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English Language (Alton)

A Level

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English Language (Alton)

A Level

Availability & Details

English Language - A Level AF1-ENLAAL/C01

Venue
Alton Campus

Type of study
A Levels

Dates
Academic Year 2026-27 (2 years)

Examination board
Pearson Education Ltd (Formerly EDEXCEL)

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Overview

English Language is a fascinating subject. You’ll study grammar, how children learn to speak and write, how language varies and develops over time and other issues such as the effect of language on our perception of the world. The foundation of the English Language A Level course is the analysis of both written and spoken language, which will enable you to understand how texts work and to effectively write your own. The coursework offers you free choice to develop your own original writing, so whether you are interested in sports journalism or creative writing, you choose.

Five GCSEs at grade 4 or above. You must have achieved at least a grade 5 in English Language or English Literature.

You will study:

  • Language & Individual Variation. Have you ever wondered why people use language so differently? Is it true that females ‘gossip’, males ‘swear’ and all teenagers use ‘like’? This section is where you find out what’s really going on when we use language.
  • Language Variation over time. This section studies how and why language changes. Why do we no longer use ‘thee’ and ‘thou’? Is English really getting worse? And what exactly is a “hopper arsed hoddy doddy”?
  • Child Language. This section covers how humans are able to acquire speech so quickly and to such a high level. It also covers how children are taught to read and write.
  • Language Investigation. You will investigate a range of language issues around Language & Gender, and Language & Journalism. You will develop your own skills as a researcher and find data.
  • Coursework – this is where you get to choose. You will produce two pieces of original writing and a commentary.

Activities are wide-ranging, from debates to data analysis, research to individual writing. We also organise a range of trips to help your learning and understanding of context.

20% coursework 80% exams – made up of three exam papers; Variation, Child Language and Investigating Language.

Printing costs £10 per year.
Optional trips from £20 each.

My time at the college was definitely life changing, I have learnt a lot of new skills, and obviously it’s a completely new experience. The support was great, there was always people there to help and try make it as easy as they can for you. The college is really fantastic, it has helped me on the way to get to what I want to achieve within my career goals.

Erin Morgan, BTEC student

The teaching has been really good, I’ve loved all of my teachers, they’ve all been really nice and supportive.

Jodie Hook

“HSDC provided me with the opportunity for autonomous study and the choice of subjects that I wanted to study, which helped me develop relevant knowledge as well as relevant skills for the workplace.”

Lucas Ratcliffe, A Level and CTEC student