How do you plan a focused, original language investigation?
Planning a language investigation: choosing a topic and research question, forming a hypothesis or aim, ethics and data collection, and applying a theoretical framework.
A focused answer to the AQA A-Level English Language NEA, covering how to choose a topic and research question for a language investigation, form a hypothesis or aim, handle ethics and data collection, and apply a theoretical framework.
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What this topic is asking
AQA's non-exam assessment (NEA) requires a language investigation. This dot point is about the planning stage: choosing a workable topic, setting a clear research question or hypothesis, collecting appropriate data ethically, and grounding the study in a recognised area of language study. Good planning is what makes the later analysis possible, so the marker rewards a focused, feasible design from the outset.
Choosing a topic and a research question
The single most common reason investigations underperform is scope. "How do teenagers talk?" cannot be answered in two thousand words; "What is the frequency and function of the quotative 'like' in a single friendship-group conversation?" can be analysed thoroughly. A good question is specific, testable and comparative where possible, for example contrasting one feature across two clearly defined sources, because comparison gives the analysis a built-in structure. Choose data you can realistically collect, transcribe and analyse in the time available, and let the question, not the topic's general appeal, drive the design.
Forming an aim or hypothesis
A hypothesis is a prediction you will test (for instance, that one newspaper uses more synthetic personalisation than another); an aim is an open question you will explore. Either is acceptable, but it must be phrased so the data can actually answer it. A vague aim leaves the analysis without a target, while a sharp hypothesis tells you exactly which features to count and interpret. Decide early which language levels and which theory the question implies, because that decision shapes both your data collection and your write-up.
Data, ethics and theoretical framework
Ethics is not a box-ticking afterthought; with spoken data especially, you need participants' informed consent to record, and you must anonymise names and identifying details in the transcript. Data involving children carries extra obligations. On the analytical side, plan how you will gather, transcribe and label the data (a consistent transcription key matters for spoken data) and choose the framework that will structure the analysis. A framework such as accommodation theory for a study of style-shifting, or Fairclough for a study of institutional power, decides which language levels are relevant and lets you evaluate a model rather than merely describe what the data says. A clear method at the planning stage makes the analysis and conclusion far stronger.
Try this
- Take a broad topic and narrow it into a single testable research question.
- Decide whether a hypothesis or an open aim suits your question, and phrase it precisely.
- List the ethical steps you would take before recording a friendship-group conversation.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of AQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
AQA 201912 marksPropose a research question for a language investigation (NEA component 1), state your aim or hypothesis, and explain your data collection method, including how you will address ethical issues. (Proposal and rationale, marked within the NEA band descriptors.)Show worked answer →
This is the planning stage of the AQA NEA investigation, where the marker rewards a focused, feasible proposal grounded in a recognised area of language study, assessed mainly through AO1 and AO2.
A strong proposal names a recognised area (gender, power, occupation, diversity, change or child language) and narrows it to a specific, answerable question, for example comparing one feature across two clearly defined sources rather than a sweeping claim. State the aim or hypothesis precisely so it can actually be tested against the data. Then justify the data: what it is, how much, how it will be gathered and transcribed, and why it suits the question. Address ethics explicitly: informed consent, anonymisation, and special care with children or identifiable people.
Markers reward a narrow, testable focus, a feasible method matched to the question, and a genuine treatment of ethics rather than a token sentence.
AQA 202112 marksExplain why a narrow, well-defined research question and an appropriate theoretical framework are essential to a successful language investigation. Refer to examples of suitable topics. (NEA planning support task.)Show worked answer →
A planning rationale assessed against AO1 and AO2. Connect scope, feasibility and framework.
Explain that the roughly 2,000-word limit makes a narrow question essential: a broad topic ("how teenagers speak") cannot be answered in depth, whereas a tight one ("the frequency and function of the quotative 'like' in two friendship-group conversations") can be analysed thoroughly. Then explain that a theoretical framework (a recognised area plus named concepts, such as accommodation theory or Fairclough on power) gives the analysis direction, decides which language levels matter, and turns description into evaluation. Without it, the study becomes an unstructured commentary on the data.
Markers reward the link between scope and depth, examples of well-scoped topics, and an explanation of how a framework shapes the whole study.
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Sources & how we know this
- AQA A-level English Language (7702) specification — AQA (2015)