English as a subject is facing challenges. Over recent years we have seen a gradual decline in uptake of the subject at A Level (from 79,000 in 2016 to 64,000 in 2021) plus related impacts on UG numbers, university courses and roles in academia. Though this is not a new phenomenon, wider discourse around English studies doesn’t always help build a positive picture, particularly when STEM is often portrayed as a the most (economically) important route for long-term career prospects.

It was the general atmosphere around English as a subject that prompted me to want to find out why students opted for A Level English (or not, as the case may be) and what influenced their choices at A Level.

There is lots of research that looks at why some students are disengaging (an emphasis on 19th Century literature and a heavy focus on performance measures for schools are just two examples). When I interviewed 67 Year 11 and Year 12 students from 10 different schools in the spring of 2022, their thoughts on the challenges facing English fell into four core categories:

1. Experiences of English

Whilst the majority of students enjoyed their GCSE English courses, there was a clear difference in their experiences at KS3, which tended to be freer, engage with a greater range of texts and be more creative. Students tended to find GCSE rather rigid and the examination specifications challenging, particularly as they are closed book. One Year 12 student commented “If [the GCSE exam] were open book it would be less dependent on our memorising and more... in our opinion.” Covid seems to have affected their experience of English greatly: the discussion that is at the heart of English tended to be lost in online learning in particular, and exposure to A Level experience of English(es) was limited.

2. Purpose and benefits of studying English

The students largely felt the purpose and benefit of studying English as a subject to be centred around developing meaning, literacy, criticality and having a space to develop their own voice. Studying English enabled greater understanding of different perspectives and contexts and that this was reciprocal, as one Year 12 student put it “you have to offer yourself when you’re reading a book”.

3. ‘Good’ English lessons

A passionate and knowledgeable English teacher was essential to good English lessons, students felt, and their teacher’s ability to foster engagement and discussion vital. English lessons that were engaging were ones that the content was relatable (or made relatable), studying interesting texts with creative elements drawn out. Discussion was felt to be at the heart, which enabled students to have different interpretations and perspectives, collaborating in their reading and understanding of texts and the open-endedness that this engendered. One Year 12 student encapsulated this: “So much of it stems from discussion and from talking to each other. The exchange of ideas, thoughts, and then... you’ll put your idea out there and everyone will work together to develop it. That’s - that’s the beauty.”

4. Choices & Influences

Students’ choice of subject was influenced by their families, teachers, peers, and seeing themselves as readers, which they felt was essential in order to continue with further study of English. The participants cited a range of reasons for choosing to study English at A Level: it is enjoyable, transferable skills are learnt, it’s a facilitating subject.

However, although some students liked the freedom associated with no definitive answers, it was the absence of ‘right’ answers that put some students off English, as did its content, necessity for memorisation, and lack of creativity. A general emphasis on STEM was also a key decider whilst many felt that there wasn’t a clear career pathway for students of English. Some also viewed English as a female subject with more female English teachers and students and texts seen as more appealing to women.

A call to arms

The current climate and downward trend in A level English applicants is of course troubling: So what can we do?

We can start with what is taught at KS3 and beyond. Whilst no one would argue that Shakespeare or Dickens are removed, there is no reason why we can't draw from a greater diversity of texts. If one of the benefits of teaching literature is the ability to perceive, understand and empathise with another’s experience, then this should surely be a tenet for thinking about what is taught.

We can support English teachers’ passion, their facility to engage their students and foster discussion. We can emphasise the joy that can come from discussion, from thinking and learning from each other. We can challenge the dominance of STEM as being the only route to a reliable and lucrative career, sharing the multiple options graduates of English have. We can celebrate what English can do: broaden horizons, develop empathy, enable critical thinking through different interpretations.

Practically, there are things that we can do as a subject community, including:

• Teachers can join subject associations, such as NATE and the English Association, in campaigning to improve the GCSE specifications;
• Examination boards can continue to develop and broaden their offer at GCSE in terms of texts (and accompanying resources and CPD);
• Schools can provide A Level ‘taster’ sessions for Year 11 students, giving a snapshot of A Level lessons and how they might differ from students’ experience of English that may have been constrained at KS4;
• A Level student ambassadors can be recruited to share their positive experiences of A Level English;
• Teachers can consider where they can find ‘space’ at KS4 that will enable creativity and some diversity of texts;
• Schools can share possible career pathways for English graduates, and use 6th Form open evenings to showcase the many reasons why students should consider studying English (see the EMC’s 18 Good Reasons for Doing and English Degree poster)

English is such a brilliant, multi-faceted subject to study and to teach, and it would be deeply rewarding to shape its upcoming chapters this way.

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Dr Rachel Roberts
Associate Professor of English Education

 

Pearson Statement

As Dr Rachel Roberts has highlighted, the sector cannot underestimate the power of an engaging and meaningful English curriculum. At Pearson, we're already taking up this call to arms by working with schools, learners, leading thinkers and organisations to ensure a fully-inclusive environment around English; equipping and motivating pupils with real-life, relatable, representative content to make sure English is a subject for everyone.

Since 2019 we have offered the broadest and most representative choice to students with our updated GCSE English Literature; introduced more than 24,000 children in 200 schools to texts by writers of colour through our ground-breaking Lit in Colour programme; developed an innovative GCSE English Language qualification to suit a full range of learning preferences – and there is much more to come. Our commitment continues as we respond to what schools and students are calling for, and strive to shape a curriculum to suit every young learner in the UK.