📜 The Student Who Quoted Everything and Said Nothing
📜 The Student Who Quoted Everything and Said Nothing
Picture a student who has memorised half the extract. Every sentence they write contains a quote. They quote the opening. They quote the middle. They quote the ending. Their essay reads like the text repeated back to the examiner in smaller chunks.
Now picture the examiner's problem: they cannot see the wood for the trees. The student is citing so much that the actual analysis has disappeared. The L2 trap here is not avoiding quotation — it is never choosing paraphrase when paraphrase would be cleaner and sharper. Knowing when not to quote is as important as knowing how to quote well.
English Language glossary
- What is the difference between quotation and paraphrase in an AQA response?
- <strong>Quotation:</strong> reproduces the writer's exact words within inverted commas. Use it to zoom in on a specific word or phrase whose individual language is worth analysing.<br><br><strong>Paraphrase:</strong> restates the writer's meaning in your own words. Use it for structural or overview points where no single phrase is richer than the others.<br><br><strong>AQA L4 descriptor:</strong> “makes judicious use of textual references, including quotations”. <em>Judicious</em> means chosen wisely — knowing when each is the better tool.
Quotation zooms in: it takes a short, specific phrase whose individual words carry analytical weight. Use quotation when you are about to analyse a particular verb, noun, or adjective. The words themselves are the evidence.
Now try it yourself
Quiz · Question 1 of 10
When is paraphrase a better choice than quotation in an analytical response?
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