A Level English Language, in particular, offers clear continuity from GCSE (9-1) English Language in such areas as creativity, exploration of unseen texts and application of linguistic terminology but Lucia points out:
“We make it very clear what is involved in the course at open events, enrolment and during the opening sessions as students have a preconceived notion of what the subject involves based on their secondary school experience and the reality of the course is very different.”
“We get the students to focus on their own language use to start with. For example, they are required to record themselves in conversation with ideally one or two other people and then transcribe these texts. Because the students are then analysing their own language use they seem to engage in the task much more. They also find it fascinating to learn about how they really use language and to make explicit what, until now, has largely remained implicit. Typical student comments include, 'I say "like" a lot don’t I?', and 'I sound really Suffolk!'"