A Level English Language B: Key skills and strategies

A Level English Language B:
Feedback on AS
Ian Wheeler

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Key questions for the web conference
•
•

What skills do candidates find hard?

•

What are the characteristics of an A grade answer?

•

2

What key skills are assessed in sections A and B of the exam
paper?

What can we do to raise the performance of candidates in this
exam?


Structure of the session
Question 1 – Grouping Texts
• Summary of what candidates did well / less well
• Assessment of exemplar material
• Useful strategies for exam performance
Part 2 – Language and Gender/Power/Technology
• Summary of what candidates did well / less well
• Assessment of exemplar material
• Useful strategies for exam performance
Implications for teaching and learning
• Teaching resource

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4


ENGB1 grade boundaries – Summer 2012
Grade

Boundary Mark

A
B

61

C

52

D

43

E

5

70

35


Assessment Objectives for question 1
AO1: Select & apply a range of linguistic methods, to communicate
relevant knowledge using appropriate terminology and coherent
accurate written expression (16 marks)
AO2: Demonstrate critical understanding of a range of concepts and
issues related to the construction and analysis of meanings in spoken
and written language, using knowledge of linguistic approaches (16
marks)
AO3: Analyse and evaluate the influence of contextual factors on the
production and reception of spoke and written language, showing
knowledge of the key constituents of language (16 marks)

6


What did candidates do well in question 1?
•

•

Covered a range of clear groupings, addressing the need to
compare texts and analyse differences

•

Found sub-groups within text groups

•

Supported points made with clearly selected evidence

•

Explored the original context of data in an imaginative way

•

7

Addressed all parts of the question – various ways… linguistic
reasons for choices

Used appropriately tentative / comparative vocabulary


What did candidates do less well in question 1?
•
•

Created groups of 1 text

•

Covered a narrow range of language features or took a “feature
spotting” approach

•

8

Failed to exemplify, leading to descriptive answers

Went into the exam with a plan of groupings and mangled the data
to fit preconceptions


What qualities characterise an A response?

9


A grade responses…
•
•

Select interesting linguistic points about texts and link them to the
specific context, often speculatively

•

Cover a range of reasons for grouping and sub-grouping texts

•

10

Are tentative in their discussion of reasons for grouping texts

Demonstrate a clear understanding of the subtle and complex
nature of this question


Assessing weaker responses

11


12


Suggestions for an approach to grouping
•
•

Discuss group feature in relation to texts

•

Differences? Reason why one text is a weaker choice for group?

•

Chaining of texts to show awareness that texts belong in more than
one group

•

13

Group 1 – C/B/F – Multi-modal (clear signpost to student / examiner)

Coverage of linguistic methods in group choices. E.g. Not just three
different purposes as groups


Assessment Objectives for questions 2-4
AO2: Demonstrate critical understanding of a range of concepts and
issues related to the construction and analysis of meanings in spoken
and written language, using knowledge of linguistic approaches.
(16 marks)
AO3: Analyse and evaluate the influence of contextual factors on the
production and reception of spoken and written language, showing
knowledge of the key constituents of language. (32 marks)

14


What did candidates do well in questions 2-4?
• Took a blended approach – selecting appropriate
theory/conceptual knowledge and using it to illuminate
linguistic features in the data
• Recognised the specific contexts of data – the genre of a
romantic novel / the function of text messages and the different
relationships between one producer and different receivers

• Recognised that context applies to both producer and receiver
• Covered a wide range of language features with clear, concise
exemplification and a focused link to specific contextual factors

15


What did candidates do less well in questions 2-4?
• Wrote extended essays about gender, power or technology
with little or no reference to the data provided

• Ignored the concept of representation in Q2 and treated the
exchange as real speech
• Overstated the power of leaflet producer/receiver

• Became obsessed with the idea that texting led to laziness and
the collapse of standards
• Focused on surface language features and oversimplify the
original context of data

16


17


Assessing mid-level responses

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Accessing the higher mark bands

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Representation Questions - Gender
In both January and June 2012, the gender question focused on
representation, using extracts from published fiction.
Successful students recognised that both male and female roles were
represented in the data and made perceptive points about the language
choices used by writers to portray stereotypes.
Some students struggled to engage with the data and repeated learned
theory (often applicable only to spoken language) and tried to make the
data fit the theory.

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Raising performance
• Students must get used to working with previously unseen data
• Encourage students to identify interesting linguistic features and link
them to context in an imaginative way
• Make sure that section B discussion are language/context led rather
than reliant on learned theory
• Take an exploratory approach to grouping rather than entering the
exam with a prepared selection of groups
• Apply linguistic terminology accurately

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Raising performance
• Acknowledge that power is rarely fixed, but shifts
• While theory does have its place, conceptual approaches to data are
often much more productive (especially on technology texts)
• Encourage students to collect and analyse their own data

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Teaching Resource

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Thank you for your participation

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A Level English Language B: Key skills and strategies

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