How do you analyse a text closely using the language levels, and how do those methods answer the compulsory Section A question on Unit 1?
Analysing language: using the language levels (phonetics, phonology and prosodics; lexis and semantics; grammar and morphology; pragmatics; discourse) plus genre, audience, purpose and mode to analyse an unseen text in Unit 1 Section A.
How to analyse an unseen text in WJEC Unit 1 Section A using the language levels: phonology and prosodics, lexis and semantics, grammar and morphology, pragmatics and discourse, framed by genre, audience, purpose and mode.
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What this dot point is asking
Unit 1 Section A ("Analysing language") is a compulsory question that gives you an unseen text and asks you to analyse how its language works, reading it through the language levels the specification names and explaining the effect of your chosen features in the light of genre, audience, purpose and mode. This page sets out the levels, the framing toolkit and the moves that separate feature-spotting from a top-band answer.
The answer
The language levels (your analytical toolkit)
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.
Lexis and semantics
Ask what semantic fields dominate, how formal the diction is, and whether word choices carry persuasive connotations, then state the effect on the reader.
Grammar and morphology
Grammar lets you analyse how meaning is structured. The high-value tools are sentence function (declarative, interrogative, imperative, exclamative) and mood; modal verbs ("must", "might") that grade certainty and obligation; pronouns (first-person plural for inclusion, second person for address); tense and aspect; and syntactic patterning such as listing and parallelism. Morphology (word formation, such as blends and affixation) helps when a text coins new terms.
Pragmatics
A slogan such as "Still using cash?" presupposes that cash is outdated and, through implicature, nudges the reader towards a card, turning a vague comment on "tone" into precise analysis.
Discourse
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.
Framing with genre, audience, purpose and mode
Section B: Contemporary English
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.
Examples in context
Model paragraph (integrating the levels on an advert). 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. Pragmatically, the rhetorical question "Why wait?" presupposes that delay is irrational and, through implicature, invites immediate action. A punchy headline then expands into detail and ends on a brand line, leading the reader from desire to product. Read together, the levels show a text engineered to convert aspiration into a purchase.
Try this
Q1. Name the five language levels the WJEC specification uses. [2 marks]
- Cue. Phonetics, phonology and prosodics; lexis and semantics; grammar including morphology; pragmatics; discourse.
Q2. What is the difference between semantics and pragmatics? [2 marks]
- Cue. Semantics is meaning in the words themselves; pragmatics is meaning in context, including what is implied (implicature) rather than stated.
Q3. Analyse how language is used in an unseen persuasive text, considering relevant contextual factors. [20 marks]
- What the marker wants. A framed, level-by-level analysis that names features precisely and explains each effect for the text's audience and purpose, integrated into an argument about how the text works.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of WJEC exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
WJEC Unit 1 (specimen)20 marksAnalyse the ways in which language is used in the text below. In your answer you should consider relevant contextual factors.Show worked answer →
A compulsory Section A question rewarding systematic close analysis driven by the language levels and tied to context.
Top answers do not feature-spot. They select features that do work, name them precisely, and explain the effect on the reader given genre, audience and purpose.
A strong response opens by framing the text (its genre, intended audience, purpose and mode), then moves through the levels: lexis and semantics (semantic fields, formality, connotation), grammar (sentence functions, mood, tense, modal verbs that build a stance), discourse (how the text is structured and cohesive), and pragmatics (implicature, politeness, presupposition).
The decisive top-band feature is integration: every point links a named feature to a contextual effect, so the analysis argues how the text works on its audience rather than listing devices.
WJEC Unit 1 (sample)12 marksUsing appropriate linguistic terminology, identify and comment on three significant grammatical features of the text and their effects.Show worked answer →
A focused question testing accurate metalanguage at the grammar level rather than a full essay.
Markers reward correct labels with a clear effect, not lists. Choose features that shape meaning.
Worked points: an imperative mood ("Remember to book early") positions the reader and creates a directive, audience-aware tone; a sequence of declaratives builds authority and assumed fact; first-person plural pronouns ("we", "our") construct an inclusive, collective voice that builds rapport.
The best answers name the feature, quote briefly, and state the effect in context, then note how the three features work together to manage the reader.
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