GCSE English
English is one of the subjects which you must continue to study in Years 10 and 11. The skills you will acquire will provide you with the foundations for all your other subjects, whether you need to write up a science experiment or compose a formal letter in Business Studies.
English at Macmillan Academy, however, is not simply about providing skills for other subjects. It will be a challenging, thought-provoking, stimulating and relevant subject in its own right. You will study the English GCSE course in Year 10 and sit your GCSE in the summer of that year. In Year 11 you will study Literature, Media studies or a combination of the two.
In the process of gaining these GCSEs you will learn to vary your own use of language according to purpose and audience. You will be taught to analyse a range of texts including newspapers, advertising, films and novels. You will read modern writers as well as the more traditional authors. Your final grades will result from a combination of coursework and examinations.
Directions at Post 16
At Post 16 we offer AS/A2 Levels in English Language, English Literature, Media Studies, and Language and Literature combined. All these courses develop analytical skills and your own critical writing, greatly expanding your understanding beyond GCSE. The work is extremely varied; you will have the opportunity to study texts in detail, to produce original writing and to visit the theatre or a TV studio. Again, your final grades will result from both examinations and coursework.
Routes after Post 16
English is such a wide subject that it can lead to all sorts of courses as well as the traditional English ones. You might study Linguistics, Communication Studies, Media Studies, Cultural Studies, Gender Studies, Women’s Studies or TEFL (which is teaching English as a foreign language). The Universities regard English as a sound basis for other, completely different degree courses such as Law, Economics and Management.
Please contact Mrs James or any member of the English department for further information.