1. Welcome YR13!
A2 Time!!
And the good news is that you have a really good foundation of skills.
Just some new stuff to explore!

2. Does this look familiar?
Paper 1: Language, the Individual and Society
What's assessed
Textual variations and representations
Children's language development (0-11 years)
Methods of language analysis are integrated into the activities
Assessed
written exam: 2 hours 30 minutes
100 marks
40% of A-level
Questions
Section A - Textual Variations and Representations
Two texts (one contemporary and one older text) linked by topic or theme.
A question requiring analysis of one text (25 marks)
A question requiring analysis of a second text (25 marks)
A question requiring comparison of the two texts (20 marks)
Section B - Children's Language Development
A discursive essay on children’s language development, with a choice of two questions where the data provided will focus on spoken, written or multimodal language (30 marks)
Does this look familiar?
We have totally got this!

3. All the stuff we have looked at and some!
Paper 2: Language Diversity and Change
What's assessed
Language diversity and change
Language discourses
Writing skills
Methods of language analysis are integrated into the activities
Assessed
written exam: 2 hours 30 minutes
100 marks
40% of A-level
Questions
Section A - Diversity and Change
One question from a choice of two
Either: an evaluative essay on language diversity (30 marks)
Or: an evaluative essay on language change (30 marks)
Section B - Language Discourses
Two texts about a topic linked to the study of diversity and change.
A question requiring analysis of how the texts use language to present ideas, attitudes and opinions (40 marks)
A directed writing task linked to the same topic and the ideas in the texts (30 marks
All the stuff we have looked at and some!

4. We get coursework!!!! YAHoo!!! I am very excited about this!
Non-exam assessment: Language in Action
What's assessed
Language Investigation
Original Writing
Methods of language analysis are integrated into the activities
Assessed
Word count: 3,500
100 marks
20% of A-level
Assessed by teachers
Moderated by AQA
Tasks
Students produce:
a language investigation (2,000 words excluding data)
a piece of original writing and commentary (1,500 words total)
We get coursework!!!! YAHoo!!! I am very excited about this!

5. The next few weeks…
Over the summer you will need to get a head start on your coursework.
You will need to create 2 detailed proposals.
You will also need to do some reading – not just theories and articles!
Trip to Newquay Junior 21st June. We are going to collect and create our own data!

6. The language investigation…
A 2500-word scientific study presented in specific sections:
Intro – why what I am studying/collecting is interesting
Methodology – how I have made it scientific
Analysis – close study of the data under sub-headings
Conclusion – noticing patterns and/or significant factors and explaining them in context (overview)
Evaluation – how well did the process, focus etc. work?
Appendices (not part of word-count) – your data, any questionnaires, permissions, relevant research etc.

7. 1. Keep it manageable. Don’t make it hard yourselves!
Your questions need to be really specific. You also need to be able to collect your data in a fairly short space of time. If you are planning something too ambitious and time-consuming, it will be hard to do it. Think about the resources you have around you? Who/What is available to you!
2. This is your project. Pick something you are interested in!
Is there an area of the course so far that you've found particularly interesting? Is there something you do outside playing/coaching a sport, online gaming, working, reading a certain genre of books/graphic novels/magazines, TV/films that you are obsessed with - that you can investigate linguistically? Some of the very best investigations come from things that students are really interested in.
3. Read around your topic/subject
You should aim to find out as much as you can about the area you are investigating. Who has researched in this field before? What studies have been carried out? Are there any approaches or methodologies that you can learn from? Use the textbooks, student handbooks and emagazine archive for ideas.
4. Be independent. Stick to deadlines!

8. Have a look a the example titles. Are there any that stand out for you
Have a look a the example titles. Are there any that stand out for you? How could you adapt them to suit your own interests? Start mind-mapping some ideas!

9. Example investigations 1
Example investigations 1. A study of the language techniques used by Great British Bake-Off judges when commenting on the cakes produced in the final rounds of the competition, focusing on politeness, directness and possible gender differences. 2. An investigation into the language of female boxers during interviews to see if stereotypes about female communication are true for these women. 3. A comparison of the language used by three children of different ages when responding to the same task, focusing particularly on the stages of development they are at and their ability to use vocabulary and grammar. 4. An investigation into the ways in which different political parties and pressure groups represented the EU during the 2016 referendum across their campaign literature. 5. A study of ways in which local newspapers in 3 different areas represent their local dialect and accent in reports about varieties of English. 6. A comparison of how Maybelline adverts change over a 75-year period in their representation of female beauty. 7. An investigation into the messaging styles of 3 different age groups when using WhatsApp. 8. An investigation into the ways that the language of Twitter arguments differs from those carried out face to face. 9. An exploration of the different language techniques used by three supermarkets to represent their values to the general public on their official websites. 10. A study of the linguistic techniques used by rugby commentators in a radio commentary compared to an online commentary from the BBC website.
11. What are the effects of neologisms in prose fiction? An investigation using Clockwork Orange and 1984

10. Language Investigation – hammering down your ideas. The process.
Think about the big – gender, power, occupation, social groups etc. You might start with a broad question.
How do women and men use language differently in certain situations?
How do children of different ages show different levels of language ability?
How does the language of a certain kind of advertising change over time?
How is immigration represented in different newspapers?
What language devices are used by people when communicating via social media?
Think about the sorts of data you could collect and analyse in relation to this area.
Sections of newspaper articles, interview transcripts, instagram posts, adverts…
What specific areas language study might you focus on?
Which frameworks/language levels will you analyse?
Will your focus be on lexis & semantics, syntax & morphology, phonology, pragmatics, discourse structure, graphology, interactional features, or a mixture of these?
Will it be specific features of language within these headings, such as adjective use, tag questions, hedging, narrative structures etc?
Think carefully about defining what you mean by language. We will probably need to see both depth and range to award the highest marks.

11. ORIGINAL WRITING A piece of writing – 750 words
A written commentary – 750 words
Annotated style model
This is why reading is key!
You must have a piece of writing to inform your own!
Happy to help with this.

12. Areas to choose from: The power of persuasion
Please, please don’t all do monologues!
You can’t all do the same
It’s well boring!
The power of persuasion
a piece of investigative journalism
a speech delivered on a controversial topic
a letter to an MP.
The power of storytelling
a short story
an extract from a biography
a dramatic monologue.
The power of information
a piece of travel journalism
a blog focusing on social issues
a piece of local history
Look at example….