RUAE Skills: Analysing Language and Techniques (SQA National 5 English): Revision Note
Exam code: X824 75
Being able to explain how a writer’s choices create meaning is important in any English exam paper. Analysis goes beyond spotting a technique: you must show how the language works and why the writer has used it.
The best analysis requires close attention to detail, a secure understanding of vocabulary, and the ability to link effects to purpose: you need to show the examiner that you can interpret not just what the writer says, but how they shape the reader’s response.
Analysing the writer’s language choices
When analysing, it helps to divide your thinking between why the writer has made a certain choice and how that choice creates its effect. Identifying a technique alone does not gain marks; you must interpret its impact.
Step-by-step approach to analysing a text
Identify the question focus
First, read the question and identify what you are being asked to analyse.Select your evidence carefully
Choose the most relevant word or phrase rather than an entire sentence.Explain the connotations
What ideas, emotions or associations does the word carry? How does this shape the reader’s understanding?Link to the writer’s purpose
Is the writer trying to persuade? Create tension? Build sympathy? Show how the language helps achieve that aim.
A writer always has a purpose in mind when they write a text. Their purpose might be:
to create an atmosphere
to highlight contrast
to present a viewpoint
to influence the reader’s emotions or attitudes
Helpful two-part structure when analysing texts
"The writer uses X (technique/word).
This suggests/creates Y (effect), because…"
This approach keeps your analysis precise and purposeful.
Analysing word choice and imagery
Word choice and imagery often provide the strongest evidence for analysis questions. The examiner expects you to explore the associations behind a word or image, not simply restate it.
How to analyse word choice
Select the one key word
Identify its main connotations
Explain how these connotations contribute to the writer’s overall meaning or tone
How to analyse imagery
When analysing imagery, you are required to explore the comparison being made by the author. A writer might be comparing something to something figurative, using techniques such as personification, metaphor or simile. It is your job to dig into these comparisons and explain why the writer is making them.
Use the “Just as… so…” method:
Just as the literal image creates a certain idea…
So the writer conveys a similar idea in the context of the passage
Examples of analysis of word choice and imagery
Technique | What to comment on | Example of analytical focus |
|---|---|---|
Word choice | Connotations and tone | “‘brutal’ suggests harshness and violence, emphasising the difficulty of the experience.” |
Simile | Comparison and effect | “Just as a ‘caged bird’ is restricted, so the writer suggests she feels trapped.” |
Metaphor | Implied comparison | “Describing the crowd as a ‘sea’ conveys its overwhelming size and movement.” |
Good analysis avoids description. Instead of “This makes the reader imagine…”, focus on why the writer chose that particular comparison.
Analysing structural techniques
Writers also shape meaning through structure: the order of ideas, the length and type of sentences, and the development of arguments or narratives. These choices influence pace, emphasis and tone.
Useful structural features to analyse
Sentence structure: short sentences to create tension or emphasis; longer, flowing ones to develop reflection or description
Ordering of ideas: whether the writer builds to a climax, contrasts viewpoints, or shifts from general to specific
Use of lists: can suggest abundance, chaos or emphasis
Paragraph development: each paragraph often shifts focus or tone
How to analyse structure
Identify what the writer is doing (e.g., shifting from one setting to another, or from one perspective to another)
Explain the effect on the reader or the meaning
Link back to the passage’s overall purpose and the focus of the question
It’s a good idea to think about analysing structure in three parts:
Stage of analysis | Example sentence |
|---|---|
| “The writer uses a short, abrupt sentence.” |
| “This creates a moment of impact, emphasising the suddenness of the change.” |
| “This highlights the significance of the event in the narrative.” |
Structural analysis is most successful when it comments on how ideas unfold rather than simply spotting features.
Explaining the effects of language
Good analysis answers the question “So what?” Every technique creates an effect, but you must show how that effect is achieved.
Key questions to ask when exploring the effects of language
What does this make the reader think or understand?
What emotion or atmosphere does it create?
How does it support the writer’s viewpoint or argument?
Typical effects to consider
Type of effect | What to look for |
|---|---|
Emotional | fear, sympathy, humour, admiration |
Atmospheric | tension, calmness, urgency |
Persuasive | pressure, authority, credibility |
Avoid generic phrases like “This draws the reader in”. Be specific: What about it draws the reader in? Why?
Precise explanations show you fully understand what the writer is trying to achieve.
Developing your explanations
The highest-mark answers show developed, well-reasoned explanations. This means moving from basic identification to insightful commentary.
Strategies for developing explanations
Use multiple layers of detail
Instead of stopping at one connotation, explore two or three related ideas.Connect ideas logically
Show how the writer’s choice leads to a particular interpretation. Some great sentence structures to use are:“This suggests… because…”
“This emphasises… by…”
“This reinforces… as…”
Link language to wider meaning
Demonstrate awareness of a text’s overall ideas or theme, a particular character’s attitude or the development of a writer’s argument.Consider alternatives
Why this word and not another? What else could this particular choice of language suggest?
Example of developed analysis
Basic analysis | “The word ‘harsh’ shows it was unpleasant.” |
|---|---|
Developed analysis | “The word ‘harsh’ suggests a severity and coldness that make the conditions seem not only unpleasant but actively punishing, reinforcing the writer’s sense of struggle.” |
Developing your analysis shows a deeper level of understanding and secures higher marks.
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