Back to subject papers

9670 · Oxford AQA International AS Level

9670/21

Paper 2

English Language · Winter 2025 · Variant 1

Relative difficulty

Standard · 3.4/5

Analysis source: Oxford AQA

Analysis aligned to the official syllabus and assessment design.

Relative difficulty

3.4 / 5

Total marks

100

Duration

240 min

Most tested topic

Language variation, context, and social groups

Cohort performance

Session statistics from official examination reports

Total marks

100

Duration

240 min

Session difficulty

3.4 / 5

Key examiner messages

Top priorities from the principal examiner before you revise

1

A comprehensive evaluation of the January 2025 AS English Language series (Units 1 and 2), testing comparative textual analysis, creative directed writing, power dynamics, and conceptual essays on social factors.

Question difficulty map

How candidates performed on each question in this series

No data available in official reports

Assessment objectives

Skill and AO weighting from official examiner commentary

Linguistic Terminology5
Contextual &3
Creative &2
Evaluation1

Skill weighting

Shows the skill mix this paper tested most heavily.

Linguistic TerminologyLinguisticTerminologyContextual &Contextual &Creative &Creative &EvaluationEvaluation
SkillWeightShare
  • Linguistic Terminology

    Weight: 5100%
  • Contextual &

    Weight: 360%
  • Creative &

    Weight: 240%
  • Evaluation

    Weight: 120%

Method marks watchlist

Where working, steps, or method marks were commonly lost

No data available in official reports

Recurring mistakes across years

Themes examiners flag in multiple recent sessions for this subject

No data available in official reports

Question choice intelligence

Mean scores and popularity for optional questions (HKDSE electives)

No data available in official reports

Level exemplars

What candidate scripts at each grade level looked like

No data available in official reports

Grade & admission context

How marks relate to grade thresholds and entry standards

Report type

Examiner report — national grade boundaries and question-level commentary

Level A

Approx. 80% of maximum mark

Level B

Approx. 70% of maximum mark

Level C

Approx. 60% of maximum mark

Level D

Approx. 50% of maximum mark

Level E

Approx. 40% of maximum mark

Deep insights

What top candidates did

Techniques and approaches examiners rewarded in this series

No data available in official reports

Command word playbook

How to match each command word to the expected response style

ExamineFrequency: 2

Match the expected response style for “Examine” questions.

WriteFrequency: 2

Match the expected response style for “Write” questions.

farFrequency: 1

Match the expected response style for “far” questions.

ConsiderFrequency: 1

Match the expected response style for “Consider” questions.

Time traps

Sections where candidates spent disproportionate time relative to marks

No data available in official reports

Syllabus traceability

Topics linked to questions and mark weighting in this session

Understanding texts

25 marks this session

Directed writing

25 marks this session

Language and social groups: texts

25 marks this session

Language and social groups: writing

25 marks this session

MCQ trap analytics

Commonly chosen wrong options from examiner commentary

No data available in official reports

Topic heatmap across years

Mark concentration by topic and exam year for this subject

Mark intensity

LowHigh
Topic
2023
2024
2025
Σ

Understanding texts (Language and context)

25
25
25
75

Directed writing (Language and context)

25
25
25
75

Language and social groups: texts (Language and society)

25
25
25
75

Language and social groups: writing (Language and society)

25
25
25
75

Understanding texts

25
25

Directed writing

25
25

Language and social groups: texts

25
25

Language and social groups: writing

25
25

Paper comparison

Marks and duration breakdown across papers in this session

Unit 1: Language and context: Unit 2: Language and society:

50 marks120 min

Marks you can still earn

Where valid approaches outside the mark scheme may still gain credit

No data available in official reports

Practise what examiners flagged

Target weak topics from this report inside the Revui app

Self-diagnostic checklist

Key actions before you sit this paper — copy and tick off as you revise

  • 1Message

    A comprehensive evaluation of the January 2025 AS English Language series (Units 1 and 2), testing comparative textual analysis, creative directed writing, power dynamics, and conceptual essays on social factors.

Teacher briefing pack

One-page session summary for tutors and classroom review

Winter 2025 2025

English Language

A comprehensive evaluation of the January 2025 AS English Language series (Units 1 and 2), testing comparative textual analysis, creative directed writing, power dynamics, and conceptual essays on social factors.

  • A comprehensive evaluation of the January 2025 AS English Language series (Units 1 and 2), testing comparative textual analysis, creative directed writing, power dynamics, and conceptual essays on social factors.

Total marks
100
Duration
240 min
Session difficulty
3.4 / 5

Session analysis

A comprehensive evaluation of the January 2025 AS English Language series (Units 1 and 2), testing comparative textual analysis, creative directed writing, power dynamics, and conceptual essays on social factors.

Updated Jun 12, 2026

Paper breakdown

Unit 1: Language and context: Unit 2: Language and society:

50 marks120 min

Top chapters

Understanding texts25 marks
Directed writing25 marks
Language and social groups: texts25 marks
Language and social groups: writing25 marks

Exam structure insights

Marks by chapter

See where the marks were concentrated so revision time goes to the highest-value topics.

Understanding texts25 marks
Directed writing25 marks
Language and social groups: tex25 marks
Language and social groups: wri25 marks

Mark accessibility

Estimate which marks were basic, mid-level, or high-difficulty.

80% within easy or medium reach

35
45
20
Easy: 35 marksMedium: 45 marksHard: 20 marks

Command word frequency

Spot common command words so answers match the expected response style.

Examine2 times
Write2 times
far1 times
Consider1 times

Question type mix

Compare the mark share of each paper section and question type.

100Marks
  • Textual Analysis

    (Comparative / Single-text)

    50·2·50%

  • Directed Writing

    (Leaflet/Talk)

    25·1·25%

  • Analytical Essay

    (Language and society)

    25·1·25%

Study ROI

Bigger bubbles recur more often; higher bubbles carry more marks, helping you rank revision priorities.

DifficultyRecurrence %Directed Writing F…Comparative Textua…Power Dynamics and…Sociolinguistic Es…

Difficulty trend

Compare difficulty across recent years.

3.820213.520223.520233.420243.42025

Cumulative marks ladder

The line is your running mark total question by question; dashed lines are the estimated grade cut-offs. See which question the line crosses your target grade at, so you know how far you must answer cleanly and which questions decide a band.

0255075100A estimatedB estimatedC estimatedD estimatedE estimatedU estimated255075100

Next-year prediction

Topics worth watching next year, with the reason shown directly below each bar.

Gender and Language Use

85%

85%

Occupational English and Power Structures

80%

80%

Language and Age/Adolescence

75%

75%

Analysis is paraphrased for study purposes. Always verify against the official examiner report and mark scheme.

9670/21 — Oxford AQA International AS Level English Language (Winter 2025) | Revui