The Exam
English Language: AQA A Level, topic 2.4.6
Writing About Literacy in the Exam
Example question
- In your exam, you will be given a question that looks something like this:
- “Being creative is more important than being accurate.”
- Referring to Data Set 2 and 3 in detail, and to relevant ideas from language study, evaluate this view of children’s language development. (30 marks)
Extra data
- In addition to the question, you will also get one/two pieces of data.
- If the question is solely writing, there will usually be 2 pieces of data.
- If the question is on reading, there will usually be a spoken transcript and a copy of the book pages.
- In order to be successful in this question, you should:
Argue
- Spend 10 minutes reading through and annotating the data for terminology and relevant theories.
- Come up with a line of argument:
- Do you agree with the statement?
- Remember that your essay is essentially you proving your point, so the data MUST support your argument.
Best supporting theories
- Think carefully about which theories BEST support your argument.
- A good essay shows careful consideration of the best theorists for the task.
- A bad essay uses as many theories as it can often without clear relevance to the task
Quote and explain
- Quote and explain – all terminology-based claims must be supported with a quotation and any parts of the data you pick out should have its relevance explained (it’s no good saying ‘the child makes many inflectional mistakes’ and leaving it at that – it needs to be evidenced and have a point).
Evaluation
- The question is asking you to ‘evaluate’ and so you need to explore ways in which the view can be supported and challenged.
- Always look for patterns and complexities in language use.
- It is an essential to bring in as many RELEVANT schools of thought as possible.
Test yourself on The Exam
How many marks will the literacy question be worth in the exam?