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AQA A-Level English Language (7702): complete guide to the topics and the exams

A complete guide to AQA A-Level English Language (specification 7702). Covers the language levels and methods of analysis, language diversity and change, language gender power and the individual, children's language development, and the non-exam assessment, with how the two written papers and the coursework are structured and marked.

Browse guides →Syllabus dot points (23)

AQA A-Level English Language (specification 7702) is a two-year linear course assessed by two written papers at the end of Year 13 plus a non-exam assessment worth 20%. It is a linguistics subject: rather than responding to literary texts, you analyse how English works, varies and changes, using a shared toolkit of language levels. This page is the index: below is a map of the topics, the exam structure, and how to study each one.

The topics of AQA English Language

The course is built on the language levels and methods of analysis, which are then applied across four content areas.

Language levels and methods of analysis
The analytical foundation: phonetics, phonology and prosodics; lexis and semantics; grammar and morphology; pragmatics; discourse; and graphology. These underpin every analysis on the course.
Language diversity and change
How English varies by region, class and occupation, and how it has changed over time, including attitudes to diversity and change and the named theories of how change spreads.
Language, gender, power and the individual
How language relates to gender (deficit, dominance and difference), power (instrumental and influential, Fairclough), social groups (accommodation and social networks) and individual identity.
Children's language development
How children acquire spoken language, learn to write and learn to read, and the theories of acquisition (behaviourism, nativism, cognitivism and social interactionism).

The non-exam assessment

Every student also completes Language in action, the coursework, worth 20%. It has two parts: a language investigation of about 2,000 words on a chosen topic, and a piece of original writing of about 750 words based on a style model, with a reflective commentary of about 750 words.

Exam structure

AQA A-Level English Language is assessed by two written papers, both sat at the end of the course, plus the non-exam assessment.

  • Paper 1 - Language, the individual and society. 2 hours 30 minutes, 100 marks, 40%. Textual variation and representation, and children's language development.
  • Paper 2 - Language diversity and change. 2 hours 30 minutes, 100 marks, 40%. Diversity, change, attitudes, an evaluative essay and a discursive piece for a non-specialist audience.
  • Non-exam assessment - Language in action. 100 marks, 20%. A language investigation plus original writing and a commentary, marked internally and moderated by AQA.

How to study AQA English Language

English Language rewards a confident command of metalanguage, accurate use of theory, and analysis that always reaches the effect.

  1. Master the language levels. Learn the metalanguage of each level until applying it is automatic; every analysis depends on it.
  2. Move from feature to effect. Avoid feature-spotting: name the feature, quote the evidence, and explain its effect on audience and purpose.
  3. Build a theorist bank. For diversity, gender, power and child language, learn each key theorist's claim with a concise example and a criticism, and evaluate them.
  4. Practise unseen analysis and essays. Drill timed analysis of unseen texts and transcripts, and rehearse evaluative essays that weigh competing models.
  5. Plan coursework early. Settle a narrow investigation question, collect data ethically, and analyse the style model before drafting your original writing.

The topics, dot point by dot point

Each area has specification-level answer pages with worked exam questions and cross-links. Browse the full set at /a-level-aqa/english-language/syllabus.

For the official specification

AQA publishes the full specification (7702), past papers, mark schemes and the non-exam assessment guidance at aqa.org.uk. Always revise from the current specification and AQA's own past papers, because question style and the coursework requirements are board-specific.

English Language guides

In-depth written guides with paired practice quizzes.

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English Language practice quizzes

Multiple-choice drills with worked answer explanations. Your scores stay on this device.

The A-LEVEL-AQA system, explained

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Common questions about English Language

How is AQA A-Level English Language (7702) structured?
AQA A-Level English Language is a two-year linear course assessed by two written exams at the end of Year 13 plus a non-exam assessment (coursework). The foundation is the set of language levels and methods of analysis, applied across the whole course. The examined content covers language, the individual and society (language levels, children's language development, and textual variation) and language diversity and change (diversity, gender, power, the individual, and change over time). The non-exam assessment, Language in action, is a language investigation plus a piece of original writing with a commentary.
What are the AQA A-Level English Language exam papers?
There are two written papers, each worth 100 marks, 2 hours 30 minutes and 40% of the A-Level. Paper 1, Language, the individual and society, tests textual variation and representation and children's language development, including analysis of unseen texts and a directed writing or discursive element. Paper 2, Language diversity and change, tests diversity, change, attitudes and an evaluative essay, plus a discursive piece writing about language for a non-specialist audience.
What is the non-exam assessment in AQA A-Level English Language?
The non-exam assessment, called Language in action, is worth 20% of the A-Level and is marked by the school and moderated by AQA. It has two parts: a language investigation of about 2,000 words on a topic the student chooses, and a piece of original writing of about 750 words based on a style model, with a reflective commentary of about 750 words. It rewards independent research, rigorous analysis and crafted, audience-aware writing.
What are the language levels and why do they matter?
The language levels are the analytical toolkit applied to every text: phonetics, phonology and prosodics; lexis and semantics; grammar and morphology; pragmatics; discourse; and graphology. Every analysis question and the whole coursework depend on them. Strong answers select the levels most relevant to a text and move from naming a feature to explaining its effect on audience and purpose, rather than feature-spotting.
Which theorists do I need for AQA A-Level English Language?
Key names include Lakoff, Tannen, Zimmerman and West and Cameron for gender; Fairclough for power and synthetic personalisation; Labov, Trudgill, Giles and Milroy for diversity and social groups; Swales and Drew and Heritage for occupation; Aitchison and Crystal for attitudes to change; Halliday and Hockett for theories of change; and Skinner, Chomsky, Piaget, Bruner and Vygotsky for children's language acquisition. Apply and evaluate them against data rather than naming them in isolation.
How should I revise AQA A-Level English Language?
Master the metalanguage of the language levels until applying them is automatic, then drill the move from feature to effect on unseen texts. Build a theorist bank for diversity, gender, power and child language, each with a concise example and a criticism, and practise evaluative essays. Settle your coursework investigation question early and keep it narrow. Always revise from the current AQA specification and AQA past papers.