English Literature and a Modern Language (BA)
- Subject areas: English language and literature, Modern languages and translation
- UCAS code: R754
- Next intake: September 2025
- Duration: 4 years
- Mode: Full time with year abroad
Why study this course
A dynamic experience
Learn from native and near-native speakers, with blended learning and digital technologies embedded in teaching and learning activities.
Extra-curricular activities
A vibrant programme supports your language learning and immersion into the culture, including conversation classes with exchange students, language cafes and student language societies.
Skills for the future
A structured skills programme embeds academic, transferable and employability skills from the beginning.
The world is your classroom
Spend your third year studying or working in the countries of your chosen languages.
Employability focus
Choose an optional of credit-bearing work placement and gain professional experience.
Our aim is for you to become a ‘global citizen’ who thinks critically, understands cultural diversity and has a wealth of transferable skills.
On our 4-year English Literature and a Modern Language (BA) programme, you’ll develop high-level communication and critical-thinking skills, and foster resilience and independence through time spent in immersive foreign language contexts.
This is a dynamic and flexible degree programme that allows you to study literature from different periods and cultures, and across the range of principal literary genres, in combination with a modern language. You’ll choose from three different languages we offer: Chinese, French or Spanish. And join the most appropriate pathway - those with an A level or equivalent competence in a modern language will take an Upper Elementary pathway. Those with limited or no knowledge of a modern language take our Elementary pathway.
English literature modules won’t restrict you to studying the printed word: we are intrigued by the connections between literature and film, art, history, technology, language, and everyday life, and our teaching reflects these interests. You’ll learn how literature addresses social, environmental, and economic concerns with the aim of creating a better, more inclusive world and developing sustainable solutions for the future of the planet.
Similarly, your modern language studies will take an equally expansive view.
You’ll explore the language you’re studying and its social, political, historical and cultural contexts from a global perspective. Through a variety of language learning resources and materials, and range of student-centred learning activities, you’ll also develop your reading, writing, oral, listening and mediation skills.
An integral part of this joint honours programme is the opportunity to spend time working or living abroad to experience life in the culture of the language you are studying. The skills and experiences gained from this time abroad are invaluable for personal and professional development, helping to foster flexible communication skills, confidence and resilience.
It’s important to remember that studying languages is not just about the language itself, it involves the integrated study of language, culture and society. Our joint honours programme offers challenging and stimulating modules emphasising diversity and celebrating cultural and linguistic mobility and you’ll find that often there are complementary issues and perspectives linking the 2 subject areas.
Graduating with a range of academic and practical skills – including teamworking, leadership and communication – the confidence to use them and the ability to see the big picture, you’ll be valued by employers and ideally placed to progress into a range of careers.

Subject area: English language and literature
Subject area: Modern languages and translation
Entry requirements
We accept a combination of A-levels and other qualifications, as well as equivalent international qualifications subject to entry requirements. Typical offers are as follows:
A level
ABB-BBC. Must include grade B in Creative Writing, English Language and Literature or English Literature. If you have grade B in the relevant language A-level you will have access to the languages advanced pathways.
Extended/International Project Qualification: Applicants with grade A in the EPQ/IPQ will typically receive an offer one grade lower than the standard offer. Please note that any subject specific requirements must still be met.
- Our grade range covers our standard offer and contextual offer. We carefully consider the circumstances in which you've been studying (your contextual data) upon application. Eligible students will be given an offer that is lower than the standard offer (usually the middle or lower end of the advertised grade range).
- Where there is no grade range advertised and/or where there are selection processes in place (like an interview) you may receive additional consideration in the selection process.
Learn about eligible courses and how contextual data is applied.
International Baccalaureate
32-30 overall or 665-655 in 3 HL subjects. Must include grade 6 in HL English Language and Literature, English Literature, or English Literature and Performance. If you have grade 6 in a HL language you will have access to the languages Upper Elementary pathway.
Baccalaureate Wales
From September 2023, there will be a new qualification called the Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales (level 3). This qualification will replace the Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate (Welsh Baccalaureate). The qualification will continue to be accepted in lieu of one A-Level (at the grades listed above), excluding any specified subjects.
Other essential requirements
You must have or be working towards:
- English language or Welsh language at GCSE grade C/4 or an equivalent (such as A-levels). If you require a Student visa, you must ensure your language qualification complies with UKVI requirements.
We do not accept Critical Thinking, General Studies, Citizenship Studies, or other similar equivalent subjects.
We will accept a combination of BTEC subjects, A-levels, and other qualifications, subject to the course specific grade and subject requirements.
English language requirements
GCSE
Grade C or grade 4 in GCSE English Language.
IELTS (academic)
At least 6.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each subskill.
TOEFL iBT
At least 90 overall with a minimum of 17 for writing, 17 for listening, 18 for reading, and 20 for speaking.
PTE Academic
At least 69 overall with a minimum of 59 in all communicative skills.
Trinity ISE II/III
II: at least two Distinctions and two Merits.
III: at least a Pass in all components.
Other accepted qualifications
Please visit our English Language requirements page for more information on our other accepted language qualifications.
Criminal convictions
You are not required to complete a DBS (Disclosure Barring Service) check or provide a Certificate of Good Conduct to study this course.
If you are currently subject to any licence condition or monitoring restriction that could affect your ability to successfully complete your studies, you will be required to disclose your criminal record. Conditions include, but are not limited to:
- access to computers or devices that can store images
- use of internet and communication tools/devices
- curfews
- freedom of movement, including the ability to travel to outside of the UK or to undertake a placement/studies outside of Cardiff University
- contact with people related to Cardiff University.
Other qualifications from inside the UK
Qualifications from outside the UK
Please see our admissions policies for more information about the application process.
Tuition fees for 2025 entry
Your tuition fees and how you pay them will depend on your fee status. Your fee status could be home, island or overseas.
Learn how we decide your fee status
Fees for home status
The University reserves the right to increase tuition fees in the second and subsequent years of a course as permitted by law or Welsh Government policy. Where applicable we will notify you of any change in tuition fee by the end of June in the academic year before the one in which the fee will increase.
Students from the EU, EEA and Switzerland
If you are an EU, EEA or Swiss national, your tuition fees for 2025/26 be in line with the overseas fees for international students, unless you qualify for home fee status. UKCISA have provided information about Brexit and tuition fees.
Fees for island status
Learn more about the undergraduate fees for students from the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.
Fees for overseas status
Learn more about our tuition fees
Financial support
Financial support may be available to individuals who meet certain criteria. For more information visit our funding section. Please note that these sources of financial support are limited and therefore not everyone who meets the criteria are guaranteed to receive the support.
Costs for sandwich years
During a sandwich year (e.g. year in industry, placement year or year abroad) a lower fee will apply. Full details can be found on our fees pages.
Additional costs
You should be prepared to invest in some key texts and to cover the costs of basic printing and photocopying for your own use. You may also want to buy copies of other texts, either because they are important for your modules or because you find them particularly interesting. Many students also choose to invest in personal copies of unabridged bilingual dictionaries and reference grammars.
Accommodation
We have a range of residences to suit your needs and budget. Find out more on our accommodation pages.
Living costs
We're based in one of the UK's most affordable cities. Find out more about living costs in Cardiff.
Careers and placements
Career prospects
We’re committed to helping you achieve your professional ambitions, providing you with the skills, curiosity, and confidence to make your mark in a competitive job market. Whether you have a clear idea of what you would like to do after university, or no idea at all, we have the tools and support to guide you.
We encourage our students to think about life beyond university from day one, offering modules and support to give you a competitive advantage on graduating no matter what path you choose to follow.
Our English Literature and a Modern Language (BA) programme equips you with a lively and critical understanding and how it connects to the important skills which employers’ value from collaborative working and communicating with a wide range of audiences to critical thinking and finding new ways to address problems. We provide you with opportunities to attain and develop enterprise skills as you progress from pitching your ideas on first year modules and working collaboratively on a project in year 2 to credit-bearing placements in year 2, Year Abroad and your final year. A range of option modules extend these opportunities and support you to develop these skills further.
Work experience and placements are great opportunities to enhance your employability and career prospects and can help you make decisions about your future career plans, and this programme includes placement learning as an integral element of your degree programme.
Training and careers events are delivered in and out of the curriculum with a focus on developing skills while in university and articulating those skills successfully in future applications. We work closely with Student Futures who not only deliver training and workshops on our core modules, but also offer a wealth of opportunities and help sourcing placements. Beyond your formal studies we run programmes that provide you with opportunities to engage with local schools and communities or work with local heritage organisations to develop your own skills and profile whilst allowing you to make a difference.
The Cardiff Award provides you with a framework through which to develop your employability, while you can take advantage of a wide range of university programmes from Languages for All (to try out a further language) to support from the Enterprise and Start Up team to bring your ideas to life.
Each term we advertise On-Campus Internships which are summer vacation opportunities for students to work under supervision on education innovation, professional services, and staff-defined research projects.
Our graduates flourish in the job market, with their joint honours degree taking them into a diverse and exciting range of careers, which have included finance, international sport liaison roles, business consultancy, education, health, journalism, publishing, PR, HR, the media, politics, diplomacy, interpreting, translation, law and teaching.
Placements
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HESA Data: Copyright Higher Education Statistics Agency Limited 2021. The Higher Education Statistics Agency Limited cannot accept responsibility for any inferences or conclusions derived by third parties from its data. Data is from the latest Graduate Outcomes Survey 2019/20, published by HESA in June 2022.