How long should my original writing piece be?

The original writing piece typically should be around 750-1000 words, but check your specific exam board guidelines. The commentary is usually longer, around 1000-1500 words. The key is to produce a text that is substantial enough to analyse meaningfully, but not so long that you cannot cover all linguistic features in your commentary.

Can I write a script for a speech or a dialogue?

Yes, you can choose any genre as long as it allows you to demonstrate a range of linguistic features. Speeches, dialogues, blog posts, and advertisements are popular choices. Ensure your chosen genre has clear conventions that you can manipulate and discuss in your commentary.

What if I don't understand a linguistic theory mentioned in class?

Focus on the theories you do understand and can apply confidently. It's better to use a few frameworks thoroughly (e.g., Grice's maxims, Halliday's functions of language) than to mention many superficially. Use your textbook or ask your teacher for clarification on specific terms.

How do I link my original writing to the commentary?

In your commentary, refer directly to specific sentences or phrases from your writing. For example, 'In line 5, I used a compound sentence to create a sense of urgency, which aligns with the persuasive purpose.' Use quotations from your text and explain the linguistic choice and its intended effect.

Is it okay to use a text I've written for another subject?

No, your coursework must be original and produced specifically for this assessment. Using a text from another subject could be considered self-plagiarism and may not meet the requirements for demonstrating your linguistic knowledge in this context.

What are the most common mistakes in the commentary?

Common mistakes include describing rather than analysing (e.g., 'I used a metaphor' without explaining why), lacking a clear structure, and failing to evaluate the effectiveness of choices. Also, avoid making claims without evidence from your text. Always link back to your purpose and audience.

How to Revise Coursework: Language in Action — Cambridge OCR A-Level ESOL & Literacy

Produce a piece of original writing. Reflect on writing choices

Examiner Tips for Coursework: Language in Action

Plan your original writing by first establishing your audience and purpose, then selecting genre conventions and stylistic devices to suit
In the commentary, use linguistic terminology accurately to explain and justify choices, showing depth of analysis
Keep a writing log during the drafting process to record decisions and changes, which will strengthen reflection
For the original piece, demonstrate a range of sentence structures and vocabulary appropriate to the genre to showcase control

Common Mistakes in Coursework: Language in Action

Focusing solely on describing the content rather than analysing the writing process and linguistic choices
Neglecting to link writing choices explicitly to intended effects on the reader
Producing a piece that does not clearly match the stated audience and purpose
Writing a commentary that is purely descriptive (telling what was done) rather than evaluative and reflective

Key Marking Points

Award credit for clear identification of target audience and purpose in the reflective commentary
Credit given for effective use of rhetorical devices appropriate to the genre
Evidence of deliberate control of sentence structures to create specific effects should be rewarded
In the commentary, points should be supported with precise textual references from the original writing
Recognition of how lexical choices reflect contextual factors (e.g., formality, register) gains marks

← Back to Cambridge OCR A-Level ESOL & Literacy

Coursework: Language in Action

CAMBRIDGE-OCR

A-Level

The 'Original Writing' element requires learners to produce a sustained piece of original writing in a chosen form (e.g., narrative, article, script) and a reflective commentary. This process develops and assesses the ability to craft language for specific audiences and purposes, make deliberate stylistic choices, and critically analyse one's own writing methods, linking theory to practice in a vocational context such as journalism, publishing, or content creation.

Objectives

Exam Tips

Pitfalls

Key Terms

Mark Points

Topic Overview

Coursework: Language in Action is a core component of the Cambridge OCR A-Level in ESOL & Literacy, designed to develop your ability to analyse and produce language in real-world contexts. This topic focuses on the practical application of linguistic theories to authentic texts, such as speeches, advertisements, or conversations, and requires you to create your own piece of original writing with a critical commentary. By engaging with this coursework, you will deepen your understanding of how language functions to persuade, inform, or entertain, and how it reflects social and cultural identities. This unit is essential because it bridges theoretical knowledge from other parts of the course—like language variation and discourse analysis—with hands-on, creative production, preparing you for both academic study and professional communication.

Why does this matter? In an increasingly text-saturated world, the ability to deconstruct and craft effective language is invaluable. For your A-Level, this coursework counts towards your final grade, testing not just your analytical skills but also your creativity and self-reflection. You will learn to identify linguistic features such as register, tone, and rhetorical devices, and evaluate their impact on an audience. Moreover, the critical commentary trains you to think metacognitively about your own writing choices, a skill that transfers to any field requiring clear, purposeful communication. Within the wider subject, this topic consolidates your learning from units on language and power, gender, and technology, showing how these concepts play out in real texts.

To succeed, you must approach this coursework as a mini-research project: select a text or theme that genuinely interests you, apply appropriate linguistic frameworks (e.g., pragmatics, systemic functional grammar), and produce a commentary that is both analytical and reflective. The best submissions show a clear link between your original writing and the theories you've studied, demonstrating that you can move from being a consumer to a producer of language. Expect to spend significant time drafting and redrafting, as the commentary requires precise evidence and justification. This is your chance to showcase your linguistic intuition and academic rigour.

Key Concepts

Core ideas you must understand for this topic

→Register and Genre: Understanding how language varies according to context (formal/informal, spoken/written) and the conventions of different text types (e.g., a persuasive speech vs. a blog post).
→Rhetorical Devices: Techniques like ethos, pathos, logos, repetition, and metaphor that shape meaning and persuade audiences.
→Audience and Purpose: Analysing how texts are designed for specific readers/listeners and to achieve particular goals (e.g., to inform, entertain, or call to action).
→Critical Commentary: A reflective analysis of your own writing, explaining linguistic choices and linking them to theories studied (e.g., Grice's maxims, politeness theory).
→Discourse Structure: How texts are organised at macro-level (e.g., narrative arc, argument structure) and micro-level (e.g., cohesion, sentence types).

What You Need to Demonstrate

Key skills and knowledge for this topic

Award credit for clear identification of target audience and purpose in the reflective commentary
Credit given for effective use of rhetorical devices appropriate to the genre
Evidence of deliberate control of sentence structures to create specific effects should be rewarded
In the commentary, points should be supported with precise textual references from the original writing
Recognition of how lexical choices reflect contextual factors (e.g., formality, register) gains marks

Marking Points

Key points examiners look for in your answers

Award credit for clear identification of target audience and purpose in the reflective commentary
Credit given for effective use of rhetorical devices appropriate to the genre
Evidence of deliberate control of sentence structures to create specific effects should be rewarded
In the commentary, points should be supported with precise textual references from the original writing
Recognition of how lexical choices reflect contextual factors (e.g., formality, register) gains marks

Examiner Tips

Expert advice for maximising your marks

💡Plan your original writing by first establishing your audience and purpose, then selecting genre conventions and stylistic devices to suit
💡In the commentary, use linguistic terminology accurately to explain and justify choices, showing depth of analysis
💡Keep a writing log during the drafting process to record decisions and changes, which will strengthen reflection
💡For the original piece, demonstrate a range of sentence structures and vocabulary appropriate to the genre to showcase control
💡Tip 1: Start your commentary with a clear introduction that outlines your text's purpose, audience, and context. Then, organise the body by linguistic framework (e.g., lexis, grammar, phonology) rather than by paragraph of your text. This shows systematic analysis.
💡Tip 2: Use specific examples from your writing in the commentary, and always explain the intended effect. For instance, 'I used a rhetorical question here to engage the audience and create a conversational tone, drawing on the concept of involvement strategies.'
💡Tip 3: Show awareness of alternative choices. For example, 'I chose a formal register to establish authority, but I could have used colloquial language to build rapport. I decided against this because my purpose was to persuade a professional audience.' This demonstrates critical thinking.

Common Mistakes

Pitfalls to avoid in your exam answers

Focusing solely on describing the content rather than analysing the writing process and linguistic choices
Neglecting to link writing choices explicitly to intended effects on the reader
Producing a piece that does not clearly match the stated audience and purpose
Writing a commentary that is purely descriptive (telling what was done) rather than evaluative and reflective
Misconception: The original writing piece must be 'perfect' or highly literary. Correction: Examiners value thoughtful, purposeful writing that demonstrates awareness of linguistic choices, not necessarily flawless prose. A simple text with clear, justified decisions can score highly.
Misconception: The commentary is just a description of what you did. Correction: The commentary must be analytical and evaluative, explaining why you made certain choices and how they align with linguistic theories. Avoid mere summary; instead, discuss alternatives and their effects.
Misconception: You can reuse a text you've analysed in class. Correction: Your original writing must be your own work, and the text you analyse (if using a stimulus) should be different from those studied in lessons to demonstrate independent application.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions students ask about this topic

Before You Start

Prior knowledge that will help with this topic

•Language Frameworks: A solid understanding of lexis, semantics, grammar, phonology, and discourse analysis, as you will apply these in your commentary.
•Language and Power/Identity: Familiarity with how language reflects social factors (e.g., gender, class, ethnicity) helps in analysing context and audience.
•Textual Analysis: Experience in analysing a variety of texts (e.g., transcripts, articles, ads) using linguistic terminology, as this skill is directly transferable to your own writing analysis.

Key Terminology

Essential terms to know

Creative text production
Audience and purpose analysis
Stylistic and linguistic choices
Genre conventions
Reflective analysis
Drafting and revision process

Ready to test yourself?

Practice questions tailored to this topic