English Language A Level Revising Meanings and Representations Paul Heselton

Summary

In this English Language A-Level video, May Paul Hazelson, Curriculum Leader at Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College, Darlington, guides students on how to answer the 'Meanings and Representations' section of Paper 1 effectively. She emphasizes the importance of understanding key terms like euphemism, dysphemism, and sound iconosity, and how they contribute to the portrayal of reality in texts. Hazelson advises students to annotate texts with linguistic features and link them to context and meanings for high marks. The video also covers how to avoid common pitfalls in exam responses and the significance of analyzing language patterns for top grades.

Takeaways

• 😀 The video is an educational resource for English Language A-Level students, focusing on how to answer 'Meanings and Representations' in Paper 1 Section A.
• 📜 Students are advised to review and categorize key terms from the A01 and A03 sections, identifying those they can confidently define and use, those they're uncertain about, and those they're unfamiliar with.
• 🗣️ The instructor emphasizes the importance of understanding and exemplifying terms like 'euphemism', 'sound iconicity', and 'negative face', which are crucial for analyzing language in texts.
• 📚 The video references the AQA textbook for detailed explanations of key terms, suggesting that students should use this resource to deepen their understanding.
• 🔍 The discussion of 'euphemism' and 'dysphemism' highlights how language can be manipulated to soften or emphasize the impact of a message.
• 🎭 The concept of 'negative face' is introduced as a pragmatic strategy used to maintain politeness and avoid imposing on the listener.
• 🧠 'Schematic knowledge' is explained as the background knowledge a reader brings to a text, which can influence how they interpret its meaning.
• 🔄 The use of 'passive voice' is discussed as a grammatical tool that can shift focus away from the subject, often used in formal or official contexts to depersonalize statements.
• 🔗 'Intertextuality' is defined as references to other texts, which can assume shared cultural knowledge and create layers of meaning.
• ✏️ The video provides guidance on how to approach the analysis of language in texts, focusing on patterns, guiding the reader, and linking language features to context and meaning.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video by May Paul Hazelson?

The main focus of the video is to guide students on how to answer the 'Meanings and Representations' section of the Paper 1 for English Language A Level, specifically Section A.

What is the first activity May suggests students do with the key terms sheet?

May suggests students go through the list of key terms, ticking ones they can define and use confidently, putting a question mark next to those they recognize but might struggle with, and a cross next to terms they are unfamiliar with.

What is an example of a euphemism provided in the video?

An example of a euphemism provided is saying 'Excuse me, can I just visit the bathroom' or 'Can I just powder my nose' instead of directly saying 'Can I go to the toilet'.

What is the opposite of a euphemism according to the video?

The opposite of a euphemism is a dysphemism, which involves using very blunt, direct, and often taboo language.

Can you explain the term 'sound iconosity' as discussed in the video?

Sound iconosity refers to the relationship between the sound of a word or group of words and their meanings, such as onomatopoeia, where the sound of the word mimics the sound it represents.

What does 'negative face' mean in the context of the video?

In the context of the video, 'negative face' is a pragmatic concept introduced by Goffman, referring to using indirect, ultra-polite language to give the receiver options and not making them feel cornered, which is a form of politeness.

What is 'schematic knowledge' as mentioned in the video?

Schematic knowledge is a bundle of knowledge about a subject. The video explains that texts may make big assumptions about the reader's schematic knowledge, especially in 'Meanings and Representations' texts.

How does the use of the passive voice contribute to the meaning in texts, according to the video?

The use of the passive voice in texts contributes to the meaning by reducing the focus on the agent and putting more emphasis on the action or the object affected, which can depersonalize and formalize the language.

What is 'intertextuality' and how does it relate to 'Meanings and Representations'?

Intertextuality is making an overt reference to another text. In 'Meanings and Representations', it can involve cultural references and assumptions about the audience's knowledge, indicating a connection to other texts.

Why is the term 'representation' significant in the context of analyzing texts?

The term 'representation' is significant because it highlights that the portrayal of events, people, and circumstances through language is often mediated and not neutral, aiming to position the audience to think and feel in a certain way.

What are the three tasks students need to address in Paper 1 Section A of English Language A Level?

The three tasks are: analyzing one text, analyzing another text, and then comparing the two texts, focusing on how language creates meanings and representations.

What does 'AO1' stand for in the context of the video, and what does it assess?

In the context of the video, 'AO1' stands for 'Assessment Objective 1', which assesses the application of key terms, labeling of features relevantly, and the use of clear topic sentences in the written response.

What is the advice given in the video to avoid when writing an analytical response for 'Meanings and Representations'?

The advice given to avoid includes writing a long, rambling, and generic introduction; focusing on only one language level instead of integrating different levels; and feature spotting without linking to meanings and representations.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to English Language A-Level Strategies

The video begins with an introduction by Paul Hazelson, the curriculum leader for English Language at Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College in Darlington. He outlines strategies for tackling the 'Meanings and Representations' section of an English Language A-Level exam. Students are advised to review key terms from the A01 and A03 categories and categorize their confidence in using these terms. Hazelson then provides a list of 10 A01 terms, encouraging students to define and exemplify each. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of understanding language features within various contexts, such as business or military, and how these can influence meaning and representation.

05:01

🗣️ Analyzing Language Features and Their Impact

This paragraph delves into the analysis of various language features and their implications on meaning and representation. Hazelson explains terms such as 'sound iconicity', which relates to the correlation between word sounds and their meanings, and 'negative face', a politeness strategy that avoids directness. He also covers 'schematic knowledge', which refers to a reader's pre-existing knowledge affecting text interpretation. The paragraph further discusses 'passive voice', 'intertextuality', 'collocation', 'prosodic features', 'MLU' (mean length of utterance), and 'deictic terms', each with examples to illustrate their roles in shaping text and audience perception.

10:02

📈 Understanding Representations and Their Significance

The focus of this paragraph is on the concept of 'representation' in language, which is the portrayal of events, people, and circumstances to shape a certain worldview. Hazelson emphasizes that texts are not neutral but are often ideological, aiming to position the audience in specific ways. The paragraph also discusses the structure of the English Language Paper 1 Section A, which includes analyzing two texts from different modes (written, spoken, blended) and considering their temporal context (current or historical). The paragraph outlines the three tasks students must perform: analyzing each text individually, comparing them, and considering their modal and temporal differences.

15:02

📝 Examining Assessment Criteria for Language Analysis

This paragraph discusses the assessment criteria for the English Language A-Level exam, particularly focusing on A01 and A03. A01 assesses the application of key terms and linguistic methods, including written expression and paragraph coherence. A03 evaluates the analysis of meanings, representations, and context. Hazelson stresses the importance of linking language features to their effects on the reader and the context. The paragraph also explains the comparative task (A04), which involves drawing connections across texts. The video aims to prepare students for the exam by highlighting the significance of each assessment area and how they contribute to the overall score.

20:02

🔍 Deep Dive into Text Analysis and Avoiding Common Pitfalls

Hazelson provides a detailed guide on how to analyze texts effectively for the exam, focusing on the avoidance of common mistakes. He advises against writing generic introductions and instead encourages students to dive straight into analysis. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of identifying patterns in language use across a text, rather than just noting individual features. Hazelson also warns against focusing on a single language level, suggesting an integrated approach that considers multiple levels. The paragraph concludes with a practical example from a specimen exam, illustrating how to apply the discussed strategies in analyzing a text from a learner driver forum.

25:04

🚫 Avoiding Common Mistakes in Language Analysis

In the final paragraph, Hazelson continues his guidance on avoiding common pitfalls in language analysis. He advises against feature-spotting without linking it to meanings and representations, emphasizing the need for an integrated analysis that considers different language levels. The paragraph provides examples of how to effectively link language features to the context and purpose of the text. Hazelson also shares tips on how to structure responses for maximum impact, encouraging students to practice and refine their analytical skills. The video concludes with a reminder of the importance of practice in achieving proficiency in language analysis.

Keywords

💡Euphemism

A euphemism is a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing. In the video, the concept is used to explain how certain words or phrases can soften the impact of a statement, such as using 'let you go' instead of 'sacking you' in a business context. The video also contrasts euphemisms with dysphemisms, which are blunt or offensive terms used to deliberately shock or offend.

💡Sound Iconicity

Sound iconicity refers to words whose sounds seem to resemble or suggest their meaning. The video uses 'splash' as an example, where the sound of the word mimics the action it represents. This concept is relevant to the discussion of how language can create vivid imagery and evoke sensory experiences, which is a key aspect of the video's exploration of language and representation.

💡Negative Face

Negative face is a concept in pragmatics introduced by Erving Goffman, referring to the use of language to avoid imposing on others or to maintain their freedom of action. The video explains that using negative face strategies, such as indirect requests or polite forms, gives the listener options and does not force them into a corner. This relates to the broader theme of the video, which is about how language is used to shape and influence social interactions.

💡Schematic Knowledge

Schematic knowledge refers to an individual's organized knowledge structures about a particular subject or domain. In the video, it is mentioned that texts may make assumptions about the reader's schematic knowledge, implying that the reader has certain background knowledge that aids in understanding the text. This concept is important for analyzing how texts position their audience and what they expect the audience to already know.

💡Passive Voice

The passive voice is a grammatical construction where the object of the action comes before the verb, and the subject of the action is either omitted or less emphasized. The video illustrates this with the example 'the window was smashed' instead of 'Paul smashed the window.' This is significant in the context of the video as it discusses how the passive voice can be used to depersonalize and formalize language, often found in official or formal texts.

💡Intertextuality

Intertextuality is the relationship between texts, where a text makes references to other texts, creating a dialogue or connection. The video gives the example of a phrase 'to be or not to be' referencing Shakespeare's 'Hamlet.' This concept is important in the video's discussion of how texts build upon and interact with other texts, contributing to the layers of meaning and representation.

💡Collocation

Collocation refers to the habitual or expected pairing of words in a language, such as 'fish and chips.' The video discusses how collocations can be subverted for effect, as in the example 'home is where the hurt is,' which overturns the usual positive connotations of 'home.' This concept is relevant to the video's exploration of how language choices can influence meaning and representation.

💡Prosodic Features

Prosodic features are the elements of speech that give it its musical quality, including volume, pitch, intonation, and rhythm. The video emphasizes that while transcripts can provide some information, they lack the prosodic features that are crucial for fully understanding spoken language. This concept is integral to the video's message about the importance of considering all aspects of language when analyzing texts.

💡MLU (Mean Length of Utterance)

MLU, or mean length of utterance, is a measure used in linguistics to determine the average number of words per speaker's turn in a conversation. The video suggests analyzing MLU to understand power dynamics in conversations, such as comparing the speech patterns of political debaters. This concept is used in the video to demonstrate how linguistic analysis can reveal social and relational aspects of language use.

💡Deictic Terms

Deictic terms are words that relate to the context in which they are used, such as personal pronouns ('I', 'you'), spatial terms ('here', 'there'), and temporal terms ('today', 'yesterday'). The video explains different types of deictic terms, including personal, temporal, and spatial, and how they are used to anchor language in specific contexts. This concept is crucial for understanding how language situates speakers and listeners in time and space.

💡Representation

Representation in the context of the video refers to the portrayal of events, people, and circumstances through language, which shapes the audience's perception and understanding of the world. The video stresses that representation is not neutral but is often ideological, aiming to position the audience in a certain way. This is a central theme of the video, as it discusses how language is used to construct versions of reality that influence thought and feeling.

Highlights

Introduction to the English Language A Level video focusing on answering the Paper 1 Section A.

Explanation of the three activities to do with the A01 and A03 key terms sheet.

Discussion on defining and exemplifying A01 terms for meanings and representations.

Definition and examples of 'euphemism' in language use.

Contrasting 'euphemism' with its opposite, 'dysphemism'.

Explanation of 'sound iconosity' and its relation to onomatopoeia.

Discussion on 'negative face' in pragmatics and its politeness function.

Description of 'schematic knowledge' as a bundle of knowledge about a subject.

Explanation of 'passive voice' and its use in depersonalizing and formalizing language.

Intertextuality as referencing another text and its cultural implications.

Definition of 'collocation' as expected combinations of words.

Importance of 'prosodic features' in spoken language and their impact on meaning.

Meaning of 'MLU' or mean length of utterance in conversation analysis.

Description of 'deictic axis' and its role in context-dependent speech.

Emphasis on the importance of the word 'representation' in media and language studies.

Overview of the English Language Paper 1 Section A structure and tasks.

Advice on avoiding common pitfalls when writing answers for Paper 1 Section A.

Guidance on how to effectively analyze language features in texts for high marks.

Example of how to annotate a text with A01 knowledge for analysis.

Conclusion and encouragement for practice to improve analysis skills.

Transcripts

welcome to another english language a

level video with may paul hazelson

curriculum leader for english language

here at the queen elizabeth sixth form

college

darlington and in today's one what we're

going to do is we're going to think a

little bit more about how to

answer a meanings and representations

uh paper one section a answer

okay so if you were in my class i would

be giving you a sheet of paper with a

whole load of a01 and a03 key terms

and what i'll be getting you to do is

these three things

so going through the list ticking ones

that you're pretty confident in defining

and using

putting a little question mark next to

ones that you probably recognize but

might struggle to use in an exam and

then putting a cross

next to a term which is saying nah he's

definitely never taught us that one

okay so if you've got that sheet that

would be

your first move to do

let's just have a look at some of these

so

um define and exemplify the following

a01 terms

so i've put 10 down here which all i

think are quite useful

if you have a millions and

representations uh text in front of you

or indeed if you are doing your language

investigation

um okay so what i would do is i would

pause the video there

and i would go through each one of these

what does each term mean

and can you think of a good example of

each

okay so i'm assuming that you've done

that

let's go through these so euphemism

and by the way the page numbers in

brackets they allude to

the aqa textbook

there's good explanations about each of

these so euphemism

is a piece of veiled language

okay so it's usually quite indirect

language that's used

to mask a horrible truth so rather than

saying excuse me can i go at the toilet

you might instead say excuse me can i

just

visit the bathroom or as my mother used

to say

can i just powder my nose like that so

that's a euphemism and

different semantic fields will have

different levels of euphemism

if we think of the world of business for

example they're not going to tell you

that they're sacking you

they're going to say we're going to let

you go as if you were dying to leave in

the first place

or in the world of military you know

they're going to use terms like

friendly fire or collateral damage

so different areas of life from

different occupational areas

are prone to using euphemistic language

because they don't want people to think

too much about the horrible truth of

what they're actually saying

okay and a euphemism has an opposite

it's called the dysphemism

so dysphemism is using very blunt direct

often taboo language

so if you're looking at a transcript of

a stand-up comedian for example

they might use quite a lot of

dysphamistic language

in order to kind of shock and surprise

and entertain you

okay next on the list sound iconosity

sound iconosity means that there is a

relationship between the sound of the

word

or the group of words and their meanings

so this could be onomatopoeia for

example

like the water this morning when i

cycled in was splashing down

on the pavement so that word splash that

material

verb splash has a certain level of sound

iconosity because i can hear

the water when i say the word so it

could be useful in a meanings and

representations piece

if you have a sort of carefully

constructed written piece in which the

writer

has used sort of sound effects in the

way that they've constructed language

the third one is negative face which is

explained in your textbook on page 48.

now this is an element

of pragmatics this was introduced by

a researcher called goffman who's a

linguistic superhero

gothman and it's basically

not what you think it might be because

when you see the word negative you think

oh this

it means using negative language and

actually it's the direct opposite of

that

so if you use a negative

linguistic strategy it means that you're

using in a very

language in a very indirect ultra polite

way

like i wonder if you could possibly give

in your homework on friday

like that like no teacher ever said

so that's negative face so what it does

is it gives

the receiver like options they don't

feel that they're like being pushed into

a corner

and it's the ultimate form of politeness

so we usually use kind of mitigated

language

in order to achieve negative face

now the next one is schematic knowledge

which is easy because a schema is a

bundle of knowledge about

subject okay so when

you look at texts on meanings and

representations there may well be big

assumptions being made in texts about

the reader's

schematic knowledge the next one is the

passive voice which is an aspect of

grammar

okay so sentences can either be in the

active

or the passive voice so active voice

would be

paul smash the window and passive voice

what i'm doing is i'm taking

object of the sentence which was window

i'm sticking it at the front of the

sentence

and then i'm doing some jiggery pokery

with the verb form so i'm taking a form

of the verb to be

and then i'm taking the past participle

form of the verb

and i'm saying the window was smashed

and i might just put by paul

at the end or i might just leave it off

so the point about the passive voices it

kind of reduces

the focus on the agent in this case me

smashing the window

and it puts more of the focus on the

actual window being smashed

so it's perfect for things like

government briefings where you don't

particularly want to draw attention to

the fact

that such and such a person or an

institution is doing something

okay so it depersonalizes the language

and it formalizes the language as well

and certainly something

really good to point out in a meanings

and representations

text intertextuality

is a word that's often confused by

students because they use it in two

general

ways intertextuality means making an

over

reference to another text so if i

said to study english or not to study

english

that is the question that is an

intertextual reference

to hamlet's famous soliloquy

it's a reference to another specific

text

okay so look out for that in meanings

and representations

because if there is intertextuality

going on there are cultural references

and there are assumptions being made

about the audience's

knowledge collocation's easy the

collocation is just an

expected combination of words okay like

fish and chips or once upon a

time and i suppose what's interesting

about collocations is if you subvert

them right so the example i tend to use

is of a charity advert

for the nspcc where it had the headline

home is where the hurt is

home is where the hurt is now that's a

great example of a collocation that's

been subverted

and so when you see that as a headline

you're intrigued

because it's overturning your

expectations so collocations are

expected groups of words

next one is prosodic features prosodic

features is the kind of musicality

of your speech so it's the variations

that you do in terms of volume

and pitch and intonation and those sorts

of things and they are

massively important to point out so in

the exam if you've got transcripts

like for example in the cld exam you've

got a transcript of children talking

or in your meanings and representations

you could have a transcript

or indeed if you're writing about

transcripts in your language

investigation it's very important to

draw attention to the fact that the

transcript is really only half the story

because you haven't really got a gauge

of the prosodic features

and you actually can't see what's going

on either so you don't have the

paralinguistic features

right the penultimate one is mlu which

is explained in the textbook

under the cld chapter it means mean

length assurance

so this is the average number of words

that a person speaks

per turn in a conversation okay

and this is quite useful if you've got

two people speaking

let's say for example you're looking at

the presidential debate between trump

and biden and there's interaction going

on between the two

you would want to count up the number of

words that trump uses

divided by his utterances and compare it

with biden

and then link it to the idea of power

who is dominating or trying to dominate

the conversation

so that's m l u and then finally we have

day axis

so day axis means context dependent

speech

now this is the sort of thing that

you're going to find in transcripts

but you might also find it in blended

mode texts as well

okay so if i said she put that there

yesterday

she put that there yesterday it's

completely diactical

we don't know who she is we don't know

where that is we don't know when

yesterday was

unless you're actually there in the room

now there are different kinds of day

exes which are explained in your

textbook on page 49.

so she put that there yesterday she

there is

personal day access so whenever you use

a pronoun

anaphorically then that's a deactival

reference that's a

personal piece of day access um

yesterday all my troubles seem so far

away

is um a temporal piece of day axis

because it's to do with time and what's

the other one

uh place as well so that there

there adverb there that's a piece

of spatial day axis okay so you've got

personal day access

temporal day axis spatial day axis

and even to make it more complicated

you've got the difference between this

and that so if something is far away

from you

that is distal day excess because it's

in the distance

and if something is near to you like

this and these

that's called proximal day axis

okay so they're all explained there on

page 49

don't get too overwhelmed by all the

terms that you can use

clearly the most important thing is to

think how it links in with the meanings

in that particular context

right move on representation so the name

of

uh paper one section a or at least the

question is about meanings and

representations so it's worthwhile just

dwelling for a second

upon that word what does representation

mean

it means that the portrayal of events

people and circumstances

through language to create a way of

seeing the world and i suppose it's that

last

phrase there that's most interesting

right

so this text is not just going to be

neutral but it's trying to position your

audience so that they think and feel

in a certain kind of way representation

so the re in representation is important

because it highlights the fact that

presentation of something is often

mediated through somebody else and if

you study media studies

or media production this is meat and

drink

to you okay so it's mediated through

somebody else

and so what you've got here is language

which is

filtered through someone else's view of

the world

okay so in language you're sitting there

in your paper one section and you might

have a text that's from 100 years ago

and the text there is trying to make

their audience their implied readership

at that time think

and feel in a certain way it's a version

of reality okay so think of all texts

but actually being quite

subjective rather than objective and

therefore

if you want to put in slightly presented

terms representation is therefore

inherently ideological

okay so that's important because it's a

key word

and it will get you the very highest

marks if you keep using this word

represent

and representation in your answer okay

here are the bare bones of it then

english language paper 1 section 8 is

called language in the individual

it's an hour and a half you're given two

texts

the two texts are from two different

modes so

we have three modes in english daily we

have written mode we have spoken mode

and then we have blended mode

texts okay so you could be given for

example

a article from a newspaper so that would

be

written mode and then it could be put

next to

a couple of pages from a website

and that could be described as being

blended mode because on the website it

might have some quite big conversational

features that are going on

on the other hand you could get a

transcript they've done it in the past

there was an as exam a couple of years

ago which was

a transcript of a bbc look north reports

about

goths in whitby so you know you could

get a transcript

put alongside a piece of written text so

two different modes so they're expecting

you to be commenting on the modal

differences between the texts

the other difference between the mood

course is that one is current date

and the other one is older so when

you're looking at the current day one

always think right this is a current

date x this could not have been produced

50 years ago

this could not have been written or

spoken 100 years ago

so what is essentially current about it

so the currentness of the text might

come through in the language

but the currentness of the text might

also come through in the attitudes and

the social values that are there

okay so the time factor on this is

really interesting and you have three

tasks to do

so what you're doing is you're doing an

analysis of one

analysis of another and then a

comparison between the two

now your single analyses are assessed

for these two things

ao1 and a03 now a01 is your key terms

so the sorts of things we were just

talking about on the last slide like day

excess and collocation and those things

it also means linguistic methods which

means kind of

picking apart the language levels and

analyzing language in a kind of

objective way and it's also about your

written expression too

so that means spug spelling punctuation

and grammar

but it also means using topic sentences

so that you're

shaping paragraphs so that they have a

coherence

that's your ao1 so that's 10 out of the

25 marks

ao3 is meanings representations and

context

so it's really important on this that

you use your contextual words

words like audience positioning or

implied and actual readership or

schematic knowledge those sorts of words

and you link what you're seeing to

actual

meanings and so you're getting the

majority of the marks for

for analyzing those things too often

students feature spot

which means if you just feature spot you

say well over here we've got an

imperative

verb and on the second sentence it looks

like we've got a declarative

that in itself is pretty pointless it

might get you accrue your few marks for

a01

but if you're not actually linking it to

the meanings like

the effects on the on the reader and

it's a bit of a waste of time

okay so the focus has to be in your

answer on meanings and representations

and the task three which is your

comparative one it just has its

own a04 which is connections across

texts

so the whole thing gets a mark out 70

which is then doubled

and you know there's a total actually

for english language a level of 500

marks

and this bit in itself is worth 140

okay so it's worth actually more than

the entire total of your original

writing

and your cld not your cld your original

writing and your language investigation

so it's pretty important that you do it

well okay

there's the question analyze how text a

or text b

uses language to create meanings and

representations

okay so your answer needs to analyze so

it can't be just describing the features

so when you have a descriptive response

it basically just deals with this

question of what so it points out what

is there

whereas an analytical response basically

answers the question well how

so how was the language how was the

writer or speaker used language

and why have they done it in that way

okay

um keep the focus on language features

uh you might have a text that's got all

sorts of crazy graphological stuff going

on might have lots of colors

and pictures and images and things like

that or variations in font size

fine to write about that in media

studies but on english language you just

want to be focusing on the language

so don't turn it into a media studies

essay

and don't also turn it into a sociology

response

so the focus has to be on the language

meanings notice the plurality of those

two words

so meanings is plural so what you need

to do is you need to draw attention

to how the language may be interpreted

in

multiple ways so you've got different

audiences that are looking at these

texts

and they are perhaps reading these texts

or listening to these

words in a different context okay so

this is really really important when

you're looking at older texts let's say

from 100 150 years ago

because you can say well the implied

readership at that time

would have responded with a dominant

hegemonic reading

they would have accepted the values of

the text

but you can say a current say reader or

listener might well respond in a very

different way

with a kind of negotiated or even

oppositional voice

view where they don't actually accept

some of the values that are

that are given so the

meanings aren't plural if you can draw

attention to that

then that is the way to getting a really

high mark

on this and finally just the point that

we made in the previous slide really or

two slides ago about representations

representations are versions of

reality they're not reality they are

versions of reality

in the same way as you know your your

facebook profile

is a version of you but it's not

necessarily the truth the whole truth

and nothing but the truth

and so these versions of reality are

used to position the audience's

responses

so if you can pepper your answer with

the word represent and representation

frequently all the way through

then you are likely to do very well

okay right let's actually have a look

just

quickly look at the marker scheme then

so on the a01 i just want to draw

attention to the fact that

in order to get something like a c grade

you're having to do these things so

you're applying terms appropriately

you're labeling your features relevantly

and you are writing in clear topic

sentences

okay so that's you kind of mid-range if

you're trying to access the very highest

levels which all of you should be doing

you should be trying to do this so

rather than just

notice individual things that are going

on in the text

like for example in the second sentence

it's non-standard because there isn't a

subject or a main verb

what you're trying to do is identify

patterns that are going across the text

where you might be saying there is a

very high level of non-standard features

all the way through the text

and then give us examples from different

places and then connect that in with the

context

and the meanings so the key word is to

get the very highest markers patterns

patterns and the other thing is you need

to be guiding the reader which means

that in the short time that you've got

you know you've got to make sure that

you're doing an organized response

where you've got those topic sentences

which are guiding the reader through

your answer

that's your ao1 your ao3 is this one

so to get your kind of average marks you

are

interpreting the language choices that

are going on and you are linking the

language to context

whereas on your top levels it's this

keyword evaluate

okay so you're analyzing the things but

you're also weighing up the significance

of individual words which means that

you're going to have a lot of practice

in looking at text and deciding what are

the four or five

really key bits of this tax that yields

a lot of meaning and the other thing to

get the very highest mark is this one

here so wider

social and cultural texts so when you're

looking at a current day text

what is it that makes this a current day

text

and when you're looking at older text

how does that give us a window into

society at the time

the way that people thought in those

days

okay so let's just move on to an actual

um looking at an actual uh

example of one of these what i'll do is

uh if i can i'll get into this one open

it up

and let's have a look at it right here

we go

so this is uh an exam this is like a

specimen one that the board sent us

right at the beginning

of the process here it is so text day

for question one and question three so

if you're in my class

you would have the print out of the

whole thing here notice what i said

about it's very colorful

they like text like this they look like

these blended mode texts where there's

lots of

lots of color and font sizes and font

differences but remember what i said

don't get dragged into

talking too much about graphology

because really that's not to do with

with language features so i will keep

that

or what i'd say to you is if you don't

have the text in front of you

pause the video there just look at the

first half of this text because there

are two pages of it

and try and use your ao1 knowledge to

annotate some of the key features

and try and link it into what we've been

saying about meanings

and representations

okay right so i'm assuming that you've

done that

and so let's just go into the sort of

pitfalls of

things to avoid when you're actually

writing your answer

okay so the first thing to avoid

is this writing a long rambling and

generic introduction lots of students do

this

because they think well i've got to do

an intro paragraph which is kind of

setting the scene

and they end up writing this text b is

from a forum on learner drivers on the

student room website

the text has a range of interesting

language features with various meanings

and representations

contextual factors play an important

role in shaping the language choices by

the participants

i will be exploring how the language

links to the context in this essay

now that doesn't get you any marks at

all even though it's quite well written

and clear

there's nothing actually for me to

credit we know that this is a forum on

language drive

on learner drivers because it's been

given to us that information

it's clearly going to represent give us

lots of interesting language features on

means of representations or else they

wouldn't have given us to it

context is going to play a part and

that's just basically saying i'm going

to answer the question

so whatever you do don't one write out

the question

and two do this kind of long rambling

and generic

introduction instead do what the man

says

get straight into the analysis you don't

need a warm-up intro paragraph for

example

first person singular pronouns tick

ao1 and there's your examples i me my so

their patterns going across

the text dominate the text to fulfill

the purpose here we're talking about ao3

so that's good

the purpose of representing great we're

using the word representing

drivers personal anecdotal experiences

straight away in your first sentence

you're on the board

you know you're already climbing into

level three with just that first

sentence

i is the agent of the first three

sentences

by the phelps encouraging participants

to respond with their own

amusing first-hand experiences so this

seems to be a paragraph that's

constructed around a grammatical idea of

pronouns

and it's not just spotting the pronouns

it's trying to link it in with the

context

and the meanings so that's the sort of

thing that you need to be doing

point number two things not to do in

your answer

don't just write about one language

level

and lots of people the weaker responses

tend to write just about lexis

the text uses a large number of informal

words such as guys massive no idea

this shows that the participants are

comfortable in expressing their views

and are like using language to entertain

their readers

well there's some germs of truth in

there but you wouldn't necessarily have

to be an

a level student in order to write an

analysis like that

you know you could knock that out at

gcse level

so what you need instead is to be

focusing on the language levels that you

know so much about

and integrating them together so that

you produce something that's very very

concise

and analytical like this ellipsis

omission of subject and main verb in

being stuck behind one notice i'm

evidencing everything here

capitalization example very and emojis

to convey prosodic and paralinguistic

features

and humorous pre-modifying adjectives

there's an example all combined to lower

the level of formality

to draw upon blended mode conversational

features

wow okay so there's a range of different

language levels

that's being used from grammar to

graphology

to phonology again to lexis or grammar

so that's what i mean about using a

range of different language levels in an

integrated way

the third bit of advice i want to give

you is don't just feature spot

so don't feature spot without linking to

meanings and representations

for example the thread begins with an

imperative to share your worst learner

driving experiences

the post by the philips starts with the

declarative and follows this with an

interrogative

in the second paragraph an exclamative

is used now that's getting some marks

for ao1 because you're able to identify

in a simplistic way

what these sentence functions are but

it's not much use in itself and it's not

very interesting

because it's not linking to the meanings

of the context

so instead write something like this a

range of different

sentence features helps represent the

voices of the text as humorous

and keen to interact so there's your

topic sentence

the direct imperative share your worst

learning driving experience

serves a request for interaction

implying that the site offers a

community of listeners

in inverted commerce because they're not

actually listening who will not

judge others driving mistakes negatively

the interrogatives and there's a couple

of examples

establish adjacency exchanges to

encourage

reader participation that's it

that's what's going to get us into our

very top mark

not that but that it's going to take a

lot of practice to do it i'm not saying

that you're immediately going to be able

to get into gear

and do this straight away you're going

to need lots and lots of practice but

believe me

with practice every time you'll get

better and better at these things

okay so what i would do if i were you if

you're sitting in my class now you'd

have the text in front of you and you'd

be having a go

at doing this answer okay

um and on the sheets that i give you

also

once you've done that i would be also

showing you a student response

and we'll be looking at that all

together but i think we've probably

covered enough ground

on that today thanks very much and as i

say

practice makes perfect and just

you know through practice you're just

going to get better and better and

better

okay thank you