English

Staffing

• Andrea Chandler (Head of Year 12)
• Miss C O' Hara
• Tim Dyson (Assistant Headmaster)
• Colin Hurst (Acting Head of Year 12)
• Helen Lofthouse
• Rachael Turner
• Liz Warner (Head of Department)
• Mr D Holgate (LSA)
• Mrs Joannah Sallabank
• Mrs Gail Watkinson
• Eilidh MacDonald
• Esther MacFarlane
• Mr J Howard (Head of Department)

Key Stage 3:

Pupils have the opportunity to read and study a wide range of drama, poetry and prose.

Most pupils are taught in mixed ability groups in English in year 7,8 and 9, following the National Curriculum framework.

They are assessed for speaking and listening, reading and writing regularly throughout each year.

Formal internal tests are carried out each year to assist monitoring. At the end of the key stage, all pupils are externally assessed in the SATs.

The pupils are placed in ability sets at the end of the autumn term of year 7. They then sit assessment tests at the end of each topic to monitor progress and the results of these tests are used for setting purposes the following year.

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Key Stage 4:

Pupils are set from year ten and are taught AQA GCSE English and English Literature Specification A.

The course is intended to develop skills in speaking and listening, reading and writing.

They complete five pieces of coursework: original writing, a response to a media text, an examination of a play by Shakespeare, an analysis of a twentieth century drama text and a study of prose written before 1914.

They will also study a major novel and poetry from an anthology in preparation for their Literature exam. In addition, they study poems from different cultures as well as non-fiction and media texts.

The breakdown of the course is as follows:

English

• Written coursework: 20%
• Speaking and Listening Coursework: 20%
• Examination 60%

Paper 1
• Response to non-fiction and media texts
• Writing to argue, persuade and advise

Paper 2
• Response to poems from different cultures
• Writing to describe, explain and inform

English Literature

• Written Coursework: 30%
• Examination 70%

Paper 1
• Response to a novel
• Response to poems in the AQA Anthology

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AS Level

ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

Students can study either AQA English Literature Specification B or AQA English Language and Literature Specification A.

This is assessed entirely by examination.

'Closed Book' indicates that the text studied may not be taken into the examination.

AS

Unit 1 Language Production 15 %

Students write a text for a specific purpose and audience, and then produce an analytical commentary on what they have written.

Unit 2 Poetic Study 15%

The study of Whitsun Weddings by Philip Larkin.

Unit 3 The Study of Prose and the Language of Speech 20% Closed Book

The first question will ask students to analyse an extract from Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. They will then analyse an extract of speech, such as the transcript of a conversation.

A2

Unit 4 Comparative Literary Studies 15%

A comparison of two literary texts, currently Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte and The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles.

Unit 5 Texts and Audience 15% Closed Book

Part of this exam will examine a play by Shakespeare and consider the ways it uses language for effect. The second part will ask students to adapt information from a text to suit a different audience and purpose and then to compare it to the original.

Unit 6 Synoptic Paper 20%

This will assess all of the skills that students have developed throughout the course. This will involve the analysis and comparison of texts and an evaluation of the analytical methods used.

ENGLISH LITERATURE

The AS and A2 courses are both assessed by examination and coursework.

'Closed Book' indicates that you may not take a copy of the texts into the examination.

Unit 1 Introduction to the Study of Literature

Students will study a major novel such Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

Unit 2 Poetry and Drama Closed Book

This will involve the study of poetry written before 1900, currently the poetry of John Donne and the play, Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller.

Unit 3 Shakespeare

This is assessed as coursework. Students produce an essay responding to different interpretations of a Shakespeare play. This should be 1500 - 2000 words long.

A2

Unit 4 Comparing Texts

This is assessed as coursework. Students compare one prose text with another text of a different type or time period. The final submission is 2500 - 3000 words long.

Unit 5 Drama before 1770 and Poetry before 1900 Closed Book

Currently, the texts studied include Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare and The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

Unit 6 Exploring Texts

This unit will assess all of the skills developed throughout the course.

One week before the final examination students will be issued with a set of pre-release material, including text extracts, critical opinions and biographical information. The examination will ask them to respond to the techniques or ideas in these texts and to compare them with texts that are only seen in the examination itself.

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14-19 Careers/ Educational Opportunities

English is relevant to any career that requires you to write, read or interpret information. It is usually essential for students planning to take higher-education courses in Communication Studies, Drama, English Language and Literature, Journalism, Librarianship, Media Studies and Theatre Studies. It is also useful for students planning to embark on careers or courses in Business, Law, Modern Foreign Languages and Public Relations.

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