English

English Literature will appeal to students who enjoy reading literary texts and who wish to explore, interpret and evaluate literary texts of different types and periods. Candidates will study a variety of literary texts, including poetry, prose and drama. They will also explore connections between texts and will evaluate the significance of cultural, historical and other contextual influences. 

We study AQA English Literature A Level Specification B   

• Paper 1 – Tragedy – We study Othello by Shakespeare, Tess of the d’Urbervilles by Hardy and Death of a Salesman by Miller 
• Paper 2 – Social and Political Protest - We study the poems of William Blake, Kite Runner by Hosseini and A Doll’s House by Ibsen  
• NEA – Two coursework essays connected to two areas of study – one prose and one poetry – students have an almost completely free choice of texts 

Assessment

The course is assessed as follows: 

• Paper 1 – Tragedy (2.5 hr  closed book exam – 40%) 
• Paper 2 – Social and Political Protest (3 hour exam – 40%) 
• NEA – Two coursework essays –(20%) 

Careers

English Literature is a highly regarded academic subject, developing many transferable skills. Students often go on to study an English, Arts or Humanities degree at university on completion of the A Level course. Typical career progression: Media and Journalism; Publishing; Teaching; Advertising and Marketing; PR; Public Sector work; Law.

Grade Required 

A grade 6 or above in English.

Contact details

Mrs Caroline Atkinson: can@knutsfordacademy.org.uk

Head of Key Stage 5, English Faculty

Media Studies is the exploration of how information, entertainment, and ideas are created, communicated, and consumed. It’s a subject that encourages students to think critically about the media that surrounds them — from social media posts and TV shows to news articles, video games, films, and advertising.

At its heart, Media Studies is about understanding influence. Who decides what we see? How are messages shaped? And how do media platforms affect public opinion, culture, and identity? Whether analysing a blockbuster film or a viral meme, Media Studies gives you the tools to decode meaning and challenge assumptions.

Course Description

Students study nine media forms and associated set products using a theoretical framework covering media language, media representations, media industries and media audiences. They also consider the social, cultural, economic, political and historical contexts of media products. 

Component 01: Media messages 

Students study news and online, social and participatory media in depth and learn about how media language is used to construct representations and meaning in a variety of set media products. 

There are two sections: 

• In section A: News and online media, students carry out two linked in-depth studies that focus on contemporary news in the UK, requiring students to explore how and why newspapers and their online counterparts are evolving as media products and the relationship between both online and offline news. 

• In section B: Media language and representation, students focus on media language and representation and consider how meanings are constructed across different media forms. This covers advertising and marketing, magazines and music videos. 

Component 02: Evolving media 

Students consider how media industries are evolving and using technology to reach, target and address audiences through a variety of set media products. Students also consider the media language, representations and messages and values communicated by long-form television drama and how these dramas are produced and consumed globally. 

There are two sections: 

• In section A: Media industries and audiences, students will explore media industries through film, video games and radio and audiences through video games and radio. 

• In section B: Long-form television drama, students carry out an in-depth study focusing on contemporary long form television dramas, one English language and one European (non-English language). 

Component 03/04: Creating media 

Students create a cross-media product for an intended audience in response to a set brief. This gives them the opportunity to work independently and develop expertise built from their study in components 01 and 02. 

Assessment

 2 Written exams: 

Component 1 Media Message  

70 Marks 

35% 

Component 2 Evolving Media 

70 Marks 

35% 

NEA 

Component 3 Making Media 

60 Marks 

30% 

Enrichment

Trip to Berlin to attend the Berlin Film Festival 

Links with local TT Games 

Guest speakers

Careers

Over one hundred universities offer courses in Media, Communications and Cultural Studies in the UK. An A level in Media Studies helps you to progress to these courses, as well as to those in other areas such as English, Humanities and Social Sciences. 

There are a huge array of career opportunities in the media, which is an industry that is growing at an exponential rate. Just the video games sector alone in the UK is valued at over £38bn. If you are looking for a job in this area, studying Media at A Level and at degree level is a route into careers such as TV and film production, advertising, journalism, interactive media and digital marketing. It could help you to provide you with the foundation to secure roles in technical production, special effects, web design and post-production. 

Contact

Mrs R Brook: rbk@knutsfordacademy.org.uk

KS5 English Curriculum Maps