Annotating prose extracts (language + structure)

Key steps (method)

• Track focus (what the description zooms in on) from start → middle → end.
• Underline strong verbs/adjectives/nouns and label connotations.
• Look for contrasts (light/dark, calm/violent, safety/danger) and patterns.
• Note 1–2 structural effects: zoom in/out, sentence length changes, withheld info.
• Write “so what”: what does this make the reader think/feel about the focus?

Common mistakes

• Summarising events instead of analysing choices.
• Writing vague effects (“makes it interesting”).
• Missing structure entirely.

Support videos

• AQA Language Paper 1 annotation search: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=aqa+language+paper+1+annotate+extract

Notes