Choosing which subjects to pursue at A-level is a difficult decision for even the most determined of students. Once the dust from GCSEs has finally settled, students of all interests and abilities must take stock of their potential and make a choice that will shape the course of their lives. The importance of this decision should not be understated — and neither should the importance of considering the merits of each subject on offer.
When evaluating an A-level subject, there are five factors worth weighing:
- Does the subject develop valuable skills?
- Does the subject offer good career prospects?
- Does the subject have academic value?
- Does the student enjoy the subject?
- Does the student have the temperament to thrive in the subject?
Let us apply these to A-level English.
Skills
A-level English is genuinely beneficial for the development of critical thinking. Where the harder science subjects are largely fact-based, English is skills-based: students interpret and reconstruct historical texts in a variety of different ways.
Through extensive reading, English students tend to become articulate, with a broad vocabulary and a strong cultural awareness. They become perceptive and sceptical readers, able to identify flaws in complex arguments and frame their own responses in an ordered and stylistically considered way.
Career prospects
A-level English is not strictly vocational, but English graduates work across every part of professional life. A facility with language and rhetoric lends itself naturally to law, government, marketing, public relations, consultancy, journalism and business — to name only a few of the possibilities.
Academic value
A-level English is well respected by universities and higher education institutions. It also complements a wide range of other subjects. Many students take English alongside Maths, Physics or Chemistry to ensure their A-level experience is well-rounded and that they leave with the skills to take on a variety of projects in later life.
Enjoyment
Enjoyment of any subject always depends on the student, but it is well established that English — built around storytelling and the contest of ideas — is consistently a popular choice with students from a wide range of backgrounds.
Many students take real pleasure in the interpretive freedom of A-level English. The mark scheme is comparatively flexible, rewarding students who develop their own opinions on complex texts and bring in materials beyond the core reading.
Ability
As with enjoyment, a student's ability to succeed at A-level English depends largely on character. Some students take to it naturally; others find the absence of rigid guidelines and objective rules frustrating.
The best initial indicator of ability is the student's experience of GCSE English. Beyond that, open-minded, perceptive and curious students have every reason to expect to thrive at A-level English.
Summary
A-level English is as relevant and valuable a subject as any other. It develops essential critical-thinking skills, encourages independent thinking, and opens up a wide range of opportunities for later life.