AQA Language Paper 1 - Question 2 (New for 2026) — Transcript

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1. 0:00Hi, and welcome to this Comics and Lit
2. 0:02guide to AQA language paper 1, section
3. 0:04A. In this video, I'll cover the tips
4. 0:06and tricks to get full marks on question
5. 0:08two. But don't forget to visit Comics
6. 0:10and Lit for a full guide to section A.
7. 0:13We'll be using an AQA sample paper as
8. 0:16our example. It uses an extract from the
9. 0:18novel Life of Pi by Yan Martell. If you
10. 0:22want to practice alongside my
11. 0:23walkthrough, I've linked the extract in
12. 0:25the comments so you can download a copy.
13. 0:29Let's take a close look at question two.
14. 0:32You should be starting this question
15. 0:33about 13 to 15 minutes into the exam if
16. 0:36you're following my timings.
17. 0:38Question two focuses on a specific
18. 0:40section of the extract. Again, you must
19. 0:42only use the section provided for your
20. 0:44answer. It is a language analysis
21. 0:47question and is worth eight marks. Aim
22. 0:50to spend 10 minutes on this question.
23. 0:53Let's take a look at the question in the
24. 0:54sample paper. You're directed to a
25. 0:57particular set of lines, but don't worry
26. 0:59too much because they provide the exact
27. 1:01lines on the exam paper itself.
28. 1:04Beneath the extract is your question. In
29. 1:07this case, how does the writer use
30. 1:09language here to describe the hyena's
31. 1:11appearance?
32. 1:13The key words here are language and
33. 1:15hyena's appearance, which you should
34. 1:17highlight to remind yourself to refer
35. 1:19back to it in your response.
36. 1:22Beneath this, there are some bullet
37. 1:23points recommending what to look for.
38. 1:26You could include the writer's choice of
39. 1:28words and phrases,
40. 1:30language features and techniques,
41. 1:33and sentence forms.
42. 1:36So, how do we approach this question?
43. 1:39Well, you're marked on your ability to
44. 1:41identify and analyze the effect of a
45. 1:43range of language techniques linked to
46. 1:45the question. I've created a helpful
47. 1:48acronym here which gives you an
48. 1:49essential set of techniques to memorize
49. 1:52for to answer this question. Warm hills
50. 1:55stands for word classes, alliteration,
51. 1:58repetition, mood, hyperbole, imagery
52. 2:02like simile, metaphor, and
53. 2:03personification.
54. 2:05Listing, a lexical or semantic field,
55. 2:08and sentence forms. If you want to study
56. 2:10in more detail, perhaps pause the video
57. 2:12and take notes. Your first job is to
58. 2:15carefully read and annotate the extract
59. 2:17for relevant techniques. When you found
60. 2:19one, label it with a letter to remind
61. 2:21you of the technique you've identified.
62. 2:24This note will jog your memory when you
63. 2:26are writing your answer. You want to
64. 2:28annotate in 2 to 3 minutes, leaving
65. 2:30about 7 minutes to answer the question.
66. 2:33I'll read through the extract now. As I
67. 2:35do so, think about which words, phrases,
68. 2:38or sentences stand out to you for
69. 2:40analysis. Can you identify particular
70. 2:42techniques?
71. 2:45I am not one to hold a prejudice against
72. 2:47any animal, but it is a plain fact that
73. 2:49the spotted hyena is not well served by
74. 2:52its appearance. It is ugly beyond
75. 2:54redemption. Its shaggy coarse coat is a
76. 2:57bungled mix of colors with the spots
77. 2:59having none of the classy oentation of a
78. 3:01leopard's. They look rather like the
79. 3:03symptoms of a skin disease. The head is
80. 3:06broad and too massive with a high
81. 3:07forehead like that of a bear but
82. 3:10suffering from a receding hairline and
83. 3:12with ears that look ridiculously
84. 3:14mousel-like, large and round when they
85. 3:16haven't been torn off in battle. The
86. 3:19mouth is forever open and panting. The
87. 3:22nostrils are too big. The tail is
88. 3:24scraggly and unwagging. All the parts
89. 3:26put together look doglike, but like no
90. 3:29dog anyone would want as a pet.
91. 3:32There are loads of valid choices for
92. 3:34analysis here, but perhaps you've
93. 3:36spotted the simple sentence, it is ugly,
94. 3:39beyond redemption.
95. 3:42The listing of adjectives, shaggy, and
96. 3:44coarse,
97. 3:46the noun phrase, bungled mix of colors,
98. 3:50the similes, like symptoms of a skin
99. 3:52disease, a high forehead like that of a
100. 3:54bear, and mouselike.
101. 3:57There are more, but you'll want to
102. 3:59select perhaps four to five quotes if
103. 4:01you're looking to hit the top of the
104. 4:02marks.
105. 4:04Here are the skills the examiner is
106. 4:06looking for.
107. 4:08A student should show perceptive and
108. 4:10detailed understanding of language.
109. 4:13They should analyze the effects of the
110. 4:15writer's choices of language.
111. 4:18They should select a range of judicious
112. 4:20textual detail. And they should make
113. 4:23sophisticated and accurate use of
114. 4:25subject terminology.
115. 4:28Let's read a response which would hit
116. 4:30all of these criteria for eight marks
117. 4:32out of eight. Look at how much detail is
118. 4:34given for each quote and consider the
119. 4:36quality of vocabulary which is used to
120. 4:38analyze the effect on the reader.
121. 4:40Firstly, the hyena's appearance is
122. 4:42presented as grotesque and offensive as
123. 4:44if it's an outcast within the animal
124. 4:46kingdom. The noun phrase bungled mix of
125. 4:49colors implies there is no purpose or
126. 4:51intention to the hyena's design. In
127. 4:54particular, the adjective bungled has
128. 4:56connotations of an error or failure,
129. 4:59suggesting the hyena is an abomination.
130. 5:02Furthermore, the writer uses comparison
131. 5:04in classy ostentation of the leopard.
132. 5:07Here, the formal noun ostentation
133. 5:10emphasizes the leopard's almost regal
134. 5:12superiority.
135. 5:13The contrast seems to amplify the sense
136. 5:15of repulsion the reader feels about the
137. 5:17hyena.
138. 5:19The writer also creates imagery of
139. 5:21sickness and disease in the simile like
140. 5:24symptoms of a skin disease painting a
141. 5:26picture in our minds of contagious and
142. 5:29scout skin which is not only unpleasant
143. 5:32but also heightens the sense of
144. 5:33apprehension in the reader. Finally, the
145. 5:37writer uses humor to mock the appearance
146. 5:39of the hyena. For example, the similly
147. 5:42mouselike and the personification
148. 5:44receding hairline both build a comical
149. 5:47image which jars with the more sickening
150. 5:49descriptions, perhaps highlighting the
151. 5:51sense of horror. But briefly presenting
152. 5:55by briefly presenting the hyena as
153. 5:57laughable, the writer creates a sharp
154. 5:59contrast within the repulsive with the
155. 6:01repulsive imagery of disease and decay,
156. 6:04making its ugliness even more
157. 6:05disgusting. This mixture of ridicule and
158. 6:08disgust ensures the reader sees the
159. 6:10creature as both absurd and abhorren,
160. 6:13reinforcing its position as an outcast
161. 6:15in the natural order.
162. 6:18This is a top band answer because it
163. 6:20selects a range of highly relevant
164. 6:22quotations, precisely identifies a range
165. 6:25of techniques, and goes into real depth
166. 6:27with precise vocabulary to explain the
167. 6:29effect of each technique. Now, that's a
168. 6:32tall order to pull off in 10 minutes.
169. 6:34But if you practice again and again,
170. 6:36you'll learn to work quickly and
171. 6:38efficiently.