AS AQA B English Language Revision Notes/Tips for Section A: Text Varieties

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SECTION A:TEXT VARIETIES GENERAL STUFF: Timing: You have 1 hour on this section, so spend around 10-15 minutes analysing/planning, then leave yourself 45-50 minutes to write the main text. Example Question: "Study the Texts A-F on the next six pages. These texts illustrate different varieties of language use. Discuss the various ways in which these texts can be grouped, giving linguistic reasons for your choices."   Planning: When you get in the exam, jot down the frameworks and A/F/P and see which texts fit into which category best - try to be as qick and efficient as possible so as to leave enough time to write the essay or you will run out of time!   HOW TO GET MARKS: AO1: using linguistic terminology correctly and writing accurately. AO2: applying linguistic approaches to questions, and showing that you understand issues related to the construction and analysis of meanig in texts. AO3: analysing and evaluating the influence of context on the language used.  Basically, the examiners want you to show that you understand the way audience, purpose and context affect the ways that language is produced and recieved HOW TO ANSWER THE ACTUAL QUESTION: The Texts: You must use each text at least once, it doesn't matter if you use one text more than once, as many of them will have overlapping similarities. Also, always use a capital when referring to a 'Text' and be consistent of using capitals throughout.  Grouping Texts: You must group an absolute minimum of 2 Texts , though it is far more reccommended to group 3 and sometimes 4 Texts. It is not advisable to group any more than this really - have 5/6 Texts as an absolute maximum or you will miss out key details. It is best to have a range, so use 3 Texts when discussing something quite substantial, e.g grammar or phonology, and then use 2 Texts for groupings which are less 'bulky' e.g graphology.  You can group Texts in a number of ways; either using the Frameworks: (These are in more depth further down) Lexis Semantics Phonology Grammar Pragmatics Graphology Discourse AND/OR Audience Form  Purpose When discussing the frameworks, bring in A/F/P and how they link/support the framework. Do the opposite for when grouping through A/F/P; discuss how aspects of the frameworks again support the former. For example, if a text's purpose was to persuade, you could bring in how the lexical choices add superiority and expertise etc etc Structure: There is no set in stone structure on how to answer this question, but a good place to start is a P.E.E layout (Point-Evidence-Explanation) as this will give you a good structure to work around. However some examiners still see an 100% P.E.E structured essay as perhaps too GCSE, so in order to make your essay more sophisticated, make sure you go into depth in your analysis but stick to the point - there's lots of marks available for relevancy, include your own interpretations and proof read your work to make sure it flows/has coheision. …

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Bex20

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Very helpful-thanks :)