Chapter Overview: Planning, Drafting, and Redrafting for Your NEA
Welcome to your complete guide to master the creative and analytical journey of the Non-Exam Assessment (NEA) – Language in Action (7702/C)! If the idea of writing a creative piece alongside a technical commentary feels a little intimidating, do not worry. This guide breaks the entire process down into manageable, step-by-step stages so you can craft your best possible work with confidence.
In this chapter, you will learn how to select a strong style model, plan and draft an engaging piece of original writing, refine your language through thoughtful redrafting, and produce a reflective commentary that hits all the required assessment objectives.
Quick Key Facts:
• Total Word Count: Approximately 1,500 words (approx. 750 words for Original Writing + approx. 750 words for the Commentary).
• Weighting: 50 marks out of 100 for the NEA component (worth \(20\%\) of your overall A-Level qualification).
• Mark Breakdown: 25 marks for Original Writing (AO5) and 25 marks for the Commentary (AO1, AO2, AO3, AO4).
Section 1: Understanding the Task Structure and Core Options
The Original Writing section asks you to demonstrate your creative flair as a writer and your analytical expertise as a linguist. You must choose one of the three central "Powers" as the foundation of your writing project:
1. The Power of Persuasion:
Focuses on influencing, convincing, or motivating an audience.
Examples: Political speeches, hard-hitting opinion columns/editorials, or activist campaigning leaflets.
2. The Power of Storytelling:
Focuses on narrative craft, characterisation, and evocative scene-setting.
Examples: Short stories, opening chapters of novels, or dramatic monologues.
3. The Power of Information:
Focuses on communicating facts, insight, and engagement in a distinct voice.
Examples: Travel journalism pieces, biographical profiles, or specialised lifestyle blogs.
What is a Style Model and Why is it Essential?
You must select a pre-existing published text to act as your style model. Think of your style model as an architectural blueprint: you are not copying the content, but you are emulating its conventions, structure, tone, and linguistic techniques to suit your own unique topic and audience.
Analogy: Imagine learning to play guitar by studying a classic song. You do not pretend the song is yours, but you study its chords, tempo, and rhythm so you can compose your own original track in that exact genre!
Key Takeaway for Section 1: Choose one of the three "Powers" that genuinely excites you, and find a high-quality, published style model that showcases rich, distinctive language features for you to emulate and analyse.
Section 2: The Step-by-Step Planning and Drafting Workflow
Stage 1: Dissecting Your Style Model
Before writing a single word of your draft, conduct a forensic linguistic analysis of your style model across the Methods of Language Analysis (the levels of language):
• Lexis and Semantics: What vocabulary choices, semantic fields, or figurative devices dominate?
• Grammar and Syntax: Does the writer use fragmented minor sentences, balanced compound-complex structures, or rhetorical parallelism?
• Phonology: Are there sound devices like alliteration, rhythm, or assonance that shape tone?
• Pragmatics: What implied meanings, shared cultural assumptions, or subtext exist?
• Discourse Structure: How is the text structured from opening hook to conclusion to guide reader journey?
Stage 2: Writing the First Draft (Target: ~750 Words)
Focus on capturing the distinct "voice" and genre conventions of your style model. Aim to meet the requirements of AO5 by communicating with clarity, craft, and stylistic control.
Top Drafting Tip: Keep your intended audience and purpose explicitly in mind for every sentence. If your genre is an investigative travel article, your sentence lengths, descriptive adjectives, and register should mirror high-end journalism.
Stage 3: The Critical Redrafting Phase
Redrafting is where successful students elevate their grades. It is not just about correcting typos; it is about deliberately modifying your linguistic choices so you have rich material to evaluate in your commentary.
Ask Yourself During Redrafting:
• Did I choose this word simply because it sounded nice, or does it actively reinforce my intended pragmatic meaning?
• Can I vary my sentence structures to better match the dramatic pacing of my style model?
• Is my word count tightly controlled around the 750-word mark?
Key Takeaway for Section 2: Planning starts with deep analysis of your style model. Drafting captures the voice, while redrafting polishes linguistic techniques to prepare for deep analytical commentary.
Section 3: Rules and Regulations – What You and Your Teacher Need to Know
The AQA specification has strict administration rules regarding how drafts are handled:
Teacher Supervision and Authentication:
• Your teacher must supervise your planning, drafting, and production to authenticate that the submission is entirely your own work.
• Both you and your teacher must sign a formal Candidate Record Form confirming the authenticity of your original writing and commentary.
Prohibited Assistance Rules:
• While your teacher can monitor progress and advise you on the mark scheme criteria, they must not edit your work, provide corrections, or give specific instructions on how to rewrite sentences.
• You are in total control of your own drafting decisions!
Key Takeaway for Section 3: All work submitted must be authenticated as your own. Your teacher guides you via criteria and questions, but the creative and analytical choices are entirely yours.
Section 4: Writing the Accompanying Commentary (~750 Words)
Your commentary accounts for 25 marks and assesses four distinct Assessment Objectives. To achieve high marks, you must weave these objectives together seamlessly:
• AO1: Methods of Language Analysis & Terminology
Use precise linguistic terminology (e.g., pre-modifying compound adjective, declarative syntax, cohesive ties) with accurate, academic expression.
• AO2: Concepts and Issues
Showcase an understanding of broader language concepts (e.g., representation, power dynamics, narrative voice, reader positioning).
• AO3: Contextual Factors and Meanings
Explain how mode, field, tenor, purpose, and audience shaped your language choices.
• AO4: Exploring Connections (Comparison with Style Model)
Directly compare your choices to the linguistic patterns of your style model. Highlight where you emulated the model directly and where you deliberately deviated to suit your distinct context.
Memory Aid: The "PEEL-L" Commentary Formula
To keep your commentary analytical rather than descriptive, structure your paragraphs using this simple method:
1. Point: State the linguistic effect you intended to create.
2. Evidence (Your Text): Quote a specific linguistic choice from your original writing.
3. Exploration (AO1 & AO3): Label the language feature with accurate terminology and explain its contextual effect on the reader.
4. Link to Style Model (AO4): Compare this choice directly to a specific quote or pattern from your style model.
Key Takeaway for Section 4: Never treat the commentary as a standalone summary. Treat it as a direct comparative analysis linking your linguistic decisions back to your style model.
Section 5: Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them
Pitfall 1: Choosing an Unsuitable Style Model
The Mistake: Picking a text that is too basic (offering little to analyse) or excessively dense/convoluted (making it impossible to emulate effectively).
The Fix: Choose a piece of professional journalism, a prize-winning short story excerpt, or an acclaimed speech that contains clear, identifiable stylistic features.
Pitfall 2: Feature Spotting without Purpose
The Mistake: Writing things like "I used an alliteration here and a metaphor there" without explaining the intended effect.
The Fix: Always link the language device to audience reaction, tone, and contextual purpose.
Pitfall 3: Forgetting the Style Model in the Commentary (Missing AO4)
The Mistake: Writing 750 words only about your own piece without comparing it to the original style model.
The Fix: Ensure every main paragraph contains explicit cross-references and comparative linguistic links between your writing and your style model.
Pitfall 4: Ignoring Word Count Boundaries
The Mistake: Writing a writing piece that is too long, leading to a shallow, rushed commentary under 750 words.
The Fix: Plan strictly for approximately 750 words per section to ensure depth, analytical balance, and thorough coverage of all Assessment Objectives.
Quick Chapter Review: Your Final Checklist
Before submitting your final draft and commentary, double check:
• Did I select a clear topic from Persuasion, Storytelling, or Information?
• Is my style model clearly referenced and attached?
• Does my original writing sit at approximately 750 words (AO5)?
• Does my commentary sit at approximately 750 words and balance AO1, AO2, AO3, and AO4?
• Did I apply accurate terminology across the levels of language (lexis, grammar, phonology, pragmatics, discourse)?
• Is the Candidate Record Form signed and ready for submission?