Analysing texts, Year 11: non-fiction language and comparing two writers

More: 12 marks

HintRecall the pattern of the four question weightings on Paper 2 and where language comes.

The whyPaper 2 question 3 uses one source and a named set of lines, like its Paper 1 partner, but with half as many marks again it needs a fuller answer.

we

HintLook for the pronoun that includes the speaker among the audience, as in a rallying cry.

The whyThe inclusive pronoun 'we' assumes the reader shares the writer's experience. It is a quiet persuasive method: the reader has agreed with something before any argument has been made.

Expert opinion

HintAsk why the writer bothers to mention this person's job.

The whyReaders trust people with knowledge of a subject, so a writer who quotes one borrows that trust. A careful reader also asks whether this person's knowledge really covers the point being argued.

understatement

HintThink of dry British humour, such as calling a disaster 'a spot of bother'.

The whyUnderstatement often creates dry humour or shows a writer keeping calm. Because the reader can see the gap between the words and the facts, it can hit harder than exaggeration.

B

HintThink about which sentence would still work on a reader who ignored the numbers.

The whyA statistic appeals to reason and shows the scale of a problem. One animal, closely described, appeals to emotion. Non-fiction writers often use the two together, and a language answer should say which is doing what.

The whole of both sources

HintCompare the instruction for question 4 with the line-referenced instructions of earlier questions.

The whyQuestions 1 and 3 name the lines to use. Question 4 opens up everything in both sources, so you choose the moments that best show how each writer feels.

The writer's viewpoint (perspective)

HintThink of the attitude behind the words: what stance does the author take?

The whyPaper 2 is called 'Writers' viewpoints and perspectives'. A viewpoint is not always stated: it shows in tone, in what the writer chooses to mention, and in the words they pick.

'Likewise'

HintRecall which of these linking words you would use to add a similar point.

The whyComparison needs signpost words. 'Likewise', 'similarly' and 'both' mark agreement; 'however', 'whereas' and 'in contrast' mark difference. Using them keeps the two texts linked in every paragraph.

The writers' attitudes to it

HintNotice the emotion each choice of noun carries; what does that reveal about the authors' stance?

The whyOne writer admires and the other condemns. The 170 years between them is part of the reason: what counted as progress in 1850 can look like damage now. A comparison answer says what each thinks and why they might differ.

Comparison

HintReread the question's instruction verb and ask whether your two pages meet it.

The whyTwo separate accounts, however good, do not compare. The mark scheme's lowest level describes simple cross reference; the higher levels need the two writers set against each other throughout.

The methods they use to convey them

HintIt is the half of the comparison that looks at the writing itself.

The whyAO3 is in two halves: compare the writers' ideas and perspectives, and compare how these are conveyed. An answer that only says what each writer thinks has done half of it.

B

HintWhich sentence names a technique, not just a feeling?

The whySentence A compares what the writers feel. Sentence B compares what they do with language to make the reader feel it, and still shows the difference in viewpoint.

How they get it across

HintThink about the difference between content and technique in a comparison task.

The whyMethods include word choice, imagery, tone, sentence forms and the way the text is organised. A viewpoint is the destination; the methods are the route the writer takes to bring the reader there.

B

HintThink of the usual advice for a fluent comparison: integrate, do not separate.

The whyA point-by-point plan compares in every paragraph. Plan A tends to produce two separate essays with the comparison squeezed into a final sentence.

Writer A

HintConsider the effect of first-person plural versus impersonal wording on closeness.

The whyInclusive pronouns draw the reader in; 'one' and the passive sound formal and distant. A small grammatical choice like this is a method, and comparing it across two texts is exactly what the question rewards.