English Language

A Level English Language AQA

In Year 13 you will study:

Child Language Development
You will explore how children develop their speaking, reading and writing skills. We will focus on the early stages of language acquisition, considering whether the ability to develop language is innate (you are born with this ability) or it is through social interaction and your environment. We will look at a range of case studies, including Genie - a 'feral' child who was raised with minimal social interaction while growing up. Because of the lack of interaction, Genie never fully grasped language despite intervention from speech therapists.

Coursework: language investigation
At AGS we give our students a great deal of choice in what they can choose to study for their language investigations so you will be able to follow your particular interests. Recent investigations by students include: how do Obama and Trump use language differently? How does Rap music use language to represent women? How was a terrorist suspect represented in the media? Do men and women on Love Island use language differently? Is there a difference in how different genders use language in an AGS science lesson?

Language Change
You will learn how the English language has been developed due to a range of factors such as invasion, immigration, trade and technology. You’ll also examine attitudes to these changes – why do some people think English is deteriorating and are they right?

 
Language Diversity – World Englishes
In this unit you will look at how English is used around the world eg Indian English, American English and Caribbean English.. You will explore theories of how English use develops over time.

Assessment:
Students will do at least two assessments per half term per teacher.

Resources for English Literature A level:

AQA website:

http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/english/as-and-a-level/english-literature-a-7711-7712