Overview & Verdict

The June 2025 Oxford AQA International AS English Language (9670) examination series (Units 1 and 2) presents a balanced yet intellectually demanding pair of papers. With a combined total of 100 marks across 4 hours, the series tests a student's capacity to pivot between highly literary travel narratives, child-focused visual layout, promotional journalistic discourse, and formal linguistic theory. The overall difficulty is rated at 4 stars (3.8/5), driven by the strict examiner expectation for integrated multi-level linguistic analysis and a clean departure from anecdotal writing in the essay sections.

Breakdown of the Marks

The marks are evenly distributed across four equal pillars (25 marks each), reflecting the core Assessment Objectives (AOs) of the specification:

  • Unit 1, Section A (Understanding Texts): Focuses heavily on AO1 (terminology) and AO2 (analytical meanings). Comparing Gerald Durrell's lush literary prose in My Family and Other Animals with a playful, highly segmented travel book layout for children requires a sharp eye for contrast in audience, mode, and purpose.
  • Unit 1, Section B (Directed Writing): Worth 25 marks under AO3. Candidates choose between a descriptive magazine feature ('A Special Place') and an informative speech for a promotional video. Technical precision and stylistic control are key to accessing Level 5 marks.
  • Unit 2, Section A (Language and Social Groups: Texts): Challenges students to dissect a Euronews article on Mattel's STEM trailblazer Barbie campaign. This tasks students with analyzing corporate/promotional pragmatics alongside feminist representation.
  • Unit 2, Section B (Language and Social Groups: Writing): The discursive essay asks 'How far does gender affect language use?'. This requires deep theoretical knowledge of gender models (deficit, dominance, difference, and dynamic/performativity).

Examiner Pitfalls & Where Marks Were Lost

Based on the pre-standardisation mark scheme and examiner reports, candidates often stumble on several key fronts:

  • Anecdotal Over-reliance: In the Unit 2 gender essay, weaker candidates discussed gender differences generally (or through stereotypes) without any concrete reference to linguistic concepts, data, or academic scholarship. Referencing scholars (such as Lakoff, Spender, Tannen, or Butler) is essential for Level 4 and 5.
  • Feature Spotting without Purpose: In both Unit 1 and Unit 2 text analyses, students frequently labeled features (like nouns, similes, or passive voice) but failed to link them to the writer's underlying purpose or representation.
  • Losing the Directed Writing Form: Many candidates struggled to maintain the specific register of a video speech or a magazine article, reverting instead to an 'essay-like' style that fails the communicative purpose of the task.

Strategic Guidance & Revision Recommendations

To secure top-tier marks in upcoming series, students must master the following strategies:

First, build a robust vocabulary of linguistic terminology. Ensure you can identify not just word classes, but complex syntax (fronted adverbials, subordinate clauses) and pragmatics (implied reader positioning, corporate branding). Second, avoid treating gender or social groups as a monolith; always integrate the concept of intersectionality—how power, status, context, and age intersect with gender to influence speech.

Predictions for Future Series

With gender and STEM occupation featuring heavily in the 2025 series, it is highly probable that upcoming papers will shift focus toward Language and Power or Sociolects of Age and Social Class. In Unit 1, expect a pivot from printed descriptive prose to purely digital, multi-modal modes (such as interactive blogs, forums, or social media campaigns) that challenge the traditional boundaries of spoken and written language.