✏️ AS/A-Level (Edexcel / Cambridge / OCR English Language and Literature)
Key Focus:
Deeper textual understanding: evaluating audience, purpose, form, language choices, structure.
Top Tips:
- Use AFOREST (Alliteration, Facts, Opinions, Rhetorical Questions, Emotive Language, Statistics, Triples) for non-fiction analysis.
- Context matters: identify if the text is a speech, advert, blog, etc., and how that affects language choices.
- Be precise:
Instead of saying “The writer uses metaphors,” say:”The writer uses violent metaphors (‘storm of fear’) to intensify the character’s panic.” - Look at tone shifts (e.g., sarcastic → sincere) and link them to purpose.
- Structure tip: comment on beginnings, turning points, and endings of the extract.
- Compare multiple texts (if needed): focus on methods (not just content).
- Plan quickly before answering — group ideas to avoid scattered responses.