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What skills will I learn?
Studying English will help you to develop excellent written
and oral communication skills. You’ll learn how to examine
texts with a balanced and rigorous approach, critique work,
reflect on meaning, draw conclusions and communicate ideas
to others. You’ll develop a broad vocabulary, improve your
presentation skills and learn how to argue persuasively. Your
capacity for independent thought, reflection and judgement
will also grow as will your ability to research and evaluate a
diverse range of material. English will give you an appreciation
for creativity in a literary context and can extend your skills into
other areas such as media studies.
What kind of person do I need to be?
You’ll need to have good oral and written communication
skills. Working with English requires the ability to ar ticulate
knowledge while leading and par ticipating in discussions so
you should be able to persuade others to your point of view
by effectively conveying an argument. The ability to convey
your ideas in writing is equally impor tant. You will also need
to demonstrate that you can apply critical thinking to texts,
concepts and theories as well as use your own judgement to
assess alternative perspectives.
How do I get there?
Careers associated with English often require you to have
studied the subject at degree level. Some English graduates
build upon their qualification by studying for a master’s
qualification or a PhD. Depending on the career pathway you
want to follow, you could enrol on a postgraduate course in
areas such as teaching, journalism, marketing, librarianship
or law. Achieving a minimum of 5 GCSEs including English
and mathematics at grade 5 or above will help you get on
the first rung of the ladder. Progression will involve studying
English at A Level along with complimentary subjects
such as history or a language. Not all careers involving
English, however, require you have to have studied in higher
education. There are no set entry requirements for becoming
a writer, a poet or setting up your own bookshop.
English