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Unit 1: Exploring Language (AS)
Quick questions on Analysing language and the language levels - WJEC A-Level English Language Unit 1
8short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is the language levels (your analytical toolkit)?Show answer
Treat the levels as a set of lenses rather than a fixed running order. In a written text, phonology is usually limited (alliteration, onomatopoeia in an advert), so lexis, grammar, discourse and pragmatics carry most analysis; in a spoken transcript, prosodics and phonology matter much more.
What is discourse?Show answer
Discourse analysis steps back to the whole text: its structure (opening, development, ending), its cohesion (referencing, conjunctions, lexical repetition), and genre conventions (how far it follows the expected shape of a recipe, review or letter). Strong answers show how discourse organisation guides the reader through the text's purpose.
What is section B?Show answer
Section A is paired with a compulsory Section B on contemporary English, covered on its own page, which uses the same language levels for a more discursive response on present-day language in use.
What is model paragraph?Show answer
The advertisement constructs an aspirational lifestyle for a young, image-conscious audience, and its language works at several levels at once. Lexically, a semantic field of freedom ("escape", "open road", "go further") flatters the reader's desire for adventure, while the connotations of "effortless" present the product as a frictionless choice. Grammatically, a cluster of imperatives ("Discover", "Own the moment") and second-person pronouns positions the reader as an agent in an energetic, direct address.
What is vague terminology?Show answer
"Tone" and "flows well" are not analysis; convert them into pragmatics (implicature, politeness) and discourse (cohesion, structure).
What is q1?Show answer
Name the five language levels the WJEC specification uses. [2 marks]
What is q2?Show answer
What is the difference between semantics and pragmatics? [2 marks]
What is q3?Show answer
Analyse how language is used in an unseen persuasive text, considering relevant contextual factors. [20 marks]