Paper 1: Writing - Answering Section B - Checklist
English Language: AQA GCSE, topic 4.1.6
Paper 1, Section B: Writing Techniques
Make sure that you use some of the writing techniques that you have learned about when answering Section B. Put one or two in every paragraph.
Alliteration
- The same letter or sound at the beginning of words near to each other.
- Please note, these are the same sounds, not necessarily the same letters (e.g. 'c' and 'k' may sound the same in some words).
- E.g. The beautiful blue ocean blinked at the sun.
Assonance
- When two or more words close to one another repeat the same vowel sound but start with different consonant sounds.
- E.g. Although she was frail, she had a grace that trailed her everywhere.
Onomatopoeia
- When the way the word sounds imitates the sound it is describing.
- E.g. Bang, crash, sizzle.
Sibilance
- A specific form of alliteration, which focuses on 's' sounds.
- It relies on the repetition of soft consonant sounds in words to create a wooshing or hissing sound in the writing. The sounds used include 's', 'sh', 'c' and 'ch'.
- E.g. The shark shot through the water, charging towards the shore.
Paper 1, Section B: Writing Techniques
Make sure that you use some of the writing techniques that you have learned about when answering Section B. Put one or two in every paragraph.
Simile
- A simile involves comparing one thing with another, using ‘like’ or ‘as’.
- You are comparing the qualities of the two things.
- E.g. in the phrase 'He was as fierce as a lion', you are comparing the anger and aggression of the lion with the anger and aggression of the man you are describing.
Personification
- Personification involves giving human characteristics to something non-human.
- E.g. The waves danced on the shore.
Metaphor
- A figure of speech in which you say something is another thing. You compare the qualities of two things within this.
- E.g. in 'the curtain of fog', you create the image of the fog falling down on the area as if it is a curtain being dropped over the place - this could also suggest that the fog is thick and difficult to see through.
Emotive language
- Emotive language is when language is used to create a strong emotional response.
- This could be any emotion, such as anger, excitement, happiness, sadness, etc.
- E.g. The sad, downcast dog drooped its little head.
Paper 1, Section B: Writing Techniques
Make sure that you use some of the writing techniques that you have learned about when answering Section B. Put one or two in every paragraph.
Hyperbole
- An exaggerated statement, not meant to be taken literally, but used to create a dramatic effect.
- E.g. The whole world was watching me.
Irony
- The use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning - saying the opposite of what is true/real.
- In narrative writing, the writer may tell the story of a man who buys a gun to protect himself - ironically, someone then breaks into the man's home and kills him with the gun.
Oxymoron
- When two contrasting ideas are combined for dramatic effect or to create a comedic effect.
- E.g. Loving hate.
Pathetic fallacy
- Pathetic fallacy is when a writer gives human emotions to things that are not human, such as objects, animals or, most commonly, the weather.
- E.g. The night was unruly.
Pun
- A joke which exploits the different possible meanings of a word - it makes fun of the fact that there are other words which sound the same but have different meanings.
- E.g. In the joke, 'The best way to communicate with a fish is to drop them a line', the pun comes from the double meaning of 'a line' - it can be either a fishing rod or a telephone.
Test yourself on Paper 1: Writing - Answering Section B - Checklist
What technique is being used in the following sentence?
The slippery snake slid through the shrub.Which of the following phrases use alliteration?
What two words can we use to compare things in similes?
What technique does this sentence use?
James was as silly as a clown.What technique is being used in this sentence?
Jenny was a ghost in her paleness.