Paper 1 Question 2 AQA English Language exam
Summary of Mrs Wear’s Video on AQA Paper 1, Section A, Question 2 Language Analysis
Mrs Wear explains how to approach Question 2 on AQA English Language Paper 1. The language analysis question worth 8 marks.
She reassures students doing last-minute revision but stresses this question is important, even if it is not worth as many marks as Question 4 or 5.
What the question looks like:
Students are given an extract with a specific line range, helpfully copied onto the paper.
The question always starts with How does the writer use language here to describe…? - usually setting, character, or atmosphere.
The bullet points suggest focusing on: words and phrases, language features and techniques eg metaphor, semantic field, etc., and sentence forms.
Mark scheme levels 1–4:
Level 1: Simple, limited comments, little or no quotation.
Level 2: Some understanding, but often generic, misunderstood, or circular analysis e.g., This shows the character is unfriendly without depth.
Level 3: Clear understanding — a valid interpretation backed with well-chosen quotes and explained using a structure like PEE/PEEL/TEA.
Level 4: Detailed, perceptive analysis — going deeper, connecting multiple techniques/quotes, spotting patterns, and “getting all the meat off the bone”
Key advice:
Do not technique spot — naming a technique without explaining its effect will not earn marks.
Choose rich, implicit quotes that give you more to say - avoid explicit ones like “I am sad”
Good quotes often involve metaphor, symbolism, sensory language, or repetition.
Always link back to the question using its key words.
Aim for two main ideas, each backed with 1–2 strong quotations.
Example with The Great Gatsby extract:
The question: How does the writer use language to describe the party?
Mrs Wear models planning by picking adjectives eg lively, fast-paced, convivial.
She shows how to highlight quotations linked to those ideas and stresses choosing the best ones under time pressure.
She models part of a strong paragraph: start directly with your idea, give a well-selected quote, zoom in on techniques, and explain multiple possible interpretations, this pushes the answer into Level 4.
Practice task for students:
She suggests students try writing their own analysis of the Gatsby extract.
Levels of difficulty:
Harder — choose your own quotes and analyse them.
Easier — use her suggested “rich” quotes such as “the groups change more swiftly… dissolve and form in the same breath” or “sea change of faces and voices and colour”.
Final thought:
Practising writing out full paragraphs is essential — listening isn’t enough. The difference between Level 3 and Level 4 comes from depth, detail, and connecting ideas together.
Timestamps
0:00 introduction
0:54 The Question
3:25 The Mark Scheme
16:30 Practice Question & Model Answer
For the full transcript in PDF form: AQA Paper 1 Question 2
