Reviewing AS Level Paper 1

Which of these are commercial in form?

• a travel blog

• a review of a hotel

• magazine article about pollution

• text for an advertisement

Answer explanation

The correct choice, 'text for an advertisement', is commercial in form as it is designed to promote a product or service. In contrast, a travel blog, hotel review, and magazine article are primarily informational.

Which one of these may NOT be personal in form?

• Autobiography

• Memoir

• Podcast

• Travel writing

Answer explanation

A podcast may not be personal in form as it can cover a wide range of topics and formats, including interviews and discussions that are not solely based on personal experiences, unlike autobiographies, memoirs, or travel writing.

Which one may NOT be a requirement for an online text?

• Must be personal writing.

• Must require internet connection.

• Having a strong link to social media.

• Have the capacity to be interactive.

Answer explanation

The requirement 'Must be personal writing' is not necessary for an online text. Online texts do not have to be personal as they can be professional, academic, journalistic or informational in nature.

Which one of these skills will NO LONGER BE MARKED in Paper 2?

• AO1: Read and demonstrate understanding of a wide variety of texts (Understanding).

• AO2: Write effectively, creatively, accurately and appropriately for a range of audiences and purposes (Writing).

• AO3: Analyse the ways in which writers and speakers' choices of form, structure and language produce meaning and style (Analysis).

Answer explanation

AO1, which focuses on reading and understanding texts, will no longer be graded in Paper 2. This means that in Paper 2, you will be writing your own texts, as well as analysing your linguistic choices through Reflective Writing.

These are language techniques that are used for effect especially for persuading the reader, such as questions that make a point rather than seek an answer.

• Discourse markers

• Interrogative statements

• Rhetorical devices

• Commercial text

Answer explanation

Rhetorical devices are language techniques used for effect, particularly in persuasion. They may include interrogative statements that make a point rather than seek an answer, aligning perfectly with the question's description.

Rhetoric helps a speaker or writer shape ideas so they appeal to audiences’ sense of logic, emotions, ethics, or passing of time. These four methods, called logos, pathos, ethos, and kairos, were long ago determined to be the best way to influence the listeners’ decision-making process, which usually involves the brain, heart, morals, or feeling that the person is running out of time.

What is language used in a non-literal way such as similes and metaphors?

• Figurative language

• Expressive language

• Sensory Images

• Lexis

Answer explanation

Figurative language is used to convey meanings in non-literal ways, such as through similes and metaphors, making it the correct choice for describing this type of expression.

What is a figurative language of using words that create a sound which they are trying to describe?

• Onomatopoeia

• Rhyme

• Alliteration

• Sibilance

Answer explanation

Onomatopoeia is the figurative language that uses words to imitate sounds, such as 'buzz' or 'sizzle'. This directly relates to the question, as it describes the sound being represented by the word itself.

Location + Audience + Purpose + Form + Mode =

• Text

• Context

• Text analysis

• Online form

Answer explanation

The equation Location + Audience + Purpose + Form + Mode defines the context in which a text is created. Therefore, the correct answer is 'Context', as it encompasses all these elements.

Which of the following would be MAINLY an informative text?

• A documentary on bird life

• A fictitious narrative about WWII events

• Presenting the nutritional facts in a milk commercial

• A diary recounting the day's happenings

Answer explanation

A documentary on bird life is primarily informative, providing factual content about birds. In contrast, the other options are narrative or promotional, focusing on storytelling or advertising rather than delivering information.

Which one could you include as an element of Language in your analysis?

• Verb tense used

• How the text ends

• How the information is arranged

• The conventions of the text

Answer explanation

Verb tense used is a key element of language as it affects the meaning and time frame of the text. The other options relate more to structure or conventions rather than the linguistic aspect of writing.