Question 1 · Comparative language analysis
30 marksText A is a transcript of a spoken talk given by a volunteer crew member to an audience at a village fundraising evening in 2023. Text B is an extract from a local newspaper report, published in 1894, describing a lifeboat launch.
Compare the ways in which the two texts use language to convey meaning.
In your answer you should consider:
- the contexts in which the texts were produced and received
- the effects of mode and genre
- the purposes and audiences of the texts.
[30]
Text A: spoken talk (2023)
Speaker: Hannah, a volunteer lifeboat crew member, addressing about eighty people in a village hall.
Transcription key: (.) = micropause; (2) = pause in seconds; underlining = emphasis; [laughter] = audience response; // = overlap; : = lengthened sound; (...) = inaudible
1 so (.) people always ask me (.) what's it LIKE (.) going out in the dark
2 and honestly (.) i used to say (.) i don't know (.) you just GO
3 [laughter]
4 but that's not true is it (.) because your pager goes (.) and it's two in the morning
5 and you're lying there (2) and your heart's already going like (.) like a drum
6 before you've even found your boots
7 and then it's the road (.) the dark road (.) down to the slip
8 and everyone's there (.) everyone (.) the baker (.) the teacher (.) Dave from the garage
9 and nobody's saying much (.) because we don't need to
10 we KNOW (.) we've done this before (.) we're a:ll in it together
11 and (.) i'll tell you what (.) when that boat hits the water (.) it's just
12 (2) it's just quiet (.) the engines kick in (.) and it's quiet
13 and you think (.) right (.) somebody out there is waiting for us
14 so (.) that's why we need your help (.) a new tractor for the launch (.) twenty thousand pounds
15 and i know (.) i KNOW (.) that's a lot (.) but look at it this way //
16 [audience member: go on]
17 it's one cup of tea (.) for every person in this village (.) every week (.) for a year
18 so (.) put the kettle on (.) and (.) thank you
19 [applause]
Text B: newspaper report (1894)
THE WRECK OF THE "MARGARET ANN"
GALLANT CONDUCT OF THE LOCAL LIFEBOAT
1 It is our painful duty to record that, on the night of Tuesday last, during a gale
2 of exceeding violence from the north-east, the barque "Margaret Ann", of Whitby,
3 was observed in distress upon the sands a mile and a half from this port.
4 Signal guns were immediately fired, and within a quarter of an hour the
5 lifeboat, manned by thirteen stout fishermen of the town, was dragged by willing
6 hands to the water's edge. The scene upon the beach was one which will not
7 soon be forgotten by those who witnessed it: the women of the place, with
8 shawls drawn about their heads, stood silent in the driving rain, whilst the
9 surf, thundering upon the shingle, flung its spray high above the lanterns.
10 Under the command of Coxswain Peter Haldane, a man whose courage has been proved
11 on many a former occasion, the boat was launched amid the cheers of the multitude,
12 and was soon lost to view in the blackness of the tempest. After an anxious
13 interval of three hours she returned, bearing the whole of the crew of the
14 stricken vessel, nine souls in number, all of whom, though exhausted, were
15 happily preserved. It need scarcely be added that the heroism displayed by the
16 rescuers is deserving of the warmest recognition, and we trust that the public
17 will not be slow to contribute to the Institution, whose generous support alone
18 renders such deeds possible.
Compare the ways in which the two texts use language to convey meaning.
In your answer you should consider:
- the contexts in which the texts were produced and received
- the effects of mode and genre
- the purposes and audiences of the texts.
[30]
Text A: spoken talk (2023)
Speaker: Hannah, a volunteer lifeboat crew member, addressing about eighty people in a village hall.
Transcription key: (.) = micropause; (2) = pause in seconds; underlining = emphasis; [laughter] = audience response; // = overlap; : = lengthened sound; (...) = inaudible
1 so (.) people always ask me (.) what's it LIKE (.) going out in the dark
2 and honestly (.) i used to say (.) i don't know (.) you just GO
3 [laughter]
4 but that's not true is it (.) because your pager goes (.) and it's two in the morning
5 and you're lying there (2) and your heart's already going like (.) like a drum
6 before you've even found your boots
7 and then it's the road (.) the dark road (.) down to the slip
8 and everyone's there (.) everyone (.) the baker (.) the teacher (.) Dave from the garage
9 and nobody's saying much (.) because we don't need to
10 we KNOW (.) we've done this before (.) we're a:ll in it together
11 and (.) i'll tell you what (.) when that boat hits the water (.) it's just
12 (2) it's just quiet (.) the engines kick in (.) and it's quiet
13 and you think (.) right (.) somebody out there is waiting for us
14 so (.) that's why we need your help (.) a new tractor for the launch (.) twenty thousand pounds
15 and i know (.) i KNOW (.) that's a lot (.) but look at it this way //
16 [audience member: go on]
17 it's one cup of tea (.) for every person in this village (.) every week (.) for a year
18 so (.) put the kettle on (.) and (.) thank you
19 [applause]
Text B: newspaper report (1894)
THE WRECK OF THE "MARGARET ANN"
GALLANT CONDUCT OF THE LOCAL LIFEBOAT
1 It is our painful duty to record that, on the night of Tuesday last, during a gale
2 of exceeding violence from the north-east, the barque "Margaret Ann", of Whitby,
3 was observed in distress upon the sands a mile and a half from this port.
4 Signal guns were immediately fired, and within a quarter of an hour the
5 lifeboat, manned by thirteen stout fishermen of the town, was dragged by willing
6 hands to the water's edge. The scene upon the beach was one which will not
7 soon be forgotten by those who witnessed it: the women of the place, with
8 shawls drawn about their heads, stood silent in the driving rain, whilst the
9 surf, thundering upon the shingle, flung its spray high above the lanterns.
10 Under the command of Coxswain Peter Haldane, a man whose courage has been proved
11 on many a former occasion, the boat was launched amid the cheers of the multitude,
12 and was soon lost to view in the blackness of the tempest. After an anxious
13 interval of three hours she returned, bearing the whole of the crew of the
14 stricken vessel, nine souls in number, all of whom, though exhausted, were
15 happily preserved. It need scarcely be added that the heroism displayed by the
16 rescuers is deserving of the warmest recognition, and we trust that the public
17 will not be slow to contribute to the Institution, whose generous support alone
18 renders such deeds possible.
Show answer & marking schemeHide answer & marking scheme
Worked solution
Indicative approach (neither prescriptive nor exhaustive; valid alternatives must be credited).
Context: Text A is a contemporary, community fundraising talk delivered face to face to a known local audience; the speaker is a peer, and the setting (village hall, tea, applause) is warm and informal. Text B is a Victorian local newspaper report addressing a literate readership at a time when lifeboat services relied on public subscription to the Institution, deference to heroism and duty was common, and newspapers shaped civic pride.
Mode and genre: Text A is semi-spontaneous, planned-but-spoken: pauses ("(2)"), micropauses, repetition ("everyone (.) everyone"), emphasis ("KNOW"), lengthened sound ("a:ll"), false starts and fillers ("so", "honestly"), and the audience's responses ("[laughter]", "go on", "[applause]") show interactivity and co-construction. The rhetorical question ("what's it LIKE") and the narrative of the call-out use present-tense immediacy and second person ("you're lying there") to draw listeners in. Text B is a planned written report with a headline structure, formal declaratives, long periodic sentences with subordinate clauses and the passive ("was observed in distress", "was dragged by willing hands"), and a delayed, structured chronology that ends in resolution and a call to action.
Lexis and semantics: Text A uses colloquial, personal lexis ("boots", "Dave from the garage", "cup of tea") and an inclusive pronoun "we"/"all in it together" to build solidarity; the simile "like a drum" conveys fear; the minimal "it's just quiet" creates contrast with the earlier tension. Text B uses formal, Latinate and emotive lexis ("exceeding violence", "stout fishermen", "gallant", "tempest", "stricken", "souls"), personification of the surf ("thundering", "flung its spray"), and heroic characterisation of the named Coxswain, with the crew collectivised as "thirteen stout fishermen". Semantic fields of danger (gale, blackness, tempest) contrast with collective community (willing hands, multitude).
Grammar and discourse: A's short, additive clauses and listing ("the baker (.) the teacher (.) Dave") reflect real-time planning; the shift from anecdote to appeal ("so (.) that's why we need your help") is a clear discourse turn. B's sentences are long, with formal connectives ("whilst", "though"), the modal "will not be slow", and the impersonal "we trust" to give institutional authority. The structure moves from headline to event, to rescue, to appeal.
Pragmatics, purpose and audience: A persuades politely, using humour, direct address, the figures made manageable ("one cup of tea") and the imperative "put the kettle on" softened by thanks. B informs and commemorates, with an indirect request for money framed as a public duty. Both texts end with funding appeals, but A is personal and reciprocal whereas B is distant and deferential, reflecting changing relationships between speakers/writers and audiences.
Connections (AO4): both use collective images of community and tell a narrative to motivate generosity; both contrast danger and safety; they differ in register, formality, interaction and the representation of the rescuers (as neighbours vs as heroes).
Context: Text A is a contemporary, community fundraising talk delivered face to face to a known local audience; the speaker is a peer, and the setting (village hall, tea, applause) is warm and informal. Text B is a Victorian local newspaper report addressing a literate readership at a time when lifeboat services relied on public subscription to the Institution, deference to heroism and duty was common, and newspapers shaped civic pride.
Mode and genre: Text A is semi-spontaneous, planned-but-spoken: pauses ("(2)"), micropauses, repetition ("everyone (.) everyone"), emphasis ("KNOW"), lengthened sound ("a:ll"), false starts and fillers ("so", "honestly"), and the audience's responses ("[laughter]", "go on", "[applause]") show interactivity and co-construction. The rhetorical question ("what's it LIKE") and the narrative of the call-out use present-tense immediacy and second person ("you're lying there") to draw listeners in. Text B is a planned written report with a headline structure, formal declaratives, long periodic sentences with subordinate clauses and the passive ("was observed in distress", "was dragged by willing hands"), and a delayed, structured chronology that ends in resolution and a call to action.
Lexis and semantics: Text A uses colloquial, personal lexis ("boots", "Dave from the garage", "cup of tea") and an inclusive pronoun "we"/"all in it together" to build solidarity; the simile "like a drum" conveys fear; the minimal "it's just quiet" creates contrast with the earlier tension. Text B uses formal, Latinate and emotive lexis ("exceeding violence", "stout fishermen", "gallant", "tempest", "stricken", "souls"), personification of the surf ("thundering", "flung its spray"), and heroic characterisation of the named Coxswain, with the crew collectivised as "thirteen stout fishermen". Semantic fields of danger (gale, blackness, tempest) contrast with collective community (willing hands, multitude).
Grammar and discourse: A's short, additive clauses and listing ("the baker (.) the teacher (.) Dave") reflect real-time planning; the shift from anecdote to appeal ("so (.) that's why we need your help") is a clear discourse turn. B's sentences are long, with formal connectives ("whilst", "though"), the modal "will not be slow", and the impersonal "we trust" to give institutional authority. The structure moves from headline to event, to rescue, to appeal.
Pragmatics, purpose and audience: A persuades politely, using humour, direct address, the figures made manageable ("one cup of tea") and the imperative "put the kettle on" softened by thanks. B informs and commemorates, with an indirect request for money framed as a public duty. Both texts end with funding appeals, but A is personal and reciprocal whereas B is distant and deferential, reflecting changing relationships between speakers/writers and audiences.
Connections (AO4): both use collective images of community and tell a narrative to motivate generosity; both contrast danger and safety; they differ in register, formality, interaction and the representation of the rescuers (as neighbours vs as heroes).
Marking scheme
30 marks, holistic best fit across six levels, marked positively. AOs: AO1 (terminology and expression), AO2 (analysis of how meanings are shaped), AO3 (contexts), AO4 (connections). The level descriptors rise from 'Very little' and 'Limited' through 'Some', 'Competent', 'Secure/Clear' to 'Excellent'.
Level 6 (26-30): Excellent, sustained integrated comparison; precise terminology; perceptive analysis of language levels; evaluative discussion of context, mode, genre, purpose and audience; well-judged connections throughout.
Level 5 (21-25): Secure to clear comparison; accurate terminology; detailed analysis with relevant quotations; clear contextual understanding; clear connections.
Level 4 (16-20): Competent; mostly accurate terminology; some detailed analysis; competent context and connections.
Level 3 (11-15): Some; generally accurate but uneven terminology; some identification of features with limited analysis; some context; connections tend to be general or sequential.
Level 2 (6-10): Limited; basic terminology; describes content more than language; limited context; few connections.
Level 1 (1-5): Very little; very little terminology, analysis, context or comparison.
0: no creditable response.
A higher level response (levels 4-6) will: AO1 use appropriate terminology accurately and write coherently; AO2 analyse how language choices (e.g. lexis, grammar, discourse, prosodic and transcription features) shape meaning; AO3 explain how context, mode, genre, purpose and audience influence the texts; AO4 explore connections and contrasts between the texts with linguistic support.
A lower level response (levels 1-3) will: AO1 use little or inaccurate terminology; AO2 identify features with little analysis or paraphrase; AO3 make few or generic comments on context; AO4 make few or only sequential links.
Indicative content (neither prescriptive nor exhaustive; valid alternatives must be credited):
- Voice and mode: spontaneous features in A (fillers, micropauses, repetition, emphasis, lengthened sounds, e.g. 'a:ll', 'KNOW'); audience interaction ('[laughter]', 'go on'); B's planned written authority and impersonal voice ('It is our painful duty', 'we trust').
- Structure: A moves from anecdote to appeal ('so (.) that's why we need your help'); B moves from headline to narrative, rescue and appeal.
- Sentence types and grammar: A's short additive clauses, rhetorical question, imperative ('put the kettle on'); B's long complex sentences, passive ('was dragged by willing hands'), formal connectives ('whilst').
- Lexis and figurative language: A's colloquial lexis and simile ('like a drum'), inclusive 'we', specific local names ('Dave from the garage'); B's formal and heroic lexis ('gallant', 'stout', 'tempest', 'stricken'), personified surf ('thundering', 'flung').
- Context and genre: A as a contemporary community fundraising talk; B as a Victorian local newspaper report relying on public subscription and civic deference to heroism.
- Purpose and audience: A persuades a familiar audience through humour and reframing cost ('one cup of tea'); B informs, praises and prompts donation from a general readership.
Marking instructions: mark positively; use the full range; award the lowest mark in a level only for borderline work; if an AO is not addressed (e.g. no comparison or no context), cap the mark at the top of Level 3 / the level the response otherwise merits as the descriptors indicate.
Level 6 (26-30): Excellent, sustained integrated comparison; precise terminology; perceptive analysis of language levels; evaluative discussion of context, mode, genre, purpose and audience; well-judged connections throughout.
Level 5 (21-25): Secure to clear comparison; accurate terminology; detailed analysis with relevant quotations; clear contextual understanding; clear connections.
Level 4 (16-20): Competent; mostly accurate terminology; some detailed analysis; competent context and connections.
Level 3 (11-15): Some; generally accurate but uneven terminology; some identification of features with limited analysis; some context; connections tend to be general or sequential.
Level 2 (6-10): Limited; basic terminology; describes content more than language; limited context; few connections.
Level 1 (1-5): Very little; very little terminology, analysis, context or comparison.
0: no creditable response.
A higher level response (levels 4-6) will: AO1 use appropriate terminology accurately and write coherently; AO2 analyse how language choices (e.g. lexis, grammar, discourse, prosodic and transcription features) shape meaning; AO3 explain how context, mode, genre, purpose and audience influence the texts; AO4 explore connections and contrasts between the texts with linguistic support.
A lower level response (levels 1-3) will: AO1 use little or inaccurate terminology; AO2 identify features with little analysis or paraphrase; AO3 make few or generic comments on context; AO4 make few or only sequential links.
Indicative content (neither prescriptive nor exhaustive; valid alternatives must be credited):
- Voice and mode: spontaneous features in A (fillers, micropauses, repetition, emphasis, lengthened sounds, e.g. 'a:ll', 'KNOW'); audience interaction ('[laughter]', 'go on'); B's planned written authority and impersonal voice ('It is our painful duty', 'we trust').
- Structure: A moves from anecdote to appeal ('so (.) that's why we need your help'); B moves from headline to narrative, rescue and appeal.
- Sentence types and grammar: A's short additive clauses, rhetorical question, imperative ('put the kettle on'); B's long complex sentences, passive ('was dragged by willing hands'), formal connectives ('whilst').
- Lexis and figurative language: A's colloquial lexis and simile ('like a drum'), inclusive 'we', specific local names ('Dave from the garage'); B's formal and heroic lexis ('gallant', 'stout', 'tempest', 'stricken'), personified surf ('thundering', 'flung').
- Context and genre: A as a contemporary community fundraising talk; B as a Victorian local newspaper report relying on public subscription and civic deference to heroism.
- Purpose and audience: A persuades a familiar audience through humour and reframing cost ('one cup of tea'); B informs, praises and prompts donation from a general readership.
Marking instructions: mark positively; use the full range; award the lowest mark in a level only for borderline work; if an AO is not addressed (e.g. no comparison or no context), cap the mark at the top of Level 3 / the level the response otherwise merits as the descriptors indicate.