Dealing with unfamiliar vocabulary

    AQA
    GCSE

    The systematic application of linguistic strategies to decode unseen lexis within target language texts. Candidates must demonstrate the ability to deduce meaning through morphological analysis, syntactic positioning, and contextual inference, rather than reliance on rote memorization. Mastery involves distinguishing between cognates and 'faux amis', identifying word families through radical and affix analysis, and utilizing grammatical logic to determine word class and function.

    0
    Objectives
    8
    Exam Tips
    7
    Pitfalls
    6
    Key Terms
    8
    Mark Points

    Subtopics in this area

    Dealing with unfamiliar vocabulary
    Dealing with unfamiliar vocabulary

    What You Need to Demonstrate

    Key skills and knowledge for this topic

    • Award marks for correct identification of meaning in comprehension tasks even if English expression is slightly clumsy, provided the core meaning is conveyed
    • Credit logical deductions based on grammatical cues, such as identifying a word as a verb due to specific endings
    • In Translation (AO4), award marks for conveying the core meaning through paraphrasing if the specific vocabulary item is unknown
    • Differentiate between 'sympathetic' translation that captures the essence and literal errors that distort meaning
    • Award marks for conveying the correct core meaning even if the English phrasing is clumsy, provided it is unambiguous
    • Credit responses that successfully identify the time frame (past, present, future) when decoding unfamiliar verbs
    • Reject answers that rely on 'false friends' (faux amis) where the meaning is distorted (e.g., translating 'actuellement' as 'actually')
    • Candidates must link the unfamiliar word to known grammatical markers (e.g., plural 's', feminine 'e') to determine the subject or object

    Example Examiner Feedback

    Real feedback patterns examiners use when marking

    • "You correctly identified the root word here; ensure you check the ending for the correct tense"
    • "Be careful with false friends; verify if the literal English translation makes sense in this context"
    • "Good use of context to guess the meaning; try to verify by checking the word class"
    • "In translation, if you don't know the word, paraphrase the idea rather than leaving a blank"
    • "You correctly identified the stem word; now look at the suffix to determine the word class"
    • "Avoid guessing based on visual similarity to English; use the context of the preceding sentence"
    • "Check the tense of the verb—your translation implies the present, but the auxiliary indicates the past"
    • "Good deduction of the general meaning, but ensure you capture the specific nuance of the negation"

    Marking Points

    Key points examiners look for in your answers

    • Award marks for correct identification of meaning in comprehension tasks even if English expression is slightly clumsy, provided the core meaning is conveyed
    • Credit logical deductions based on grammatical cues, such as identifying a word as a verb due to specific endings
    • In Translation (AO4), award marks for conveying the core meaning through paraphrasing if the specific vocabulary item is unknown
    • Differentiate between 'sympathetic' translation that captures the essence and literal errors that distort meaning
    • Award marks for conveying the correct core meaning even if the English phrasing is clumsy, provided it is unambiguous
    • Credit responses that successfully identify the time frame (past, present, future) when decoding unfamiliar verbs
    • Reject answers that rely on 'false friends' (faux amis) where the meaning is distorted (e.g., translating 'actuellement' as 'actually')
    • Candidates must link the unfamiliar word to known grammatical markers (e.g., plural 's', feminine 'e') to determine the subject or object

    Examiner Tips

    Expert advice for maximising your marks

    • 💡Identify the word class (noun, verb, adjective) of the unknown term before guessing its meaning
    • 💡Look for the root word within the unfamiliar term (e.g., deriving 'jardinage' from the known 'jardin')
    • 💡Use the preceding article or pronoun to determine gender and number, which can clarify meaning
    • 💡In Listening, focus on the speaker's tone of voice to determine positive or negative connotation when vocabulary is obscure
    • 💡Read the entire sentence to establish context before focusing on the isolated unknown word
    • 💡Identify cognates and near-cognates but verify them against the context of the passage
    • 💡Break down compound words or look for known stems (e.g., 'malheureusement' contains 'heureux')
    • 💡In Listening, use the tone of voice and intonation to deduce whether the unfamiliar vocabulary carries a positive or negative sentiment

    Common Mistakes

    Pitfalls to avoid in your exam answers

    • Translating false friends literally (e.g., 'actuellement' as 'actually' instead of 'currently')
    • Ignoring the tense or negation surrounding an unfamiliar verb, leading to comprehension errors
    • Confusing words with similar spellings but distinct meanings (e.g., 'cheveux' vs 'chevaux')
    • Leaving gaps in translation tasks rather than attempting a logical guess based on context
    • Translating 'faux amis' literally (e.g., 'monnaie' as 'money' instead of 'change', 'rester' as 'to rest' instead of 'to stay')
    • Ignoring negation markers surrounding unfamiliar words (e.g., 'ne... que', 'ne... plus'), leading to the opposite meaning
    • Failing to identify the word class (noun, verb, adjective) before attempting to guess the meaning

    Study Guide Available

    Comprehensive revision notes & examples

    Read Study Guide

    Key Terminology

    Essential terms to know

    Likely Command Words

    How questions on this topic are typically asked

    Translate
    Write
    Answer
    Identify
    Complete
    Describe
    Match

    Ready to test yourself?

    Practice questions tailored to this topic