Explaining Subject Terminology

In this video, Mrs Wear explains what subject terminology actually means and why it matters in English exams.

She starts by breaking it down:

Subject = English (since that’s the subject of the exam).

Terminology = the specialist words we use in English, like metaphor, verb, narrative viewpoint, etc.

She reminds students that these are words you don’t necessarily use in real life but are specific to English analysis.

She then outlines the three main types of subject terminology:

Language – words and syntax (metaphor, personification, word classes, sentence types, repetition).

Structure – the bigger picture of how a text is organised (narrative viewpoint, order of events, whole-text effects).

Form – techniques tied to a text type (rhyme in poetry, stage directions in plays).

She stresses that different questions test different types:

• AQA Paper 1 Q2 = language.

• AQA Paper 1 Q3 = structure.

• Literature exams = often form.

Next, she gives key advice for doing well in exams:

• Always check whether the question is asking for language, structure, form, or a mix. Some boards (like Edexcel) expect all three at higher levels.

• Learn to accurately identify techniques – don’t call a verb an adjective, or a metaphor personification.

• Avoid feature spotting (just listing techniques without analysis). It’s not enough to say “this is a metaphor” – you must explain the effect and how it links to the question.

• Avoid mismatched analysis (naming one technique but analysing something else).

• Focus on analysis over labels – if you can analyse but don’t know the fancy name, that’s fine. If you know the name but can’t analyse, you won’t get the marks.

• Don’t waste time on obscure terminology that won’t help your grade.

Finally, she explains that while subject terminology alone won’t get you full marks, the very top grades (like a 9) do require you to integrate accurate terminology into your analysis alongside good quotes and strong explanations.