Writing About Language Change
English Language: AQA A Level, topic 3.5.1
When Do I Write About Language Change?
Your knowledge of language change can be assessed in a couple of ways:
Paper 2, Section A, question 2:
- Evaluate the idea that…
- This question is asking you for a discussion of your knowledge of language change.
- It is worth 30 marks:
- 10 are for your argument and terminology.
- 20 are for your knowledge of theories and concepts.
- You should write formally and in an academic style.
Paper 2, Section B, question 4:
- Write a/an…
- This question is worth 30 marks and assesses your ability to write creatively (10 marks) and your knowledge of theories and concepts (20 marks).
- It will ask you to write an opinion-based piece based on two articles you will have analysed in the previous question.
- You MUST bring in your knowledge of language change, and it must be relevant to the topic the articles are about. You should also try to bring in these articles to your piece.
Paper 1, Section A
- In Paper 1, Section A, questions 1,2 and 3, you may get texts which are about/feature language changing or prescriptivism/descriptivism.
- You should not bring in your theories into these questions at all.
Paper 2, Section B, question 3
- In Paper 2, Section B, question 3, the texts may be about language change – you MUST NOT bring theory into this question.
Test yourself on Writing About Language Change
Which exam question must you NOT bring theory into?
Which question MUST you bring in your knowledge of language change?