Text analysis — AS & A Level English Language (9093) questions by topic
Text analysis questions give you a literary or non-fiction extract, such as the opening of a novel, an autobiography or a 1952 short story, and ask you to analyse it focusing on form, structure and language. Analyse, explain, draw and discuss direct close reading of how a text achieves its effects, for a single extract answered as a full 25-mark response.
16 questions from 2023 to 2025 make up this page. Because marks reward precise critical terminology over vague description, drafting an analysis and submitting it for instant marking checks whether an effect has actually been named and explained, rather than described only as having 'positive' or 'negative connotations' with no further definition.
What examiners look for
- A recurring criticism is describing style, mood and vocabulary as having 'positive' or 'negative connotations' with little further elaboration or definition.
- Examiners note that responses to form were generally limited, and that some candidates ignored the implications of a title or of structure, focusing only on descriptive detail.
- Reports flag summarising precisely constructed language effects as merely 'creating an interesting image' or 'stopping the reader from being bored'.
- Strong answers, according to the reports, showed clarity in critical terminology and identified genre conventions, for example recognising Gothic fiction and commenting on features designed to unsettle readers.
- Examiners praise responses that commented on a title's foreshadowing, such as connotations of darkness in a house's name, linking it directly back to the writer's state of mind.
May–June 2025, Paper 11
Read the text, which is an extract from a non-fiction book about snow. The text explains an Icelandic word for snow. Analyse the text, focusing on form, structure and language.
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 12
Read the following text, which is an article about how scientists plan to build biocomputers to emulate the human brain. Analyse the text, focusing on form, structure and…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 13
Read the following text, which is an extract from a non-fiction book about mindfulness. (mindfulness: a state of awareness of the present moment; used as a therapeutic technique)…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 11
Read the text, which is an article from a travel company's newsletter, about a hiking tour of the little-known Marche region of Italy. Analyse the text, focusing on form,…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 12
Read the text, which is an extract from an article from an online sports magazine, featuring an interview with South African cricketer Shabnim Ismail. Analyse the text, focusing…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 13
Read the text, which is a piece of travel writing about a journey through the Himalayas. Analyse the text, focusing on form, structure and language.
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 11
Read the following text, which is an extract from a review of Maria Gainza's novel Portrait of an Unknown Lady. The review was published in an online newspaper in 2022. Analyse…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 12
Read the following text, which is an article about the invaluable contribution made by Nepali Sherpas to the mountain paths of Norway. Analyse the text, focusing on form,…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 13
Read the following text, which is an extract from a log written by round-the-world solo sailor, Ellen Macarthur. She was attempting to break the world record for sailing around…
Answer this question and get it marked →February–March 2023, Paper 12
Read the following text, which is the opening of a short story published in 1952. The text describes the arrival of a train in an unnamed village in Africa. Analyse the text,…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 11
Read the following text, which is an extract from a novel. Analyse the text, focusing on form, structure and language. The text is the opening of The Woman in Black. A…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 12
Read the following text, which is an extract from a travelogue describing the filming of a travel documentary called Around the World in Eighty Days. Analyse the text, focusing on…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 13
Read the following text, which is a transcript of a voiceover for an informational video. Analyse the text, focusing on form, structure and language. The text, headed 'What yoga…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 11
Read the following text, which is an extract from the autobiography of a chef. Analyse the text, focusing on form, structure and language.
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 12
Read the following text, which is an editorial piece from a lifestyle magazine. Analyse the text, focusing on form, structure and language.
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 13
Read the following text, which is an extract from the introduction to a cookery book. Analyse the text, focusing on form, structure and language.
Answer this question and get it marked →