Unit 5 Language and Identity overview: the WJEC A2 English Language non-exam assessment
A complete overview of WJEC A2 English Language Unit 5, the Language and Identity non-exam assessment: the 2500 to 3500 word independent investigation, the four areas, the method, and how to plan, analyse and reference.
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This overview maps WJEC A2 English Language Unit 5, the Language and Identity non-exam assessment. Unlike the written units, it is an independent research project: you choose a focus, gather your own data, and produce an extended investigation that draws together everything the course has taught.
What Unit 5 tests
Unit 5 is the non-exam assessment: an independent language investigation of 2500 to 3500 words on language and identity, internally marked and externally moderated. It tests your ability to frame an investigable question, gather and handle data soundly, analyse it with linguistic terminology and concepts, and reflect critically on your findings and method.
The shape of the investigation
This module's single page covers the whole NEA: choosing an area, framing a question, collecting and analysing data, and reflecting.
- The four areas. Self-representation, gender, culture or diversity, each a lens on how language constructs identity.
- A focused question. Narrow the area to a specific, answerable research question.
- Data and method. Gather suitable primary data ethically, mindful of limitations such as the observer's paradox.
- Analysis and reflection. Apply the language levels and concepts to the evidence, then evaluate and conclude.
How to study Unit 5
- Choose and narrow early. Pick an area and a focused, investigable question well in advance.
- Gather sound data. Collect appropriate primary data, with attention to ethics and representativeness.
- Analyse with the levels. Apply lexis, grammar, discourse, pragmatics and concepts, grounded in evidence.
- Reflect critically. Evaluate the strengths and limits of your method and the confidence of your findings.
- Reference accurately. As coursework, precise referencing and academic honesty are essential throughout.
Where this fits in the qualification
Unit 5 is the capstone A2 unit alongside Units 3 and 4. It deliberately synthesises the course: the close analysis of Units 1 and 4, the language debates of Unit 2, and the awareness of variation and change from Unit 3 all feed an independent piece of research. For the official specification, NEA guidance and moderation requirements, see wjec.co.uk, and always work from the current specification because requirements are board-specific.