English
The way ahead at 14
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. Depending on the set you are in, you will either study English or English Language and English Literature. All students in Year 10 will also study Functional Skills English. This will support any Diplomas you may take now, or at Post-16, as well as providing you with a qualification recognised and respected by employers.
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 and you will read works by modern writers as well as the more traditional authors. Your final grades will result from a combination of controlled assessment and examinations.
Directions at 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 necessary for every career and an A*-C grade is a requirement made by training providers, empoyers and sixth forms. You may find GCSE 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 Miss Colabella, or any of the English teachers, for further information