english language coursework example

AP English Language and Composition

Ap english language and composition course and exam description.

This is the core document for the course.

New for 2024-25: MCQs Will Have Four Answer Choices

Starting in the 2024-25 school year, AP English Language and Composition multiple-choice questions (MCQs) will have four answer choices instead of five. This change will take effect with the 2025 exam. All resources have been updated to reflect this change.

Course Overview

AP English Language and Composition is an introductory college-level composition course. Students cultivate their understanding of writing and rhetorical arguments through reading, analyzing, and writing texts as they explore topics like rhetorical situation, claims and evidence, reasoning and organization, and style.

Course and Exam Description

This is the core document for this course. Unit guides clearly lay out the course content and skills and recommend sequencing and pacing for them throughout the year.

Course Resources

Ap english language and composition course overview.

This resource provides a succinct description of the course and exam.

AP English Language and Composition Course and Exam Description Walk-Through

Learn more about the CED in this interactive walk-through.

AP English Language and Composition Course at a Glance

Excerpted from the AP English Language and Composition Course and Exam Description, the Course at a Glance document outlines the topics and skills covered in the AP English Language and Composition course, along with suggestions for sequencing.

The Difference Between AP English Language and Composition and AP English Literature and Composition

Learn the similarities and differences between these two courses and exams.

Course Content

The course skills are organized within nine units that scaffold student development of the analysis and composition skills required for college credit. For each unit, the teacher selects a theme or topic and then chooses texts, typically short nonfiction pieces, that enable students to practice and develop the reading and writing skills for that unit. This course framework provides a description of what students should know and be able to do to qualify for college credit or placement. Teachers have the flexibility to organize the course content as they like.

Course Skills

The updated AP English Language and Composition framework included in the course and exam description outlines distinct skills that students should practice throughout the year—skills that will help them learn to think and act like writers.

AP and Higher Education

Higher education professionals play a key role in developing AP courses and exams, setting credit and placement policies, and scoring student work. The AP Higher Education section features information on recruitment and admission, advising and placement, and more.

This chart  shows recommended scores for granting credit, and how much credit should be awarded, for each AP course. Your students can look up credit and placement policies for colleges and universities on the  AP Credit Policy Search .

Meet the AP English Language and Composition Development Committee

The AP Program is unique in its reliance on Development Committees. These committees, made up of an equal number of college faculty and experienced secondary AP teachers from across the country, are essential to the preparation of AP course curricula and exams.

AP English Language and Composition Development Committee

How to Write a Coursework

Coursework projects do not resemble essays, research papers, or dissertations. They are the combination of all three. Students spend less time writing coursework than on making a term paper, but this type of work requires more time and efforts than an ordinary essay - it is made of several essays. Thanks to our guide, each student can discover how to write coursework. If you are running out of time or lack experience to complete the specific coursework, we recommend using our coursework writing services to hire professional academic writers.

What is Coursework and Why Does It Matter?

Coursework definition: General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) coursework is a typical academic assignment, given in the course of study to evaluate the student’s knowledge, skills, and identify the final grade. Many students face this type of writing in the US colleges. One of the examples is a coursework UTD (The University of Texas at Dallas) - the requirements of this institution are strict, and many students fail to submit their papers and pass the corresponding courses.

Such type of assignment helps to have the ‘detective’ hat on: a student observes, examines, and evaluates the chosen topic using credible, up-to-date, and relevant sources. Working under controlled conditions is important. Participating in every school class will help to prepare good coursework by the end of the term. Take a look at the examples of what students of various profiles may face:

• English Composition - English coursework is an extended essay in most cases. A student has a right to pick the topic. The tutors provide their students with the list of recommended titles to choose from, sources to observe & analyze, and a format (e.g., a comparison between different relevant articles)
• Sciences - coursework for science is a complicated assignment. Such type of work appears in the form of a scientific paper to test what a writer investigates and reports independently.
• Geography - geography coursework is about collecting, reporting, and explaining information to reply to a certain geographical question or offer solutions to the problem. One idea is to explore the usage of a shopping mall or analyze the recent tornado. No matter whether you have to prepare a coursework Columbia or such paper for other educational institutions, keep in mind these differences!

Types of Coursework Explained

English Language coursework is the most common type of this assignment. At advanced GCE level, the student will be expected to write a couple of essays, totaling 3,000 words. Every assignment is 20 marks maximum.

An analytical essay : Evaluate, compare, & contrast 3 different sources of data interconnected by a common theme; written /spoken / multimedia content. Discuss different uses for targeting various audiences. Learn more on our blog.

Original essay with a supportive commentary : A student will have to come up with a single piece of media writing in the observed modes (written, spoken, or multimodal). Add a supporting piece with details about the aspects of English language. English Language & Literature coursework is a bit different. The basic requirements are the same, and the parts are:

An analytical study : Sharing an analysis of the chosen piece and its relation to the related content. It will show how well the writer understands the original piece. Tutors grade such works based on the:

• Use of the proper terminology and the coherence of the written words;
• Understanding & evaluation of the way a structure, form, and language create the written & spoken word;
• Opportunity to observe relationships between various pieces of writing.

Creative writing & commentary : Produce a creative piece that imitates the style of the assessed text. Share comments to backup your understanding. The goal is to show the knowledge, prove the competence, and use appropriate language skills in communicating with the target audience. You will also need a relevant coursework resume (review) in both cases. Keep on reading to learn how to write coursework of A level.

How to Write a Coursework: Guide for Students

Several factors may lead to the coursework being disqualified. It is a serious matter! The risk factors include:

• Plagiarism - it is the worst thing that could happen to any type of academic assignment. Lots of relevant information is available on the world wide web today, and the tutors are strict about the issue of plagiarism. Write everything in your own words! If you decide to insert the quotes from the sources, apply the suggested citation format and develop a list of references. Sign the declaration claiming it is your original project. If you're unsure about how to approach this, seeking professional help by choosing to write my coursework can be a wise decision.
• Word count - do not ignore the specific requirements concerning the length of the coursework. Specify if the footnotes, appendices, & references are included in the word count.
• Topics - go through the list of available themes. If there is an examination planned on the specific topic, try to pick another idea for the coursework.
• Tutor’s assistance - do not ignore the help of your instructor, ask them to provide guidance on what to write. Ask the questions to learn more details, but keep in mind they can go through the 1st draft once and just offer some general recommendations.

Choosing a Topic for Your Project

Dedicate enough time to this extra important question. Select the field of your interest if it is possible to relate it to the course. That is the golden rule of choosing a coursework topic - keep in mind the rest of the hints:

• Analyze the offered list of topics or develop yours
• Pick a topic from the area of your expertise related to the studied subject
• Select the topic you are interested in
• Choose the topic you’ve started to observe in the past
• Check how much relevant, up-to-date information is available on the Internet about each of the topics
• Pick what you can measure, change, & control (they call it a ‘fair test’)
• Use the ideas of previous researchers and students
• Do not choose a topic with a vast scope - you risk struggling to research it correctly

10 Good Coursework Topics

• Non-traditional Forms of Poetry with TC Tolbert
• Documentary Foundations: Usage of Oral Histories with Beth Alvarado
• Traditional Forms of Poetry
• Hermit Crabs: Type of Fiction
• Writing the Autobiographical Poem
• Creative Non-Fiction on the Examples of New Journalists
• Authors without Borders
• Writing the Sticky Stuff
• Socially Engaged Literary Arts
• Common Vocabulary

Research & Data Collection

Research is an integral part of coursework. Have you written research papers before? If yes, you will find it easier to select proper primary & secondary sources and gather the necessary information (evidence to support the main point - thesis). Depending on the required paper format, cite & reference the following sources:

• Books & e-Books

Base the project on a specific hypothesis. The research must start with minimum one hypothesis. The research stage for some topics may consist of visiting websites to collect information. Leave another time for collecting the data as it is the heart of the research. Three methods of data collection are known:

• Direct personal investigation : The one an author does individually (using literature and findings from previous studies);
• Interview/Questionnaire : The researcher should gather the data from the respondents asking questions regarding required data;
• Discussion with community leaders : Community leaders are approached to fetch information for the necessary data.

In case a student works on a scientific experiment, they should pay attention to planning the analysis with the help of rigorous scientific methods (keeping in mind the Health & Safety precautions you take). Review background information and theories. Take notes to express what you expect to occur to compare & contrast it to what happened in real life. In the write-up stage, one has to evaluate and present the findings.

Writing a Coursework Outline

The writing process follows the research. Do not start it without preparing an action plan and scheduling the work - a paper pin for English coursework is based on an extended essay . An outline will look different for the science coursework projects. The goal of creating a plan is to prevent a writer from being disorganized and waffling.

Let us explain coursework outline on the specific example - a project on the global pursuit of lower costs and the role of human rights.

Start with the brief introduction explaining why it might be a topic of interest for many people. Mention those vast corporations like Wal-Mart abuse human rights by choosing and using child labor in the factories.

Provide an overview of the problem . Define human rights and costs. Pick the definitions from the official dictionaries and cite them properly when inserting in the text. Try to explain the terms in your own words.

Develop a body of the coursework , start with the case for & against ethical business practices. Using evidence and examples, list the arguments supporting ethical business practices and another side of the coin. Include a business case for ethical practices after the opening body paragraph.

Move to discussing ethical responsibilities ; explain why business organizations should care about the ethical aspects of their activities. After three sections of the body, one can conclude the paper. It can be a good idea to share a fact or statistics stressing the importance of research problem in the essay conclusion. End up with the reference list that may look this way:

• Klein N (2000) No Logo (Flamingo, London)
• Marcousé I, Gillespie A, Martin B, Surridge M and Wall N (2003) Business Studies 2e (Hodder Arnold, Oxon)
• Royal Dutch Shell (2006) 4th Quarter Financial Report at (site example)

Additional Elements

Supporting materials and pictures are a must! The sciences & geography projects require tables, charts, graphs, and other types of images to illustrate the complicated topic. Not only should you add the pictures - it is essential to interpret and reference each of them. A separate part of the coursework where the student list and explains every visual element is Appendix , and it is an optional part. The presence of appendix increases the chances to earn an A+.

How to Write an Introduction for Coursework?

Most of the students underestimate the role of introduction & conclusion when it comes to writing an essay. An eye-catchy introduction is a key to success. The primary purposes of a coursework introduction are:

• To grab the reader’s attention
• To introduce the topic
• To explain the research importance
• To come up with a compelling thesis statement

The opening paragraph shows the depth of the writer’s acquaintance with the topic. Look at the expert tips below. They will help to learn how to write a coursework introduction to make the tutor want to read your entire paper.

What Is an Introduction?

The introduction of GCSE coursework is the opening paragraph that aims to interpret the central questions and purposes of the entire paper. It should have several elements to be effective. Those are:

• A hook sentence
• Background information
• Problem significance
• Solid thesis statement

Advice from our Experienced Writer

How to write an introduction to coursework? The quality of this part predetermines paper’s success. Look at some common mistakes writers do while working on the coursework introduction - try to prevent them!

Ignoring the prompt. Many students tend to neglect the tutor’s instructions. It is critical to read the prompt several times, highlight the main points, research question, rules, and grading rubric details.

Missing a plan. The prompt does not always say to develop a coursework outline. Without a plan for every separate section, it is impossible to write a flawless piece step-by-step. No matter whether you have to write a term paper, research paper, dissertation, or C3 coursework, get ready with the detailed plan. Once you understand how to write an introduction, it will be easier to develop the rest of the paper.

For those who need a helping hand in ensuring their work meets all the standards and deadlines, don't hesitate to buy coursework from trusted professionals.

Daniel Parker

is a seasoned educational writer focusing on scholarship guidance, research papers, and various forms of academic essays including reflective and narrative essays. His expertise also extends to detailed case studies. A scholar with a background in English Literature and Education, Daniel’s work on EssayPro blog aims to support students in achieving academic excellence and securing scholarships. His hobbies include reading classic literature and participating in academic forums.

is an expert in nursing and healthcare, with a strong background in history, law, and literature. Holding advanced degrees in nursing and public health, his analytical approach and comprehensive knowledge help students navigate complex topics. On EssayPro blog, Adam provides insightful articles on everything from historical analysis to the intricacies of healthcare policies. In his downtime, he enjoys historical documentaries and volunteering at local clinics.

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• How to Make Your Coursework as Good as It Can Possibly Be

Many GCSE and A-level subjects are assessed in part by coursework in addition to exams, meaning that the mark you receive for coursework contributes to your overall grade. Many students prefer coursework, because it’s a chance to showcase your academic abilities away from the high-pressured environment of the exam room, making it ideal for those who don’t perform to the best of their abilities in exams. However, the time you have available for coursework, in contrast with the time constraints of the exam room, can lull some students into a false sense of security. Coursework is arguably just as challenging as exams, just in different ways – and, given the fact that you have more time, much higher standards are expected of you in coursework than in exams. Careful planning and research are needed for successful coursework, as well as strong data-gathering and essay-writing skills. In this article, we look at how to produce excellent coursework, from planning to proofreading. This information might also be useful to you if you’re planning on attending an Oxford Summer School this summer.

What is coursework?

GCSE and A-level coursework typically takes the form of an extended essay or project. Its objectives vary from one subject to another, but there’s usually an emphasis on the student conducting independent research into a topic of their own choice. Thus coursework often takes the form of some sort of investigation; it may, therefore, help to have your ‘detective’ hat on as you explore, investigate and analyse your topic. You can usually work on your coursework at home, though it’s sometimes completed under controlled conditions through sessions at school. To give you a better idea of how coursework varies from one subject to another, here are some examples:

• English – English coursework usually takes the form of an extended essay with a title of your choice. You’re usually given a choice of themes and/or texts to explore, and you could choose a format such as a comparison between a set text and another one.
• Geography – Geography coursework usually focuses on the gathering, reporting and interpretation of data designed to answer a particular geographical question. You could investigate usage of a shopping centre, for example, or look at erosion on a particular beach.
• Sciences – coursework for science subjects often takes the form of a scientific project or experiment that you conduct and report on yourself.

Before you start work on your coursework, it’s essential that you have a thorough understanding of the rules. Failing to conform to the rules – inadvertently or not – may result in your coursework (or possibly even your entire qualification) being disqualified, so it’s a serious matter.

• No plagiarism – this is particularly dangerous given the ready availability of relevant information on the internet these days. Make sure everything is in your own words; you’ll need to sign a declaration stating that it’s your own original work.
• There’s only so much help your teacher can give you . They can provide guidance on what you need to include, and on what the examiners will be looking for. You can ask them questions, but they’ll usually only be able to check through your first draft once and offer broad hints on updating it.
• Check the word count , and stick to it. Find out whether footnotes, appendices and bibliographies are included in the word count.
• Check what topics you’re allowed to do your coursework on; if there’s an exam on this topic, you’ll almost certainly have to choose a different one for your coursework.

Choose your topic wisely

Ideally, choose something you’re genuinely interested in, as your enthusiasm will come across and you’ll find it more enjoyable to write. If there’s something you’ve been working on for the course so far that you’ve particularly enjoyed, you may be able to focus more on this as part of your coursework. For science coursework, you’ll need to choose something to investigate that you can measure, change and control; it should be what’s called a ‘fair test’, meaning that you have to acknowledge all the controls you use in the experiment and why. Try not to pick a topic for which the scope is too vast, as you’ll struggle to research it properly and you’re unlikely to do it justice, and it’ll be hard to keep within the word limit. Ask your teachers for some guidance on choosing your topic if you’re not sure what to write about; they might even tell you a bit about what previous students have done to give you some inspiration.

Plan how long it’s going to take

Never leave your coursework until the last minute, even if this is your normal approach to essays and it usually works for you. Make sure you understand when the deadlines are, including time for submitting a first draft for comments from your teacher. Then schedule blocks of time for working on it, allowing plenty of time before the deadline to cater for any unexpected delays. Allow ample time for making corrections based on teacher feedback on your first draft, and keep some time aside before the deadline for final editing and proofreading. Because actual deadlines are few and far between, you’ll need to take responsibility for the writing process and impose some deadlines on yourself to ensure it’s finished in time. Write down your deadlines on a calendar, with the coursework broken into stages and dates assigned to each, by which time each task should be complete. You can base your stages on the next few points in this article – research and data gathering, a structure plan for the piece of work, writing up, and so on.

Conducting your research and gathering data

As coursework is primarily a research exercise, the research phase is crucial, so don’t be tempted to skimp on it and go straight to writing up. Use as many different resources as you can to gather data: books, journals, newspapers, television, radio, the internet and anything else you think might be relevant. For science and Geography coursework, you’ll need to base your work on a hypothesis, so the research stage should start by coming up with at least one hypothesis, otherwise your research will lack direction. The research phase for some subjects may involve site visits for gathering data, so allow plenty of time for this, particularly if you need your parents to drive you somewhere to do so. If it’s a scientific experiment you’re conducting for your coursework, you’ll need to pay careful attention to planning the experiment using rigorous scientific methods (also noting what Health and Safety precautions you are taking), as well as reading up on the background and theory so that you have an idea of what to expect from the outcome of your experiment. In the research stage, make notes about what you expect to happen, so that you can later compare your expectations with what actually did happen. The experiment itself also forms part of the research and data-gathering stage for your science coursework; in the write-up stage, which we come onto shortly, you analyse and write up the results.

Plan your structure

Once you’ve completed your research, the process of writing up begins. Before you get down to the actual writing, however, it’s advisable to write a plan for how you’re going to structure it – essentially an essay plan for English coursework and other subjects for which the coursework is based on an extended essay. It’ll look slightly different from an essay plan for science subjects and others that revolve around project work, but the principle is the same: plan out what order you’re going to present your information in. For big projects, this is particularly important, because with a lot of information to convey, you risk being disorganised and waffling.

Writing up your project

For any coursework, but particularly coursework based around an extended essay, you’ll need to perfect your essay-writing abilities. For science coursework, writing up your project also involves data analysis, as you interpret the results of your experiment and work your notes into formal scientific language.

When you’re writing up, it’s important to find a place where you can work quietly, without distractions that could cause you to make careless errors. You wouldn’t want noise or distractions when you were in an exam room, so treat your coursework with the same reverence.

Supporting materials and images

For some subjects, namely the sciences and Geography, it would be appropriate to include images, graphs, charts, tables and so on in your coursework. For example, for Geography coursework, your extra material could include annotated images and maps of the site you’re talking about, plus tables, graphs and charts. An appendix could then detail your raw data; if, for example, your coursework focused on the results of a survey, you could put the raw survey responses in an appendix and provide summaries and analysis in the main body of the coursework.

Footnotes and bibliography

As we said earlier, it’s important that you always use your own words in your coursework to avoid the possibility of falling foul of plagiarism rules. However, it’s acceptable to quote from another source, as you would in any piece of academic writing, but you must make sure that you state where it is from and use quotation marks to show that it’s a quote from somewhere else. The best way of citing another work is to use a footnote; word processors will allow you to insert one, and it just puts a little number at the end of the sentence and another in the footer of the document, into which you put the name of the author and work, and the page within that work that the quote can be found. At the end of your piece of work, include a bibliography that includes a list of every external source you’ve used in the creation of your coursework. Stick to a set formula when including books. A common format is: Author Surname, Initial. (Date) – Title of Book , page number For example: Lewis, C.S. (1960) – Studies in Words , p. 45 When you get to university, you’ll be expected to include footnotes and bibliographies in all your essays, so it’s a good habit to get into and coursework gives you good practice at it.

The final pre-submission check

Having completed a first draft, received feedback from your teacher, and honed your work into a finished piece of coursework, have a final check through it before you send off your coursework for submission.

• Sense check : have a read through your completed piece of work and check that it all makes sense. Make sure you haven’t contradicted yourself anywhere, or repeated yourself, or laboured the point. If there are any facts that you may have meant to look up to double check their accuracy, do so now.
• Word count : ensure that the completed work falls within the word count, and double check whether the bibliography should be included in the word count. If you’ve exceeded it, you’ll need to work through the piece and tighten up your writing, omitting unnecessary information, reordering sentences so that they use fewer words, and so on.
• Proofread : check your spelling and grammar, and ensure that there are no typos. Don’t just use the spellcheck – go through it with a fine toothcomb, manually, and if you can, ask someone to read through it for you to see if they spot anything you haven’t.
• Formatting : check that you’ve included page numbers, and that the font and line spacing is consistent throughout the work. Ensure that the font is plain and easy to read, such as Arial or Times New Roman.
• Bibliography : check that you’ve included everything, that the format is the same for all sources mentioned, and that the right information is included for each.

Once this stage is complete, you’re ready to submit your coursework along with your declaration that it’s entirely your own work. Get ready for a feeling of immense satisfaction when you finally send off your hard work!

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20+ A-Level English Language Original Writing NEA Ideas

In A-Level by Think Student Editor May 11, 2024 Leave a Comment

The NEA or non-exam assessment for A-Level English Language is one of the most varied parts, especially when it comes to what you actually do based on your exam board. However, even within the same exam board, the level of independence means that what each person does can be incredibly different compared to what others, even people in the same class are doing.

This is what I personally loved about doing the NEA for A-Level English Language, particularly for the original writing or creative writing section that some exam boards do. However, while the extent of creative freedom was enjoyable, it could also be overwhelming trying to narrow down the many, many different things you could do within the guidelines into the 1 (or 2 depending on the exam board) final idea that was needed.

In this article, we’ll be getting you started in the right direction with some ideas that you can use for the A-Level English Language original writing NEA. This article will explain what the requirements are for this NEA and help you understand what makes a good idea.

Table of Contents

What is the A-Level English Language original writing NEA?

For A-Level English Language, the structure of the course, can vary greatly based on the exam board. This can be particularly clear when it comes to the NEA in comparison to exams.

For the original writing NEA, which may also be known as the creative writing NEA, the only exam boards that do this for A-Level English Language are AQA and Pearson Edexcel. The other exams boards instead do the language investigation NEA and the AQA exam board does both of these NEAs. If you would like to learn more about this NEA and to get some ideas for this instead, have a look at this Think Student article.

While only these 2 exam boards do the original/creative writing NEA, how they offer this form of coursework is still fairly different. This is especially as it is only half of the coursework requirements for the AQA exam board, but it is the whole of the coursework requirements for Pearson Edexcel.

Have a look at the following sections to see what the specific requirements are for this NEA for each exam board.

What is the A-Level English Language original writing NEA for AQA?

The AQA A-Level English Language original writing NEA is as previously mentioned, only half of the coursework that students need to do as a part of the course. In total, the coursework makes up 20% of the whole A-Level. However, this means that the original writing NEA only makes up 10% of the whole A-Level.

For the original writing NEA for AQA, student need to complete a piece of original writing based of a style model and then produce a commentary. This commentary will need to reflect on their choices in writing, the similarities and differences compared to the style model and how their writing fits into the genre and in the category of writing.

For the AQA exam board’s original writing NEA, by the category of writing, I’m referring to the 3 categories that AQA sets out for students to pick the original writing pieces within. There are 3 categories; these are the power of persuasion, the power of storytelling and the power of information.

The piece of original writing and the commentary are worth 25 marks each and should be around 750 words each with a maximum of 1,500 words together.

What is the A-Level English Language original writing NEA for Pearson Edexcel?

For the Pearson Edexcel A-Level English Language course, the creative writing is the only form of coursework that students will have to do. Due to this, for this creative writing NEA there is a bit more required than for the AQA one as it is worth the whole 20% of A-Level English Language coursework requirements.

Students will need to research a genre, complete 2 pieces of original writing and produce a commentary on these. The 2 pieces need to be in the same genre but need to differ due to the audience and/or the purpose of the piece. The commentary will need to delve into comparing these and the student’s choices as well as commenting on the research that the student did and how this applies to what they produced.

Altogether, the 2 pieces of writing need to be between 1,500 and 2,000 words long and the commentary needs to be 1,000 words on its own . All in all, this should come to 50 marks in total, with the original writing having 30 marks together and the commentary having 20 marks.

What makes a good A-Level English Language original writing NEA idea?

There are so many different ideas that you could choose for the A-Level English Language original writing NEA, that I couldn’t possibly go through all of them in this article. Due to this, it’s important to know what a good idea is and how to come up with one for yourself.

The main thing to consider when coming up with your original writing NEA idea is to make sure that it allows you to meet the requirements. These are of word count, having and being able to annotate your style guide and use it as a basis and being able to research into the genre to make sure your piece is assuredly a form of that kind of writing . Plus, for AQA, you will need to produce a form of writing that is in one of the categories: persuasion, storytelling or information.

Making sure that your idea is doable is the most thing for a good idea as regardless of the idea, you can elevate your writing using advanced technique and “sophisticated” vocabulary and writing devices.

A-Level English Language original writing NEA ideas

The following subsections will give you some ideas of the genres and writing types that you can do for your original writing NEA. These sections will explain how you can differentiate them, whether that’s from your style model to show off your own intentions in writing or between your 2 pieces for the Pearson Edexcel exam board.

1.Travel brochure

While a travel brochure may seem like a restrictive genre with little variation, there are a wide range of smaller ideas. You could diversify the purpose by picking either persuasion or information . Also, you could diversify the audience due to the place or type of travel you pick.

For example, you might want to write a brochure for a cruise holiday, which is more likely to appeal to a specific audience that will generally have savings and are normally older, or you could write a brochure for a known party destination, such as Ibiza or even Cancun to appeal to a specific audience that will generally be younger. I personally did this idea and went for a mythical destination, so the choice really is all yours.

2. Website page

A website page is a great option for your NEA as they already come with a limited number of words while still being made for specific purposes and aimed to appeal to specific audiences . The design isn’t actually as difficult as it seems, as you could use Word or PowerPoint to make your page look like an actual website.

You could write a donation page for a charity or you could even write the about page for an author or even the information page for a specific product. These all have very specific target audiences and very different purposes, so it would be fairly easy to diversify, even within these kinds of subcategory.

3. Sales email

This style of writing is very niche but if done well it could be an incredibly unique and creative idea. Sales emails are everywhere, and you could probably even find your style model by going through your own emails.

They have some very specific features, so it’s definitely possible to create a piece that looks exactly like a sales email, even if you decide to differ your piece from the style model . You may wish to write one for a restaurant or even some kind of subscription service.

4. Newsletter/ email newsletter

Something quite similar to the sales email is the email newsletter or a hard copy version. Newsletters are once again very common instead of being from businesses, they tend to be from bloggers and website, although the purpose will generally be to persuade you to buy something, it may also simply be to connect and to increase brand awareness.

Once again, they have some pretty distinctive features that you can replicate in your own piece(s) to make sure that the link to your style model/ the genre is clear. You may want to do a newsletter from an author’s personal website or even from a kind of blog, such as productivity or even food.

Speeches are great, particularly for the persuasion category, although they can also be a good option for the information category too. As you would have had to do a speech for GCSE English Language, you could even pick the same topic, although you would have to rewrite the speech to better fit the purpose and audience that you’ve chosen.

The great thing about speeches is that they’re easy to find to use one a style model, especially as there are many from political leaders and at many different events. You could even use the Queen’s/ King’s speeches as style models if you wish.

These can be done in a wide variety of topics, especially ones to do with social issues, such as climate change, racism, sexism and homophobia, but on you could do anything, even on food, sharks or your favourite film or TV show.

6. Persuasive letter

Letters are something of a lost art in this day and age, however, there are certain times where they are still quite commonly used. If you’re writing to your local council, an MP or someone else in a position of authority, about an issue that is important to you, a persuasive letter could be the way to go.

The difficulty with this one is that it could be a bit more difficult to find a style model, so you might want to find some kind of activist movement that writes to the council or MPs as they may publish these letters and the responses. Other than that, if your sixth form or college has written to the council, you may be able to ask them if you could use a copy of that letter, if it’s appropriate to do so.

7. Short story

When it comes to storytelling, often the first thing to think of is a book of some kind. For the NEA’s word count, doing a short story is probably the easiest way to do this. While a genre of their own, short stories come in their ow genres from horror to romance and many in between. You could write a short story about a haunted house or even one about the friendship between an elderly woman and a child that lives next door.

8. Extract from biography

While biographies are factual, they are often some of the most interesting stories to read. Many famous people and historical figures have biographies, so there are a range of texts you can use for your style model.

You could write an autobiography, a biography about someone you know, or even write a biography about a fictional character. If you need to write 2, you could write biographies with different purposes, such as to simply inform about the person, so you would want to focus solely on facts and description, and to entertain, so you might want to use humour and other techniques.

9. Extract from a novel

Once again, novels are a staple of storytelling. Obviously, the word count means that you can’t do the entirety of one, although you can write a chapter or maybe even just part of a chapter. Some ideas for this might be the opening or closing of the novel as they are often most engaging and need the least context, you might want to use this to introduce characters or maybe even portray a character’s death.

10. Blog post

There are such a vast range of blogs that you have a vast range of style models to choose from. Plus, it means you get to write about whatever you wish as there are blogs post on virtually everything. This can make it even easier to diversify, if needed from a blog post on social issues to spread awareness to a blog post about food trends to share your personal rating.

11. Extract from film script

If you’re interested in films and film writing, creating your own short film script or writing just a scene of a wider film could be a great idea. Films obviously come in many different genres and are made for many different audiences, from different ages groups to people from different countries and even to different interests. For example, you could write a film script for period drama, introducing the main characters but you could also write a short film script about a modern family on an emotional journey as they move away.

12. Dramatic monologue

If you have a flare for drama, this could be a great idea. You could change the genre and the function of this piece quite easily. You may want to make the monologue to introduce a new character through the eyes of another character or may instead want to portray the distress of a character in the midst of making a life-changing decision and there are so many other options for what you could do.

13. Feature article

Feature articles are longer and more in-depth than general news articles, plus they tend to appear in more than just newspaper, such as in magazines or on websites, allowing you to diversify the audience and function more easily. These kinds of articles allow you to talk about a vast range of different topics, such as a “how to” guide, a piece on fashion trends or even an in-depth piece about to do with technology, such as the features of a new phone or a certain kind of camera.

14. Travel writing

Travel writing can come in many different forms and can have its own subgenre, from writing an account to giving advice about travelling and even recommending or reviewing places or styles of travel. Y ou could aim this at different audiences by writing in these different ways, such as reviewing a tourist attraction compared to giving travelling advice, and/or writing about kinds of travel, such as a family holiday in comparison to a backpacking adventure.

There are many different kinds of poetry so this genre can provide you with lots of freedom and can make it easier when deciding on the purpose and audience of your poems. There are also loads of great examples that you can use for your style model.

Some forms of poetry that you might want to do are ballads, limericks, free verse poems and even nonsense poems. These can all easily be made for different age groups or even people from different countries, based on cultural references, if you need to differ these.

16. Children’s book

While a children’s book seems like a narrow and restrictive genre, there’s still plenty of ways of differentiating this. You can choose different age groups to aim the book at or even different purposes, such as informing or entertaining children through storytelling. Someone in my class did this option and they even went as far to design it as a children’s book would be with lots of illustrations and pictures, so it can be a great idea if you’re feeling creative.

17. Leaflet for a museum

Museums provide lots of information, even after people are already there. Creating an information leaflet about a museum and different artefacts there could be a great way to write in the category of information. Although if you’re doing the leaflet as a brochure, you could instead do it with the purpose of persuasion.

Brochures and leaflets can also be done in different formats, so they may only be focusing on certain exhibitions, which may even be focused on different age groups or people with different interests. For example, you might want to create a brochure for children about the fossils exhibition or you could instead write a leaflet focusing on an exhibition about historical fashion.

18. Scripted presentation

While a presentation can seem like a speech, these will often be more information based and would often use props and even things like a PowerPoint document. Due to this, you could either write it as a script or write it directly onto a PowerPoint document, making sure that you print this off in the correct format and may need to still transcribe it.

If you wanted, you could even do a presentation script for something like a YouTube video, or alternatively you could do one for something like a Ted Talk. Due to the nature of presentations, they will tend to have a specific audience and purpose, so these can easily be differentiated.

19. Interview

Interviews are a rather unique form of writing in that they are often found written out, despite literally being a conversation. There are lots of interviews to be found and you could choose to either transcribe one yourself to use as a style model or simply find one already in the right format.

You could differentiate this type of writing by simply choosing different people to interview, as different celebrities have different target audiences and you may even wish to do someone else, such as someone you know or even a fictional character in the same style. You might find it a bit tricky to differentiate the purpose, but this could be done by thinking of the actual contents of the interview and what’s being focused on.

20. News article

Unlike a feature article, a news article is simply about the facts, not the story behind it. You could think about a form of local news, even some from your sixth form or college or even something you’re willing to share about yourself for the topic of this article.

Alternatively, you could just make something up and put it into the style of a news article. While the purpose will generally be to inform, you could try to aim at different age groups or different kinds of readers. For example, you might want to do a tabloid piece and a broadsheet piece.

21. Investigative journalism

An investigative journalism article is a kind of feature article, however, it tends to be even more in-depth and is primarily based on providing information, although there is some storytelling involved. Investigative journalism articles once again have some very distinctive features.

Even if you do a topic that isn’t typically within the investigative journalism genre, you should be quite easily able to still write in this style, as long as you research properly and use the style model. If you have to do more than one piece, you can differentiate by audience, aiming at different age groups, or simply based on different interests.

*The information in this article is based off my own experience as a former A-Level English Language student as well as resources from the AQA and Pearson Edexcel exam boards. These are the specifications for the AQA, linked here , and the Pearson Edexcel, linked here , courses as well as the AQA NEA guidance document, linked here , and the Pearson Edexcel ‘Getting Started’ document, linked here .

Programmes & Qualifications

Cambridge international as & a level english language (9093).

• Syllabus overview

Cambridge International AS and A Level English Language provides learners with the opportunity to study English language and its use in communication. Learners will be encouraged to respond critically to a wide variety of texts in a range of forms, styles and contexts, and to promote skills of communication, reading, research and analysis.

Through their study, learners will develop an ability to read and analyse material, gaining further knowledge and understanding of English language features and issues. Learners will also develop the skills of writing clearly, accurately, creatively and effectively for different purposes and audiences.

Changes have been made to this syllabus for first examination in 2021 onwards. Please see the 2021-2023 syllabus for detailed information.

The syllabus year refers to the year in which the examination will be taken.

• -->2021 - 2023 Syllabus update (PDF, 163KB)
• -->2024 - 2026 Syllabus update (PDF, 136KB)
• -->2027 - 2028 Syllabus (PDF, 759KB)

Syllabus support

• -->Support for English Language (PDF, 1MB)

Syllabus updates

We worked with teachers, subject expert panels and universities around the world to update our Cambridge International AS & A Level English subject group as part of our on-going review process. We have made some changes to the syllabus for examination in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

Many teachers told us that they offer more than one English subject from this group, so we have made some changes so that the syllabuses work together regardless of whether a student is studying one or more subject from this group. To make it clearer for teachers, we have separated this syllabus from our other English Cambridge International AS & A Levels.

How has the syllabus changed?

• We have included a specific subject content section that sets out what students should study across the Cambridge International AS & A Level.
• After feedback from teachers, new content has been added within Paper 3 that focuses on the analysis and intrepretation of language data.
• We have increased the number of assessment objectives from three to five and have updated the wording so the expectations of each assessment objective is clearer.
• The levels of response mark schemes have changed based on feedback from schools to make sure we maintain valid and reliable assessments.
• Text and context
• Meaning and style
• We have added a list of command words and their meanings to help learners know what’s expected of them in the exam.

How has assessment changed?

• Changes to the papers have been made to update and retain the strengths of the current model. We are keeping the assessment model for English Language as a four component, exam only model.
• The A Level Paper 3 will have stimulus texts that will be accompanied by some quantitative language data, in graph and table form. This change is based on feedback from teachers who feel the skill of data analysis would be valuable for students and engage their interest.
• Language acquisition has been moved to Paper 3 from Paper 4 as this topic represents language analysis more than a language topic.
• English in the World - a new title for the current English as a global language
• Language and the self - a new topic that concentrates on the relationships between language and thought, and language and social identity. This change was made after consultation with centres, who felt the current topics in Paper 4 were not discrete enough.

When do these changes take place?

The updated syllabus will be assessed in June and November 2021, 2022 and 2023. It is also available in March 2021, 2022 and 2023 (India only). Please see the 2021-2023 syllabus above for full details.

Coming soon

We are developing a wide range of support to help you plan and teach the 2021-2023 syllabus. Visit our School Support Hub from April 2019 onwards.

Look out for our comprehensive support package to help you deliver the 2021-2023 syllabus including a Scheme of work, Example candidate responses and Specimen paper answers. There will also be Teacher and Learner guides from April 2019 onwards through our School Support Hub .

Endorsed resources

View the latest resources that are being developed for the Cambridge International AS & A Level English Language syllabus (9093).

Helps students gain an understanding of how language works for different audiences and purposes. Improve reading skills through analysis of different text types – from blogs to letters – and create imaginative, discursive and critical writing.

Read more on the Cambridge University Press website

Build skills and knowledge in a clear sequence and help students to apply skills to a range of language tasks, with up-to-date coverage of the syllabus topics and a stimulating range of international texts.

Read more on the Collins website

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A Level English Language NEA A* Example Language Investigation

Subject: English

Age range: 16+

Resource type: Assessment and revision

Last updated

9 February 2024

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A Level English Language NEA A* Examples

Example coursework for both tasks in A Level English Language. Includes two full pieces of coursework & the data used to produce them. This language investigation & directed writing with commentary was submitted to AQA in summer 2017 and awarded an A*. This makes it the perfect example to show students what is required of them in the NEA. Why it works: * Shows how to use current A Level study as a toolkit to study language * Demonstrates how to organise & structure the write-up * Example of the level of analysis & interpretation needed for highest grades * Can be reworked as a template for *your* future (brilliant!) NEA Follow my twitter to stay updated with more essential free resources and news - @astarlevels [Check out my shop for more essays and revision resources!](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/astarlevels)

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brilliant NEA, helped to me to achieve my target grade

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So glad I bought this - will be very useful to show students to help with exam preparation. Thank you very much.

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