King prefers to think up a situation and allow it to develop with his writing. He doesn’t come up with an outline or plot beforehand, he just dives right in.
Studying English Language
Interested in how the English language has developed, how it is used and how it’s represented? An A level in English will teach you all about the world’s pre-eminent language, giving you interesting and important insights and skills that will help you across a range of subjects, as well as giving you an excellent basis of knowledge from which to pursue further study at university.
English Language A level
£14.99 / month and a £9.99 sign-up fee
How does a course work?
Step 1 – Subscribe to our online course materials
Subscribe to the courses you wish to study. Each course contains everything you require to succeed in your chosen subject, including detailed coverage of all required topics, activities, self-assessment questions and assignments with comprehensive suggested answers. You may choose to have the assignments marked by one of our fully-qualified tutors.
The minimum subscription period is 6 months. After that, you can cancel your subscription at any time. If you wish, you may optionally purchase a printed, spiral-bound course pack at the point of subscription.
Step 2 – Taking control of your studies
You will be allocated a tutor from our bank of PGCE-qualified tutors. Your tutor will arrange a free 15-minute induction call with you to introduce themselves and the course to you. As you require further tutor support, you can purchase:
- Tutorial time, one-to-one in our virtual classroom
- Assignment marking
- Mock Exam marking
Course Outline
Module One: Introduction to Language Analysis: Language Frameworks
- Modes of address: Lexis and Semantics
- Modes of address: Grammar and Graphology
- Modes of address: Analysing spontaneous speech
- Modes of address: Pragmatics and discourse
Module Two: Textual Variations and Representations
- Variations in spoken, written and multi-modal texts
- Representations -Texts in Time
- Representations – Texts in Context
- Language, Power and Identity
Module Three: Language Diversity
- Sociolects – Social and Occupational groups
- Sociolects – gender and ethnicity
- Accents and Dialects – Regional varieties
- Global English – National and International varieties
Module Four: Language Discourses
- ‘Standard English’: Caxton’s Eggs and historical attitudes
- Attitudes to diversity and change – constructing identity
- Attitudes to diversity and change – positioning and influencing the reader
- Attitudes to diversity and change – future discourses
Module Five: Language in Action: Investigating Language
- Identifying an investigation topic/ research questions
- Methodology: Data collection and language analysis
- Evaluating findings
- Language concepts and writing up
Module Six: Understanding Children’s Language Development
- Functions of Children’s Language Use
- Language Development: Phonology and Grammar
- Language Development: Lexis, Semantics and Pragmatics
- Comparing development in spoken and written texts
Module Seven: Applying Theories of Language Development to Analysis of
Speech and Writing
- Genres of children’s speech and writing
- Modes of communication – spoken, written and multi-modal texts
- Theories of Children’s Language Development
- Researching Children’s Language Use
Module Eight: Language in Action – Original Writing
- Original Writing Option 1 – The Power of Persuasion
- Original Writing Option 2 – The Power of Storytelling
- Original Writing Option 3 – The Power of Information
- Producing an Evaluative commentary
Module Nine: Introduction to Language Change
- Diachronic Change and Diversity: Language use from 1600 to present day
- Processes of Diachronic Change
- Synchronic Change and Diversity: The future of English?
- Evaluating language change in written texts and transcripts
Module Ten: Evaluating Language Change
- Using language data to evaluate diachronic change
- Using language data to evaluate synchronic change
- Synchronic Diversity: Ethnolects and International English
- Attitudes to language change: Descriptive models. Directed Writing
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Examinations
The English Language A level course specification AQA 7702 is assessed by 2 written examinations and a Non-Exam Assessment (NEA)
Paper 1: Language, the individual and society
- written exam: 2 hours 30 minutes
- 100 marks
- 40% of A-level
Paper 2: Language diversity and change
- written exam: 2 hours 30 minutes
- 100 marks
- 40% of A-level
NEA: Language in action
- word count: 3,500
- 100 marks
- 20% of A-level
- assessed by teachers
- moderated by AQA
Course duration and study time
The recommended number of study hours for this course is 700 hours.
Because of the unique way Oxford Home Schooling courses are structured your support will last for as long as you are subscribed to the course, regardless of how long you decide to take.
This course has a Non-Exam Assessment element which contributes 20% of the marks. Your NEA needs to be authenticated, marked and moderated. If you wish an Oxford Home Schooling Tutor to do this you will need to have completed a minimum of 3 hours of tutorials with them, which can be booked using our tutorial platform. Details can be found at our tuition portal.​
Frequently Asked Questions
Why should I choose Oxford Home Schooling?
- Oxford Home Schooling is a long-established educational company that prides itself on
- treating every student as an individual
- excellent customer service
- comprehensive, quality courses.
- We’re rated ‘Excellent’ on Trustpilot by students who have studied with us.
- We provide online and printed resources so you can study your way – other providers do not give you that choice.
- We make it easy for you to home-educate your children with our flexible schedule, tutor support, and subscribtion based payment plan.
- Every year we help hundreds of children who have left mainstream education obtain the qualifications they need to progress and achieve their goals.
Can I complete the exam in one year?
Our cut-off for enrolling on an A level English course for the following summer examination series is mid-October each year. So yes you can. However, remember that you will still need to fit around 700 hours of study time into your schedule before the examination. The earlier you enrol, the less study you must do each week!
What prior learning is required?
We strongly recommend prior study to GCSE level and that a student has achieved Grade 6 or above in English GCSE. Our tutors will support students from a wide variety of different backgrounds and adapt to differing levels of prior learning.Â
I see the course includes non-exam assessment (NEA) - what is that?
Non-exam assessment (NEA), also known as ‘coursework’, is the work that students must produce separate from their end-of-course timed examination papers. This is compulsory for certain A-levels, including this one. Students must produce one or two longer pieces of writing, following agreed titles and involving their own individual research. These pieces are submitted to a tutor some time before the exams and assigned marks by the tutor – those marks are moderated and potentially changed by the exam board (AQA). There are extra charges for these services but NEA enables students to research their interests and develop their writing skills in a less pressured way than would be the case with timed exams.Â
Is there an age limit?
There isn’t a specific age-limit for an A-level course but we strongly recommend that the pupil is a minimum of 15 when they start A-level study and that they are academically capable of starting the course.Â
When can I enrol?
You can enrol and start any time you like, the earlier the better. The important thing to think about is when you wish to sit your exam and to give yourself plenty of time to work through your materials and revise successfully. Our cut-off dates for enrolment can be found here.
Once you have enrolled, you will get access to your course online immediately and your printed course materials will arrive a few days later.
When will I sit my exam?
The English A level papers are only available in the Summer examination series. The Summer series typically runs from mid-May to late June.
How and when do I book an exam?
The final date for booking summer exams with the exam board without incurring late entry fees is the 21st of February. You should book your place at an exam centre well in advance of this date. Start looking once the autumn term begins.
All the information you need to book an exam centre can be found in our Exams Hub. Here you will find
- detailed instructions
- entry codes needed to book exams
- our map of examination centres where our students have taken exams in recent years.
Tutors & Exams offers discounts to Oxford Home Schooling students and has ten current exam venues across the UK: Birmingham, Bolton, Coventry, Doncaster, High Wycombe, Romford, St Neots, Taunton and Wimbledon.
Pearson Edexcel also publishes a list of exam centres that accept private candidates. This won’t list every available centre, so if there’s nothing shown in your area, we recommend contacting local schools and colleges directly.
How much does an A-level examination cost?
Your exam fees aren’t included in the course cost as they’re paid directly to the exam centre. They will vary depending on which centre you choose. Generally speaking, dedicated examination services will be more expensive than a local school or college. Prices range from £150 to £350 pounds.
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