Assessment Objectives

AS English Language Assessment Objectives (AQA Specification A)

A01: Use of frameworks and clarity of expression:
This is worth 15 marks and assesses you for your use of frameworks and terminology. The frameworks can be used as a guide for writing your essay. The suggested order is:

1) Introduction-GMAP your task. What is the genre, mode, audience(s) and purposes. Always identify the main purpose/audience and a secondary purpose/audience.

2) The register of the text. Link this to the type of lexis i.e. polysyllabic/monosyllabic lexis, high frequency and low frequency lexis.

3) Graphology-The layout of the text. Don't just state the obvious e.g. bold font and bullet points, consider the smaller font/captions and logos.

4)Phonology-Sound effects e.g. alliteration, elision, collocational clash.

5) Lexis-Semantics- how the writer creates meaning and the types of lexis used. Semantics include:Use of metaphors, similes, personification, semantic fields, connotation. Lexis includes: high/low frequency words, jargon, taboo, subject specific lexis.

6) Spoken Features-Features of spoken texts from spontaneous speech to interviews. Comment on fillers, adjacency pairs, false starts etc. Also identify if the speech theories apply: Grice's Maxims and Politeness theory.

7) Word Classes and word class types: How are nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions used to meet the writer's purposes. Identify the types of nouns, verbs and adjectives.

8) Sentence types and clause elements: How are minor, simple, compound and complex sentences used to meet the writer's purposes? How are types of clauses used to meet the writer's purposes? Consider embedded clauses, relative clauses, subordinate clauses, independent clauses and adverbial clauses used?

A03: How context influences the language.

1) A03(i)-Explores your understanding of mode features and formality. The marks are out of 15. You don't just list the mode features i.e. permanent, planned, ephemeral, personal, spontaneous etc. You are expected to show you understand that texts are not categorized as purely spoken or purely written but show that texts are a mixture of both modes.Link this assessment objective to a quotation in the text. A useful sentence is The text is mainly written mode but contains features of the spoken mode..... Give evidence e.g. the use of 'you' in a written text shows that the text is aiming to be personal. Discuss how far a text is planned, permanent, ephemeral. Using words like "highly" or "semi" shows you understand that texts are a mixture of both modes.

2) A03(ii)- Explores your understanding of the purposes and effects of the language devices i.e. the frameworks explored in A01. Remember identify specific purposes and effects of the text. There are three levels:
 the text's general meaning and how language illustrates the main purpose;
 identifying specific topics and attitudes in a text and how the writer shows authority and particular  opinions;
 how the writer aims to shape the reader's response therefore what assumptions does the writer  make about the audience and how does he support or challenge these assumptions;
 how the writer creates cohesion which means how does the writer ensure different parts of a text  link together to give an overview of the topic and how does the writer guide the audience through  the text.

A04: Explores your ability to use language creatively as part of coursework. It is your opportunity to show your skills with the English Language. You create a text, a newspaper article or magazine article, where you challenge the representation of a particular celebrity/institution or topic. You write a commentary analyzing your text.

A02: For the AS course, this refers to the child language acquisition topic. You are expected to understand how children acquire language specifically the stages children reach when learning the phonology, lexis-semantics, grammar and pragmatics. You will also explore the theories of language acquisition i.e. behaviourism, nativism, interaction theory and cognitive theory. The key to attaining in this assessment objective is evaluation. You will have two questions in child language. One where you identify and list features of children's speech. The second question is an essay question asking you how children acquire a specific area of language e.g. grammar or how children generally acquire language. You are expected to evaluate the theories and link them back to the question with evidence.