Opinion Writing Technique

Paper 2 Section B of the AQA A-Level English Language specification (7702) requires you to write an opinion piece about a language discourse — a topic related to debates about language. This lesson covers the format, structure, strategies, and assessment criteria for this task.

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The Paper 2 Section B Task

In the exam, you will be given a statement or question about a language topic and asked to write an opinion article for a broadsheet newspaper or quality magazine. The task tests your ability to:

• Express a clear and well-argued opinion about a language discourse
• Use linguistic knowledge and evidence to support your argument
• Write in an appropriate register and style for the genre of opinion journalism
• Engage with counter-arguments and demonstrate awareness of multiple perspectives

Assessment Objectives

Paper 2 Section B is assessed against two assessment objectives:

AO	Description	What It Means
AO2	Demonstrate critical understanding of concepts and issues relevant to language use	Show that you understand the language discourse, know the key arguments and counter-arguments, and can cite relevant linguists, theories, and evidence
AO5	Demonstrate expertise and creativity in the use of English to communicate ideas	Write clearly, persuasively, and engagingly, using an appropriate register for opinion journalism; demonstrate control of grammar, vocabulary, and structure

Both AOs carry equal weight, so you need to demonstrate both linguistic knowledge (AO2) and writing skill (AO5).

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Planning Your Response

You will have approximately 45 minutes to plan and write your response (approximately 30 marks, out of 100 for the whole paper). Effective planning is crucial.

Step 1: Identify Your Position

Read the statement or question carefully and decide what your position is. You have several options:

Position Type	Description	Suitability
Strongly agree	You wholeheartedly support the statement	Can work well if you have abundant evidence, but risks being one-sided
Strongly disagree	You fundamentally reject the statement	Can work well if you can dismantle the argument systematically
Largely agree, with reservations	You broadly support the statement but acknowledge complexities	Often the most nuanced and sophisticated position
Largely disagree, with concessions	You broadly reject the statement but acknowledge some valid points	Also nuanced and sophisticated
It depends	You argue that the answer depends on context, definitions, or specific circumstances	Can be very effective if well-structured, but risks seeming evasive

The most effective responses typically take a clear position while demonstrating awareness of the complexity of the issue. Avoid sitting on the fence — the examiners want to hear your opinion.

Step 2: Gather Your Evidence

Before you start writing, mentally list the linguistic knowledge you can bring to bear:

• Key linguists and their arguments (Crystal, Cameron, Trudgill, Pinker, Labov, Phillipson, etc.)
• Key theories and concepts (Sapir-Whorf, verbal hygiene, linguistic capital, matched guise, etc.)
• Key examples and case studies (specific instances of the language debate playing out in the media, education, or public life)
• Counter-arguments you will need to address

Step 3: Plan Your Structure

A clear structure is essential. A typical opinion piece might follow this pattern:

1. Opening — A strong, engaging opening that introduces the topic and signals your position
2. Argument 1 — Your strongest or most important argument, supported by evidence
3. Argument 2 — Your second argument, with evidence
4. Counter-argument and rebuttal — Acknowledge the strongest opposing argument and explain why your position is still more compelling
5. Argument 3 — A further argument or a development of your position
6. Conclusion — A strong closing that restates your position and leaves the reader with something to think about

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Writing Your Opening

The opening of your opinion piece is crucial — it needs to hook the reader, introduce the topic, and signal your position. Several opening strategies work well:

Provocative Statement

Start with a bold claim that immediately engages the reader:

"The apostrophe is the most overrated piece of punctuation in the English language, and the army of pedants dedicated to its defence are fighting a battle that was lost centuries ago."

Anecdote or Scenario

Start with a specific, vivid example that illustrates the issue:

"Last week, a friend of mine was rejected for a job after a telephone interview. Her qualifications were excellent, her experience was extensive, and her answers were articulate and well-informed. The problem, she was told by a sympathetic insider, was her accent. She sounds too Brummie."

Rhetorical Question

Start with a question that draws the reader into the debate:

"If a child arrives at school speaking fluent, grammatically complex, richly expressive English — but not Standard English — should we tell them they are speaking incorrectly?"

Challenging a Common Assumption

Start by identifying and questioning a widely held belief:

"It is an article of faith among a certain kind of commentator that texting is destroying the English language. This claim has been made so often, in so many opinion columns and television debates, that it has acquired the status of received wisdom. It is also completely wrong."

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Using Linguistic Evidence

The most important difference between a strong and a weak response is the quality and quantity of linguistic evidence. Your opinion piece should be packed with evidence drawn from your study of language:

Citing Linguists

Refer to specific linguists and their work:

"As David Crystal demonstrates in Txtng: The Gr8 Db8 (2008), the vast majority of text messages are written in perfectly standard English — the image of young people communicating entirely in abbreviations and emoji is a media myth."

"The sociolinguist Peter Trudgill has argued persuasively that Standard English is simply one dialect among many, and that treating it as the only correct form of English is a social judgement, not a linguistic one."

Using Research Evidence

Cite specific research findings: