## **Learning Outcomes**

By the end of this revision, you should be able to identify and compare writers’ attitudes and purposes across two non-fiction texts, and analyse the language and structural methods used to convey viewpoints clearly and convincingly (AO3 and AO2).

## **AQA GCSE English Language 8700 Syllabus**

Paper 2 (1 hour 45 minutes, 80 marks) tests your ability to read two unseen non-fiction texts (often from different time periods) and compare viewpoints and methods across them.

- AO2: Analyse how writers use language and structure to influence readers
- AO3: Compare writers' ideas and perspectives and how they are conveyed
- Paper 2 Question 4: compare attitudes + methods across both sources (16 marks, ~20 minutes) — the highest-value reading question

## **Test Your Knowledge**

_Answer without looking back at your notes._

1. What is the difference between a writer’s _attitude_ and their _purpose_?
2. Name three language methods that can reveal a writer’s viewpoint.
3. Name two structural methods that can shape a reader’s response.
4. Why is it risky to write about one text for a whole paragraph in Question 4?
5. What does it mean to make an “integrated comparison”?

## **Introduction**

In Paper 2 Question 4, you are comparing two writers’ viewpoints. That means you must do two things at once: explain _what_ each writer thinks and feels (their attitude), and analyse _how_ they communicate it (their methods). Strong answers keep linking back to the question and keep both texts in play.

> **Key Term: attitude**
> A writer's stance or feeling towards the subject (e.g. amused, angry, admiring, critical).
>
> **Key Term: purpose**
> What the writer wants to achieve (e.g. inform, persuade, entertain, argue).
>
> **Key Term: perspective**
> A writer's viewpoint or way of seeing an issue, shaped by their values and experience.

Often, a text has more than one purpose: travel writing might inform with facts but also entertain with vivid description.

## **Understanding attitudes and purposes across texts**

Attitude and purpose are closely linked, but they are not the same. A writer might have a negative attitude while still aiming to entertain, or a positive attitude while aiming to persuade.

A quick way to separate them:

- Attitude = _tone + judgement_ (What do they think? How do they feel?)
- Purpose = _intended effect_ (What do they want the reader to think/feel/do?)

For example, an opinion column about an insurance company might sound polite on the surface but actually be mocking. The purpose is to entertain and criticise; the attitude is scornful.

### **Worked Example 1.1**

**Text idea:** A writer describes phoning an insurance company and calls waiting on hold “twenty thrilling minutes”.

- Attitude: sarcastic and frustrated (the adjective “thrilling” clearly doesn’t match the situation).
- Purpose: to entertain the reader while criticising poor customer service.
- Method (AO2): irony through mismatched vocabulary (“thrilling”) and exaggerated politeness (“lofty ambition”).
- Comparison move (AO3): if the second text on a similar topic used blunt complaint instead, you could compare _sarcasm vs direct anger_ as different methods to achieve criticism.

### **Exam Warning**

**Do not** just label the purpose as "to persuade" for every text. Examiners consistently criticise this as a common mistake in their reports. Some texts mainly inform, some mainly entertain, and many do both. Always prove purpose using methods and effects. Also remember that both sources must appear in every paragraph for top-band marks (Level 4, 13–16 marks). A paragraph about only one source cannot reach the highest level.

## **Comparing attitudes: what to look for (tone, stance, values)**

To compare attitudes effectively, zoom in on:

- Tone (humorous, earnest, nostalgic, outraged, detached)
- Stance (supportive vs critical; hopeful vs cynical)
- Values (what the writer seems to believe matters)

Look for “tells” in the writing:

- Emotive language (“wretched”, “condemn”)
- Intensifiers (“absolute”, “incredibly”)
- Modality (certainty vs doubt: “must” vs “might”)
- Direct address (“you”, “Residents…”)
- Rhetorical questions (challenging the reader)

### **Worked Example 2.1**

**Text idea A (travel writing):** “tranquillity” of the baths; “convert even the most apprehensive”.
**Text idea B (event listing):** “performance… at 7.30 pm on December 12th”.

- Attitude in A: approving and reassuring (the writer values calm and comfort).
- Purpose in A: inform + entice (facts about “eight thermal pools” but framed to persuade).
- Attitude in B: neutral and practical.
- Purpose in B: purely inform (time, place, event).
- Methods comparison:
  - A uses positive evaluative vocabulary (“tranquillity”, “luxuriate”) to shape attitude.
  - B uses factual detail and a plain register to stay objective.

This is a strong AO3 comparison because it links _attitude_ to _method_ and _purpose_.

## **Comparing methods: language choices that reveal viewpoint (AO2)**

When you compare methods, avoid feature-spotting. Instead, connect technique to viewpoint and reader effect.

Useful method areas:

- Word choice (evaluative adjectives, loaded nouns)
- Figurative language (metaphor, simile, personification)
- Irony and sarcasm
- Sentence types (short sentences for emphasis; long sentences for overwhelm)
- Lists (to intensify, to show scale, to sound factual)
- Dialogue (to reveal personality or create realism)

> **Key Term: irony**
> Saying one thing while meaning the opposite, often to criticise or mock.
>
> **Key Term: sarcasm**
> A sharper, more aggressive form of irony, often directed at a specific target.
>
> **Key Term: semantic field**
> A group of words related to the same theme or concept (e.g. "ripping", "shredding" = destruction).

### **Worked Example 3.1**

**Text idea:** A narrator reacts to betrayal: “How dare they!” and “ripping, shredding”.

- Attitude: furious and wronged.
- Purpose: to immerse the reader in emotional intensity (and possibly gain sympathy).
- Methods:
  - Exclamative (“How dare they!”) shows outrage.
  - Violent verb choices (“ripping”, “shredding”) create a semantic field of destruction.
  - Listing of verbs builds momentum, mirroring loss of control.
- Comparison move: if the other text about conflict used calm, detached phrasing, you could compare _raw emotion vs controlled restraint_ and explain how each shapes the reader’s judgement.

### **Revision Tip**

When analysing a quotation, use this chain:
**method → meaning → effect → link to attitude/purpose → compare**.  
If you miss the final two steps, you lose AO3 marks.

## **Comparing methods: structural choices across whole texts (AO2 + AO3)**

Paper 2 Question 4 expects you to consider the whole text, not just a single paragraph. Structure can reveal attitude by controlling what the reader learns first, what is emphasised, and how the ending positions us.

Structural methods to compare:

- Openings (hook, scene-setting, direct argument)
- Shifts (from description to reflection; from personal to general)
- Contrast (between past and present; between people)
- Endings (resolution, warning, call to action)

### **Worked Example 4.1**

**Text idea:** A story ending about an elderly woman revisiting the sea: “she knew there wouldn’t be a next visit”.

- Attitude: tender and accepting (a calm, reflective viewpoint on ageing).
- Purpose: to move the reader; to create a sense of closure.
- Structural method:
  - The text shifts from present-day observation to childhood memory and back again, creating contrast.
  - The ending narrows to a quiet realisation, leaving a lasting emotional impact.
- Comparison move: if the other text ended with a demand or challenge (e.g. a speech urging action), compare _reflective closure vs persuasive call-to-action_ and explain how structure supports each purpose.

## **Summary**

To score highly on Paper 2 Question 4 (16 marks), you must compare both writers' attitudes and purposes and analyse the language and structural methods used to convey them. The best responses — described by examiners as "perceptive" — make integrated comparisons, use short quotations (1–6 words), select "judicious" details from both texts, and keep linking method to viewpoint and reader effect.

## **Key Point Checklist**

_Use this before you hand in a practice answer._

- I identified each writer’s attitude using tone and judgement.
- I stated each writer’s purpose and supported it with evidence.
- I compared methods (language and structure), not just ideas.
- I used short, precise quotations from both texts.
- I made integrated comparisons using linking phrases (e.g. “whereas”, “similarly”).
- I linked every method to an effect on the reader and to viewpoint.

## **Key Terms and Concepts**

- attitude
- purpose
- perspective
- viewpoint
- tone
- register
- irony
- sarcasm
- emotive language
- rhetorical question
- direct address
- modality
- semantic field
- structural shift
- contrast
- synthesis


Comparing perspectives and methods - Writers' attitudes and purposes across texts