Home > Subjects > English > English level 2 > 2.6 Unfamiliar texts > Achievement criteria > Terminology
- Subject: English
- AS: 90380
- Level: 2
- Credits: 3
- External
2.6 Read unfamiliar texts and analyse the ideas and language features
Terminology
Here are explanations for terminology used in the achievement criteria for this achievement standard. They are grouped by level of achievement.
On this page: Achievement | Achievement with Merit | Achievement with Excellence
Achievement
Analyse means to break down and thoroughly examine the features of a text in order to understand the language and structure used to communicate ideas. Through analysis you are able to select specific aspects of the text to discuss and evaluate their effectiveness in communicating the writer's purpose. Your detailed discussion should be clear, logical, and respond to the question.
Idea
- An idea may be thoughts, feelings, senses, and/or experiences, an opinion on a topic, facts, or information. Ideas are expressed through language features and style suitable to the text type and audience.
- Style is the way a text sounds and looks due to the choices made by the writer such as narrative point of view and language features. Style may include informal (creative) or formal language depending on the purpose and audience of the text. For example a teenage audience would most probably find modern colloquial language and bold contrasting colours more appealing than an older audience would.
Language features are the techniques that a writer has used to add meaning and interest to their work. This could include word choice, use of deliberately crafted language, the structure, or layout of the written text; production features such as colour, contrast, and size for visual text; volume and emphasis for oral text. Discussion of aspects such as theme(s), characterisation, setting, context (social, political, or historical), and positioning of the reader will help show analysis of language features.
Achievement with Merit
Discuss the effects means you recognise and appreciate how a writer or creator has used appropriate language techniques to give a certain feeling, tone, or message in their work. Your explanation will go beyond the obvious by discussing how the language feature works in a specific context and show an awareness of the author's purpose and target audience.
Achievement with Excellence
Convincingly analyse means your answer leaves no doubt that you fully understand the wider meaning of the text, you have explored less obvious angles by making connections between the feature and the purpose of the text, and your answer is mature, precise, or persuasive.
