OxfordAQA International A-Level English Language: Language Variation (Unit 3) — Revision Notes

Unit 3 (Language variation) of OxfordAQA International A-level English Language (9670) is a two-hour, 50-mark exam worth 30% of the International A-level. Section A, Learning language (25 marks) gives you data on early child language acquisition or later teenage language development. Section B, International English (25 marks) sets out an issue about world English or English as a lingua franca for discussion. In each section you answer one question from a choice of two. For the full explanation, use the Unit 3 study guide.

Unit 3 at a glance

Detail	Section A: Learning language (3.3.1)	Section B: International English (3.3.2)
Marks	25	25
Choice	One question from two	One question from two
Stimulus	Data: speech, writing or multimodal texts by native or EAL speakers	An issue for discussion
Scope	Early acquisition in young children and later development in teenagers	Established world English and English as a global lingua franca

The specification says students must show, across the unit: knowledge of the topic area including different theories and approaches; data analysis skills; and skills in academic argument and evaluation of ideas.

Assessment objectives

AO	Wording	Unit 3 share of the International A-level
AO1	Demonstrate understanding of methods, terminology, concepts and issues in English language	15%
AO2	Analyse how meanings are shaped in a range of texts and data	9%
AO3	Demonstrate ability to use English in different ways	6%

AO1 is the largest objective in Unit 3: accurate concepts, terminology and theory matter most.

Section A: Learning language — core knowledge

Stages of early spoken development

Stage	Typical features
Pre-verbal	Cooing, babbling (repeated consonant–vowel syllables)
Holophrastic	Single words carrying whole meanings (“milk” = “I want milk”)
Two-word	Simple combinations with emerging word order (“daddy gone”)
Telegraphic	Content words with function words and inflections often missing (“want go park”)
Post-telegraphic	Function words, inflections and more complex clauses emerge

Common features to name in data

Feature	Example
Overextension	Calling every four-legged animal “dog”
Underextension	Using “car” only for the family car
Virtuous error (overgeneralisation)	“I runned”, “two mouses”: a rule applied too widely
Deletion / substitution (phonology)	“nana” for “banana”; “wabbit” for “rabbit”
Child-directed speech	Adults’ simplified, repetitive, high-pitched speech with questions and recasts

Theories and approaches

Approach	Key idea	Evaluation point
Behaviourist (Skinner)	Learning through imitation and reinforcement	Does not explain virtuous errors children have never heard
Nativist (Chomsky)	An innate capacity for language (a “language acquisition device”)	Hard to test; underplays interaction
Cognitive (Piaget)	Language follows cognitive development	Explains some timing but not all
Interactionist (Bruner; Vygotsky)	Interaction and adult support (scaffolding) drive development	Supported by caregiver-talk data; variation across cultures

Later development (teenagers)

Writing and speech in adolescence: growing control of complex sentences and cohesion, wider formal vocabulary, register shifts between peer and academic contexts, and features of teenage peer talk. For EAL learners, data may show transfer from a first language and developing control of English inflections.

Section B: International English — core knowledge

Concept	Meaning
World Englishes	Established varieties such as Indian, Nigerian or Singapore English, with their own norms
English as a lingua franca	English used between speakers with different first languages
Kachru’s circles	Inner (e.g. UK, USA), Outer (e.g. India, Nigeria), Expanding (e.g. China, Brazil)
Pidgin and creole	A pidgin is a contact language with no native speakers; a creole develops when it becomes a first language
Codeswitching	Moving between languages or varieties within a conversation
Standard and prestige	Debates about which norms (if any) should be taught and tested

Typical issues set for discussion

• Should international learners aim for British or American norms, or for intelligibility?
• Is the global spread of English a threat to other languages?
• Who “owns” English when most users are non-native speakers?
• Are new varieties “errors” or legitimate developments?

Worked example: analysing a child’s utterance (Section A)

Data: a child aged about 2 years 6 months says, “Daddy goed work. Him coming back?”

• Grammar: “goed” is a virtuous error: the regular past-tense -ed rule overgeneralised to an irregular verb, which suggests the child has internalised the rule rather than imitated it.
• Telegraphic features: omission of the preposition to and the auxiliary is.
• Pronoun: “Him” in subject position shows developing case marking.
• Pragmatics: a question formed with rising intonation instead of inversion.
• Theory link: the virtuous error challenges a purely behaviourist account and is often cited in support of rule-learning (nativist) views; an interactionist would ask how the caregiver replies.

Writing a Section B answer

1. Define the terms in the issue.
2. Set out at least two positions, with named approaches or researchers where you know them.
3. Use examples of real varieties or situations.
4. Evaluate: which argument is stronger, and in what contexts?
5. Conclude with a judgement linked to the question.

Common mistakes / exam traps

• Labelling without explaining: naming a “virtuous error” without saying what rule it shows.
• Treating theories as right or wrong: evaluate what each explains and what it misses.
• Ignoring the data: Section A answers must analyse the data provided as their starting point.
• Assuming deficit: describing world Englishes or EAL data as “mistakes” without considering norms.
• No argument in Section B: the question sets out an issue; take a reasoned position.
• Forgetting teenagers: Section A covers later development, not only early childhood.

Frequently asked questions

Does Unit 3 Section A only test child language? No. The specification says it covers early language acquisition in young children and later language development in teenagers, using data from native speakers or EAL speakers.

What counts as “international English” in 9670? The specification uses it as a label for both established world Englishes and the more recent global expansion of English as a lingua franca.

Do I need to quote researchers by name? The specification asks for knowledge of different theories and approaches. Naming them accurately helps AO1, but explaining and evaluating the ideas matters more than the names.

How is Unit 3 related to the AS course? Section B builds on the skills developed in Section B of Unit 2 (Language and society).

Syllabus coverage

OxfordAQA International AS and A-level English Language (9670), Version 5.2: 3.3 Language variation — 3.3.1 Section A: Learning language and 3.3.2 Section B: International English; 4.3.2 assessment objective weightings; 4.4 unit weightings.

Self-test

1. How many marks is each section worth? (25.)
2. What is a virtuous error? (An overgeneralised rule, such as “runned”.)
3. Name Kachru’s three circles. (Inner, Outer, Expanding.)
4. Which AO carries the most weight in Unit 3? (AO1, 15% of the A-level.)
5. Which AS unit does Section B build on? (Unit 2, Section B.)

Related pages

• Unit 3 study guide
• Unit 3 practice questions
• Language and Society revision notes

Official specification

OxfordAQA International AS and A-level English Language (9670) specification, Version 5.2 — oxfordaqa.com.