WELCOME TO A LEVEL ENGLISH LANGUAGE
AT HAVANT SIXTH FORM COLLEGE
This course is about how language is used in today’s society. We’ll look
closely at:
 how words are used, particularly by the media, to shape our
thoughts and viewpoints
 how children learn to speak, read and write
 varieties of English; different dialects, accents and sociolects
 how our language has changed over time.
 people’s attitudes towards language. For example, do you think
people with a Birmingham accent are less intelligent? Do you think
you can tell someone’s sexuality by the way they speak? Is our
language in decline or is it dynamic and thriving?
 And finally, the detailed study of the craft of language through
studying a diverse range of spoken, written and multi-modal texts
will equip you with the skills to develop your own writing.
Please complete the following tasks to help to prepare you for the
A Level. You need to bring these completed tasks to August
Enrolment. The work should be handwritten, not typed.
Task 1
Find a newspaper or magazine article that concerns itself with a
particular social group. This can be related to ethnicity, gender, age,
disabilities, religion, sexuality or any specific group that interests you.
1. Summarise the topic of the article in no more than three sentences
2. Explain the viewpoints expressed in the article e.g. the journalist
believes that ….whereas X believes that………..
3. Select and comment on the language choices which are
influencing how we perceive this group of people.
Attach the article to the piece of writing and hand both in together
Task 2
Write a short ‘personal language history’ of approx. 500 words. You
should comment on some or all of the following. DON’T FEEL YOU
HAVE TO WORK THROUGH EVERY POINT. The exact structure and
style is up to you. Aim to make it really ‘readable’ and entertaining.
Some questions to get you started:
 What is your regional background? Where were you born? Where
does your immediate family come from? Do you have different
influences in your family? (Comment on grandparents’ generation
too if you like, if you have an interesting mix of influences.)
 What has influenced you language over the years? (Have you
always lived locally? Have you moved around? Have you ever
moved schools? What was that like?)
 Do you find that you speak in different ‘styles’ in different situations
(e.g. at work, with different relatives, with friends)? Try to give
some examples of how your language varies.
 Are there certain accents or speech styles that you particularly like
or dislike.
Feel free to comment on anything else which is of interest in your
language use or development. Do you remember anything about
learning to speak, read and write? Do you know what your first words
were? Are you learning any foreign languages? How easy do you find
this?
We look forward to teaching you in September and helping you to
achieve your goals.