In A-level English Language, we follow the AQA course; this necessitates close focus on the English language in its widest sense and involves the analysis of representations within texts and the exploration of accent and dialect, social groups, gender and occupation and how these aspects might affect or be perceived to affect language use. Second year modules examine child language acquisition and language change over time, in addition to there being the opportunity to investigate an aspect of language independently as part of a Non-Examined Assessment.
English Literature adheres to the AQA Specification B and takes in modules such as social and political protest writing and tragedy. As part of the Non-Examined Assessment, there is the opportunity to study and write about texts independently, through the lens of feminism, Marxism, eco-Criticism, narratology or post-colonialism. Authors studied include Miller, Hosseini, Blake, Hardy and, naturally, Shakespeare.