English lit or lang a level???

I'm so stuck on what to take. I dont like creative writing but i like writing letters and stuff with like facts and figures. I don't really like analysing texts and talking about like poems. So stuck? What one is easier someone help pleaseeeeee!! thanks :smile:

Reply 1

absolutelysprout

21

creative writing is slightly different in lang a level i believe. i'd check the specs of each online and see which one interests you more; are there any other subjects you'd consider taking as if you don't like analysing things you wouldn't enjoy lit a-level...
lang i believe is easier than lit.

Reply 2

Tolgash

21

The weighting of creative and transactional writing (basically covered by AO5) is diminished at A-level. A-level literature is a lot easier because there isn't as much new content to come to terms with. You would be sorely mistaken if you believed that A-level English language was anything like its GCSE counterpart.

Reply 3

scorpionfish17

8

Hey there! I’m in year 13 and I take lit and I love it. However, it does involve a lot of analysing texts. That tends to be how the lesson goes, we sit and analyse and annotate and then write about them. I think it’s great but it’s not for everyone, and by the sounds of it, it might not be the best choice for you.

My best friend takes language and she loves it too! From what I know, it’s more technical; they look at speech, register, slang and structure, and so on. Her coursework is very open, and they seem to write about stats and figures etc. - hers is based off YouTubers and she’s analysing how they present themselves on camera.

I believe Language might be a little easier. In both you will have to analyse texts but I think it’s a lot heavier in Literature, so perhaps you will be more suited to Language.

Hope this helps you out a little. :jumphug:

Reply 4

alicial

15

English Language, it's not creative writing, it's really interesting. Also, English Literature is hell.

Reply 5

MissCarter786

19

Original post by scorpionfish17

Hey there! I’m in year 13 and I take lit and I love it. However, it does involve a lot of analysing texts. That tends to be how the lesson goes, we sit and analyse and annotate and then write about them. I think it’s great but it’s not for everyone, and by the sounds of it, it might not be the best choice for you.

My best friend takes language and she loves it too! From what I know, it’s more technical; they look at speech, register, slang and structure, and so on. Her coursework is very open, and they seem to write about stats and figures etc. - hers is based off YouTubers and she’s analysing how they present themselves on camera.

I believe Language might be a little easier. In both you will have to analyse texts but I think it’s a lot heavier in Literature, so perhaps you will be more suited to Language.

Hope this helps you out a little. :jumphug:

I do lit! And I struggle so bad with it. What examboard are you doing? Mines OCR

Reply 6

Chanpanda

12

I'm doing English language at a level and there is no creative writing apart from the coursework in the second year but this might be different for other exam boards.

The course is very analytical. In the exams you are given unseen texts and have to analyse them using the language levels. Second year is quite difficult as one of the questions is comparing a 15-17th century text to a 21st century text and you have to talk about how language has changed over time as well as standard language analysis.

A level language was a massive step up from GCSE as most of the GCSE content is rarely used as it's just too basic. There are a lot of new terms and theories to learn and this can be quite overwhelming.

Based on what you've said I don't think you'd enjoy either lit or Lang very much and you might prefer a subject like history or geography as they allow you to write more fact based essays.

I would suggest asking teachers about what they think would be better for you and if they can tell you more about those courses.

Reply 7

scorpionfish17

8

Original post by MissCarter786

I do lit! And I struggle so bad with it. What examboard are you doing? Mines OCR

ahh mine’s AQA! hope it goes well for you. it’s a pretty tough subject all round I think!

Reply 8

iqqraxo

14

I'd say take literature. A level English language is different to gcse and is extremely difficult. All my friends got D's and C's in their AS exams! those who took lit got A's soo

Reply 9

lilithegcsedon

OP

10

Original post by scorpionfish17

Hey there! I’m in year 13 and I take lit and I love it. However, it does involve a lot of analysing texts. That tends to be how the lesson goes, we sit and analyse and annotate and then write about them. I think it’s great but it’s not for everyone, and by the sounds of it, it might not be the best choice for you.

My best friend takes language and she loves it too! From what I know, it’s more technical; they look at speech, register, slang and structure, and so on. Her coursework is very open, and they seem to write about stats and figures etc. - hers is based off YouTubers and she’s analysing how they present themselves on camera.

I believe Language might be a little easier. In both you will have to analyse texts but I think it’s a lot heavier in Literature, so perhaps you will be more suited to Language.

Hope this helps you out a little. :jumphug:

Thank you so much I chose Language! :smile:

Reply 10

scorpionfish17

8

Original post by lilithegcsedon

Thank you so much I chose Language! :smile: