Getting the best English A-level results requires understanding the different aspects of language and the context and stylistic features of different types of literature. As part of English language study, students must be able to analyze the semantics, pragmatics and graphology of any given piece of writing. Students should also be able to write for different purposes effectively, and have a good grasp of how to structure and write an academic essay.
A-levels are qualifications that are studied for between the ages of 16 and 18 in the UK and other British Commonwealth countries such as New Zealand. They are required for students to gain a place at university and are therefore very important to most students. A-levels can be studied in traditional academic subjects such as English, and also in more vocational subjects.
Combined English A-level results are dependent upon the results of two different subjects, English language and English literature. These can be taken separately or as a joint unit, the difference being that individual courses have more detail than the joint course. English literature is the study of literature written in the English language and often focuses on a couple of novels, such as one Shakespeare novel and one modern novel. The analysis of these novels and other works makes up the bulk of the course. The English language course focuses more on aspects of the language, such as grammar, phonetics and discourse, and writing for different purposes.
In order to achieve the best English A-level results, it is important to understand the different parts of language and the methods that are used to analyze them. Students should understand how to deconstruct text by looking into the semantics, which includes the meanings and implications of a word, as well as word choice. When looking at language, the different grammatical sentence structures and the word sounds used within those sentences are analyzed. English A-level results are also dependent on the student’s ability to understand how to write in different forms, such as persuasively and informatively.
The literature side of the A-level course requires students to understand the codes and conventions of a particular genre, and the context in which a work was written. To get the best English A-level results possible, students should be very familiar with all set novels, and be able to analyze them in detail. He or she should understand all the overlying themes of the novels, and be able to form arguments relating to them. Comparison of different texts is also a key aspect of the literature side of the course, and students should practice comparing different texts and how they deal with one key theme.