English Language B

A2 Exam Preparation

ENGB3: Key Issues

• Dominant Assessment Objective AO1 (linguistic

methods)

• A2 theories & synoptic Links AO2 (language

concepts and issues)

• Reduced weighting of context (from AS )

Contextual Influences: what are they?

Language Acquisition

• Spoken Language Acquisition: situational (setting, activity, purposes,

participants – relationships/roles), developmental (age) and other

factors (gender, cultural influences)

• Literacy Acquisition: situational (school, home) developmental (age);

mode of production/reception (task, activity, audience, purpose,

genre.

• Language Change: mode of production/reception; audience; purpose;

attitudes; social and political influences

What’s the context?

Language Concepts: synopticity

Key questions:

• What concepts / ideas from the study of gender are relevant to the

data?

• What concepts / ideas from the study of power are relevant to the

data?

• What concepts / ideas from study of technology are relevant to

the data?

Language Development: A2 concepts

Some examples

Acquisition Change

Big Ideas: Nature V Nurture

Perspectives: Nativist,

Behaviourist, Interactionist,

Cognitive

Individuals: Chomsky, Skinner,

Piaget, Vygotsky etc.

Studies: ‘Wug’, ‘Fis’ etc.

Stages of Development

Lexical & Semantic Processes

Standardisation / Codification

Prescriptive / descriptive

attitudes

Individuals: Fairclough, Labov

etc.

Language Development: AO1

• Systematic & evaluative exploration of data using linguistic methods / Accurate & perceptive linguistic knowledge / Appropriate, controlled & accurate expression (22-24)

• Uses linguistic methods in a systematic way / Appropriate & accurate linguistic knowledge / Controlled & accurate expression (16-21)

• Applies & explores some linguistic methods / Some appropriate linguistic knowledge / Generally accurate written communication (10-15)

• Basic linguistic methods applied, but not convincing / Limited linguistic knowledge & understanding / Inconsistent clarity & accuracy in communication (4-9)

• Rudimentary linguistic knowledge / Linguistic methods applied inaccurate or not at all / Lapses in written communication (1-3)

Levels of attainment:

Bringing it all together

Key issues:

• Striking the right balance for Assessment Objectives

• Selecting the right information from the data

• Packaging it together

Applying AOs – Children’s Writing (June 2011)

•AO1 AO2 AO3

Spelling examples Taught strategies literacypractices (phonics)

Influence of school and teachers

Discourse structure / graphology

Genre conventions Audience / purpose

Non-standard spellingse.g. cya

Sociolect / modality Peer influence/ speed/ private context /personal audience

Topics Gender theories Context of diary writing (audience/purpose)

Conjunctions Kroll’s stages Awareness of audience

Applying AOs – Change (June 2011)

AO1 AO2 AO3

Lexical examples Lexical / semantic change processes e.g. Borrowing

Globalisation / social / technological change

Topics / register / tone Prescriptive/descriptivedebates

attitudes

Discourse structureGraphology / lexis

GenreMulti-modality

Mode of reception –medium (e.g. internet), audience

Syntax / modal verbs Power – face/politeness Social change

Spelling / orthography Standardisation / informalisation

Social/cultural change

Bringing it all together

Higher performance

• Aware that the data should be treated as a whole working from the big picture to smaller detail

• Most relevant methods selected organised / structured to demonstrate understanding of the ‘layers’ in a piece of data. All methods add interest / value to the analysis

• Clustering of points – e.g. all comment on phonological features together so sensible comparisons can be drawn and evaluation is possible

• Use of clusters of exemplification integrated into the body of the analysis

Bringing it all together

Higher performance

• A precise and consistent degree of accuracy in use of technical detail and terms (AO1)

• Understanding of relevant concepts to data and willingness to apply tentatively to the data

• Salient selection from the data to exemplify language concepts

• Willingness to see data as supporting/challenging language concepts

• Consistent & relevant identification of how language features exemplify contextual issues/link to concepts

Bringing it all together

Middle range performance

• Covers ground with the data in terms of comments – with little sense of the big picture / trends

• Able to identify and extract a number of methods (some more relevant than others) and offer some analysis – not able to prioritise the methods (all treated with the same weight)

• Points / analysis less cohesively structured – may work through the data, in a line-by-line approach or in a ‘random’ way without a sense that the analysis leads towards evaluation. Few comparisons drawn across examples of a method or patterns / trends identified

Bringing it all together

Middle range performance

• Uses exemplification to support – may be less frequent / relevant – or bigger examples which reduce the accuracy or precision of the point made

• Will be able link the points made to context (to greater / lesser extent), but may lack a consistent approach or be repetitive in terms of how context has influenced language choices

• Mainly accurate use of terminology to label chosen features (AO1)

• Applies a range of relevant concepts, but with a little development/discussion. Can see links between concepts learned and examples in the data

Assessment Feedback

Question 1

AO1 AO2 AO3

14 10 5

Explores some linguistic methods and some interesting features. Some more developed discussion but range is limited and response is a little repetitive.

Some productive discussion of CDS and gender. More limited on child language acquisition concepts/ theories.

Some good discussion of mother’s role and context of book.

Assessment Feedback

Question 4

AO1 AO2 AO3

12 7 3

A number of relevant language features identified. Points tend to remain undeveloped, straightforward and sometimes less accurate. Some appropriate linguistic knowledge shown in places.

Deals with synoptic element of power but lacks clear language change focus – some discussion of standardisation issues but not fully explored.

Response refers to class, audience and education.Some limited attempt to analyse contextual factors but remains brief.

Genre: underpinning understanding texts

Exam Report June 2011

• Candidates performed best in their Change answers – as with the literacy question- if they had considered the genres of the texts. This then assisted them to focus on interesting linguistic features and select relevant language concepts, instead of feature spotting. Those candidates with an awareness of why writers of texts might use certain language features, or why they might adopt a particular style or register, could engage both with linguistic choices and make sensible comments on changes over time

• Indeed, those who could identify the genre conventions used in Sam’s planning sheets and character study, and within the articles or problem page tended to score more highly on AO2. This was much more helpful and relevant than pages of historical summaries from Caxton onwards or feature spotting every non-standard spelling