AQA A-Level English Language 7702: Language in Action (NEA) — 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 section structure, question count or mark tariffs — 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 tariffs the board sets.

Related: Language in Action revision notes · Language in Action study guide

Language in Action, the AQA A-level English Language (7702) NEA, has no exam paper, so these tasks rehearse the decisions and analysis that the investigation (AO1 15, AO2 15, AO3 20) and the original writing (AO5 25) and commentary (25) are marked on. The data in Section B is an invented transcript written for this resource. Mark tariffs are for self-checking only.

Section A: Designing an investigation (3.3.1)

1. Classify each research question as genre-, function-, attitudes- or user-based. [4] (a) How do teenagers in my school feel about their local accent? (b) What are the distinctive features of online recipe introductions? (c) Who uses the tag “innit” in my sixth-form common room? (d) How do teachers use questions to manage behaviour?

2. Rewrite this focus so it is specific enough for a 2,000-word investigation: “The language of advertising.” [2]

3. List the six sections an investigation should contain, according to the specification. [3]

4. A student collects 2 hours of spoken data. Explain one advantage and one problem of analysing all of it, and suggest a solution. [3]

5. Give two ethical issues a student should consider when recording friends’ conversations. [2]

Section B: Analysing data (3.3.3 language levels)

Transcript (invented). Key: (.) micropause; (2) pause in seconds; // overlap; CAPITALS stress.

A (Y13 student, interviewer): so what do you think of the new timetable B (Y9 student): it’s (.) I mean it’s alright I guess (.) kind of long A: long how B: like (.) the days feel // LONGER A: // yeah B: and we don’t get (2) we don’t get proper break anymore

6. Analyse the transcript using at least three language levels. Comment on how context (the speakers’ ages and roles) affects the language. [10]

7. Explain why a conclusion such as “Year 9 students are less confident speakers than Year 13 students” would not be justified from this data. [3]

Section C: Original writing and commentary (3.3.2)

8. For each area, suggest a form, audience and style model type. [3] (a) The Power of Persuasion (b) The Power of Storytelling (c) The Power of Information

9. You are writing a piece of travel journalism (Power of Information) about your town, using a published travel article as your style model. Write a 150-word commentary extract evaluating one choice you borrowed from the style model and one you changed for your audience. [8]

10. State what the original-writing folder must contain. [2]

---

Answers

1. (a) attitudes-based (b) genre-based (c) user-based (d) function/use-based [1 each].

2. Any focus naming specific data and a feature [2]: for example, “How do three supermarket adverts for the same product use imperatives and second-person address?” (The specification’s own example is “the language used in three different advertisements for a particular product”.)

3. Introduction; Methodology; Analysis; Conclusion; References; Appendices [3 for all six; 2 for four or five; 1 for two or three].

4. Advantage [1]: a larger sample supports more reliable patterns. Problem [1]: too much to transcribe and analyse in depth within 2,000 words. Solution [1]: select comparable extracts (for example, five minutes from each speaker or situation) and justify the selection in the methodology.

5. Any two [1 each]: obtaining informed consent; anonymising names; allowing participants to withdraw; avoiding the observer’s paradox influencing results while still being honest about recording; storing data securely.

6. Level-style guidance (10 marks).

Language level	Points an answer might make
Discourse	A controls the interaction with questions (adjacency pairs); B’s turns lengthen as the topic develops; overlap at “LONGER”/“yeah” is supportive, not competitive
Grammar	A’s elliptical question “long how”; B’s false start and self-repair “we don’t get (2) we don’t get proper break”; non-standard omission of the article (“proper break”)
Lexis and semantics	Vague language (“kind of”, “I guess”, “alright”) hedges B’s opinion; “proper” as an informal intensifier
Pragmatics	B hedges, possibly from politeness or deference to an older interviewer; A’s minimal response “yeah” encourages B to continue
Prosodics	Stress on “LONGER” emphasises the key complaint; pauses suggest planning or hesitation
Context (AO3)	Age and role asymmetry (older interviewer, younger interviewee) may explain hedging and short turns; an interview setting shapes who asks and who answers

• 9–10: Precise terminology across three or more levels, patterns identified, context linked to features, tentative interpretation.
• 5–8: Accurate features with some explanation and some context.
• 1–4: Features identified with little linguistic description.

7. Any three [1 each]: one short extract from two speakers is too small to generalise; the interview role, not age, may cause hedging; topic and familiarity with the interviewer are uncontrolled; hedging can be a politeness strategy, not a lack of confidence. (This is the “reflective and cautious conclusions” the top AO3 band asks for.)

8. [1 each] For example: (a) a speech to a school board arguing against phone bans, style model a published political speech; (b) a dramatic monologue for a radio audience, style model a published monologue; (c) a blog on a local social issue for young adults, style model a published issue-led blog.

9. Guidance (8 marks): credit evaluation of a specific borrowed feature (for example, opening with a present-tense sensory scene to place the reader in the location) and a specific change (for example, replacing the style model’s assumed adult, wealthy reader with second-person address to students on a budget), linked to both contexts (AO3), using precise terminology (AO1), recognising genre conventions as flexible (AO2), connecting the two texts (AO4) and written accurately (AO5).

Model extract: “Like the style model, my opening uses present-tense, sensory description (‘The market wakes before the town does’) so the reader is placed in the scene before any information is given. However, the model assumes an adult reader with money to spend, signalled by lexis such as ‘boutique’ and ‘artisan’. Because my audience is students visiting on a budget, I replaced this with second-person address and informal but standard lexis (‘you can eat here for under five pounds’), which positions the reader as a peer rather than a customer. This shows how travel writing adapts its persuasive informative blend to different readers.”

10. A piece of original writing; an annotated style model; a reflective commentary; references (paper and web-based) [2 for all four, 1 for two or three].

Frequently asked questions

Can I use data from the internet? Yes, written and multimodal data from online sources can be suitable, but the specification expects you to collect your own data in consultation with your teacher, and to reference sources.

How many language levels should my investigation use? The specification says analysis should cover “some relevant aspects” of the language levels, shaped by your research question. Choose the levels that fit your data and use them in depth.

Is the commentary marked on accuracy too? Yes. The commentary grid includes AO5, rewarding accurate writing and a coherent structure.

Official specification

AQA AS and A-level English Language (7701/7702) specification, 4.3 Language in action and 5.4 NEA marking criteria — aqa.org.uk.