AS & A Level English Language 9093 · Topic 1

English Language: past paper questions

84 real questionsasked in 6 of the last 6 exam series2019–2020usually: Discuss, Compare, Write

Real questions on english language

The newest 20 of 84 written questions. Open one to see it on the real paper.

9093/31 · October/November 2020 · Q1a[10]
Imagine you are the education officer for a mining museum in Cornwall. You have been asked to give a speech to a group of teenage students about a day in the life of a ‘tinner of the past’. Write a section of the script for your speech in 120–150 words.
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9093/31 · October/November 2020 · Q1b[15]
Compare the language and style of your speech with the language and style of the original article. The tinners of the past were an essential part of Cornwall, hunters, seekers, spending themselves in the unending quest for treasure underground. There is no difficulty in finding where they lived and worked. The chimney-...
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9093/31 · October/November 2020 · Q2[25]
Texts A and B are both about writing letters. Text A is a transcription of a conversation on a radio show. The presenter, Graham, speaks to an English teacher called Mrs Spears and a student called Casper, who attends a boarding school. Text B is an article from the lifestyle section of a newspaper. The writer, Kiran S...
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9093/32 · October/November 2020 · Q1a[10]
Imagine that you are the headteacher of a school, and you believe that handwriting is still an important skill. You decide to write a formal letter to Joel Golby in response to his article. Write a section of your letter in 120–150 words.
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9093/32 · October/November 2020 · Q1b[15]
Compare the language and style of your response with the language and style of the original text. The lost art of handwriting I did that thing recently where you have to sign a big card – which is a horror unto itself, especially as the Keeper of the Big Card was leaning over me at the time. Suddenly I was on the spot,...
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9093/32 · October/November 2020 · Q2[25]
Texts A and B both relate to jewellery. Text A is a transcription from a television programme in which antiques are valued and then auctioned. In this extract, an expert called Christina Trevanion discusses an antique necklace brought in by a member of the public called Derry. Text B is an article about a jewellery des...
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9093/33 · October/November 2020 · Q1a[10]
Imagine you are the education officer for a mining museum in Cornwall. You have been asked to give a speech to a group of teenage students about a day in the life of a ‘tinner of the past’. Write a section of the script for your speech in 120–150 words.
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9093/33 · October/November 2020 · Q1b[15]
Compare the language and style of your speech with the language and style of the original article. The tinners of the past were an essential part of Cornwall, hunters, seekers, spending themselves in the unending quest for treasure underground. There is no difficulty in finding where they lived and worked. The chimney-...
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9093/33 · October/November 2020 · Q2[25]
Texts A and B are both about writing letters. Text A is a transcription of a conversation on a radio show. The presenter, Graham, speaks to an English teacher called Mrs Spears and a student called Casper, who attends a boarding school. Text B is an article from the lifestyle section of a newspaper. The writer, Kiran S...
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9093/41 · October/November 2020 · Q1[25]
Spoken language and social groups The following text is a transcription of part of a conversation between two friends in their twenties, Lisa and Victoria. They are following a recipe from a book while they cook. Discuss ways in which the speakers are using language here to communicate and how their language is affecte...
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9093/41 · October/November 2020 · Q2[25]
English as a global language The passage below is from a 2015 article which was published on a website called The Conversation. Discuss what you feel are the most important issues raised here relating to the changing use of English as a global language. You should refer to specific details from the passage as well as t...
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9093/41 · October/November 2020 · Q3[25]
Language acquisition by children and teenagers The following text is a transcription of part of a conversation between Alice, aged 3 years 9 months, and her father. Discuss ways in which Alice and her father are using language here. You should refer to specific details from the transcription, relating your observations...
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9093/42 · October/November 2020 · Q1[25]
Spoken language and social groups The following text is a transcription of part of a conversation between two university students, Aisha and Safiya. Discuss ways in which the speakers are using language here to communicate and how their language is affected by the context. You should refer to specific details from the...
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9093/42 · October/November 2020 · Q2[25]
English as a global language The text below was published in the Financial Times in 2018. Discuss what you feel are the most important issues raised here relating to the changing use of English as a global language. You should refer to specific details from the text as well as to ideas and examples from your wider stud...
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9093/42 · October/November 2020 · Q3[25]
Language acquisition by children and teenagers The following text is a transcription of two parts of a conversation involving three sisters – Precious (aged 2 years 2 months), Kuku (aged 8 years) and Tanya (aged 6 years) – and their father. Discuss ways in which Precious, Kuku, Tanya and their father are using language...
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9093/43 · October/November 2020 · Q1[25]
Spoken language and social groups The following text is a transcription of part of a conversation between two friends in their twenties, Lisa and Victoria. They are following a recipe from a book while they cook. Discuss ways in which the speakers are using language here to communicate and how their language is affecte...
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9093/43 · October/November 2020 · Q2[25]
English as a global language The passage below is from a 2015 article which was published on a website called The Conversation. Discuss what you feel are the most important issues raised here relating to the changing use of English as a global language. You should refer to specific details from the passage as well as t...
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9093/43 · October/November 2020 · Q3[25]
Language acquisition by children and teenagers The following text is a transcription of part of a conversation between Alice, aged 3 years 9 months, and her father. Discuss ways in which Alice and her father are using language here. You should refer to specific details from the transcription, relating your observations...
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9093/31 · May/June 2020 · Q1a[10]
Imagine that you are one of Serena’s parents. As part of an online survey, Serena’s teacher has asked you to give feedback on Serena’s experience of computer-based learning. Write your response in 120–150 words.
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9093/31 · May/June 2020 · Q1b[15]
Compare the language and style of your online survey response with the language and style of the podcast. TRANSCRIPTION KEY (1) = pause in seconds (.) = micropause underlining = stressed sound/syllable(s) [laughs] = paralinguistic feature Sarah: the way we teach hasnt changed in hundreds of years (2) a teacher standing...
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What examiners said

Candidates chiefly demonstrated sound familiarity with the purpose and conventions of a speech in an educational context. When presenting the opening of a speech, most candidates ensured their speeches began with a brief salutation (usually friendly e.g. ‘I am Bruce, the education officer, and I am so pleased to welcome you to the Cornwall Mining Museum …’) before conveying relevant information ef...
— Examiner report, October/November 2020, 9093/31 Q1(a) (Cambridge)

This question challenged candidates who did not attempt to analyse style and language or to directly compare different approaches and features in the two texts available to them. Quite a number of candidates sought to deal with each text separately, whereas an integrated approach would have been more effective. Integrated approaches were almost invariably used to good effect, with candidates clea...
— Examiner report, October/November 2020, 9093/31 Q1(b) (Cambridge)

As was the case for 1(b), candidates needed to analyse Text A and Text B in a comparative fashion in order to demonstrate a good appreciation of the techniques employed and awareness of the effects created. Some responses focussed heavily on the content of both texts and listing techniques. In such responses there was exhibited some recognition of the use of form and language to inform the readers...
— Examiner report, October/November 2020, 9093/31 Q2 (Cambridge)

Practise this topic

Answer these questions online and get each one marked against the official mark scheme, with what you missed and how to fix it.

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In the syllabus

1.1 Paper 1 Reading

Learners are encouraged to read widely throughout their programme of study, continually deepening their appreciation of an increasingly rich array of reading material.
They should develop an intimate knowledge and understanding of the conventions and discourses associated with a diverse range of genres, styles and contexts.
Furthermore, learners should continue to cultivate their personal relationship with reading, enabling them to respond reflectively, analytically, discursively and creatively, as is appropriate to the task or context.
Knowledge and understanding.
Candidates should be prepared to demonstrate Examples: knowledge and understanding of: • the conventions of a wide range of written • advertisements, brochures, leaflets, editorials, textual forms news stories, articles, reviews, blogs, investigative journalism, letters, podcasts, (auto)biographies, travel writing, diaries, essays, scripted speech, narrative writing, and descriptive writing.
• the linguistic elements and literary features of • parts of speech / word classes, vocabulary, texts figurative language, phonology, morphology, rhetorical devices, voice, aspect, tense, modality, narrative perspective, word ordering and sentence structure, paragraph- and text-level structure, formality/informality of tone, pragmatics.
• the significance of audience in both the design and reception of texts.
• the ways in which genre, purpose and context contribute to the meaning of texts.
Skills and techniques.
Candidates should be prepared to demonstrate the following skills and techniques:.
• reading a range of unseen texts • analysing the ways in which linguistic elements come together in a text to create meaning • recognising different nonfiction textual forms and their conventions • writing analytically about the effects produced by a range of linguistic elements and literary features • integrating individual analytical points into broader overall responses to texts • selecting and interpreting words and phrases from a text with care and precision • recognising and commenting on the overall style of a text, and exemplifying this through specific instances of language analysis • using quotations and evidence, with judgement, to produce precise, meaningful commentaries • using appropriate language to link quotations and evidence with explanatory comments • integrating quotations and evidence into a cohesive argument • writing short, directed pieces in response to a text • writing in the same style as another text • writing in a different style from a text at the same time as re-using the content/material • comparing the style and linguistic elements of their own writing with those of a given text.

1.2 Paper 2 Writing

Using their reading as inspiration, learners should explore and experiment with a similarly extensive variety of genres, styles and contexts in their writing.
In addition to refining their ability to express themselves with precision and clarity of purpose, learners should become increasingly reflective writers, capable of adapting the style of their writing to fit a diverse range of forms, audiences, purposes and contexts.
The knowledge and understanding that candidates are required to demonstrate in Paper 2 is the same as is covered in Paper 1.
Knowledge and understanding.
Candidates should be prepared to demonstrate Examples: knowledge and understanding of: • the conventions of a wide range of written • advertisements, brochures, leaflets, editorials, textual forms news stories, articles, reviews, blogs, investigative journalism, letters, podcasts, (auto)biographies, travel writing, diaries, essays, scripted speech, narrative writing, and descriptive writing.
• the linguistic elements and literary features of • parts of speech / word classes, vocabulary, texts figurative language, phonology, morphology, rhetorical devices, voice, aspect, tense, modality, narrative perspective, word ordering and sentence structure, paragraph- and text- level structure, formality/informality of tone, pragmatics.
Knowledge and understanding continued.
Candidates should be prepared to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:.
• the significance of audience in both the design and reception of texts.
• the ways in which genre, purpose and context contribute to the meaning of texts.
Skills and techniques.
Candidates should be prepared to demonstrate Examples: the following skills and techniques:.

1.3 Paper 3 Language Analysis

Learners should familiarise themselves with a comprehensive set of tools, strategies and conventions for studying language.
This should include the following: developing frameworks for analysing and comparing unseen texts; assimilating a range of appropriate technical terminology; assessing, evaluating and synthesising sources of evidence; carrying out independent research into language concepts; contextualising their views in relation to theories; and understanding language data presented in the form of transcripts, tables and graphs.
Section A: Language change In Section A, learners will explore how English has continually adapted to reflect changes in the social, cultural, political and technological contexts in which it has been used.
Learners will explore the causes and consequences of language change in English, developing their knowledge of the topic through research, analysis, and an understanding of conventional methods of presenting historical language data.
Knowledge and understanding.
Candidates should be prepared to demonstrate Examples: knowledge and understanding of: • the chronology and essential features of the • graphology, orthography, phonology, development of the English language from Early morphology, syntax, lexis, semantics, Modern English to Contemporary English pragmatics, grammar.
• concepts and terminology related to language • etymology, derivation, inflection, telescoping, change coalescence, acronym, conversion, compounding, backformation, blending, borrowing, amelioration, pejoration, broadening, narrowing.
• theories and theorists of language change • random fluctuation theory, cultural transmission theory, theory of lexical gaps, substratum theory, functional theory, tree and wave models.
• n-gram graphs representing changes in • comparisons of related words, parts of speech, language use over time inflections, collocations.
• word tables derived from corpus data • collocate lists, synonym lists.
Skills and techniques.
Candidates should be prepared to demonstrate the following skills and techniques:.

1.4 Paper 4 Language Topics

Throughout the syllabus, learners are encouraged to move beyond the practical application of English language, and to engage in a deeper consideration of a number of theoretical issues related to its use.
Learners should develop their ability to engage in discussion on how the diverse forms of English that exist across the world interact both with one another and with other languages, and, how language use contributes to the construction and development of the self.
For Paper 4, learners will study two key topics in the field of English language studies: ‘English in the world’ in Section A and ‘Language and the self’ in Section B.
Section A: English in the world In Section A, learners will explore the history of English as a ‘global’ language; the development of standard and nonstandard forms of English, including the varieties used by first-language users outside the UK; and ethical considerations related to the continuing expansion of English usage around the world.
Knowledge and understanding.
Candidates should be prepared to demonstrate Examples: knowledge and understanding of theories, theorists and studies relating to: • the historical development of English as a • colonialism, cultural influence and effects, ‘global’ language concentric circles model, multilingualism, the future of English.
• varieties of English • standard and nonstandard ‘Englishes’, creolisation, sociolect continuum, official and unofficial attitudes and policies.
• relevant ethical considerations • language shift and death, cultural imperialism, equality of opportunity, global cooperation.
Skills and techniques.
Candidates should be prepared to demonstrate the following skills and techniques:.
• reading and demonstrating critical understanding of unseen texts relating to ‘English in the world’ • selecting and analysing pertinent ideas and examples from the texts • relating these ideas and examples to theories, theorists and studies from their wider research in the relevant topic area • synthesising these considerations into a coherent analytical essay.
Section B: Language and the self In Section B, learners will explore how language allows us to communicate our sense of self to others, as well as playing a highly significant role in the ongoing construction, determination and development of that self.

Past papers, syllabus and examiner reports © UCLES (Cambridge University Press & Assessment). Questions are matched to topics from the official syllabus. AssessPro is independent and not endorsed by Cambridge.