Carrickfergus Academy
English
For GCSE English Language, as a department, we seek to provide our students with an engaging two-year programme of study, in which they will have a chance to take part in a range of reading, writing, and speaking and listening activities. The study of English provides many important life-long skills for written and verbal interactions and in training pupils in critical thinking, which will be useful in employment. As a result, our programme of study has been refined over many years, to ensure that we maximise the pupil experience and exam success.
We follow the CCEA specification.
The course is divided into four units:
Staff
English
Subject Leaders:
* Current Covid restrictions have impacted normal operating procedures. For 2021/22 study, Unit 3 has been omitted from compulsory assessment.
For GCSE English Literature, pupils study an exciting selection of texts drawn from poetry, prose and drama. The course not only develops pupils critical / analytical thinking skills, but also enhances their essay writing techniques and so benefits pupils in the study of other subjects in which essay writing is a key element. It also provides key preparation for pupils who want to progress to A-Level and University level study in a variety of academic subjects.
We follow the CCEA specification, which is divided into three units which are a mixture of Controlled Assessment and Examination.
* Current Covid restrictions have impacted normal operating procedures.
Media in the modern world is integral to shaping young people’s perceptions of the world around us and issues surrounding representation, ethnicity, and diversity. At GCSE level we offer an intensive study into a range of Media forms by studying EDUQAS Media Studies. Over the course of the two years, students get the opportunity to analyse a range of texts such as Luther, The Sun, The Archers, Fortnite and many more.
The course is composed of:
* Current Covid restrictions have impacted normal operating procedures. For 2021/22 study, Unit 3 has been omitted from compulsory assessment.
Pupils undertaking to study English Literature for A-Level are treated to an exciting range of texts from Shakespeare right through to modern poetry and Dystopian Fiction. Past pupils have commented, even years after leaving, upon how much they enjoyed the texts studied, and how they benefitted from the analytical skills which they developed. Pupils hone their ability to present cogent arguments, as this underpins everything they do in English Literature; a skill which will aid them in university study regardless of career path.
We follow the CCEA specification, which is made up from various components at AS and A2 Level, as outlined below.
Media Studies A level WJEC specification
The media play a central role in contemporary culture, society and politics. They shape our perceptions of the world through the representations, ideas and points of view they offer. The media have real relevance and importance in our lives today, providing us with ways to communicate, with forms of cultural expression and the ability to participate in key aspects of society. The two-year Media Studies course provides the students with many opportunities to study issues such as gender representation, how representations of people and social groups change over time and also how various genres evolve through time. Both at AS level and at A level, pupils develop skills of analysis and learn how to evaluate texts from various critical perspectives. These are very useful skills which students will use in third level education and in the world of work.
The course is divided into 4 units: Units 1&2 are studied in Year 13. Units 3 & 4 are studied in year 14
