Paper 2 Question 3 Skills: Language Analysis (AQA GCSE English Language) : Revision Note
Paper 2 Question 3 tests you on your ability to comment on and analyse the language choices a writer has made. This might involve the words, phrases, sentence forms or linguistic devices they have used, and your job is to explore why they might have used them.
The following guide contains everything you need to know about answering the language question:
How to analyse the effects of language
Understanding the meaning of words and phrases: denotation and connotation
Establishing the writer’s viewpoint
Analysing language in the exam
How to analyse the effects of language
To explain, comment on and analyse the effects of language, you must understand:
What is being described/narrated
The overall effect the writer is trying to convey
Particular choices the writer has made (the words, phrases or language techniques)
The intended effect of these specific choices
The most important part of the assessment is the analysis of the effects of a writer’s choice of language. Better responses typically focus on “the effects of specific word choices” rather than writing about complex language features. What’s most important is that you consider the wider meaning that the writer is trying to convey.
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Unlike the language analysis question in Paper 1, Question 3 does not contain any bullet points to help you. However, it can be useful when exploring the writer’s techniques in Question 3 to remember the bullet points from the language question on Paper 1, Question 2. These are:
words and phrases
language features and techniques
sentence forms
Remembering these might help guide your response to this question. However, it’s important to note that you do not need to comment on all of these in your answer.
Understanding the meaning of words and phrases: denotation and connotation
Analysing language means that you consider the deliberate choices a writer has made to include specific words or phrases in their writing, and why. In order to do this, you should consider both the denotation and the connotations of particular words:
Denotation = the literal meaning of a word or phrase
Connotation = the associations or implied meanings of the word or phrase
Writers choose their words carefully and deliberately; therefore understanding word choices is a crucial aspect in analysing the writer’s language for Question 3. Below we will examine the two levels of meaning that words can have: denotation and connotation.
Word | Denotation (explicit meaning) | Connotation (implicit meaning) |
|---|---|---|
snake | a long reptile with scales | fear/danger/deceit/evil |
home | a place where one lives | comfort/security/belonging |
childish | characteristic of or resembling a child | playful/innocent/irresponsible/immature |
Connotations are the additional layers of meaning that words carry beyond these literal definitions. Writers deliberately use connotations to evoke certain feelings, create imagery, or persuade readers to see things from a particular perspective.
Below are some questions which you might ask yourself when exploring why a writer might have used the words and phrases in a text:
Denotations and connotations | Emotional impact | Characterisation |
|---|---|---|
How do these layers of meaning add depth to the text? | How do the words evoke emotions or feelings in the reаder? Do they create joy, sadness, fear or excitement? | Do the words reveal aspects of a character's personality, background or emotions? |
Examiner Tips and Tricks
This question is similar to Paper 1 Question 2, except it will focus on a piece of non-fiction.
The question could focus on either Source A or Source B (a modern or 19th-century text). If the 19th-century text is selected, there is no expectation for you to consider contextual, social or historical influences of the text: just focus on the language the writer has used and its intended effect.
Establishing the writer’s viewpoint
A writer's viewpoint refers to their unique perspective, stance or opinion. Analysing a writer's viewpoint is essential in understanding the intention behind their work.
When reading a text for the first time, you should try to determine the writer’s viewpoint.
There are various types of viewpoints that writers can employ:
First-person | Second-person | Third-person |
|---|---|---|
The writer narrates and shares their thoughts and experiences from the perspective of a specific character or narrator using “I” or “we”. This viewpoint generally provides an intimate and subjective view of events | The writer addresses the reader directly using “you”. This generally creates a sense of involvement and engagement with the reader | The writer follows the thoughts and feelings of a single or multiple characters, often using pronouns like “he”, “she”, or “they”. While it provides some insight into the character's mind, it generally remains limited in terms of their perspective |
For more on how to identify and analyse a writer’s perspective, including an example of Grade 9 analysis, check out our exam skills page on Narrative Perspective and Point of View.
Analysing language in the exam
Whenever you comment on a language feature, you must always explain the intended effect on the reader. It is not enough to simply list examples of different word types in your answer — this won’t score you high marks.
Below are some examples of language features and techniques and their possible intended effects. The extract below is taken from a 21st-century non-fiction text called I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb. It is about a young girl growing up in Pakistan and her fight for girls’ education.
Annotating the extract
It’s important — before you start reading or annotating the extract — that you read the question carefully to know exactly what to look for. Then, highlight relevant parts of the text and annotate the effects of these language features in the margins:
Turning your annotations into an answer
Now you have your annotations, let’s see how we might turn these into full sentences:
Textual references | Language feature | Intended effect |
|---|---|---|
“beloved”, “sturdy,” “damp,” and “chilly” | Adjectives | The use оf the adjective “beloved” makes the reаder empathise with the speaker’s acute feelings of loss and her longing for her cherished past. Furthermore, the writer's choice of adjectives such as “sturdy,” “damp,” and “chilly” to describe her new bedroom in Birmingham sets a contrasting tone of discomfort and unfamiliarity, which underscores the difficulty of the speaker’s new environment. |
References to past and present | Juxtaposition | The writer uses juxtaposition between the past and present, using phrases like “planning to dive back under the covers” and “ended up a world away”. This use of juxtaposition creates a sharp contrast between the speaker’s comfort and familiarity of the past and her unknown and distant present. It highlights the stark difference between the life the speaker once cherished and the unknown realities that have now become her present existence. |
“large” | Repetition | The writer uses the word three times in quick succession (“large rooms,” “large furniture,” “large, large TV”) and this use of repetition is used to convey the overwhelming sense of abundance and opulence in the speaker’s new surroundings. This is sharply contrasted to the modesty of her previous home. |
Examiner Tips and Tricks
It is important that you are familiar with key literary terms so that they can help to support your analysis of the text.
However, while the examiner will expect you to use relevant subject terminology to support your views, this does not mean that you will secure more marks for just demonstrating that you know literary terms. It is much more important that you clearly articulate the intended effects of any evidence that you use.
Learn more and test yourself
For more great tips and tricks, check out our dedicated revision notes on the Paper 2 Question 3 mark scheme and our fully annotated Paper 2 Question 3 model answer.
You can also test yourself on Paper 2 Question 3 by answering full questions and getting them marked by Smart Mark, our AI model created by English Language experts.
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