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GCSE English Language AQA Achieving an A/A* Grade Course Overview The Examination Overview of The Exam Paper In order to achieve, at least, a A-A* grade all questions must be answered. Higher Tier Question Number of pages Marks Times Reading 1 3 8 12 min Reading 2 3 8 12 min Reading 3 3 8 12 min 4 4 16 25 min Writing 5 4 16 25 min Writing 6 5 24 35 min Reading Identify the form of writing you’ve been asked to do and the purpose of it. 6. There is evidence that many young people are not eating, exercising, or spending their leisure time properly and that this is damaging their health and life chances. Write an article for Living Today magazine which persuades young people to improve their diet and lifestyle. (24 marks) (16+8) • • • • Persuasive techniques AFOREST/MERRV Personal address Opinion • Effective headline • Interesting use of discourse markers • Cohesive features • Anecdote • Reference to your intended audience (intertextual links) Read Source 1, Lifesaving with Class, by Rory Stamp, from the RNLI magazine, the lifeboat. What do you learn from the article about the Beach to City programme run by the RNLI? (8 marks) The chief examiner says … • You are being asked to retrieve the important information and ideas in an article. To retrieve something means to find it in the text. • You are being asked to support the important information and ideas that they retrieve. To support something means to back up what you say with evidence from the text. • You are being asked to interpret the important information and ideas that you retrieve. To interpret something means to ‘read in between the lines’. It’s what you can work out from the text without actually being told. To show that you understand the article, you are expected to do more than just retrieve. The chief examiner also says that it is a good idea for you to; work your way through the text in the order in which things happen so that you can retrieve the important information and ideas in a logical way. include phrases such as ‘this suggests that…’ or ‘this indicates…’ so that the examiner can see that you are beginning to interpret. start your response with an overview sentence to show you have a grasp of the whole argument before then going into detail. Copyright © AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved. One of the things we learn about the RNLI is that they are committed to ‘educating children who live away from the coast’ on beach safety. This suggests that they (the RNLI) recognise that children in these areas are more likely to be unaware of ‘the dangers of the seaside’ than perhaps those that live close to the coast therefore they (the children) would be at a loss without the support of the RNLI. It also implies that the RNLI see themselves as a group that plays a vital role in transforming the lives of the younger generation. Can you identify the interpretations? What do you notice about the quotations? One of the things we learn about the RNLI is that they are committed to ‘educating children who live away from the coast’ on beach safety. This suggests that they (the RNLI) recognise that children in these areas are more likely to be unaware of ‘the dangers of the seaside’ than perhaps those that live close to the coast therefore they (the children) would be at a loss without the support of the RNLI. It also implies that the RNLI see themselves as a group that plays a vital role in transforming the lives of the younger generation. Interpretation Commenting on parts of a text Inferring meaning from a text Explaining meaning and implications Using words of your own rather than those in the text ‘Reading between the lines’ Making connections between parts of a text BUT not moving beyond the text Analysis – Identify the use of language techniques (or presentational devices) and explain how this evokes an emotional response in the reader, i.e - what emotion the reader might have towards the person or situation being described. Rhetorical questions, question and answer sequences, direct address, specialist vocabulary, positive adjectives/nouns/superlatives, facts, etc. Now refer to Source 3, Ferry across the lake and either Source 1 or Source 2. You are going to compare the two texts, one of which you have chosen. Compare the ways in which language is used for effect in the two texts. Give some examples and analyse the effects. Impressed, intrigued, excited, involved, special, important, satisfied, persuaded, etc. Question 4 Skills You are being asked to compare the use of language in two texts. To compare means to look at the similarities and differences. You are being asked to select actual words, phrases or language features that have been deliberately chosen in order to create an effect on the reader. You are being asked to comment on the effect on the reader of using these words, phrases or language features. This is the most important part of your response. 1. 2. 3. 4. You are not comparing the content of the texts or the structure of the texts. Everything you say needs to be focussed on the use of language. The purpose and audience of a source are only important in so much as they determine the writer’s choice of language. They should not be the focus of your response. The mark band is determined by the quality of the explanation of why a writer has chosen to use a particular word, phrase or language feature and the effect of this choice on the reader. It is therefore essential for you to select examples of language that enable you to analyse the effects on the reader effectively. Now refer to Source 3, Ferry across the lake and either Source 1 or Source 2. You are going to compare the two texts, one of which you have chosen. Compare the ways in which language is used for effect in the two texts. Give some examples and analyse the effects. TASK: Can you use the sources to write a ‘perceptive and detailed’ comparison? Source 3 Quote Language feature Source 2 Impact on reader Quote Language feature Impact on reader