Recommended Reading
A Passion for English
Achieving a high grade in English is no mean feat. Students are required to demonstrate a wide range of skills in their writing.
In Language, students should show that they can write fluently, yet descriptively. Can they employ differing skills to suit their purpose and audience? Can they argue their point of view effectively, through a letter, or describe a scene or a city using appropriate metaphors, similes or personification? Can they distinguish between media texts where fact is often blurred by opinion? In Literature, can students write fluently about themes, characters, moods, settings and understand the social, moral and historical settings of the novels and short stories?
Crucially, a well-written response to a text will demonstrate a flair for writing, an enthusiasm for words and, in the case of language, an interest in the way in which words and images can evoke powerful responses. Wide reading is crucial to students' development of language and literature. Parents should encourage their children to read books, newspapers and magazines, to stimulate their imagination.
As a student of language, one of my passions was creating short stories and contributing travel articles to international publications. I have continued to develop that passion for creative writing, and continue to have an interest in, and love for, words, and how they are deployed to evoke powerful feelings, ideas and moods.
Ultimately, students who study English need to demonstrate a passion and enthusiasm for language and literature, and to share that passion through their written and spoken responses to poetry, short stories and novels.
