GCSE English Language

Learn how to become a ‘language detective’ studying GCSE English Language by looking beyond the obvious, reading between the lines and making inferences.  You will develop the tools to theorise and support your arguments with evidence, as well as draw connections to broader ideas. Exploring language will help shape your critical thinking and broaden your confidence and skill as a communicator.

As a GCSE English Language student at Ashbourne you will explore how language shapes everyday life. Taking part in lively classroom discussions and examining contemporary forms of text and spoken word will help you develop the skills to analyse and interpret the constant flow of information around you. Your teachers will encourage and guide you to be creative in your writing and teach you how to express your ideas fluently and effectively.

Which syllabus do we follow?
Ashbourne follows the Edexcel specification for GCSE English Language.

Who teaches this course?
Snaa Ashraf
MA English in Education (Kings College London); BA English Language (Kent); PGCE (Canterbury)

Snaa is an experienced and passionate English teacher whose focus is building students’ confidence, helping them to develop and practice examination technique and revise effectively. She applies her thorough understanding of the current debates in education, the examination process and assessment to her teaching.

Abigail Pillai
BA English; PGCE Secondary English (UCL)

Abigail is enthusiastic to share how English literature and language can engender empathy, provide a platform for many voices and empower both the author and reader. Her teaching experience and passion for the subject have been instrumental in helping students achieve excellent results.

Lauren Vanderhurst Moorley
MA English: Issues in Modern Culture (University College London); BA (Hons) English Literature (University of California); PGCE (Institute of Education, UCL)

Lauren’s love and enthusiasm for English inspires her students to find their own passion and embrace all that the subject has to offer. She is one of Ashbourne’s most encouraging and effective teachers who has played a full and active role in the college’s academic and cultural life since joining in 2014.

This course comprises two externally examined components – Fiction and imaginative writing and Non-fiction and transactional writing – and an internally assessed endorsement for Spoken language.

Fiction and imaginative writing
You will explore a range of prose fiction and learn skills to analyse and evaluate the language. The styles and techniques can then be applied and developed in producing creative writing. You will be encouraged to apply your language analysis skills to compliment the GCSE English Literature course.

Non-fiction and transactional writing
You will be given a range of 20th and 21st-century non-fiction texts covering different styles including literary non-fiction, articles, reviews, speeches, journals and reference, for example. You will be required to analyse, evaluate and compare these texts. You will also develop your own writing skills for a selection of different formats and audiences, correctly using spelling, punctuation and grammar.

Spoken language
Here you will get the chance to demonstrate your oral skills to engage, persuade and respond effectively. You will learn how to put forward your ideas fluently and effectively in the form of a presentation, e.g. a talk with questions and answers or a debate or interview-type dialogue, bearing in mind the prospective audience. The final internally assessed presentation will be with the teacher.