A Level - English Language and Literature

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls (MGGS)

Buckland Road, Maidstone, Kent, ME16 0SF

GCE A/AS Level or Equivalent

Level 3

Available start dates

Tuesday, 01 September 2026

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls (MGGS)

2 Year(s)

Full time

Daytime/working hours

NULL

Please contact the provider directly to apply for this course.

Application Instructions

Applications Open - Friday 28th November 2025 - 8am

Applications Close - Friday 6th February 2026 - 12 midnight (Externals)

- Friday 12th December 2025 - 12 midnight (Internals)

Entry Requirements - Students must be 16 years of age by 31st August of the year of entry into Year 12. Admission to the Sixth Form will be as a result of applicants achieving:

● At least a grade 5 in either English Language or English Literature

● At least a grade 5 in Mathematics

● At least 6 GCSE subjects of grades 9-5

● The specific entry requirements for each of their chosen subjects. Please note that we adhere to our subject entry criteria strictly, and therefore, students who meet the minimum entry criteria but are not eligible for their chosen subjects will be offered an alternative programme of study

● Students will be expected to enrol on a two year, full time, planned programme of study (3 A Level subjects)

● Our standard offer is for 3 subjects. Students wishing to undertake 4 subjects must achieve 8 or more grades 9-7, including the above criteria for general Sixth Form entry requirements

How to Apply - Applications open 28th November 2025 on Kent Choices.

Course Summary

English Language and Literature is the study of how language works both linguistically and conceptually; it is concerned with the fundamental aspects of how we communicate in both writing and speech and for what purpose, and how language and ideas are crafted. Choosing to study English Language and Literature will enable you to further develop your ability to use linguistic and literary critical concepts to comment on spoken and written texts, and to ask questions such as ‘What is a text?’, ‘What does it mean to call something ‘literary’?’, ‘What theoretical ideas underpin language construction and expression?’, ‘How does language work?’, and ‘What socio-historical, cultural and political ideas influence language and literary ideas?’

The course will allow you to stretch and hone your creative writing skills as you produce texts for different audiences and purposes and critically reflect on this process of production. This course will make you a sophisticated and coherent writer and analyst - skills highly valued by universities and employers. The skills you have acquired for GCSE will be extended as you analyse more demanding material in a more detailed way. However, be aware that English Language at Key Stage 4 is not representative of this course.

Course Details

You will study a range of fiction and non-fiction texts, exploring differences and similarities between different kinds of literary texts, analysing speech and patterns of discourse, and developing the skills to write creatively.

‘The Lovely Bones’ by Alice Sebold
‘The Kite Runner’ by Khaled Hosseini
‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ by Tennessee Williams
A selection of poems by Carol Ann Duffy
‘Paris’ Anthology of non-fiction texts

How will it be delivered and assessed?

2 written examinations taken at the end of the course

Paper 1: Telling stories (40%)
Paper 2: Exploring Conflict (40%)
1 NEA coursework piece: (2500-3000 words) produced by students independently and marked by teachers (20%)

Entry requirements

Grade 6 or above in both GCSE English Language and GCSE English Literature.

General Sixth Form entry requirements

At least a grade 5 in either English Language or English Literature
At least a grade 5 in Mathematics
At least 6 GCSE subjects of grades 9-5

Your next steps...

If you wish to apply to join our Sixth Form please complete the application process through Kent Choices.

Additional information

https://www.mggs.org/joining-us/joining-our-sixth-form/sixth-form-prospectus/#

For more courses like this, check our courses page.