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How does the writer use language to...?
How does the writer use language to...?
This question assesses your ability to:
Explain, comment on and analyse how writers use language and structure to achieve effects and influence readers, using relevant subject terminology to support their views
It will ask you to analyse a specific section of a source (typically a descriptive paragraph) for language techniques. Students should not only identify a variety of techniques within the paragraph, but they should also look to develop a detailed explanation which includes: why the author uses the technique, how it affects readers, how it conveys the author's message, and any other relevant analysis.
Suggested time: 8 minutes
Top tips:
Make sure you are focused on the language (words, phrases) being used in the text.
Use Tier 3 (Key) vocabulary in your response, such as: simile, metaphor, personification, oxymoron, symbolism, etc.
Use short, precise quotations in your work to emphasise your ideas.
Remember to use What How Why in your response (you do not need to link to context in this question).
Annotate your extract (not your answer) to help you keep focused.
What are some language techniques? Write them down, then check your answer.
What are some language techniques? Write them down, then check your answer.
Simile
Metaphor
Onomatopoeia
Alliteration
Sibilance
Sensory Language
Emotive Language
Repetition
Asyndetic List
Oxymoron
Hyperbole
Personification
Pathetic Fallacy
Assonance
Consonance
Colloquial language
Dialect
Dialogue
Dissonance
Imagery
Irony
Pathos
Rhyme
Symbolism
Lexical (Word) Choice
Semantic Field
Need some revision to build your confidence with these techniques? Try the links below.
For the reading section of this exam, we recommend students adopt a What How Why writing structure, to help them effectively communicate their thoughts and analysis. For this question, students should focus on the writer's use of language. Your question will always have a focus. Once we've identified the focus, then we can start to use the What How Why structure to begin a response. This will vary depending on the focus, but it could look like:
What is your opinion about the focus? What is the writer suggesting with the focus?
How has the writer used words and phrases? How have they used language devices?
Why is it effective? Why does it make an emotional response in the reader?
Let's look at the example in the question below, "How does the writer use language to describe Zoe's feelings?", the focus of the question is Zoe's feelings. So our What How Why would look something like:
What are Zoe's feelings? What does the writer want us to understand about Zoe?
How has the writer used words and phrases to show those feelings? How has the writer used language devices to show her feelings?
Why is it effective in showing her feelings? Why does this make us care about Zoe's feelings?
Sample Question and Answer
Sample Question and Answer
Q2: Look in detail at this extract, from lines 9 to 14 of the source:
How does the writer use language here to describe Zoe's feelings?
You could include the writer's choice of:
Words and phrases
Language features and techniques
Sentence forms
Check Your Answer
Check Your Answer
What
Zoe feels a mix of peaceful wonder and then excited, powerful energy. She feels the moment is special and that she is truly alive, like a strong eagle.
How
She uses a simile: “clear and as pure as ice”
She repeats “Snow and silence” to make it feel very quiet.
She describes the skis as “weird talons of brilliant red and gold”
At the end, Zoe thinks short, strong sentences: “I am alive. I am an eagle.”
Why
The writer uses these words and techniques so we can really feel what Zoe is feeling. The quiet snow makes us understand her peaceful but slightly scary thoughts about death and silence. The bright colours and eagle words make us feel her excitement and power when she is ready to ski down the mountain. This helps the reader connect with Zoe and enjoy the special moment with her.
Using these ideas, we can then craft a response. Notice how the structure can vary depending on the point you are making and the level. For example, in the Grade 4 response, you can see a much clearer use of What How Why (especially in the first paragraph), which becomes a bit more varied and ambitious by the last paragraph. Whereas in the Grade 9 response, the student is able to blend the ideas together more fluently and can easily bounce back and forth between evidence (How) and explanation (Why) to prove their point (What).
Grade 4
The writer shows that Zoe feels very happy and special in this snowy moment. She says the moment is "clear and as pure as ice." This makes us think Zoe feels something beautiful and perfect, like it is frozen forever and cannot be taken away.
The writer makes Zoe seem reflective. The words "snow and silence" are repeated and make everything feel quiet and still. Zoe feels peaceful but also a bit scared because it is like "a rehearsal... of death." This shows she is thinking about how quiet and empty it is, almost like the end of everything.
Then Zoe gets excited! Her skis are called "weird talons of brilliant red and gold." This makes them sound strong and colourful against the white snow. She feels powerful, like a bird. At the end she thinks, "I am alive. I am an eagle." This metaphor show she feels full of life, brave, and free, like she is flying down the mountain.
The writer mixes calm, quiet words with strong, exciting ones to show Zoe's feelings change from peaceful wonder to happy, powerful energy.
Grade 9
In the extract, the writer powerfully conveys Zoe’s complex feelings of awe, tranquillity, and exhilarating empowerment as she experiences a profound moment in the mountains. The language moves from quiet reflection to a surge of life-affirming energy, capturing how nature can create both peaceful wonder and intense personal strength.
The writer uses a range of sophisticated techniques to explore these emotions. A striking simile describes the moment as “clear and as pure as ice,” suggesting something perfect and frozen in time that can never be taken away. Personification in the phrase “the mountain breathed back at her” creates a sense of intimate connection between Zoe and the natural world. The repetition of “Snow and silence,” followed by the metaphor “a rehearsal and a pre-echo of death,” builds a haunting atmosphere of stillness and mortality. This makes the landscape feel both beautiful and slightly unsettling.
However, the mood then shifts. The skis are vividly described as “weird talons of brilliant red and gold,” a metaphor that gives them a strong, almost predatory power against the white snow. This builds to Zoe’s internal thoughts: “I am alive. I am an eagle.” These short, bold sentences reflect her sudden rush of vitality and freedom.
Overall, the writer contrasts quiet, death-like imagery with dynamic, empowering language to show how this special moment transforms Zoe. By guiding the reader through her changing emotions, the extract highlights themes of life versus death and the liberating power of nature, leaving the reader with a strong sense of wonder and admiration for Zoe’s experience.
Sample question and answer taken from AQA Language Paper 1 November 2019
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