AQA A-Level English Language: Language Discourses, Methods and Writing Skills — Revision Notes

These notes condense the Paper 2 content on methods of language analysis, language discourses and writing skills in AQA AS and A-level English Language (7701/7702), Version 1.2 (A-level subject content 3.2.2 to 3.2.4; 4.2.2 to 4.2.4 in the specification PDF). Paper 2 is 2 hours 30 minutes, 100 marks and 40% of the A-level. Section B has a 40-mark analysis of two texts about a language issue and a 30-mark directed writing task on the same issue.

Related: Language discourses and writing study guide | practice questions | Language Diversity and Change revision notes

The answer in one paragraph

Section B tests whether you can see texts about language as arguments. Analyse how each text represents language, builds an identity for its writer, positions its reader, and draws on wider discourses about language, comparing the two texts throughout. Then write your own accessible, well-crafted piece for non-specialists on the same issue.

Key terms

Term	Meaning
Discourse (about language)	A recurring way of talking about language that carries values, such as “standards are declining”
Prescriptivism	The view that there is a correct form of the language that people should follow
Descriptivism	The approach of describing how language is actually used, without judging it
Representation	How a text constructs an image of language, or of a group of speakers
Producer identity	The persona a writer builds (expert, ordinary person, guardian of standards)
Positioning	How a text invites the reader to take a particular view or role
Non-specialist audience	Readers with no training in linguistics: the target for directed writing
Discursive essay	An academic essay that weighs views on a language issue (Section A)

The six language levels (as listed in the specification)

Level	Quick prompt for Section B
Phonetics, phonology and prosodics	Does the writer imitate or mock a pronunciation?
Graphology	What do headlines, images, fonts and layout signal?
Lexis and semantics	Which evaluative or metaphorical words frame language positively or negatively?
Grammar, including morphology	Are there imperatives, declaratives, modal verbs, lists, rhetorical questions?
Pragmatics	What is implied or presupposed? Is there irony or humour?
Discourse	How is the argument structured across the whole text?

The four questions for each text

1. How does it represent language?
2. What identity does it construct for the producer?
3. How does it position the reader and try to influence them?
4. How is it connected to discourses about language?

Common discourses to recognise

Discourse	Signals
Decline / deficit	Decay, disease and invasion metaphors; nostalgia; blame on youth or technology
Correctness	Lists of “errors”; “should” and “must”; appeals to rules
Natural change	Historical examples; hedged claims; references to research
Identity and pride	Dialect celebrated; inclusive pronouns
Linguistic prejudice	Anecdotes of being judged; lexis of fairness

Useful references (use sparingly): Jean Aitchison’s The Language Web (1997), with its “damp spoon”, “crumbling castle” and “infectious disease” metaphors for complaints about change; Deborah Cameron’s Verbal Hygiene (1995).

Method in steps: the 40-mark analysis

1. Read both texts; note genre, mode, audience, purpose, date and context.
2. Identify each writer's main view of language.
3. Find 3-4 shared points of comparison (views, methods, persona, positioning).
4. For each point: quote, name the feature, explain the effect, link to context and discourse.
5. Keep comparing throughout; finish with how the texts differ overall and why.

Method in steps: the 30-mark directed writing

1. Check the form, audience and purpose in the task.
2. Decide your position on the issue.
3. Plan 4-5 points using ideas from the texts plus your own linguistic knowledge.
4. Explain each concept with an everyday example.
5. Use the conventions of the form (headline, direct address, sign-off) and craft an opening and ending.

Worked reminder: turning jargon into accessible writing

• Too technical: “The variable use of non-standard grammatical forms in AAVE is rule-governed.”
• Accessible: “When people say ‘He be working’, they are not making a mistake: in some varieties of English this pattern regularly means someone usually works. It follows a rule, just not the rule of standard English.”

Must-know distinctions

• Analysis question vs directed writing: analysing how others write about language vs writing about it yourself.
• Section A essay vs Section B writing: formal academic register vs a form chosen for a non-specialist audience.
• Topic vs text: write about how the text represents the issue, not just about the issue.

Quick self-test

1. What are the two tasks in Paper 2 Section B, and their marks?
2. Name the six language levels in the specification.
3. Give the four things the specification says you explore about how texts are produced.
4. What is a prescriptive discourse?
5. Which audience is the directed writing for?
6. Name one metaphor Aitchison used for complaints about language change.
7. Why should you compare the two texts throughout?

Answers

1. Analysis of how two texts use language to present ideas about language (40); directed writing on the same topic (30).
2. Phonetics, phonology and prosodics; graphology; lexis and semantics; grammar including morphology; pragmatics; discourse.
3. How texts represent language; construct an identity for the producer; position the reader and seek to influence them; are connected to discourses about language.
4. One that claims there is a correct form of the language and that people should follow it.
5. A non-specialist audience.
6. The damp spoon, the crumbling castle or the infectious disease.
7. AO4 rewards connections across texts; integrated comparison shows them most clearly.

Where marks are usually lost

• Spotting features with no link to how they present language.
• Writing two separate mini-essays instead of comparing.
• Ignoring the date and context of an older text.
• In directed writing: copying the source texts, using undefined jargon, ignoring the named form.
• Giving opinions about language without evidence.

Frequently asked questions

How long is AQA A-level English Language Paper 2? Paper 2 of AQA A-level English Language (7702) lasts 2 hours 30 minutes, is worth 100 marks and counts for 40% of the A-level. Section B contains a 40-mark analysis of two texts about a language issue and a 30-mark directed writing task on the same issue.

What is prescriptivism in AQA English Language? Prescriptivism is the view that there is a correct form of the language that people should follow. Recognising prescriptive discourses about language is part of analysing the Section B texts.

Who is the Paper 2 directed writing task written for? It is written for non-specialists, so explain each language concept with an everyday example and use the conventions of the form, such as a headline or direct address, rather than technical jargon.

Why should you compare the two texts throughout the 40-mark analysis? Writing two separate mini-essays instead of comparing as you go is a common way to lose marks. Find three or four shared points of comparison and keep linking the texts point by point.

Which writers about language can I refer to in Section B? Useful references, used sparingly, include Jean Aitchison’s The Language Web, with its damp spoon, crumbling castle and infectious disease metaphors for complaints about change, and Deborah Cameron’s Verbal Hygiene.

Official syllabus

AQA AS and A-level English Language (7701/7702) specification, Version 1.2 (14 October 2021), A-level subject content 3.2.2 Methods of language analysis, 3.2.3 Language discourses and 3.2.4 Writing skills.

Section numbers. This site follows the A-level (7702) subject content on aqa.org.uk, where Paper 2 content is 3.2 and the NEA is 3.3. The combined AS and A-level specification PDF (Version 1.2, 14 October 2021) puts the AS content in section 3, so the same A-level sections are numbered 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3 there.