Want to get really high marks? Then what you learn as a direct result of lessons is only part of the story. Examiners on this course value knowledge, understanding and examples drawn from a personal interest in language even more highly than facts regurgitated from teachers or text-books. “Word of Mouth” is a magazine programme on Radio 4 (and no, that doesn’t mean a programme about magazines) about language. The usually topical language features it explores are often directly relevant to aspects of this course.
It’s well worth keeping an eye on the message board for the programme, too. You get a good flavour of differing attitudes to language there which can come in very handy for Units 2 and 6 (remember the distinction between prescriptive and descriptive approaches?)
It’s on Every Monday at 11pm, repeated Tuesday at 4pm.
You can listen to each programme online for 7 days after each broadcast at any time, so you never have the excuse that you just missed it. Radio scripts for factual programmes are often set as tasks for Unit 5 of A2, so it’s worth listening to documentary radio for that reason, too.
Heald English 