond the prescribed texts are the most successful. Reading novels, poetry, plays and non-fiction texts at a level appropriate to A Level study is always time well spent. The KBA 100 Classics is a great place to start and we have all of the books on the list in our school library

https://kba.uk/secondary/information/reading-lis