AQA A Level English Language Okehampton College, Slides of English Language

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AQA A Level English Language

Okehampton College

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Aims

Contents

About the course

Key areas and topics

Further learning and support materials

Useful websites and guides Studying at

Advance Level Marking and

annotating Key questions

Assessment overview

Key information on Paper 1, Paper 2 and

Coursework Assessment objectives

How to ace each question

Assessment trackers/sheets

Language Levels

Key definitions for each language level

Additional definitions

Linguistic toolkit

Coursework ideas 2

The A Level English Language Course As a student of English Language, you will enrol on an exciting and challenging journey, analysing and writing in detail about the way that language works, and how we use it differently to achieve our purposes. Over the two year course you will analyse genuine texts from a variety of different sources via group work, independent research, practical investigations, essay writing and creative writing. To begin with you will be introduced to the study of language, where you will learn how to analyse and categorise a wide range of texts according to linguistic frameworks. You will have the opportunity to develop and apply this knowledge as we focus on:

• Language and the Individual – you will analyse the difference between spoken, written and blended mode texts and investigate the representation of social groups, individuals, events and issues across a range of different types of texts
• Language Varieties – you will study and analyse how language varies according to region, social class, occupation and nationality.
• Directed Writing – you will learn how to write about the language issues in a variety of forms to communicate your ideas to a non-specialist audience. Then, you will deepen your knowledge and understanding of language by focusing on these areas:
• Children’s Language Development – you will analyse the way children learn to speak
• Language Change – you will identify the ways in which language has changed since 1600
• Language Diversity – you will extend your understanding of how language use varies because of mode, personal, social, geographical and temporal contexts
• Language in Action :Investigation Coursework - you will pursue an area of individual interest (gendered talk, children’s language, code switching etc.) to explore
• Language in Action: Original Writing Coursework – you will undertake a piece of creative writing on either the power of information, persuasion or storytelling. The course is designed to develop and build upon your prior learning during every topic, therefore continually extending the depth of your understanding of language. 4

Key Topics Mode

Mode is how we categorise texts on the continuum

between spoken and written texts e.g. emails; websites;

chat rooms; bulletin boards; SMS (texts); transcriptions of

phone calls; recorded messages (incoming or outgoing);

transcripts of spontaneous radio/TV broadcasts; sports

commentaries; newspaper/magazine articles; formal

and informal letters; textbooks; official documents;

adverts; election leaflets and information posters.

Gender

Texts aimed at a specific gender group e.g. editorial

from Sugar; review from Men’s Health.

Texts written about a specific gender group.

Transcripts of conversations between a specific gender

group or when mixed, where gender issues are

apparent.

Accent and Dialect

How are attitudes to accent and dialect changing? Find

examples of texts (spoken and written) which show the

increasing influence of, for example, Estuary English in

the media. What assumptions are made about the link

between accent and social class?

Children’s Language Development

Examples of how language is used by children of

different ages and stages and in different contexts, for

example in nursery with other children or in the home

with a care-giver.

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Qualification and awarding body AQA A Level English Language The full specification can be downloaded from: http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/english/as-and-a-level/english- language- 7701 - 7702 Course book to purchase English Language A/AS Level for AQA Student Book (Cambridge University Press) – Marcello Giovanelli, Gary Ives, John Keen, Raj Rana and Rachel Rudman ISBN 978- 1 - 107 - 46562 - 6 Further learning and career options The study of English Language equips you for many different higher education courses. It is also a course which will develop important skills whichever academic or vocational direction you take in the future. It is essential if you wish to study English Language or Linguistics at university and also complements most subjects with social sciences, such as psychology, sociology and law- related courses. Students who take English Language are very employable due to their analytical and communication skills and can find themselves in a broad range of professions including: Journalism, Law, Publishing, Marketing and Teaching. Who to contact for support

1. Your teachers: Mrs Tovey, Mrs Sizmur and Mrs Foley-Bearne
2. Mrs Richards: Head of English
3. Mr Sproats: Head of Sixth Form 7

Useful websites and guides People to follow on Twitter: David Crystal; Daniel Clayton; Beth Kemp Fantastic blogs for you to subscribe to: http://david-crystal.blogspot.co.uk/ http://englishlangsfx.blogspot.co.uk/ http://www.bethkemp.co.uk/blog/ http://alevellanguage.blogspot.co.uk/ https://aggslanguage.wordpress.com/ Guides and interesting reads: Aitcheson, Jean (2012) Language Change: Progress or Decay? Bragg, Melvin (2004) The Adventure of English Bryson, Bill (2009) Mother Tongue Crystal, Ben (2015) You Say Potato

• Crystal, David (2003) The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language (in fact any textbook by Crystal would be useful – in particular ‘How Language Works’ and ‘A Little Book of Language’. Truss, Lynne (2003) Eat, Shoots and Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Guide to Punctuation Depending upon your coursework topic choice, your teacher will be able to recommend or lend you some other guides too. *If you can only get hold of one, this is the one to get. News and current affairs Reading the newspaper is also a great way to keep on top of language debates and familiarise yourself with difference types of texts. We recommend you read as wide a range of newspapers as possible, but refer to The Guardian and The Independent as most important. You will need to write an opinion article in the style of one of these producers of news, so it’s vital you are confident with their style in order to emulate it. Access these website regularly in order to do this: https://www.theguardian.com/uk/commentisfree https://www.independent.co.uk/voices 8

You must annotate each text you include in your Language Log. Use these questions to help you:

• Who is the audience? How does that influence the text?
• What is the purpose? How does that influence how the text written?
• What is the format? Layout? How have images been used?
• What aspects of grammar are interesting and relevant e.g. use of verbs, pronouns, modification, complex sentences, word order etc.
• Has the position of the audience or producer influenced the text?
• How is the subject being represented in the text? Which dominant ideologies are supported/challenged? At certain points throughout the course, your teacher will ask to see your Language Log Book and the texts you collect will be used in lessons.

From the very start of your course, we will share the Assessment

Objectives with you as well as the grade criteria. Use this, even

when not prompted by your teacher, to self-assess essays that

you plan or write.

Reflecting on practice essays

You will get the chance to complete numerous practice essays before you sit the real exam. When your marked essays are returned, it is important that you reflect on your strengths and weaknesses. You will be given a chart which you will keep in your folder for the whole for the whole course. Use this to record your grade, strengths, and areas that you need to improve. Make sure that you take the time to go back to your essays and use your targets to develop your responses. This chart should also be used to make sure that you progress through your course and continue to do the ‘good bits’ and learn from your mistakes. Your teacher may give you time to do this in class for some essays but not for all and it is essential that you get into the habit of doing this for every essay – it will make a difference! (^10)

Mark schemes

Key questions

We aim to encourage you to take responsibility for shaping

your own learning. In some lessons, you will be set a ‘key

question’ and you are required to ensure that you can

confidently answer the questions(s) by the end of that

lesson or series of lessons.

Individual and group projects

to consolidate class learning

We do quite a lot of work on theories /complicated

concepts so we often set group project tasks e.g. prepare a

presentation/electronic revision resource on a particular

area which can then be emailed to all students.

Background research

Use the reading lists provided in this booklet as well as the

library, and selective use of the internet, to find texts

which will extend your knowledge of the subjects we focus

on in class.

Leading the teaching of others

Throughout the course you will be given the opportunity to

research specific areas of language and present and

teach your knowledge to the rest of the group.

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