A Level English Language: Reading and Analysis — Practice Questions

These are original questions written for Marlbridge, for revision and practice on this content. They are not reproduced past-paper questions, and they do not replicate the exam’s own question format or stimulus length — examination boards hold copyright in their own papers. Use these alongside the official past papers available free from your board for practice at the exact format and stimulus lengths the board sets.

Related: Reading and Analysis revision notes

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Section A

1. Analyse the following levels of language analysis, stating what each one examines: lexis, semantics, grammar, phonology, pragmatics. [5]

2. Discuss what is meant by register, naming the three variables that determine it. [4]

Section B

3. Analyse the following opening of a charity appeal: “Every eleven seconds, a child somewhere loses their sight to a disease we can cure for the price of a coffee.”

(a) Analyse the lexical choices. [4] (b) Analyse the syntax and the effect of the fronted adverbial. [3] (c) Analyse the pragmatic effect on the reader. [3]

4. Compare denotation and connotation, and analyse the connotations of “home”, “house” and “residence”. [5]

5. Analyse three grammatical features that mark a text as formal, giving an example of each. [6]

6. Analyse how the following contribute to the coherence of a text: anaphoric reference, lexical field, discourse markers. [6]

7. A transcript shows a speaker saying: “So, er, the thing is — right — we need to, um, we need to think about this differently.”

(a) Analyse three spoken language features present. [3] (b) Discuss why these should not be analysed as errors. [2]

8. Discuss what a directed writing task requires that a summary does not, and compare two things a strong Question 1(b) comparison of your own response with the original text must do. [4]

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Answers

1. Lexis — the vocabulary of a text: which words are chosen [1]. Semantics — the meanings words carry and how meaning is constructed [1]. Grammar — the structure of words and sentences, including morphology and syntax [1]. Phonology — the sound patterns, such as alliteration, assonance and rhythm [1]. Pragmatics — how meaning depends on context and on what is implied rather than stated [1].

2. Register is the variety of language appropriate to a particular situation [1]. It is determined by field — the subject matter [1]; tenor — the relationship between the participants [1]; and mode — whether the text is spoken, written or somewhere between [1].

3. (a) “Child” carries connotations of innocence and dependence, making the reader feel a protective obligation [1]. “Loses” frames blindness as something taken away rather than absent from birth, which is more affecting [1]. “Cure” is absolute and certain, promising a definite outcome rather than a vague improvement [1]. “The price of a coffee” uses deliberately mundane, everyday lexis, shrinking the perceived cost and implying that not giving is a trivial choice the reader is actively making [1]. (b) The fronted adverbial “Every eleven seconds” places the statistic in the position of greatest emphasis, before the reader knows what it refers to [1], creating a brief suspense and setting up an urgent, ticking rhythm [1]. The single-sentence paragraph isolates the claim so it cannot be skimmed past [1]. (c) The reader infers, without being told, that inaction has a cost measured in children’s sight [1]. The juxtaposition of a child’s blindness with a coffee creates an implied accusation the reader must resolve [1], and the inclusive “we can cure” positions the reader as already part of the solution, making refusal feel like withdrawal rather than neutrality [1].

4. Denotation is a word’s literal dictionary meaning [1]; connotation is the set of associations and emotional overtones it carries beyond that [1]. “Home” connotes warmth, belonging and family [1]. “House” is neutral and physical — a building [1]. “Residence” is formal, distancing and often legal or bureaucratic, suggesting status or officialdom [1].

5. Any three, 2 marks each: the passive voice, which removes the agent and creates impersonality — “it was decided that” rather than “we decided” [1] [1]; nominalisation, turning processes into nouns — “the implementation of the policy” rather than “we implemented the policy” — which makes the text denser and more abstract [1] [1]; the absence of contractions and of elision — “do not” rather than “don’t” [1] [1]; complex subordination and longer noun phrases rather than short coordinated clauses [1] [1]; third person rather than first or second person address [1] [1].

6. Anaphoric reference — pronouns and determiners that point back to something already mentioned (“the minister… she…”), which binds sentences together and avoids repetition [1] [1]. Lexical field — a group of words from the same semantic area running through the text (“court”, “verdict”, “counsel”), which signals the subject consistently and lets the reader predict what follows [1] [1]. Discourse markers — words such as “however”, “furthermore”, “in conclusion”, which signal the logical relationship between one part of the text and the next, guiding the reader through the argument [1] [1].

7. (a) Any three: fillers (“er”, “um”) [1]; a discourse marker used to open and manage the turn (“so”, “right”) [1]; repetition/false start (“we need to, um, we need to”) [1]. (b) These are normal features of unplanned, spontaneous speech, not mistakes [1]; each achieves something functional — a filler buys planning time, a repeated false start allows the speaker to reformulate mid-sentence, and “right” can hold the floor or signal a shift in the point being made [1].

8. A directed writing task requires the candidate to transform a text for a new audience, purpose and form — selecting and rephrasing relevant material — rather than simply summarising its content [2]. A strong Question 1(b) answer must compare the candidate’s own response with the original text’s form, structure and language using the language frameworks (not just describe what was written) [1], and must explain why each feature suits the specified audience and purpose in each text, since an answer that only describes the candidate’s own response scores in the lower bands [1].

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Where marks are usually lost

• Naming a technique without analysing its effect on meaning.
• Confusing semantics with pragmatics.
• Describing formality through vocabulary alone, ignoring grammar.
• Treating connotation as personal opinion rather than shared association.