Analysis

A detailed explanation of how particular choices create meaning and effects, supported by evidence.

Examining particular choices in a text and explaining how they create meaning and effects.

Saying that she ‘saunters’ also suggests a leisurely, untroubled manner. That difference is the starting point for analysis: why is this choice more revealing than a neutral word such as ‘walks’?

Detailed examination of how a writer’s particular choices create meaning or effects, supported by evidence from the text.

Use terminology accurately where it helps your explanation. A technique’s name is not a substitute for analysis.

For Questions 2 and 4, explain what particular words or structural choices make the reader understand, imagine or anticipate. Naming a technique alone is not analysis.

Use terminology you understand accurately; a technique name is the beginning of analysis, not the explanation.

Detailed explanation of how a writer's choices create particular meanings and effects.

An explanation of how particular choices create meaning and influence a reader, supported by precise evidence.

An explanation of how particular choices in a text create meaning or influence readers.

An explanation of how particular choices in a text create meaning and influence readers.

The progression is Level 1 (1–2): brief comments, Level 2 (3–4): clear explanations, Level 3 (5–6): developed exploration, and Level 4 (7–8): precise analysis with discriminating evidence and terminology. The examiner judges the response as a whole; there is no fixed number of techniques that earns full marks.

Close examination of how particular choices in a text create meaning and effects.

An explanation of how a writer’s particular choices create meaning and effects, supported by carefully selected evidence.

Close examination of how particular choices in a text create meaning and effects, supported by textual evidence.

Language analysis explains how a writer's choices shape our understanding. Identifying that a character is frightened tells us what the text presents. Examining how a verb, image or sentence makes that fear vivid explains how the writing works.

An explanation of how specific choices in a text create meaning or effects, supported by close reference to the text.

Explaining how a writer’s choices create particular meanings and effects, using close reference to the text.

Close explanation of how a writer’s choices create particular meanings and effects, supported by textual evidence.

Close explanation of how a writer’s choices create particular meanings and effects.

Explaining how particular choices in a text create meaning and influence the reader, rather than simply identifying what happens.

Eduqas also advises using the marks as a rough guide to time: the opening 5-mark answers should not consume the time needed for developed analysis later.

An explanation of how a writer’s choices create a particular meaning, impression or effect.

Definition

How each exam board covers it

Edexcel GCSE English Language · 1EN0

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Edexcel GCSE English Language 2.0 · 1EN2

OCR GCSE English Language · J351

Eduqas GCSE English Language · C700