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Unit 5: Language and Identity (A2 NEA)
Quick questions on Language and Identity non-exam assessment (NEA) - WJEC A-Level English Language Unit 5
7short 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 framing a research question?Show answer
A strong NEA begins with a focused, answerable question rather than a broad theme. "How does language construct identity" is too large; "How do two beauty vloggers use language to construct an aspirational identity for their audience" is investigable. The focus should be small enough to analyse closely in the word count and clearly tied to identity, the unifying theme of the unit.
What are analysis using the language levels?Show answer
The analytical core uses the same toolkit as the rest of the course: the language levels (lexis and semantics, grammar, discourse, pragmatics, and prosodics for spoken data) applied systematically to your data, supported by relevant concepts and theory (for example identity and self-presentation, gender models such as difference and dominance, or attitudes to varieties). Analysis must be evidence-led: every claim about identity is grounded in features you can point to in the data.
What is model focus and approach?Show answer
A well-judged investigation in the self-representation area might ask how two micro-influencers in different niches use language to construct distinct identities for their followers. The student gathers a comparable sample of captions and posts from each, anonymising as appropriate, and analyses them with the language levels: the lexis and semantic fields each draws on (wellness and authenticity versus luxury and aspiration), the grammar of address (inclusive first-person plural, direct second-person engagement), the pragmatics of self-presentation (implicature, the management of face and intimacy with an audience), and the discourse conventions of the platform. Relevant concepts (identity as performed, synthetic personalisation, in-group markers) frame the analysis, and the conclusion judges how each influencer's choices build a particular identity, while honestly noting the limits of a small sample and the way curated posts may not reflect spontaneous language.
What is description over analysis?Show answer
Summarising the data is not enough; analyse it with the language levels and tie findings to identity.
What is q1?Show answer
What are the four areas you can choose for the Unit 5 investigation? [2 marks]
What is q2?Show answer
What is the observer's paradox, and why does it matter for data collection? [2 marks]
What is q3?Show answer
Outline how you would plan an independent language investigation into language and identity. [20 marks]
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