AQA 2026 English Language Writing Practice – Emotive Language Ranking & Sentence Task

Strengthen student understanding of emotive language, semantic impact and word effectiveness, using a structured cut-and-stick ranking challenge designed to support the updated 2026 writing objectives from the examination board.

In this activity, students cut out a bank of carefully selected emotive words and rank them from most to least effective based on impact. The word list includes age-appropriate but powerful vocabulary such as: riot, repulsive, appalling, appalling, terrified, cruel, kind, ecstatic, urge, vile, disgust, forbidden, ordeal, tragic, magic, miracle, blood, superior, inferior, honesty, and more.

Once ranked, students apply their chosen vocabulary to writing practice by generating original sentences that include as many of the emotive words as possible, reinforcing:

how emotive language shapes tone and reader response

how vocabulary choices differ in impact and effectiveness

how ambitious words can be embedded into creative or transactional writing

This resource mirrors the new 2026 framework’s emphasis on precise vocabulary and writing for effect, making it ideal for both writing development and literacy discussion.

Emotive-language-task

Skills Developed

Identifying and evaluating emotive vocabulary by impact

Ranking words based on connotation and persuasive strength

Applying ambitious vocabulary within original sentence creation

Adapting tone for creative and transactional writing

Independent literacy confidence through word choice discussion

Alignment with the 2026 writing assessment focus on semantic precision and linguistic effect

What Teachers Receive (PowerPoint resource)

Full emotive language cut-and-stick ranking task

Extensive emotive word bank for student sorting and discussion

Sentence writing challenge for vocabulary application

Editable slide format for easy use in lessons or intervention sessions

Minimal preparation required – ready for print, share, or display

Classroom Uses

English lesson starter or vocabulary consolidation task

Writing skills preparation for exam-style responses aligned to the GCSE reformed objectives

Literacy intervention activity encouraging discussion around impact, tone and word choice

Homework task targeting ambitious vocabulary use

Independent writing rehearsal through repetitious sentence crafting

Display creation to reinforce emotive tone in writing

Suitable For

Secondary English (KS3–KS5)

Literacy or vocabulary intervention groups

EAL and SEN cohorts building emotive language banks

College and adult literacy learners exploring tone

Writing preparation across the curriculum