AQA Paper 2 Source A: Prior knowledge

AQA Paper 2 Source A: ‘Could you do your child’s homework?’

For an overview of my quest see this post.

This is my analysis of the first source from the AQA Specimen Insert for Paper 2: ‘Could you do your child’s homework?’.  I am trying to identify the prior knowledge needed for comprehension of the text.

Tier Two words

I haven’t used any particular lists to decide what a Tier Two word is (I’m still waiting for my copy of Bringing Words to Life to arrive).  I used the rough definition that Tier Two words are those we are mostly likely to encounter in written texts rather than spoken.   

Tier Two words
academic	announced	assignment	attempts	attention
available	baffled	childhood	chilly	conga
dragging	dread	educate	efforts	emptiness
especially	expand	experimenting	finely	firmly
flunked	Google	grades	humiliation	idleness
imposition	increasingly	Jay	manage	marks
memories	merry	mickey	mocking	nosebleed
obscure	powers	received	refuses	remorselessly
ruined	scenario	seep	sense	setback
shamelessly	single	slapping	solidarity	straightforward
tough	typical	voice	website	weeds
weighed	whether	wondering	worth	wrench

 

A search on the British National Corpus then showed the frequency of these words in the corpus and in which kind of texts they appear.   (Details of these searches are show in the tables in the appendices at the end of the blog.)

Fiction

The corpus searches seem to show that, even for this non-fiction text, the reading of fiction gives the best chance of having encountered these words before.   In total 22 out of 57 words from the Tier Two list, that appeared in the corpus, were most frequently found in fiction.  12 out of the 19 most unusual words (least frequently occurring in the corpus) are usually found in fiction – this goes up to 13 if I changed ‘seep’  to ‘seeped’ and ‘seeping’ – then the frequencies changed to being predominantly from fiction. 

Other contexts

Academic text was quite dominant as a context in which these Tier Two words were found.  I’m not sure if this is because of the topic of the text (homework) or if 13 out of 57 is usual.

Newspapers and magazines, at 11 out of 57 were less frequent as contexts than I would expect for an article – again I’m not sure if this is typical.

Surprising findings

·         Nosebleed got a surprising low score (even if I added ‘nose bleed’ – which gets an additional 6 frequency hits making 13 in total), but I do not think that this would not be a problem word for most students.

·         Flunked (flunk gets a frequency of 4, flunking gets 1) this is a North American word so would be interesting to see if students are more familiar with this than the corpus suggests through film, television and new media. 

Phrases/images/idioms

I identified 6 phrases in the extract that needed to be understood as a whole rather than just as individual words.

Phrases      In the weeds  weighed down merry dance                                                                                                                                          wrench things out memories of homework came flooding back                                                                           take the mickey

 

Fiction

Fiction texts dominated as the most frequent source for these phrases.  The phrase ‘in the weeds’ was not very frequently used at all, especially in its metaphorical sense.  Neither were ‘merry dance’ or the idea to ‘wrench things out’ – I think all these phrases are key to understanding how the writer felt about the homework.

Next Steps

I will analyse Source B in the same way.

I would really like to compare year 11 students’ knowledge of these words and phrases to the BNC findings.  Do the least frequently occurring words correspond to those that are not understood?  It would also be interesting to find out whether or not knowledge of these words and phrases corresponds to performance on the paper.

If I design some vocabulary tests based on these words would anybody else be interested in using them with their classes?

 (PS – I am new to both blogging and research so any constructive criticism or corrections very welcome J.) 

Appendices

Tier Two word list in alphabetical order:

Tier 2 Word	Type of word – in context	British National Corpus Frequency	Largest context:
academic	Adjective	4762	Academic
Announced	Verb	9853	Non-academic
Assignment	Noun	1129	Academic
attempts	Verb	5066	Academic
attention	Noun	13186	Academic
available	Adjective	26664	Misc
baffled	Verb	318	Fiction/closely followed by newspaper
Childhood	Noun	2751	Fiction and misc
Chilly	Adjective	335	Fiction
Conga	Given a definition in the glossary on the insert	13	Spoken
Dragging	Verb	684	Fiction
Dread	Noun	551	Fiction
Educate	Verb	364	Non-academic (but quite even except fiction)
Efforts	Noun	5430	Non-academic
Emptiness	Noun	300	Fiction
Especially	Adverb	17144	Academic
expand	Verb	1726	Non-academic
Experimenting	Verb	311	Magazine
finely	Adverb	678	Magazine
firmly	Adverb	3793	Fiction
flunked	Verb	10	Magazine
Google	Proper noun	Doesn’t appear in corpus
grades	Noun	831	academic
Humiliation	Noun	557	fiction
Idleness	Noun	149	fiction
Imposition	Noun	670	Academic and non-academic about the same
Increasingly	Adverb	6494	Academic
Jay	Proper noun	Doesn’t appear in corpus
Manage	Verb	3903	fiction
marks	Noun	4301	Newspaper
Memories	Noun	2498	Fiction
merry	Adjective	504	Fiction
Mickey	noun	4952	Spoken and Newspaper
Mocking	Adjective	409	Fiction
Nosebleed	Noun	7	Fiction
Obscure	Verb	1159	Academic
Pac-Men	Given a definition in the glossary on the insert	Doesn’t appear in corpus
powers	Noun	6710	Academic
Received	Verb	12882	Misc, then newspaper
refuses	Verb	725	Newspaper
Remorselessly	Adverb	67	Fiction
ruined	Verb	1070	Fiction
Scenario	Noun	714	Spoken
seep	Verb	104	magazine
sense	Noun	21190	Academic
setback	Noun	381	Newspaper
Shamelessly	Adverb	68	Fiction
single	Adjective	17649	Magazine
Slapping	Verb	216	Fiction
Solidarity	Noun	1026	Non-academic
Straightforward	Adjective	1926	academic
tough	Adjective	3073	Newspaper
typical	Adjective	4737	Academic
voice	Noun	23205	Fiction and newspaper
Website	Noun	Doesn’t appear in corpus
weeds	Noun	549	Magazine
Weighed	Verb	6304	Fiction (just pretty equal)
Whether	Conjunction	281240	Academic and spoken
Wondering	Verb	18320	Fiction
worth	Adjective	95024	Newspaper and magazine
wrench	Verb	1424	Fiction

 

Tier Two word list in frequency order:

Word	Type of word – in context	British National Corpus Frequency	Largest context:
Whether	Conjunction	281240	Academic and spoken
Worth	Adjective	95024	Newspaper and magazine
Available	Adjective	26664	Misc
Voice	Noun	23205	Fiction and newspaper
Sense	Noun	21190	Academic
Wondering	Verb	18320	Fiction
Single	Adjective	17649	Magazine
Especially	Adverb	17144	Academic
Attention	Noun	13186	Academic
Received	Verb	12882	Misc, then newspaper
Announced	Verb	9853	Non-academic
Powers	Noun	6710	Academic
Increasingly	Adverb	6494	Academic
Weighed	Verb	6304	Fiction (just pretty equal)
Efforts	Noun	5430	Non-academic
Attempts	Verb	5066	Academic
Mickey	Noun	4952	Spoken and Newspaper
Academic	Adjective	4762	Academic
Typical	Adjective	4737	Academic
Marks	Noun	4301	Newspaper
Manage	Verb	3903	fiction
Firmly	Adverb	3793	Fiction
Tough	Adjective	3073	Newspaper
Childhood	Noun	2751	Fiction and misc
Memories	Noun	2498	Fiction
Straightforward	Adjective	1926	academic
Expand	Verb	1726	Non-academic
Wrench	Verb	1424	Fiction
Obscure	Verb	1159	Academic
Assignment	Noun	1129	Academic
Ruined	Verb	1070	Fiction
Solidarity	Noun	1026	Non-academic
Grades	Noun	831	academic
Refuses	Verb	725	Newspaper
Scenario	Noun	714	Spoken
Dragging	Verb	684	Fiction
Finely	Adverb	678	Magazine
Imposition	Noun	670	Academic and non-academic about the same
Humiliation	Noun	557	fiction
Dread	Noun	551	Fiction
Weeds	Noun	549	Magazine
Merry	Adjective	504	Fiction
Mocking	Adjective	409	Fiction
Setback	Noun	381	Newspaper
Educate	Verb	364	Non-academic (but quite even except fiction)
Chilly	Adjective	335	Fiction
Baffled	Verb	318	Fiction/closely followed by newspaper
Experimenting	Verb	311	Magazine
Emptiness	Noun	300	Fiction
Slapping	Verb	216	Fiction
Idleness	Noun	149	Fiction
Seep	Verb	104	magazine
Shamelessly	Adverb	68	Fiction
Remorselessly	Adverb	67	Fiction
Conga	Given a definition in the glossary on the insert	13	Spoken
Flunked	Verb	10	Magazine
Nosebleed	Noun	7	Fiction
Google	Proper noun	Doesn’t appear in corpus
Jay	Proper noun	Doesn’t appear in corpus
Pac-Men	Given a definition in the glossary on the insert	Doesn’t appear in corpus
Website	Noun	Doesn’t appear in corpus

 

Tier Two word list in order of contexts:

Tier 2 Word	Type of word – in context	British National Corpus Frequency	Largest context:
mickey	noun	4952	Spoken and Newspaper
conga	Given a definition in the glossary on the insert	13	Spoken
scenario	Noun	714	Spoken
imposition	Noun	670	Academic and non-academic about the same
solidarity	Noun	1026	Non-academic
expand	Verb	1726	Non-academic
efforts	Noun	5430	Non-academic
announced	Verb	9853	Non-academic
worth	Adjective	95024	Newspaper and magazine
setback	Noun	381	Newspaper
refuses	Verb	725	Newspaper
tough	Adjective	3073	Newspaper
marks	Noun	4301	Newspaper
received	Verb	12882	Misc, then newspaper
available	Adjective	26664	Misc
flunked	Verb	10	Magazine
seep	Verb	104	Magazine
experimenting	Verb	311	Magazine
weeds	Noun	549	Magazine
finely	Adverb	678	Magazine
single	Adjective	17649	Magazine
baffled	Verb	318	Fiction/closely followed by newspaper
voice	Noun	23205	Fiction and newspaper
childhood	Noun	2751	Fiction and misc
weighed	Verb	6304	Fiction (just pretty equal)
nosebleed	Noun	7	Fiction
remorselessly	Adverb	67	Fiction
shamelessly	Adverb	68	Fiction
idleness	Noun	149	Fiction
slapping	Verb	216	Fiction
emptiness	Noun	300	Fiction
chilly	Adjective	335	Fiction
mocking	Adjective	409	Fiction
merry	Adjective	504	Fiction
dread	Noun	551	Fiction
humiliation	Noun	557	Fiction
dragging	Verb	684	Fiction
ruined	Verb	1070	Fiction
wrench	Verb	1424	Fiction
memories	Noun	2498	Fiction
firmly	Adverb	3793	Fiction
manage	Verb	3903	Fiction
wondering	Verb	18320	Fiction
whether	Conjunction	281240	Academic and spoken
grades	Noun	831	Academic
assignment	Noun	1129	Academic
obscure	Verb	1159	Academic
straightforward	Adjective	1926	Academic
typical	Adjective	4737	Academic
academic	Adjective	4762	Academic
attempts	Verb	5066	Academic
increasingly	Adverb	6494	Academic
powers	Noun	6710	Academic
attention	Noun	13186	Academic
especially	Adverb	17144	Academic
sense	Noun	21190	Academic
google	Proper noun	Doesn’t appear in corpus
Jay	Proper noun	Doesn’t appear in corpus
Pac-Men	Given a definition in the glossary on the insert	Doesn’t appear in corpus
website	Noun	Doesn’t appear in corpus

 

Combinations of words (images/idioms):

Phrase	British National Corpus Frequency	Contexts:
‘in the weeds’	9 occurrences – (6 which meant literally to be in amongst weeds) 3 occurrences to mean bogged down in detail or stuck in problems	Fiction
‘weighed down’	85 occurrences (36 which meant literally carrying heavy things) 49 meant burdened with something metaphorically	17  Fiction 11 Newspapers
‘memories of homework came flooding back’	23 occurrences of ‘flooding’ collocated with ‘memories’	6 fiction 8 news
‘merry dance’	9 (1 which referred to ‘merry dance of death’, 2 which meant fun) 6 which meant – used to trick or confuse	1 fiction 2 newspaper 2 pop lore (?)
‘wrench things out’	5 occurrences of ‘wrench’ collocated with ‘out’	3 fiction 2 pop lore (?)
‘take the mickey’	19 occurrences of ‘mickey’ collocated with ‘take’ (1 was a reference to marriage ‘take Mickey’)	2 speech 4 fiction 5 newspapers 1 pop lore 2 academic 1 non-academic 2 biography