0500 English Revision Booklet

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ENGLISH LANGUAGE 0500

PAST PAPER 1 AND 2
REVISION BOOKLET
2015 ¬2020
LIGHT INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ENGLISH LANGUAGE 0500 REVISION BOOKLET

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May/June 2015/11 paper 1
Part 1
Read Passage A carefully and then answer Questions 1 and 2 on the Question Paper.
Passage A: Tiger Encounter

The following passage is set in Bandhavgarh National Park, India. The writer is describing a meeting
with an Indian tiger, one of the world's endangered species. The writer is accompanied by other
visitors and a guide called Anil.
It's early morning and the dappled sunlight is just breaking through the trees of the deep Bandhavgarh
forest. We're driving down a small dirt lane between Sera and Rajbera Meadows, behind the massive
plateau from which Bandhavgarh takes its name. Our road is suddenly blocked by the massive grey
bulk which is Gautam, the lead elephant used for patrols, tiger monitoring, and tourist forays into the
jungle. Sitting astride Gautam, is Kuttapan, the renowned mahout, the keeper and 'driver' of the
elephant. He has been at Bandhavgarh for 24 years and knows more about its tigers than anyone.
Kuttapan gets my attention and points to something on the road. It's the distinct impression of a tiger's
body which has recently lain there. The imprint - torso, fore-paws and tail - lies clearly over any tracks
or disturbances which may have come in the night.
Off to the right we hear the distinct 'bleep-bleep' - the alarm call of the chital, or spotted deer,
announcing the presence of a predator. Kuttapan and Gautam go off to investigate and we begin to
drive around to intercept them on the other side of the forest. Not ten metres down the road, we hear a
loud 'varoom' - the call of the tiger - and we slide to a halt on the dusty road. Walking directly towards
us at a distance of 100 metres is a large male tiger. It is one of the 3-year-old males known to share this
territory with his brother.
We sit in stunned silence in open-topped jeeps. Some cameras continue to whir and click and some
knuckles begin to whiten as grips tighten on the seats and roll bars of the jeep. The tiger continues his
casual stroll directly towards us. About 20 metres from our jeep, he walks into a small clearing off the
road, turns to mark a tree with his scent, then comes back out on to the road and walks past us, just a
metre away from the jeep. Suspension of all breathing is the easiest thing in the world at a moment like
this.
When the tiger is about 50 metres past us, our reverie is broken by a commotion in the forest across the
road. Anil, our guide, whispers loudly, "Wolves!". There, propped up like little statues in a clearing in
the forest, are two Indian grey wolves. Rigid, alert, clearly in a state of alarm and agitation, they begin
yelping at the tiger. The tiger spins around on the road and charges off into the forest after them.
We drive down the road to where we were originally going to meet Kuttapan and Gautam. There, in an
open clearing, stands the tiger, looking around as if to ask, "Where'd they go?". We park the jeeps and
watch a silent drama unfold.
As the tiger turns to walk away, out of the forest comes the larger of the wolves, probably the male, and
scampers up to within a few metres of the tiger. The tiger turns his head and the wolf scampers back
into the forest. The tiger continues to walk away down the road. Out of the forest comes the larger wolf
again and moves up cautiously to within what is apparently a safe distance from the tiger. This time the
tiger turns round and glowers at the wolf, probably assessing the distance between them and the speed
it would take to catch the wolf. They stare at each other for a few seconds; the tiger is still, and the wolf
is nervously pacing back and forth. The muscles of the tiger begin to twitch and off goes the wolf into
the forest again. Finally, after one more of these encounters, the tiger moves some distance away and
the wolf disappears into the forest for one last time. We can only assume that the aggressive 40 and
bold behaviour of the wolf meant he was protecting some cubs and wanted to be sure the tiger was
driven out of his territory.
The tiger, now left in peace, continues his stroll.
Read carefully Passage ATiger Encounterin the Reading Booklet Insert and then answer Questions 1
and 2 on this Question Paper. Answer all questions using your own words as far as possible.

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Question 1
Using your own words, explain who Kuttapan is and why he is part of the expedition (paragraph 1, 'It's
early morning...').
(a) ........................................................................................................................................... .....................
...................................................................................................................... ...............................................
............................................................................................ [2]
(b) ........................................................................................................................................... ....................

....................................................................................................................... ..............................................
............................................................................................. [2] Which six-word phrase in paragraph 2
tells you that the chital is warning of the danger of being hunted ('Off to the right...')?
(c) ........................................................................................................................................... [1] What
does the phrase 'knuckles begin to whiten as grips tighten on the seats...' (line 18) suggest about the
feelings of the people in the jeep?
(d) ........................................................................................................................................... [1] Using
your own words, describe the behaviour and attitude of the wolves in paragraph 4 ('When the tiger...').
(e) ........................................................................................................................................... .....................
...................................................................................................................... ...............................................
............................................................................................ [2]
(f) ........................................................................................................................................... .....................
...................................................................................................................... ...............................................
............................................................................................ [2]
(g) Which of the tiger's actions causes the wolf to run away (paragraph 6, 'As the tiger
turns...')? ........................................................................................................................................... [1]
(h) Complete parts (i) and (ii) to answer Question(h).
Re-read the passage. Explain using your own words what the writer means by the word in italics in
three of the following phrases:
1. 'tourist forays into the jungle' (line 5
2. 'The tiger continues his casual stroll' (line 19)
3. 'Suspension of all breathing is the easiest thing...' (lines 21-22)
4. 'scampers up to within a few metres' (line 32)
Phrase selected: 1, 2, 3 or 4...........................
Meaning of the word in
italics:.................................................................................... ......................................................................
.............................................................
italics:.................................................................................... ......................................................................
.............................................................
italics:.................................................................................... ......................................................................
............................................................. [3
Explain how the words and language in each of the three phrases you have chosen in Question(h) (i)
help to suggest the behaviour of the humans or the animals.
You should refer to the whole phrase in your answer and not just the words in italics. (

Explanation................................................................................................................ ..................................
.................................................................................................
Explanation................................................................................................................ ..................................
.................................................................................................
Explanation................................................................................................................ ..................................
................................................................................................. [6]

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Question 2
Imagine that you are Anil, the guide in Passage A. You have been asked to write an article for a local
magazine to give an account of your working life.
Write your magazine article. In your magazine article you should:
• describe a typical day in your working life
• give your impressions of the tourists and visitors to the Bandhavgarh National Park
• explain what you find rewarding about working with animals in the park
Base your magazine article on what you have read in Passage A, but do not copy from it. Be careful to
use your own words. Address each of the three bullet points. Begin your magazine article: 'Every day in
Bandhavgarh National Park brings a new experience...' Write about 200 to 300 words.
Up to 10 marks are available for the content of your answer, and up to 5 marks for the quality of
your writing.
Part 2
Read Passage B carefully and then answer Question 3 on the Question Paper.
Passage B: 3,200 Left on Earth
Efforts to save the tiger from extinction will be stepped up this year after the World Wide Fund for
Nature (WWF) placed the animal at the top of its list of the most endangered species.
Conservationists say there are just 3,200 tigers left in the world as the future of the species is threatened
by poachers, destruction of their habitat and climate change. This means that the world population of
tigers has fallen by 95 per cent in the past century.
Tiger numbers have dwindled as a result of activities by humans. Demand for tiger skins, still regarded
as luxury items in some countries, has left them at the mercy of poachers who have increasingly
targeted the animals. The threat is compounded by the market for their body parts, which are
considered to hold medicinal properties in some cultures. Poachers also hunt many species which are
the prey of tigers, diminishing their natural food supply, and forcing them to attack farmers' livestock
instead. At the same time, destruction of forests for timber, agriculture and road building has forced
tigers into ever smaller areas where they are increasingly vulnerable. Climate change also poses a
growing threat - 70 per cent of the Bengal tiger's remaining habitat in the Sunderbans mangrove forest
may be lost within 50 years owing to rising sea levels.
The WWF said it intends to intensify pressure to save the tiger by classifying it as the most at risk on its
list of 10 critically endangered animals. It hopes to increase patrols and work with politicians to
eradicate poaching and prevent illegal trade of tiger skins and body parts. The wildlife charity aims to
work with governments to promote more responsible forest management. It also wants them to provide
compensation for farmers whose livestock are killed by tigers, to prevent them being hunted.
Of the nine main subspecies of tigers, three - the Bali, Caspian and Java tigers - are now extinct, and
there has been no reliable sighting of a fourth, the South China tiger, for 25 years. Only the Bengal,
Amur, Indo-Chinese, Sumatran and Malayan tigers remain but their numbers have been reduced to a
few hundred per species, apart from the Bengal and Indo-Chinese species.
To save the tiger, we have to save its habitat, which is also home to many other threatened species. So,
if we get things right and save the tiger, we will also save many other species at the same time.
Read carefully Passage B3,200 Left on Earth in the Reading Booklet Insert and then answer
Question 3 a) and (b) on this Question Paper.
Question 3
Answer the questions in the order set.
Notes
What do you learn about why tigers are an endangered species and what is being done to try to protect
them, according to Passage B?

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Write your answers using short notes. Write one point per line. You do not need to use your own
words.
Up to 10 marks are available for the content of your answer.
Why tigers are an endangered species and what is being done to try to protect them.
(a)
1.........................................................................................................................................
2.........................................................................................................................................
3.........................................................................................................................................
4.........................................................................................................................................
5.........................................................................................................................................
6.........................................................................................................................................
7.........................................................................................................................................
8.........................................................................................................................................
9.........................................................................................................................................
10....................................................................................................................................... [10]
(b)
Summary
Now use your notes to write a summary of what Passage B tells you about why tigers are an
endangered species and what is being done to try to protect them.
You must use continuous writing (not note form) and use your own words as far as possible. Your
summary should include all 10 of your points in Question 3 (a) and must be 100 to 150 words.
Up to 5 marks are available for the quality of your writing. (b)

........................................................................................................................................... ..........................
.................................................................................................................
May/June 2015 paper 1/13

Part 1
Read Passage A carefully, and then answer Questions 1 and 2 on the Question Paper.
Passage A: Encounters With Ice Bears
In the following passage the writer, Michelle Paver, describes her experience of meeting polar bears in
a remote part of Canada.
The Inuit name for the polar bear is Nanuq: the most feared and respected of all Arctic creatures. And
no wonder. The polar bear is the largest land predator in the world, and an incredibly skilled hunter,
equally at home on ice, a mountain, or in the sea. Unlike the grizzly or black bears, which usually leave
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people alone if they behave themselves, polar bears quite naturally regard a solitary human being as
prey.
As soon as I arrived at the town of Churchill in Canada, I put on my winter gear and went for a walk. I
was warned not to go out into the scrubland beyond the town, in case I met a bear. It’s always best to
heed local advice, especially when it concerns polar bears, so instead I headed towards the broad,
snowy main street. I turned down a side-road, hoping to dip my hand in the waters of Hudson Bay. A
large sign warned me back: POLAR BEAR ALERT – STOP! I decided to pay attention, and turned
back.
Even in town, I knew that I could get unlucky and meet a bear, and I often saw a small truck bearing
the logo, ‘Polar Bear Patrol’ crawling through town, keeping a lookout 24 hours a day. I was told that if
I did meet a bear, I should duck into the nearest house. In Churchill, nobody locks their doors. I
learned, too, that the previous year, a curious bear had battered down the front door of a house, to see
what was inside. Luckily, nobody was hurt. In Churchill, most householders keep a loaded gun close
by, for the purpose of scaring off bears.
Night fell: a beautiful, crisp Arctic night, glittering with stars. I really wanted to go for a solitary,
moonlit walk, but I decided against it. This turned out to have been a good idea. A little later, a polar
bear clambered on to the balcony of my guest-house, and had to be chased away with shots fired into
the air.
To get closer to polar bears without being eaten, I went out in what’s called a ‘tundra buggy’ – a large
truck, but with an open-air viewing platform made of strong metal mesh stuck on to the back. This
platform is a metre above the snow, so that polar bears can’t jump up and eat occupants.
The first time we went out was at night, and the moon and headlights lit up the humped, snowy
scrubland for kilometres around – but no bears. Then, as I stood on the open-air platform peering into
the gloom, one of the ‘humps’ about ten metres away rose and ambled towards me. What struck me
most about the bear was its silence. The enormous creature was walking across a crisp snow-crust and
yet his huge paws made not a sound – my hiking boots would have crunched loudly with every step.
In the days that followed, I watched bears by night: playing like giant children in the snow, or sleeping
in the seaweed at the edge of the bay, and by day: sparring, lounging, eating ice to keep cool (it was
only –8C, too warm for them!). Most memorably of all, on one freezing, snowy afternoon, a young
male meandered under the grille of the platform on which I stood. I knelt down. He gazed up at me. For
a few heart-stopping minutes, we locked gazes. I’ll never forget the look in those strangely innocent,
dark eyes.
Read carefully Passage A, Encounters With Ice Bears, in the Reading Booklet Insert and then
answer Questions 1 and 2 on this Question Paper. Answer all questions using your own words as
far as possible. Question 1
(a) Which one word in paragraph one has a similar meaning to
‘predator’? ...............................................................................................................................................[1]
(b) State two details about the town of Churchill that tell you the authorities there take the danger of
Polar Bears seriously (lines 10–13).
• .................................................................................................................................................
• .............................................................................................................................................[2] (c) Using
your own words, explain the ways in which the residents of Churchill attempt to protect themselves
from Polar Bear attacks (lines 14–
17). ................................................................................................................................................... ...........
........................................................................................................................................ .............................
..................................................................................................................[2]
(d) (i) Using your own words, describe the ‘tundra buggy’ in which the writer went out to search for
Polar Bears (paragraph five, ‘To get closer
to…’). ........................................................................................................................................... ..............
.........................................................................................................................[2] (ii) Why is the platform
of the buggy so high off the
ground? .......................................................................................................................................[1] (e)
Give one thing that surprised the writer about the Polar Bear that she saw (paragraph six, ‘The first
time…’). ...............................................................................................................................................[1]

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(f) Using your own words, explain the writer’s thoughts about the young male bear that she describes
(paragraph seven, ‘In the days that
followed…’). ...............................................................................................................................................
.... ................................................................................................................................................... .............
..................................................................................................................................[2]
(g) Re-read paragraphs three and four (‘Even in town...fired into the air.’) and seven (In the days that
followed...innocent, dark eyes.’).
(i) Explain using your own words, what the writer means by the words in italics in three of the
following phrases:
1. ‘a curious bear had battered down the front door of a house’ (lines 15–16)
2. ‘a polar bear clambered on to the balcony of my guest-house’ (lines 19–20)
3. ‘sparring, lounging, eating ice to keep cool’ (lines 33–34)
4. ‘a young male meandered under the grille of the platform’ (line 35)
Phrase selected: 1, 2, 3 or 4 ................
Meaning of the words in italics: ..................................................................................... [1] Phrase
selected: 1, 2, 3 or 4 ................
Meaning of the words in italics: ..................................................................................... [1] Phrase
selected: 1, 2, 3 or 4 ................
Meaning of the words in italics: ..................................................................................... [1] (ii) Explain
how the words and language in each of the phrases you have chosen in Question (g) (i) help to suggest
the behaviour and attitude of the polar bears.
Phrase selected: 1, 2, 3 or 4 ................
Explanation: ....................................................................................................................... .........................
..............................................................................................................[2] Phrase selected: 1, 2, 3 or
4 ................
Explanation: ....................................................................................................................... .........................
..............................................................................................................[2] Phrase selected: 1, 2, 3 or
4 ................
Explanation: ....................................................................................................................... .........................
..............................................................................................................[2]
Question 2
Imagine that you are Michelle Paver, the writer of Passage A. You have been asked to write an article
about polar bears and the threats that they face for a magazine aimed at teenage readers. Write your
magazine article.
In your magazine article you should:
• say what you have learnt about polar bears
• suggest the precautions that should be taken by visitors to the area
• explain what you gained by visiting such a remote area.
Base your magazine article on what you have read in Passage A, but do not copy from it. Be careful to
use your own words. Address each of the three bullet points. Begin your magazine article: ‘Polar bears
are remarkable and impressive creatures...’ Write about 200 to 300 words.
your writing.
Part 2
Read Passage B carefully, and then answer Question 3 on the Question Paper.
Passage B: Endangered Animals: Polar Bears
The following passage is adapted from a website which raises awareness of endangered species and
the importance of protecting them.
Polar bears have heavy white fur on their bodies, which insulates them from the extreme cold. They are
swift runners, and usually cover hundreds of kilometres. They are also expert swimmers. They are
found throughout the arctic region, and are the first animal to be categorized as endangered because of
global warming. Their life span is about 25 years.
A polar bear’s diet generally consists of fish, seal, caribou, birds, seaweed, and grass. Sometimes they
feed themselves on a whale, which has lost its way and come near to the shore.

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According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Endangered Species
Act (ESA), polar bears are threatened with extinction. Habitat loss of the polar bears due to climate
change is the major cause of their being endangered. In addition to this, they are excessively hunted for
their hides, which are priceless. It is believed that only 20,000–25,000 polar bears are alive in the wild.
Extracting oil from below the Arctic Ocean also threatens the survival of polar bears. The process
spreads toxic chemicals in the seawaters, and pollutes the surroundings. This makes it difficult for the
endangered animals such as polar bears to hunt for their food. Moreover, unregulated sport hunting
from aircraft is a further reason for polar bears becoming an endangered species.
Polar bears are free roaming creatures, so they are difficult to protect. To check the decreasing numbers
of polar bears, an international agreement was signed in 1973 which allows the use of only traditional
weapons for the hunting of polar bears.
The World Wildlife Federation (WWF) is a leader in the conservation of polar bears. It has started an
adoption programme to save the endangered animals.
In the past, damage caused to the environment by humans happened as a result of ignorance. But now
that we are aware of its negative consequences, it is our responsibility to correct it. We have the
capability to do this and a duty to make changes because we will be responsible for the world we leave
to our children.
Read carefully Passage B, Endangered Animals: Polar Bears, in the Reading Booklet Insert and
answer Question 3(a) and (b) on this Question Paper.
Question 3
(a) Notes
What do you learn about polar bears and the threats to their survival, according to Passage B?
Write your answers using short notes. Write one point per line. You do not need to use your
own words. Up to 10 marks are available for the content of your answer. Information about
polar bears and the threats to their survival:
1 .......................................................................................................................................
2 .........................................................................................................................................
3 .........................................................................................................................................
4 .........................................................................................................................................
5 .........................................................................................................................................
6 .........................................................................................................................................
7 .........................................................................................................................................
8 .........................................................................................................................................
9 .........................................................................................................................................
10 ......................................................................................................................................... [10]
(b) Summary
Now use your notes to write a summary of what Passage B tells you about polar bears and the threats to
their survival. You must use continuous writing (not note form) and use your own words as far as
possible. Your summary should include all 10 of your points in Question 3(a) and must be 100 to 150
words. Up to 5 marks are available for the quality of your
writing. ................................................................................................................................................... ....
...............................................................................................................................................

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MAY/JUNE 2015 PAPER 2
Part 1
Passage A: Common Land
Villagers meet to hear proposals from a large company wishing to develop a piece of common land.
The crowd swarmed into the building, many eager to hear plans that might bring prosperity to their
town. Others wore grim expressions, aware of the titanic fight needed to save a precious site. Anuja
scanned the people, many roughly dressed and weather-beaten from long hours of working outdoors.
None looked well-fed – except the main speaker, the representative of the development company.
‘You know why we are here tonight,’ a leading member of the community began. ‘FoodFreight wants
to build a depot on our common land next to the river. Mr Carmichael is here to tell us why we should
let them.’
The temperature in the room rose as the meeting wore on. Hands were swept across sweaty brows
and some removed outer garments. A short break was announced during which people could look at the
glossy plans and maps pinned up around the hall, and enjoy cool drinks and delicious- looking snacks
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thoughtfully provided by FoodFreight. Fingers traced the lines of new roads on the maps.
A journalist sought out Anuja and her companions. ‘The company is just trying to bribe our people,’
remarked Anuja. ‘Not just with a few drinks but with a promise of a medical centre.’
‘Yes,’ added a man at her side. ‘And I spoke to Dr Misha yesterday when she was here on her weekly
visit. She said what we really need is a proper hospital, where operations can take place.’
The meeting resumed. Rufus Carmichael rose to speak. ‘As you all know, the area bordering the river is
an eyesore. What use is it to anyone? Tall trees cast heavy shade. Noxious weeds choke the ground.
Indeed it is an impenetrable thicket, a haven for vermin, a lair for undesirables. And noisy rooks have
taken over the canopy, with their raucous, unending cries. We will sweep this away. Your town will be
a pleasanter place.’ His voice boomed.
Anuja clenched her fist and muttered, ‘Those are ancient oaks. The rooks’ nests are used by the red-
footed falcons, beautiful and rare birds!’ She shook her head in disbelief.
Rufus was still talking, ‘…Warehouses will be built. The new harbour that we will build downstream
will create a magnet for your local produce. Your market will overflow with food and will become a
symbol of your new-found prosperity.’
Anuja thought of the reliable supply of meat from the deer that fed on the acorns in the woodland, a
bonus for local hunters.
‘There could be jobs for many of you. And after we have developed the land, we will build a medical
centre for you.’
People squirmed in their seats, turning to neighbours to exchange excited comments. Anuja could stand
it no longer. ‘Sir,’ she began, ‘and my people: our ancestors began this settlement on that piece of land.
They planted those majestic trees hundreds of years ago.’ She strode to the front to address the people
directly. ‘Remember the stories your parents told you. If those trees die, our settlement will fall into
decline. Yes, we have neglected it, but with the neglect has come increases in wildlife, even rare
species of dragonflies and field mice. We can carefully

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clear up the mess of weeds so it remains a home to the lovely creatures. We could resurrect the sacred
rituals that used to take place here every year.’
As Anuja expanded on the virtues of the site, ragged cheers went up, first from those sitting near her.
The sound strengthened as people became again conscious of its many benefits. This was a special
place!
Rufus’ face tightened into a grimace. His lips had compressed into a thin line of anger. Dots of
perspiration sprang out on his forehead. He banged his fist on the table to quieten the crowd.
‘Gentlemen – and ladies – just listen to sense,’ he began. Jeers and boos broke out. A dark cloud passed
across his face, and suddenly he was panting as though he had run a race. His good humour was gone.
‘My company is stronger than all of you!’ he shouted. ‘We will get our way!’
Not long after this, the meeting broke up in some disarray. As Anuja and her friends left, a blue-grey
falcon jetted across the skies, the red of its undertail and legs clearly visible. It swooped on a large
insect, then veered away before heading for some treetops visible above the houses. Fat drops of rain
began to fall, then lightning sizzled across the sky. A portent, perhaps.
Part 2
Passage B: Ospreys
This widespread bird of prey is vulnerable when in contact with humans.
The osprey – also called the fish eagle – is the world’s most widely distributed bird of prey, found in
every continent except Antarctica at stages in its migratory life cycle. Its usual habitats are coastal areas
or near large bodies of freshwater.
Birds which breed in Western Europe, such as in the UK and Sweden, follow a westerly migration,
over Spain, across the Mediterranean into Morocco. They then fly round the Atlas Mountains to the
western part of the Sahara, before spending the winter months in countries such as Guinea. In
September 2012, a five-month old bird left her Scottish nest and in a fortnight flew the 4,800
kilometres to southern Mauritania. Birds with nest sites further east, for example Finland and Estonia,
fly south through Eastern Europe into the Middle East before wintering in African countries like
Cameroon. One Finnish bird wintered on the southern coast of South Africa, with a record-breaking
migration of 12,500 kilometres.
Ospreys are large, at about 60 centimetres long with a wingspan of up to 170 centimetres. Females can
be 10% larger than males and weigh on average 1.6 kilograms. The plumage of both is dark brown on
the back, tail and upper wings, while the head and body are white with a dark eye stripe. Parts of the
crown and upper breast have mottled feathers. Other features include eyes with bright yellow irises, a
sharply-curved black beak and pale grey feet.
These fish eagles are especially adapted to take their prey efficiently. They have nasal passages which
close when they dive underwater. Ospreys almost uniquely have outer toes which are reversible,
allowing them to grasp slippery fish securely with two toes in front and two behind. The talons are long
and barb-like. Unsurprisingly, fish make up 99% of an osprey’s diet. Records from the Middle Ages
show ospreys were killed because they raided stock in fish ponds. Their vision is well adapted to
detecting underwater objects. A fish is first sighted when an osprey is 10–40 metres in the air, after
which the bird hovers momentarily, then plunges feet first into the water. Sometimes, a bird is
completely submerged as it takes a fish. Having regained the air, it will carry the fish with one foot in
front of the other, so the head is facing forward, an aerodynamically efficient position. Once on a perch,
often near the nest, the osprey eats the fish, headfirst.

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Ospreys faced enormous threats with the coming of industrialisation in the last three centuries. The
invention and use of the gun, coupled with an obsession with collecting specimens and eggs, led to
drastic reduction in numbers in many countries. Elsewhere, ospreys suffered problems from the
chemical DDT from the 1960s; being at the top of the food chain they ingested the chemicals from the
fish. As a result, females laid eggs with thin eggshells which were easily broken. In the future, other
pollutants may cause similar problems. Shooting still takes its toll of migrating birds in parts of Europe
and of wintering birds in Africa.
Destruction of suitable wetlands and trees in which ospreys might build their nests is a concern.
Increased forest management has led to the removal of old pine trees which ospreys favour for nests.
Disturbance during the incubation and chick-rearing period by tourism, forestry work and encroaching
urban development has resulted in the failure of breeding attempts. Young ospreys can be injured by
collision with overhead wires, get entangled in nylon fishing line or have hooks embedded in their
throats. Owls and eagles will prey on ospreys, and foxes, raccoons and other climbing animals are
known to take both the eggs and chicks.
Overfishing along the African coast could dramatically reduce fish stocks, affecting the people who
live in that area and the wildlife like the ospreys which depend on the fish in the winter.
Read carefully Passage A, Common Land, in the Reading Booklet Insert and then answer Questions 1
and 2 on this Question Paper.

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Question 1
Imagine you are the journalist from the local newspaper at the meeting.
Write a newspaper report about the meeting.
In your newspaper report you should:
• describe the atmosphere and reactions of the crowd at the meeting

• give your impression of the two speakers and the arguments that they made
• suggest what you think might happen in the future.
Base your newspaper report on what you have read in Passage A, but be careful to use your own words.
Address each of the three bullet points.
Begin your newspaper report: ‘Yesterday the local community met together to debate a proposal which
has implications for all of us…’.
Write about 250 to 350 words.
your writing.
Question 2
Re-read the descriptions of:
(a) the common land in paragraph 6, beginning ‘The meeting resumed…’;
(b) Rufus Carmichael in paragraph 13, beginning ‘Rufus’ face tightened…’.
Select four powerful words or phrases from each paragraph. Your choices should include imagery.
Explain how each word or phrase is used effectively in the context.
Read carefully Passage B, Ospreys, in the Reading Booklet Insert and then answer Questions 3(a)
and 3(b) on this Question Paper.
Question 3

14
(a) Notes
How is the osprey adapted to ensure its survival and what threatens its continued existence, according
to Passage B?
Write your answer using short notes. Write one point per line.
You do not need to use your own words.
How is the osprey adapted to ensure its survival and what threatens its continued existence?
1..............................
................................
................................
................................
.............
2...........................................................................................................................................
3...........................................................................................................................................
4...........................................................................................................................................
5...........................................................................................................................................
6...........................................................................................................................................
7...........................................................................................................................................
8...........................................................................................................................................
9...........................................................................................................................................
10.........................................................................................................................................
11.........................................................................................................................................
12.........................................................................................................................................
13.........................................................................................................................................
14.........................................................................................................................................
15.........................................................................................................................................
[Total: 15]
(b) Summary
Now use your notes to write a summary of what Passage B tells you about how the osprey is adapted to
ensure its survival and what threatens its continued existence.
You must use continuous writing (not note form) and use your own words as far as possible.

15
Your summary should include all 15 of your points in Question 3(a) and must be 200 to 250 words.
Up to 5 marks are available for the quality of your writing.
MAY/JUNE 2015 PAPER 2

Part 1
Passage A: Canal Holiday
Zelda and her husband, Bob, begin a week’s holiday on a narrowboat.
All I want from a holiday is a 5-star hotel, glitzy shops and top-class entertainment. When Bob
announced a surprise ‘treat’ – a week on a canal boat in the country – I was taken aback. He
declared that peace and quiet would do us good: I didn’t think so.
We must have been the last people to take over a boat that Saturday. It took an age to decant
everything from the car into this tube with windows. The boatyard owner said it was both cosy and
luxurious. What nonsense! I need more than a shower and a microwave to feel pampered. Bob
insisted that canal- boating was a popular pastime; some famous acting couple owned a boat they
kept on this canal. More fool them. As I tried in vain to get a phone signal, I could hear the man
telling Bob about ‘watering up’ and ‘approaching locks with care’ and ‘thrusting the tiller’ a
particular way when reversing.
All this took too long. Bob kept plying the owner with questions. The old chap bemoaned various
21st century changes: the old canal maintenance yard next door was no longer used for repairs to
lock- gates, instead housing some fancy artists’ studios; the town which gave its name to the canal
allowed modern music at its annual festival.Yawn. The light was fading, but there was no way I
would spend our first night in that smelly boatyard next to a diesel pump. I told Bob we must
leave.
There was now a nasty breeze. ‘Isn’t it bracing!’ Bob declared as he neatly avoided colliding with
a passing canoeist. Then my darling enthusiastically pointed out a graceful spire a couple of fields
away, evidently of a church designed by a famous 19th century architect. Never mind the 19th
century; I was longing for a decent supper, but the engine had to be kept on tick-over as fishermen
sat along the towpath with fishing rods nearly touching the opposite bank. These were only lifted
as our prow came level with them. Bob kept giving matey greetings, unaffected by their blank
stares.
Thank goodness we came upon a village after two hours. Earlier Bob had told me of a restaurant in the area with a
fine reputation. The village inn was certainly not in that league, though Bob did rave about his fish and chips.
When we stumbled out afterwards, I nearly tripped over. I just don’t understand how country people manage
without street lighting. While Bob was fiddling in the dark trying to find the key, a man came past with several
big dogs, none on leads. Now I have dirty paw marks all over my white trousers.
No sooner were we inside than there was this hammering on the roof, like machine gun fire. It was
rain. Then the wind rose, shrieking through the trees. The boat pitched at its mooring and I feared
the ropes would not hold. I made Bob go out and check the knots. Branches of trees on the
opposite bank were bent double, their leaves snatched from them and tossed into the air as if by a
manic juggler. The canal was an angry agitation.
Having only managed a few hours’ sleep, I was roused early by a crowing cockerel. I opened the
curtains to a transformation. The sun seemed to be smiling on the oak trees wearing their spring
foliage like new coats, and feathery clouds were dabbed across the pale blue sky. A little distance
off a heron stood motionless in the shallows with an air of grey, religious solemnity. Droplets of
water hung from flower stems like tiny translucent pearls. Suddenly, the heron’s head shot
downward and he speared a fish which wriggled in his beak. Attractive as it was, I would have
appreciated the sight more had I enjoyed eight hours’ sleep.
Later as we were unravelling knots in the mooring ropes, our ears were assailed by a cacophony of
sounds. Round a corner came an unruly bunch of teenagers bearing clipboards, pushing and
shoving each other, and once even me, apparently conducting a survey for geography. So much for
Bob’s peace and quiet.
0500/22/INSERT/M/
© UCLES 2015 J/15
After several unsuccessful attempts, we manoeuvred away from the bank and headed further up the
canal. I stayed inside, but heard Bob exchanging pleasantries with passers-by. When we stopped
for coffee, he told me excitedly of a bird-watcher who claimed to have just spotted a lesser-ring-

16
necked- green-headed-flycatcher, or some such thing. ‘Maybe we’ll see one!’ he enthused. ‘Let’s
hope not,’ I thought. ‘And this is only day two.’
Part 2
Passage B: The Panama Canal
At the official opening of the Panama Canal in 1914, ships sailed under the banner, ‘The Land
Divided: The World United’.
A trip along the Panama Canal enables travellers to appreciate one of the greatest undertakings of
all time, marvelling at engineering feats that some regard as the eighth wonder of the world.
A Spanish explorer found the Panama Isthmus in 1513, at its narrowest point about 50 kilometres
wide, and 20 years later Charles I of Spain ordered a survey for a canal route. Then the only known
international trade route between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans was the treacherous journey
around Cape Horn at the tip of South America.
More than three centuries later, the French began construction of a sea-level canal. However, there
were three major problems: engineering, sanitation and organisation. It was costly and difficult to
build a canal in the rain-soaked tropics through unstable mountains. Health risks in the mosquito-
infested Panamanian jungle, principally malaria and yellow fever, cost thousands of lives.
Excavation was conducted at such a steep angle that rain-induced landslides poured nearly as much
material into the canal as had been removed. In nine years 22,000 lives had been lost and the
company was bankrupt.
The US gained control and began working on a lock-based canal in 1904. Locks are water lifts,
compartments with entrance and exit gates. On this canal, locks were needed to raise and then
lower ships from sea level at both the Pacific and the Atlantic ends. It took a long time and many
thousands of dollars to excavate these, as well as all the necessary cuttings. Railways had to be
built to access all these different parts of the route.
Organisational problems were solved by using experienced army personnel as managers. A far-
sighted sanitation officer saw the link between mosquitoes and disease. Ponds and swamps had to
be drained, fumigation, mosquito netting and decent living quarters introduced. Up to 50,000
workers at a time carved through 82 kilometres of earth and granite. Industrialisation also provided
advanced machinery for digging, and constructing the giant sets of locks. The gates at the Pacific
end had to be 25 metres high to allow for the extreme tidal variation of that ocean. The Americans
spent $387 million on the project.
At the Atlantic end of the Canal is the huge 2.5 kilometres long Gatun Dam, the largest built at that
time, which holds water back in Gatun Lake, 26 metres above sea level. This lake was the largest
man- made lake in the world, and islands in it are actually the tops of mountains that were not
flooded. Water for the locks is taken from the lake by opening and closing gates and valves.
Gravity propels the water from the lake. The Gatun Dam also generates the electricity to run the
motors which operate the Canal as well as the locomotives in charge of towing ships through the
locks. Thus, the Panama Canal is self-sufficient.
Having passed through the Lake, ships arrive at the Culebra Cut, a 13 kilometres long excavated
gorge through a mountain. This was probably the most challenging section of the entire project.
Workers
laboured in extraordinarily high temperatures with drills, steam shovels and dynamite to shift vast
quantities of material. Mud slides were common – one continued for years – pouring back millions
of cubic yards into the excavation. The Cut was originally only 90 metres wide and, even with
constant dredging, was insufficient to take modern ships. In the early 1970s, its width was
increased by about 50%, and more recently the Canal Authority completed the monumental task of
increasing the width to 192 metres in places.
The canal is 80 kilometres long and voyages take approximately nine hours. Ships sailing from
New York to San Francisco through the Canal versus around Cape Horn save approximately
12,875 kilometres. A vessel carrying bananas from Ecuador to Europe saves around 8,046
kilometres. A key route wanted in the 1500s is still vital to world trade in the 21st century.
Read carefully Passage A, Canal Holiday, in the Reading Booklet Insert and then answer Questions 1

17
and 2 on this Question Paper.
Question 1
Imagine you are Zelda’s husband, Bob.
Write a letter to your brother who lives abroad telling him about your holiday. In your letter you
should comment on:
• your expectations of the trip

• your feelings about Zelda’s behaviour on the first two days of the holiday
• what happened during the rest of the trip.
Base your letter on what you have read in Passage A, but be careful to use your own words. Address
each of the three bullet points.
Begin your letter: ‘Dear Brian, We’ve just come back from a trip I arranged for Zelda as a surprise…’.
your writing.
Question 2
(a) the storm and its effects in paragraph 6, beginning ‘No sooner were we inside…’;
(b) what Zelda enjoys about the morning in paragraph 7, beginning ‘Having only
managed…’.
Explain how each word or phrase selected is used effectively in the context.

Read carefully Passage B, The Panama Canal, in the Reading Booklet Insert and then answer
Questions 3(a) and 3(b) on this Question Paper.
Question 3
(a) Notes
What were the challenges faced during the entire construction of the Panama Canal, according to
Passage B?
Write your answer using short notes. Write one point per line.

18
The challenges faced during the entire construction of the Panama Canal:
1..............................
.............................................................................................................
2...........................................................................................................................................
3...........................................................................................................................................
4...........................................................................................................................................
5...........................................................................................................................................
6...........................................................................................................................................
7...........................................................................................................................................
8...........................................................................................................................................
9...........................................................................................................................................
10.........................................................................................................................................
11.........................................................................................................................................
12.........................................................................................................................................
13.........................................................................................................................................
14.........................................................................................................................................
15.........................................................................................................................................
[Total: 15]

19
9
(b) Summary
Now use your notes to write a summary of what Passage B tells you about the challenges faced during
the entire construction of the Panama Canal.
Paper 3 MAY/JUNE 2015

20
Read the passage carefully, and then answer Section 1, Question 1 on the Question Paper.
Parents’ Forum: Is your teenager ‘house trained’?
Presenter: Good morning, listeners. First of all, many thanks to all the parents out there who’ve
completed our online questionnaire on the contentious subject of teenagers and household chores, the
topic of our forum today. The answers you gave us support recent research that shows we no longer
expect our young people to help out in the home in the way we did ourselves when we were younger.
As a mother of teenagers, I don’t think I needed a survey to tell me that!
My studio guest today, Pierre Joubert, argues that the world our teenagers inhabit has changed beyond
recognition and so should our expectations. Mr Joubert, I work hard in my job to provide for my kids.
Why shouldn’t I expect them to shoulder some of the burden at home?
Mr Joubert: Well, it depends on what kind of work. As a child, I spent many hours a week helping my
father run his shop and now, with a chain of department stores to my name, I see it as part of my early
business training. All the same, I wouldn’t want that life for my son or daughter. Their education has to
come first these days when the job market is so much more competitive.
Presenter: But a majority of teenagers in the survey had never cooked a meal, cleaned the bathroom or
washed their clothes! Surely these chores are an important preparation for adult life? They shouldn’t be
relying on their parents at sixteen or seventeen. I think we’re in danger of raising spoilt, lazy kids who
complain about everything they’re asked to do. Which employer would want that kind of person on
their payroll?
Mr Joubert: My daughter is driven by a laudable ambition to be a doctor and anyway, she’s not an
adult yet. I’m more concerned about the academic pressure she’s under and I like to see her relaxing in
her spare time, enjoying herself with her friends, not following the ‘chore chart’ that some of the
respondents to your questionnaire impose on their children. That’s outrageous!
Presenter: Oh, I don’t think it’s so unreasonable. Many of us have successful careers and look after
our families! There’s a pride that can be derived from doing useful work well, and teenagers need to
see what it takes to run a home and a family. Of course, some young people are willing to baby-sit for
their younger siblings, tidy their rooms, or whatever, but only if they’re paid for it. Now, that’s
outrageous!
Mr Joubert: Is it, though? If I need a cleaner or a cook in one of my businesses, I expect to have to
pay the going rate. My children will learn soon enough how to do these menial jobs when they need to,
but learning how to work to meet your needs and then manage your money is a much more important
responsibility. My son’s at university and I give him an allowance which he has to supplement by
working if he wants any luxuries. He learned that lesson as a teenager and perfected his negotiation
skills by offering me two different rates for washing my car!
Presenter: But I don’t want my children to think of household work as only worth doing if they get a
monetary reward for it. My mother fell ill when I was only fifteen and my younger brother and I needed
to step up and help the family survive until she got better. I look back at that time now as a real
highlight of my teenage years, a time of closeness, when we took pride in working together to help each
other through a difficult time. It wasn’t just a chore, it was a responsibility that took us out of our own
little worlds and gave us a useful role in the family.
Mr Joubert: I just don’t see it that way. Our first duty as parents is to give our children every chance to
succeed in life and these days that means allowing them to focus on their goals, free from the tedium of
household tasks. With determination and self-discipline, who knows what they might achieve? They
might be successful enough when they’re older to pay other people to do the chores.
Presenter: Perhaps, Mr Joubert, but in many less affluent or larger families than yours the work done
by children is vital. Helping in the home or in the fields isn’t a lifestyle choice for many young people
21
around the world – it’s how their families survive, particularly in difficult economic circumstances.
Personally, I applaud those who put the prosperity of their families above their individual comfort and
ambition.
I’m not sure we’re going to agree on this issue here in the studio, but teenagers, why not let us know
your views? I’d be very interested in hearing what young people think.
Read carefully the transcript of a radio programme called ‘Parents’ Forum’ in the Reading Booklet
Insert and then answer Section 1, Question 1 on this Question Paper.
Section 1: Directed Writing
Question 1
Imagine you have heard the programme ‘Parents’ Forum’, and want to respond.
Write a letter to the presenter, in response to the programme.
In your letter, you should:
•identify and evaluate the views given in the programme
•give your own views as a teenager, based on what you have read in the transcript.
Base your letter on what you have read in the transcript, but be careful to use your own words.
Address each of the two bullet points.
Begin your letter, ‘Dear Presenter…’
Up to 10 marks are available for the content of your answer, and up to 15 marks for the
quality of your writing.
Section 2: Composition
Write about 350 to 450 words on one of the following questions. Answer on this Question Paper.
Up to 13 marks are available for the content and structure of your answer, and up to 12
marks for the style and accuracy of your writing.
Descriptive Writing
2Imagine you enter a crowded train or bus for a short journey. Describe your surroundings and
your fellow-travellers during the journey.
OR
3Describe the end of a tiring climb with a companion, and your thoughts and feelings as you get to
the top.
OR
Narrative Writing
4‘The truth was bound to come out in the end.’ Write a story which ends with these words.
OR
5Write a story which involves a rediscovery of something lost.
0500/11 MAY/JUNE 2016
Read Passage A carefully and then answer Questions 1 and 2 on the Question Paper.
Passage A: The House in the Mist
In this extract from a mystery story, the narrator describes what happens when he comes
across a lonely house in a remote part of the countryside.
22
My path to the house was by no means an easy one. After confused wanderings through
tangled hedges, struggling with obstacles that looked strange to me in the surrounding gloom, I
arrived in front of a long, low building. There, to my astonishment, I found doors and windows
open to the pervading mist, except for one square window through which a light shone from a
row of candles on a long mahogany table.
The quiet and apparent emptiness of this odd and picturesque building made me pause. I am
not much affected by the appearance of things, but this silent room, with its sinister
atmosphere, made me feel uneasy. I was about to reconsider and go back to the road, when a
second look at the comfortable interior I was leaving, convinced me that I was being foolish
and sent me straight back to the door which stood open so invitingly.
But half-way up the path, my progress was halted by the sight of a man coming out of the
house that I had wrongly assumed to be empty. He seemed to be in a hurry and, at the moment
when I first saw him, was busy putting his watch back in his pocket. He did not shut the door
behind him, which I thought odd, especially as he had been looking behind him. He seemed to
take in all the details of the place he was so hurriedly leaving.
As we met, he raised his hat. This also struck me as unusual, for he displayed more respect
than that usually shown to strangers. I was further puzzled that he showed little surprise at
bumping into another person in these remote, misty surroundings. Indeed, he was so little
impressed by my being there that he nearly passed me without a word or any other hint of
greeting, except the raising of his hat. But this did not satisfy me. I was hungry, cold, and eager
for creature comforts, and the house before me offered not only warmth, but gave out an
inviting smell of food being cooked which was difficult to ignore. I therefore spoke to the man.
‘Will a bed and supper be available for me here?’ I asked. ‘I am tired out after a long hike over
the hills, and hungry enough to pay anything within reason—.’
I stopped, for the man had disappeared. He had not paused when I spoke and the mist had
swallowed him. However, when I paused, his voice came back in a friendly tone and I heard:
‘Supper will be ready at nine, and there are beds for all. Please enter; you are the first to arrive,
but the others cannot be far behind.’
A peculiar greeting, certainly, but when I tried to ask him to explain, his voice returned to me
from so far away that I doubted if my words had reached him with any more clarity than his
answer reached me.
I thought to myself, ‘Well, it isn’t as if a place to stay has been denied me. He invited me to
enter, and enter I will.’
The house, which I now scrutinised more carefully, was no ordinary farm building, but a
rambling old mansion. It had been made even larger by extensions that jutted out here and
there and several out-buildings. Although it was furnished and lit by candles, it had about it an
air of disuse which made me feel like an intruder, despite the welcome I had received. But I
could not wait any longer. I quickly entered the great room and stood before the blazing logs;
their glow lit up the doorway and made the room seem even more inviting.
Read carefully Passage A, The House in the Mist, in the Reading Booklet Insert and then
answer Questions 1 and 2 on this Question Paper.
Answer all questions using your own words as far as possible.

1. a. Give two reasons why the narrator found it difficult to get to the house (paragraph
one, ‘My path to the...’).
23
• .........................................................................................................................................
• .........................................................................................................................................
[2]
b. Using your own words, explain what the writer means by ‘this odd and picturesque building
made me pause’ (line 6).
........................................................................................................................................... ............
............................................................................................................................... ........................
................................................................................................................... [2]
(c) Why did the narrator decide not to go back to the road (paragraph two, ‘The
quiet and
apparent ...’)? ........................................................................................................
................................... ...........................................................................................
................................................ [1]
(d) Re-read paragraph three, ‘But half-way...hurriedly leaving’. What was unusual
about the way the man left the
house? ..................................................................................................................
......................... .....................................................................................................
...................................... [1]
(e) Re-read paragraph four, ‘As we met...to the man.’. Explain as fully as you can,
what caused the narrator to feel ‘puzzled’ about the behaviour of the man.
...............................................................................................................................
............ ..................................................................................................................
......................... .....................................................................................................
...................................... ........................................................................................
................................................... [3]
f. Explain as fully as you can, what the narrator says about his attempt to speak further with the
man (paragraph eight, ‘A peculiar greeting...’).
........................................................................................................................................... ............
............................................................................................................................... ........................
................................................................................................................... [2]
g. i. Re-read paragraphs one, two and ten (‘My path to the...so invitingly.’ and ‘The
house...more inviting.’). Explain using your own words, what the writer means by the words
underlined in three of the following phrases:
1. ‘I found doors and windows open to the pervading mist’ (lines 3—4)
2. ‘this silent room, with its sinister atmosphere’ (lines 7—8)
3. ‘I now scrutinised more carefully’ (line 36)
4. ‘it had about it an air of disuse which made me feel like an intruder’ (line 39)
Phrase selected: 1, 2, 3 or 4..................

Meaning of the word underlined: ...........................................................................
Meaning of the word underlined: ...........................................................................
Meaning of the word underlined: ........................................................................... [3]
ii. Explain how the writer conveys the nature of the house and the narrator’s feelings about it
through the use of language in each of the phrases you have chosen in Question 1(g)(i). You
should refer to the whole phrase in your answer and not just the word underlined.
Explanation ............................................................................................................ .......................
.........................................................................................................
Explanation ............................................................................................................ .......................
.........................................................................................................
Explanation ............................................................................................................
24
[6]
2.Imagine that you are the narrator of the story. You enter the house and after waiting a
few minutes, other people begin to arrive. It is now the afternoon of the following day...
Write a letter to your older brother or sister describing your impressions of the house and your
experiences since you discovered it.
In your letter you should:
• describe how you first discovered the house
• describe your thoughts and feelings when you met the man leaving the house
• explain what you discovered after you entered the house.
Base your letter on what you have read in Passage A, but do not copy from it. Be careful to use
your own words.
Begin your letter, ‘Dear...’ Write about 200 to 300 words.
Passage B: Hadrian's Villa
This passage is an extract from a tourist guide to Rome and gives details of a grand villa built for the Emperor
Hadrian in the second century CE.
Built as a private residence between CE 118 and 134, Hadrian's Villa was a vast open-air museum of the finest
architecture in the Roman world. The grounds of the Imperial Palace covered an area of 120 hectares and were
filled with full-scale reproductions of the emperor's favourite buildings from Greece and Egypt. Although
excavations on this site began in the 16th century, many of the ruins lying scattered in the surrounding fields
have yet to be identified with any certainty.
The grounds of the villa make a very picturesque site for a picnic, with scattered fragments of columns lying
among olive trees and cypresses. For an idea of how the whole complex would have looked in its prime, visitors
can study the scale model in the building beside the car park. The most important buildings are signposted and
several have been partially restored or reconstructed. One of the most impressive is the so-called Maritime
Theatre. This is a round pool with an island in the middle, surrounded by columns. The island, reached by means
of a swing bridge, was probably Hadrian's private studio, where he withdrew from the cares of running an
empire to indulge in his two favourite interests: painting and architecture.
There were also theatres, Greek and Latin libraries, two bathhouses, extensive housing for guests and the palace
staff, and formal gardens with fountains, statues and pools. Hadrian also loved Greek philosophy. One part of
the gardens is thought to have been Hadrian's reproduction of the Grove of Academe, where Plato lectured to his
students. The most ambitious of Hadrian's replicas was the Canopus, a sanctuary of the god Serapis near
Alexandria. For this a canal 119 metres long was dug and Egyptian statues were imported to decorate the temple
and its grounds. This impressive piece of engineering has been restored and the banks of the canal are lined with
statues.
Another picturesque spot in the grounds is the Vale of Tempe, the legendary home of the goddess Diana, with a
stream representing the River Peneios. Below ground the emperor even built a fanciful re-creation of the
underworld, Hades. This was reached through underground tunnels, of which there were many linking the
various parts of the villa. The villa fell into disrepair after it was plundered by barbarian hordes in the 6th and
8th centuries.
25
Read carefully Passage B, Hadrian's Villa, in the Reading Booklet Insert and then answer Question 3(a)
and (b) on this Question Paper.
3 Answer the questions in the order set.
Notes
What do you learn about the structure and main features of Hadrian’s Villa and grounds and the reasons why it
was built, according to Passage B?
Write your answers using short notes. Write one point per line. You do not need to use your own words. Up to
10 marks are available for the content of your answer. Information about the structure and main features
of Hadrian’s villa and grounds and the reasons why it was built:
(a) 1.........................................................................................................................................
2.........................................................................................................................................
3.........................................................................................................................................
4.........................................................................................................................................
5.........................................................................................................................................
6.........................................................................................................................................
7.........................................................................................................................................
8.........................................................................................................................................
9.........................................................................................................................................
10....................................................................................................................................... [10]
(b) Summary
Now use your notes to write a summary of what Passage B tells you about the structure and main features of
Hadrian’s Villa and grounds and the reasons why it was built. You must use continuous writing (not note
form) and use your own words as far as possible.
........................................................................................................................................... .................................
.......................................................................................................... ..................................................................
........................................................................
0500/13 MAY/JUNE 2016

Passage A: The Open Window
In this extract from a mystery story, the narrator is caught in a rainstorm in the middle of a forest and finds an
apparently empty house with an open window which might offer shelter
I looked closely, and mentally photographed all the little details of the house in front of which I was standing.
An instant earlier, the world swam before my eyes. Then, I had seen nothing, but now I saw everything, with a
clearness which was shocking.
More than anything, I saw the open window. I stared at it, aware as I did so, of a curious tightening of my throat
caused by a sense of uneasiness. It was so near to me, so very near. I only had to stretch out my hand to thrust it
through the opening of the window. Once inside, my hand would at least be dry. How it rained out here! My thin
clothing was soaked; I was wet to the skin! I was shivering. Each second, it seemed to rain still more heavily.
My teeth were chattering. The damp was chilling the very marrow in my bones.
Inside that open window, it was, it must be, so warm, so dry!
There was not a soul in sight. Not a human being anywhere near. I listened; there was not a sound. I alone was at
the mercy of the rain-soaked night. Of all living creatures I was the only one unsheltered from the sky which had
been opened. There was no-one to see what I might do; no-one to care. I had no need to fear being spied upon.
Perhaps the house was empty. It was clearly my duty to knock at the door, wake the inhabitants, and call their
attention to the open window. The least they could do would be to reward me for my trouble. But, suppose the
place was empty, what would be the use of knocking? It would be to make a useless clatter. Possibly to disturb
26
the neighbourhood, for nothing. Even if they were at home, I might go unrewarded.
Leaning over a low wall I found that I could very easily put my hand inside the room. How warm it was in there!
I could feel the difference of temperature in my fingertips. Very quietly I stepped right over the wall. There was
just room to stand comfortably between the window and the wall. The ground felt to my foot as if it were
cemented. Stooping down, I peered through the opening. I could see nothing. It was pitch black inside. The blind
was drawn right up; it seemed incredible that anyone could be at home, and have gone to bed, leaving the blind
up, and the window open. I placed my ear to the opening. It was so still there was no doubt, the place was empty.
I decided to push the window up a few centimetres, so as to enable me to look round. If anyone caught me in the
act, then there would be an opportunity to describe the circumstances, and to explain how I was just about to
raise the alarm. Only, I must go carefully. In such damp weather it was likely that the window frame would
creak as I opened it further.
However, it gave no sound at all. It moved as easily and as noiselessly as if it had been oiled. The silence gave
me such confidence that I raised the window more than I intended. In fact, as far as it would go. It did not betray
me – not even by the slightest sound. Bending over the sill I put my head and half my body into the room. But I
was no further forward. I could see nothing. Not a thing. For all I could tell the room might be unfurnished.
Indeed, the likelihood of such an explanation began to occur to me. I might have found an empty house. In the
darkness there was nothing to suggest it wasn't empty. What was I to do next?
Read carefully Passage A, The Open Window, in the Reading Booklet Insert and then answer Questions 1
and 2 on this Question Paper. Answer all questions using your own words as far as possible.
1 (a) Explain what the narrator means by the phrase ‘mentally photographed’ (line
1). ........................................................................................................................................... ...................................
........................................................................................................ [1]
b. Using your own words, explain fully the narrator’s thoughts when looking at the window (paragraph 2 ‘More
than
anything...’). ........................................................................................................................................... ...................
........................................................................................................................ ............................................................
............................................................................... [2]
c. From lines 16 to 20, give two reasons why the narrator is persuaded not to knock on the door of the house (‘It
was clearly...unrewarded.’).
........................................................................................................................................... .........................................
.................................................................................................. ..................................................................................
......................................................... [2]
d. Using your own words, explain the narrator’s reasons for thinking that the house was definitely empty (lines
26-28).
........................................................................................................................................... .........................................
.................................................................................................. ..................................................................................
......................................................... [2]
e. What answer did the narrator plan to give in the event of being caught climbing through the window (lines 30-
31)?
........................................................................................................................................... .........................................
.................................................................................................. [2]
f. State two of the narrator’s thoughts while climbing through the window (lines 32-41, ‘In such damp
weather...What was I to do next?’).
• .........................................................................................................................................
• ......................................................................................................................................... [2]
g. i. Re-read paragraphs one, two and seven (‘I looked closely...my bones’ and ‘However...do next?’). Explain
using your own words, what the writer means by the words underlined in three of the following phrases:
1. ‘An instant earlier, the world swam before my eyes’ (line 2)

2. ‘a curious tightening of my throat’ (lines 4-5)
3. ‘caused by a sense of uneasiness’ (line 5)
27
4. ‘It did not betray me – not even by the slightest sound’ (lines 36-37)
Phrase selected: 1, 2, 3 or 4.........

Meaning of the words underlined:..........................................................................
Meaning of the words underlined:..........................................................................
Meaning of the words underlined:.......................................................................... [3]
ii.Explain how the writer’s use of language in each of the phrases you have chosen in 1(g)(i) helps to suggest the
narrator’s thoughts and feelings. You should refer to the whole phrase in your answer and not just the words
underlined.
Explanation............................................................................................................. ...................................................
.............................................................................
Explanation............................................................................................................. ...................................................
.............................................................................
Explanation............................................................................................................. ...................................................
............................................................................. [6]
2. Imagine that you are the narrator of Passage A. It is the morning after the events described in the
passage and you are writing a journal entry. In your journal entry you describe the events of the
day before.
3.
Write your journal entry.
In your journal entry you should:
• describe how you first discovered the house and your impressions of it
• describe your thoughts and feelings while you were standing in the rain
• give an account of what happened after you climbed through the open window.
Base your journal entry on what you have read in Passage A, but do not copy from it. Be careful to use your own
words. Address each of the three bullet points. Begin your journal entry, ‘I am still trying to understand exactly
what happened yesterday...’
Write about 200 to 300 words. Up to 10 marks are available for the content of your answer, and up to 5
marks for the quality of your writing.
Passage B: Ggantija
The following passage gives information about Ggantija, two ancient remains on the island of Gozo in the
Mediterranean.
The Ggantija Temples are two prehistoric temples on Gozo, the second largest island in Malta. One of them is
the oldest stone structure in the world, pre-dating the Great Pyramids by hundreds of years. Round in shape and
containing statues of goddesses, the Ggantija temples were dedicated to the Great Earth Mother and probably
included an oracle where a priestess would give predictions of the future. The site was a place of pilgrimage for
the ancient inhabitants of Malta and even for pilgrims from North Africa and Sicily.
The two temples of Gjantija are estimated to be 5,800 years old (built between BCE 3600 and 3000). According
to an ancient legend, the temple walls were built in one day and one night by a female giant named Sunsuna,
who did it while nursing a baby. Ggantija is Maltese for ‘giant's grotto’.
28
According to archaeologists, the Ggantija Temples were dedicated to the Great Earth Mother, a goddess of
fertility. Evidence indicates there was an oracle here, as at the much later Temple of Apollo at Delphi. A
priestess prophesied while in a trance, possessed by the spirit of the goddess. Ggantija also seems to have been a
place to pray for the sick to be healed.
In addition to being the oldest, the Ggantija temples are the most complete complex of shrines on Malta. The
two temples cover a total area of 3,000 square metres. They are surrounded by a wall, which reaches up to two
metres, and they share a courtyard at the front.
As with many ancient sites built with large stones, it is hard to imagine how the builders were able to hoist
stones weighing several tonnes into place. However, the slabs may have been rolled into place on ‘roller stones’
about the size of cannon balls, which have been found on the site.
Each temple consists of five arched alcoves connected by a central corridor that leads to the innermost section.
The first temple is larger and has niches with altars decorated with carvings. The second has none of these
features. The large shared courtyard may have been where congregations gathered to attend rituals, while the
inner rooms of the temple were reserved for the priestess.
Read carefully Passage B, Ggantija, in the Reading Booklet Insert and then answer Question 3(a) and 3(b)
on this Question Paper
3 Answer the questions in the order set
a. Notes
What do you learn about the building structure of Ggantija and the activities that took place there, according to
Passage B? Write your answers using short notes. Write one point per line. You do not need to use your own
words. Up to 10 marks are available for the content of your answer. Information about the building
structure of Ggantija and the activities that took place there:
1.........................................................................................................................................
2.........................................................................................................................................
3.........................................................................................................................................
4.........................................................................................................................................
5.........................................................................................................................................
6.........................................................................................................................................
7.........................................................................................................................................
8.........................................................................................................................................
9.........................................................................................................................................
10....................................................................................................................................... [10]
Summary
Now use your notes to write a summary of what Passage B tells you about the building structure of Ggantija and
the activities that took place there. You must use continuous writing (not note form) and use your own words as
far as possible. Your summary should include all 10 of your points in Question 3(a) and must be 100 to 150
words. Up to 5 marks are available for the quality of your writing.
29
MAY/JUNE 2016 PAPER 2/21

Part 1
Passage A: Honey Hotel
Al, the owner of the Honey Hotel, wants to attract new business to his hotel and hopes that his
competition winner will help him.
Al waited at the airport – unusual for a hotel owner. He wanted to impress these guests. Besides,
they might have difficulty persuading a taxi to drive out as far as his place. Honey Hotel’s
remoteness meant a two-hour, suspension-challenging drive each way.
Last month, Al had advertised online: images of classical architecture, legendary landscapes and
his newly-extended dining room would entice tourists in more profitable numbers, he felt sure.
Struggling to describe his hidden paradise, he’d hit on the idea of offering the chance to stay for
free to anyone booking who successfully completed in less than 100 words, ‘Why I want to
visit…’ There’d been a handful of entries amongst the dozen or so enquiries he’d received.
‘Mostly mediocre,’ his wife had observed. ‘This one’s amazing though,’ she’d said, passing him
the name of the winner. ‘Really understands the spirit of the place.’
He agreed. Reading the winning entry, he’d been entranced by the sensitivity with which its gifted
writer staged scenes of ancient civilisations and romantic journeys along half-forgotten sandy
roads – conjuring a charming mirage of white-washed walls, embroidered gowns and orange trees
laced with sunlight.
Al had been immediately anxious to meet the winner: M. R. Head. Correcting the poor
punctuation, he’d moved Mr Head (and his wife) to the best suite, sighing over the half-
full booking list. Perhaps Mr Head could be persuaded to write a glowing review for the website?
The week’s itinerary had been carefully planned to encourage this.
On the second morning, Al sourced ingredients fresh from the market as usual – doubling up on
everything – an unnecessary expense, but he didn’t want popular dishes to run out again tonight.
Laden with the rainbow of produce he’d procured, Al worked his way back through the beehive
that was the Old Town. Mr Head had seemed unimpressed during their tour here yesterday,
complaining loudly to his wife of ‘straggling market stalls, tatty trinkets and bits of cloth’.
He’d refused even to visit the animal sanctuary or ‘that pile of rubble on the hilltop’. At dinner, he
scoffed at ‘boring’ plans for the next day, bullying Al into including him in a planned excursion for
a group of white-water rafters who came back year after year. Other guests said they’d also enjoy a
trip on the water, so finally a small coach was hired. ‘Stay on flat water if you like,’ Mr Head
goaded as guests piled onto the vehicle after breakfast. ‘I’m with the white-water boys.’
Only later did Al realise Mrs Head had not gone too. She sat with a notebook under the palms on
the hotel terrace. Al worried what to offer her. The coach party had decimated the breakfast
banquet like a hoard of locusts. He had only mint tea for his own elevenses he explained; she was
welcome to that. She accepted gratefully, remaining for nearly an hour sipping the tea and idly
fussing a stray cat playing around her feet.
Still later, he noticed her talking with the gardener about his bees – curious to know more about the
health benefits of their honey, saddened they were threatened by farmers guarding precious crops
against other less friendly insects.
Al expressed concern that the ‘pain in her neck’ she’d given as her reason for not joining the others
might have been caused by the pillows. He offered to change them for others less soft.
‘No,’ she smiled. ‘The pillows are perfect. The pain has gone now. Please, call me Maria.’
That evening Al was busy, so wasn’t paying full attention when the coach party returned. He caught only
snippets of sniggered conversation as guests re-entered the lobby dispersing to their rooms. ‘Told him...
should’ve listened… good job the others knew what they were doing.’ He noticed Maria listening
to one of the rafters in the corner, nodding softly, stopping only to raise her eyebrows and smile
apologetically.
The word ‘hospital’ caught his attention. Al strained anxiously to hear more: ‘Nothing serious – a
few bruises, hurt pride. Told us he knew what he was doing…’ finished the rafter.
‘Sorry to trouble you,’ Maria began, approaching the desk. ‘It looks like my husband will need
collecting. Could we stop off on Friday on the way back to the airport perhaps? I’ll sign any forms
you require now
30
–it wasn’t anyone else’s fault. He won’t be putting in any kind of complaint, I promise.’ Relieved,
Al received the incident form dated and signed: Maria Rose Head.
‘M. R. Head,’ he noted. Now he understood.
Part 2
Passage B: The Honeybee
The writer of this letter is responding to an article entitled ‘Buzz off, see if I care’, about the
disappearance of bees.
Dear Sir,
I was appalled by your article regarding that most fascinating of insects, the honeybee. You reveal
your ignorance by dismissing the potential demise of honeybees as part of a ‘natural cycle’ –
crassly celebrating that your picnic is ‘less likely to be disturbed by nasty buzzy things’. Firstly, if
it weren’t for bees, your picnic probably wouldn’t exist. Over 30% of world crops rely on bee
pollination – apples, nuts, and all our favourite summer fruits like cherries and strawberries. Your
peanut butter and jam sandwich would be looking a bit thin if bees disappeared altogether,
wouldn’t it?
Perhaps you might like to consider that the extinction of bees could lead to widespread global
starvation. We need to understand the value of bees and the precarious state of their existence. We
could lose a lot of healthy food from our world or wind up paying exorbitant costs for farmers to
use some other, less efficient, pollination technique to replace the work of these natural pollinators.
Passing from flower to flower searching for nectar, bees transfer pollen on their fur, as they
pollinate plants. Bees are effectively unpaid labour for the global food industry. Plus, bee health
tells us lots about environmental health – the decimation of honeybee colonies worldwide is
serious.
You’re right that honeybees aren’t native to many parts of the world, but were introduced by
settlers. What you haven’t understood is that the honeybee is one of the oldest forms of animal life
still in existence from the Neolithic Age. Over 500 Egyptian medicines used honey. The earliest
records of man interacting with bees are rock paintings in Spain thought to be 8,000 years old.
Modern picnic- man has responsibilities here.
As you say, wild bees can be significant pollinators of plants and crops, but their numbers have
decreased too. Should honeybees become extinct, their wild cousins are unlikely to be around to
help.
Millions of bees abandoning hives, flying off to die, is a comparatively recent phenomenon.
Known as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), it’s unlike anything seen before. Bee keepers find
beehives virtually empty. The few bees left inside the hive carry almost every known bee virus, as
well as fungal infections. It’s as if bees’ immune systems are being suppressed somehow. Perhaps,
like ants, bees flee their colonies when they sense they’re diseased. Honeybees may have too little
genetic diversity, making the species as a whole susceptible to widespread disease.
You incorrectly claim GM crops and radiation from mobile phones damage bees, overlooking the
bee’s worst enemy, a blood-sucking mite called Varroa Destructor. This renders the bee
susceptible to a deformed wing virus and is certainly a main suspect in this murder mystery.
Misleading readers, you say pesticides aren’t necessarily a death sentence for bees. The pesticides
you refer to are insect nerve agents, used as seed dressings, which means they end up in every part
of the crop they protect, including pollen and nectar. Even if properly applied, these chemicals
cannot be used safely. Just small amounts are thought to fog bees’ brains, altering behaviour
fatally.
In some regions of the world, chemicals are so widely used that all the bees have disappeared; fruit
trees are pollinated by vast armies of human workers. Elsewhere, remaining beehives are routinely
stacked up on trucks and transported around the country to pollinate orchard after orchard. This is
almost certainly causing bees to suffer from stress and is bound to depress their immune system,
expose them to additional pathogens and affect their navigational abilities. A changing climate and
bizarre local weather systems also threaten bees.
Bees need a habitat with bee-friendly flowers for good nutrition. You’re wrong to suggest that
urban beekeeping is the answer to honeybee decline. More honeybees in the city could just mean
less nectar available to the wild bee population.
31
Nowadays, most scientists believe CCD results from an unfortunate cocktail of multiple causes
working to increase stress and reduce honeybees’ immune systems.
Yours faithfully,
J. C. Brown
Read carefully Passage A, Honey Hotel, in the Reading Booklet Insert and then answer Questions
1 and 2 on this Question Paper.
Question 1
You are Maria from Passage A. The day after the rafting trip you write a letter to a friend back
home.
Write the letter.
In your letter you should comment on:
•your impressions of the hotel and its staff
•your thoughts and feelings about your husband’s attitude and behaviour on the holiday
•your plans for the remaining days of your holiday.
Base your letter on what you have read in Passage A, but be careful to use your own words.
Begin your letter, ‘Dear friend,
This place is everything I imagined…’
Question 2
(a)the winning entry in paragraph 4, beginning ‘He agreed…’
(b)Al and Mr Head’s visits to the market in paragraph 6, beginning ‘On the second morning…’.
Explain how each word or phrase selected is used effectively in the context. Write about 200 to
300 words.
Read carefully Passage B, The Honeybee, in the Reading Booklet Insert and then
answer Questions 3(a) and (b) on this Question Paper.
Question 3
(a)Notes
According to Passage B, what is the importance of honeybees to humans and what does the writer
of the letter believe to be threatening bees’ well-being?
Write your answer using short notes. Write one point per line. You do not need to use your own
words.
What is the importance of honeybees and what are the threats to their well-being?
1...........................................................................................................................................
2...........................................................................................................................................
3...........................................................................................................................................
4...........................................................................................................................................
5...........................................................................................................................................
6...........................................................................................................................................
7...........................................................................................................................................
8...........................................................................................................................................
9...........................................................................................................................................
10.........................................................................................................................................
11.........................................................................................................................................
12.........................................................................................................................................
13.........................................................................................................................................
32
14.........................................................................................................................................
15.........................................................................................................................................
[Total: 15]
(b)Summary
Now use your notes from Question 3(a) to write a summary of the importance of honeybees to
humans and what is threatening bees’ well-being, according to Passage B.
Your summary should include all 15 of your points in Question 3(a) and must be 200 to 250
words.
JUNE 2016 PAPER 2/22

Part 1
Passage A: Miss Salmon
The whole school is assembled on the playing field, listening to the Headmaster.
‘Of course, someone amongst you knows exactly why we are wasting our afternoon standing here
looking at each other as if we have nothing better to do. Someone here knows exactly why our
33
extremely expensive fire warning system is currently ringing at full volume when it is patently
obvious there is no fire. Someone amongst us knows exactly why they think it appropriate for my
personal secretary, Mrs Edmondson, to have risked life and limb returning to a potentially burning
building to collect class registers, only to have discovered it was all a hoax.’ The word hung above
the Headmaster, his own personal rain cloud ready to descend on whichever unfortunate in the
rows of students facing him should confess.
Miss Salmon didn’t think it was likely anyone would confess.
‘And what’s more,’ he continued, ‘on today of all days, when Mrs Basu, our esteemed head
governor, had gone out of her way – yes, out of her way – to visit our establishment and inspect
excellence at work, someone thought it was perfectly acceptable to disturb our meeting with this…
this…despicable deed.’ The words landed at the feet of the front row with a venom suggesting they
were lucky to miss the strike.
A lull in the storm brought nervous giggles from the middle of the assembled school. The rain
cloud burst. ‘Who considers this amusing?’ the Headmaster bellowed, turning with lightning speed
to face the source of the interruption to his magnificent monologue. Like a discarded sweet
wrapper rustled between acts, the giggling fell away. ‘This is not a laughing matter. The
perpetrator of this felony can expect consequences, serious consequences, as a result of their
actions. There is no excuse for this kind of wanton, criminal act.’
Miss Salmon thought it unlikely any major criminals lurked amongst the rows of bright young
students standing to attention between the pristine white goals of the immaculately-
groomedplaying field. Shining faces dimmed with assumed innocence looked out blankly in a
practised picture of compliance. The tall boy at the back though – one she recognised as a popular
leader – seemed little impressed even by the fury of the Headmaster. His pack had been the source
of the sniggers – sounds she was well accustomed to. The smaller boys to his left included several
of the less quick-witted pupils – those who were less likely to ask awkward questions, who could
be relied upon to at least accept that she might have some potential as a geography teacher.
‘Someone weak-willed we assume – egged on by others – someone who has done this to impress.’
The words snaked through the air as the Headmaster continued.
‘Not really,’ thought Miss Salmon, looking at the eager faces now hungering for the kill in front of
her. Much more likely someone who was terrified…terrified of not being able to live up to the
Olympian standards expected of them at this place. Someone who suffered daily the sneers of
superior students, the pangs of inadequacy when no one listened, the agony of shame for not
knowing the rules of the game and having no friends, mentor or confidante there to ask for help
when the challenge seemed too much.
‘Someone who used an implement – not yet known…’
‘A toffee hammer,’ thought Miss Salmon, tucking it deeper into her pocket.
‘Someone who sneaked like a thief in the night past the very door of my office…’
‘Yes that had been close,’ she thought quietly.

‘Someone who smashed the protective glass like a wanton vandal, just so…’
‘She didn’t have to face the lesson,’ she added only to herself.
Miss Salmon heard the Headmaster’s ultimatum: there would be one chance for clemency. Should
the villain present themselves at the Head’s office, confess and apologise to the whole school – the
whole school mind, each and every one in turn – then and only then, they might be allowed to
remain at this bastion of academic standards.
She wondered how long they’d be standing there before she could collect her carrier bag of
unfinished marking from under her desk and head back to her rented room.
‘That someone has some serious thinking to do,’ finished the Headmaster, dismissing them as the
regular bell rang for the end of the day.
‘I’ve some serious thinking to do,’ thought Miss Salmon, hesitating on the side lines and looking
up at the ancient school buildings towering over her.
Part 2
Passage B: A job you’ll grow into
A teacher answers her friend’s request for advice…
Dear Mark,
34
Thanks for your letter – I’m glad you asked for advice. You’re right, my first year was tough too,
but teaching is a job you’ll grow into. Cheer up – it will get better. Most teachers would agree their
first year is the hardest, simply because they’re not ready for all that will be thrown at them.
Teaching is a rewarding career, but there are times when it can be extremely challenging, and you
need to accept that. There are other things that can make this first year go more smoothly.
Your first year is always going to be especially demanding, so before you begin each day, be as
prepared as you possibly can. Set up your room properly. Look around. Is there anything anywhere
that would distract you if you were a student?
As you’ve found out already, teaching isn’t a nine-to-five job. Added to that, it’s going to take a
newly qualified teacher more time to prepare than it would someone more experienced. If you’re
not arriving early and staying late on most days, it’s likely you won’t be fully prepared for
everything required of you.
Another key component that can take a lot of time is organisation – that’s essential really as
otherwise with so many variables you need to take account of, you can’t possibly keep up with
everything. Organisation and preparation are linked. If you aren’t organised, it’s difficult to be
adequately prepared. Prepare two hours’ material for every hour of actual teaching. You need to
avoid that dreaded ten minutes at the end when you’re wondering, ‘What do I do now?’
Building healthy working relationships takes a lot of effort, I know. Early on though, teachers need to forge
positive relationships with administrators and other staff members. Parents are equally important allies –
something to remember. Then there’s how your students feel about you too, which will impact on your
overall effectiveness. There is a definite middle ground that a good teacher finds that lies between being too
lenient or too strict. Most students respect teachers who are fair and keep a sense of humour.
Everyone starts with their own unique philosophy, their idea of how they’re going to teach. I think
it only took me a few hours to realise that I was going to have to make adjustments. Having a back-
up plan when trying something new is vital. Even the most well-planned, organised activity can
fail. Being prepared to move on to another activity if necessary is always an excellent idea.
Be positive too. Most new teachers don’t have the luxury of being picky with their first job either.
They take what’s available and run with it, no matter how insecure they are with the curriculum.
However, each grade or level is different, so it’s essential you become an expert in the curriculum
that you’ll be teaching, and quickly! Great teachers know their curriculum inside out. They’re
continuously looking for ways to improve how they teach and interest students in that material.
Perhaps there’s a more experienced colleague you could ask for help?
I find keeping a journal useful. It’s reassuring to look back and reflect on how far I’ve come since
those early days when I thought I could change the world. Now I think I’m a bit more realistic and
take account of my students when planning activities for class.
Don’t be so hard on yourself. Every teacher has a first year. There are bound to be moments when
you feel overwhelmed. It is necessary to understand that it will improve though. Are you taking
care of yourself physically – eating and sleeping well? You’re only human you know.
Anyway, let me know how next week goes.
Keep smiling,
Jenna
Read carefully Passage A, Miss Salmon, in the Reading Booklet Insert and then answer Questions
Question 1
You are Miss Salmon. On the evening of the false alarm you write a letter to a friend.
Write the letter.
•comment on the events of the day, what exactly happened and how you feel now
•explain why you behaved as you did
•suggest your possible courses of action now and what their consequences might be.
Base your letter on what you have read in Passage A, but be careful to use your own words.
Begin your letter, ‘Dear friend,
Something happened today that I need to tell someone about…’
35
Question 2
(a)the atmosphere and the Headmaster’s speech in paragraph 4, beginning, ‘A lull in the storm …’
(b)the school and the students in paragraph 5, beginning, ‘Miss Salmon thought it unlikely …’.
Explain how each word or phrase selected is used effectively in the context.
Read carefully Passage B, A job you’ll grow into, in the Reading Booklet Insert and then
answer Questions 3(a) and (b) on this Question Paper.
Question 3
(a)Notes
In Passage B, what advice is given to help with the first year of teaching? Write your answer using
short notes. Write one point per line.
Advice to help with the first year of teaching:
1 ..........................................................................................................................................
2 ..........................................................................................................................................
3 ..........................................................................................................................................
4 ..........................................................................................................................................
5 ..........................................................................................................................................
6 ..........................................................................................................................................
7 ..........................................................................................................................................
8 ..........................................................................................................................................
9 ..........................................................................................................................................
10 ........................................................................................................................................
11 ........................................................................................................................................
12 ........................................................................................................................................
13 ........................................................................................................................................
14 ........................................................................................................................................
15 ........................................................................................................................................
[Total: 15]
(b)Summary
Now use your notes from Question 3(a) to write a summary of the advice given in Passage B to
help with the first year of teaching.
Your summary should include all 15 of your points in Question 3(a) and must be 200 to 250
words.
Up to 5 marks are available for the quality of your writing
36
0500/23 PAPER 2 READING PASSAGES (EXTENDED) MAY/JUNE 2016

Part 1
Passage A: At the restaurant
The narrator, a visitor to the city, is supposed to be celebrating a business deal with his colleague,
Fenton, when a boy steals his wallet and is stopped by the waiter.
The first thing that struck me about the kid was the stink. I felt my gorge rise and had to fight the
impulse to throw up. A putrid combination of rotten organic matter and unwashed clothes, as if he’d
been sleeping in a waste container for weeks, which he might well have been – it was all I could do to
hold him at arm’s length. Fenton was talking to the waiter in broken Spanish. I was supposed to make
sure the boy didn’t get away.
After a while, though, it began to get to me. It felt silly holding on to him at all, wrong in some way.
Here we were, well-fed, fully-grown men, using force to restrain a skinny kid who was twelve years old
at most, not tall for his age, and clearly malnourished into the bargain. If he’d been struggling, perhaps
it might have been justified, but he was making no move to run for it. On the contrary, all the fight
37
seemed to have gone out of him. He just stood there with a pathetic expression of resignation on his
face, like you’d expect on a condemned man. I tried to imagine what lay in store for him: a juvenile
detention centre maybe. It didn’t sound like much, but then again, he didn’t look like someone who’d
had a great deal of luck in life.
Fenton and the waiter were still talking. I had the feeling Fenton’s Spanish was really not much better
than mine, though he always claimed to be fairly fluent. The waiter didn’t care either way; he wasn’t
the owner and he resented our presence. That much was clear from the moment we sat down, uninvited,
by the window. Dressed without distinguishing feature in a jaded trio of pressed white shirt, dull black
tie and waistcoat, his hair slicked back with some kind of oil, he approached our table with the
nonchalant reluctance of a ringmaster bored with his act. He re-lit a tired tea-light and processed our
orders with casual disdain while staring off into the distance, vacantly watching a girl cross the square,
a pigeon circle the sky. Then he sloped off without a word towards the locals occupying the interior of
the restaurant.
Fenton was oblivious. ‘What a great place,’ he grinned.
It’s what happens. A few years ago you could still describe the old part of this city as charming. It was
possible to wander wide-eyed for hours without haste. People still treated you with respect. These days
they’ve seen enough ugly tourists to make them despise us collectively as a breed. The charm is
waning. Now they’re on you like a flock of vultures: waiters waving plastic menus in your face,
professional ‘beggars’ kneeling like penitents on the pavements, unscrupulous vendors touting
convincing counterfeits at every corner. The innocence has gone.
A stream of insistent buskers turned up at our table one after another, with all the spontaneity of a chain
gang. Throwing circus clubs in the air, strumming out-of-tune guitars, they gave a perfunctory
performance and then demanded money. It was an extortion racket. If nothing was forthcoming, they
were quick to curse in one of a dozen languages.
By now, I was supporting the kid more than restraining him. If I had let go of his wizened arm, he
would have collapsed to the ground into a discarded heap, a disintegrated carcass. There wasn’t much
more to him than gaunt, sallow skin and bones – a deflated membrane of a human. The right side of his
sunken face was swelling up accusingly from the hefty slap he took when the waiter grabbed him as
he’d tried to snatch the wallet from my back pocket. The rotten, miserable sight of him made me feel
ashamed. An hour or so ago, I was still living under the spell of the projected illusion that this city, like
so many other places in the world, was a playground for people like me.
Read carefully Passage A, At the restaurant, in the Reading Booklet Insert and then answer
Questions 1 and 2 on this Question Paper.
Question 1
You are a local journalist who was in the restaurant that evening and saw everything that happened.
The next day you decide to write an article for the local newspaper.
Write the newspaper article.

In your newspaper article you should:
• report what you observed in the restaurant and how the incident was resolved
• explain the complaints of tourists and how far you think they are justified
• suggest how locals feel about tourists and how both sides could work to rebuild mutual respect.
Base your newspaper article on what you have read in Passage A, but be careful to use your own
words. Address each of the three bullet points. Begin your article with the headline, ‘Our city – a
playground for tourists?’
Write about 250 to 350 words. Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer, and
up to 5 marks for the quality of your writing.
38
MAY/JUNE 2016PAPER 3-0500/31

Read the following transcript of a radio interview, and then answer Section 1, Question 1 on the
Question Paper.
In this radio interview, Sonia Small, the presenter of a series called ‘Town and Country’, talks to a
man who has recently returned to live in the city after moving to the countryside.
Sonia Small: Now, Mr Schmit, just a year ago you and your family were among the growing number
of city residents, here and in many countries across the world, who were desperate to leave their city
homes for the peace and tranquillity of the countryside. And yet, here you are, back in the hustle and
bustle of city life. Tell me why your countryside paradise was not what you expected.
Mr Schmit: Well, it wasn’t all a disaster but it definitely wasn’t paradise! The air was certainly cleaner
and I didn’t miss the constant noise of traffic. My youngest child loved the village school where there
were just a handful of children, a huge playground and a teacher who really got to know him. It wasn’t
so easy for the older ones though.
Sonia Small: A longer journey to school, perhaps, though it must have been a more enjoyable route
than through choked city streets?
Mr Schmit: A twenty-kilometre bus ride on narrow roads was an adventure at first, that’s true, but it
could take an hour if they got stuck behind farm traffic, or the local farmer was moving his livestock
over the road. I’d hoped to find a suitable post nearer our home, but the salaries were paltry compared
with city jobs and there are no big company headquarters with exciting modern jobs in rural villages.
So every morning, instead of a quick commute by rail, or a twenty minute walk, I had a fifty-kilometre
39
trip back to the city.
Sonia Small: That still sounds better than being crammed into a train like sardines with thousands of
other people before you’re properly awake!
Mr Schmit: It had some advantages but one of the reasons we moved was because I wanted a better
quality of life for the family in the open countryside. I also wanted to feel less guilty about using up
the world’s resources. Ironically, we only bought a car when we relocated and I’ve driven many, many
kilometres in the last year.
Sonia Small: Your older children – what were their impressions of living in the countryside? Many
people think that the city is no place to bring up children, where there are dangers around every corner.
Mr Schmit: Oh, that’s certainly true. I was convinced my children would have much more freedom
and independence as teenagers than we could ever allow them in the city. I was disappointed that they
never really saw it that way. My seventeen-year-old son complained constantly about internet speeds
and found village life tedious and oppressive. Our neighbours were much friendlier than in the city
where we didn’t even know people who lived in the same apartment block, but he said he was treated
with suspicion and hostility at school. The village kids had never known any other life and resented city
strangers like him who’d come from better schools and weren’t afraid to point out the shortcomings of
a rural education. My daughter was not as unhappy at school but she’s younger so those all-important
exam grades weren’t so pressing for her. She missed the city’s sporting facilities, the cinemas, the
shops. By the end she was spending many weekends staying with her old friends in the city, catching
up with the latest films and window-shopping.
Sonia Small: Perhaps you’ll return to your rural idyll when the children have flown the nest and you’re
thinking of retirement? That’s what many city people do, after all.
Mr Schmit: Yes, that’s an attractive prospect in many ways. It’s certainly more peaceful and country
villages are real communities where people know each other well and help each other out as a matter of
course, as long as they fit in. We might just have to accept that we’re not really cut out for country
living. My children certainly aren’t!
Sonia Small: Well, that’s all for now. I’m sure there are listeners who have found the move from city
to countryside a much more positive experience than Mr Schmit. We’ll consider their views next week
40
Read carefully the transcript of the radio interview in the Reading Booklet Insert and then answer Section 1,
Question 1 on this Question Paper.
Question 1
Imagine you are a listener who has moved from the city to the countryside and found it beneficial.
Write a letter to Mr Schmit, in response to the views given in the radio interview. In your letter you should:
• evaluate Mr Schmit’s reasons for moving his family to the countryside
• explain why you think the move did not work.
Base your letter on what you have read in the transcript, but be careful to use your own words.
Begin your letter, ‘Dear Mr Schmit…’
Up to 10 marks are available for the content of your answer, and up to 15 marks for the quality of your
writing.
Up to 13 marks are available for the content and structure of your answer, and up to 12 marks for the
style and accuracy of your writing.
Descriptive Writing
2 Imagine you discover a box filled with objects you collected as a small child. Describe some of the objects,
and your thoughts and feelings as you look at them.
OR
3 Imagine you are waiting in a café for a friend who is very late. Describe your surroundings and your
thoughts and feelings as you wait.
OR
Narrative Writing
4 Write a story entitled, ‘The New Beginning’.
OR
5 ‘This was too exciting a temptation to resist.’ Write a story in which these words appear.
41
MAY/JUNE 2016 PAPER 3- 0500/32

Read the article below, written by Paul Lifschultz, a retired teacher who lives in England, for an international
magazine.
Whatever happened to common courtesy?
I was reminded only yesterday, by two seemingly insignificant incidents while out shopping in a nearby town,
that politeness and good manners just aren’t what they used to be. In one shop, the two young shop assistants
behind the counter carried on their conversation, including some lurid details about a recent night out, while I
handed over my goods to be processed through the till. Not one word was addressed to me, the customer who
presumably helps to keep these two employed, and there was barely a pause in their discussion as they took my
money and shoved my purchases unceremoniously into a bag. Only half an hour later, I stood behind another
customer in a supermarket queue who conducted a discussion on her mobile phone throughout the whole
transaction, ignoring the smile and greeting of the checkout assistant completely. You see, it isn’t just another
‘customer care’ course for shop staff that is needed – neither staff nor their customers show each other the polite
consideration that keep the wheels of civilised life in motion.
Perhaps I live in a particularly discourteous part of the world, or maybe life in big towns and cities is too frenetic
these days for the niceties of polite behaviour. From my experience in many countries across the globe, people
living in fast-moving, over-crowded cosmopolitan cities no longer observe the everyday courtesies that their
many and various cultures would have expected of them just a decade ago. Nobody offers their seat on a train or
bus to an older person these days and I pity any frail or elderly person unfortunate enough to get in the way of
the busy go-getters on city streets. Nobody even says ‘Excuse me’ before pushing their way past others any more
and a polite ‘Good morning’ to a fellow passenger on a commuter train is met with suspicion in many big cities.
Maybe it’s these same city manners (or complete lack of them!) that have leaked into smaller towns and villages
like mine, turning an ordinary shopping trip into a depressing experience.
Adults are as guilty as young people of discourteous behaviour, if the increasing number of ‘road rage’ incidents
is anything to go by, for example. However, if we don’t expect children to behave courteously as a matter of
course we can hardly expect them to become civilised adults. My teenage grandchildren, as delightful as they
are, rarely find themselves reprimanded for rudeness although they constantly interrupt others, even adults, and
talk over them. They seem to have the utmost confidence that their views count for much more than anyone
else’s and are incapable of hearing an opposing view without shouting it down. The rowdiness of young people
we see so often in public these days isn’t really the outrageous, almost criminal behaviour older people often
claim it is – it’s merely a failure to understand the rules of common courtesy. Young children are routinely
allowed to dictate to their parents the meals they’re prepared to eat, teenagers think nothing of answering their
phones during family occasions and parents don’t even expect a ‘please’ or ‘thank you’ once a child’s age
reaches double figures. Teachers report that the constant incivility of pupils towards each other, and especially
towards the adults in the classroom, is very dispiriting. It seems that individual self-expression and the pursuit of
one’s own goals are considered far more important than small kindnesses which simply make the world go round
more smoothly.
Of course, in some sectors of society, politeness is considered a valuable business skill. Perhaps it’s true that we
buy more from polite salespeople or we complain less when confronted with a skilfully courteous Complaints
Manager. Even in personal matters, we are likely to be much more easily duped by a cheat with good manners.
In a world where ordinary, everyday courtesy seems to have disappeared, there’s power in politeness. However,
this kind of fake sincerity, taught in countless business seminars the world over and deployed as a tactic, is not
what I consider real courtesy. Having said that, for the rude shop assistants I encountered yesterday, it might be a
start!
42
Read carefully the magazine article entitled ‘Whatever happened to common courtesy?’ in the Reading Booklet
Insert. Then answer Section 1, Question 1 on this Question Paper.
Question 1
Write a letter to Paul Lifschultz, giving your views on what you have read in the article. In your letter you
should:
• identify and evaluate the arguments in the article
• explain how far you agree with Paul Lifschultz’s attitude.
Base your letter on what you have read in the article, but be careful to use your own words.
Begin your letter, ‘Dear Mr Lifschultz….’
writing.
Descriptive Writing
4 Imagine you are watching a spectacular sunset with friends or family. Describe what you see and hear, and
your thoughts and feelings as you watch.
OR
5 During a walk through open country, you stop for a few moments. Describe what you see and hear, and the
effect it has on your thoughts and feelings.
OR
Narrative Writing
6 Write a story with the title, ‘Home At Last’.
OR
7 Write a story which involves a meeting between enemies.

43
0500/33 PAPER 3 DIRECTED WRITING AND COMPOSITION MAY/JUNE

2016
In the following newspaper report, the writer explains how students of different ages in a local high school are
taught in classes together
Big Changes in Local High School

Just three years ago, a local secondary school, Green College, was under threat of closure. Student numbers had
fallen drastically and the school was judged to be ‘no longer viable’. As a last ditch attempt to keep it open, the
Principal adopted some radical changes to the structure of classes.
Mrs Perez, the Principal, explains how she transformed the school’s fortunes. ‘I’d heard about vertical grouping,
where different age groups are taught in classes together,’ she says. ‘It’s sometimes called family grouping and
there are plenty of good models in primary school systems all over the world.’ It’s not uncommon, either, for
very small schools in remote areas to have different age groups taught in the same class. For these villages that
may be the only education on offer, but Mrs Perez and others promote the idea more positively. They claim
many educational and social benefits, including better behaviour and higher academic achievement.
To make the new system work, Mrs Perez chose only her best, most flexible staff to teach reorganised classes in
which children from 11 to 16 were taught together. She had to reassure parents that teachers would be retrained
to ensure that they adapted their lessons for different ages. This created some resentment amongst highly
experienced staff who had to ‘unlearn’ many of their methods and ideas about teaching. ‘There were teething
problems,’ she admits. Parents were afraid that their children would not be able to follow demanding courses and
would not achieve the grades needed for university places. Older students felt that younger children would
demand more of the teacher’s attention and Mrs Perez had to answer some difficult questions in the meetings she
held to explain the idea. Although she remains enthusiastic about family grouping, the age range in each class
has narrowed a little, now that the threat of closure has passed, so perhaps there are limits to its benefits.
A proud Mrs Perez introduces Emilia, a student at Green College who has recently secured a place at her chosen
university to study engineering. Her parents took the risk of moving her to the college, concerned that at her
previous school she had felt bullied and not adequately challenged academically. ‘I was very small and shy for
my age and the older kids intimidated me. My classmates were all the same age but that’s all I had in common
with many of them,’ she says. ‘Here, we all know each other, whatever age we are, and we feel protective of the
younger ones. They look up to us as role models – a nice feeling for us! – but they’re not scared of us and we
learn a lot about responsibility and tolerance.’ She recalls one project which involved all the students in her
class, from 11 year olds to 16 year olds. ‘We planted a woodland garden in the school grounds over a number of
weeks. I worked with a really smart 11-year-old boy, researching which trees would suit the soil type and the
position, how tall they would grow and in which sequence to plant them to allow woodland flowers to develop
beneath the canopy. My friend Ahmed opted to help the younger kids to plant flower seeds and learned a lot
about children as well as plants. He’s just applied to a teacher training college.
Emilia is obviously an articulate and bright student who may well have succeeded at any school, but she says
exams and academic standards are taken very seriously at Green. ‘We don’t take risks with children’s futures,’
Mrs Perez adds. ‘Exam students are given extra tuition separately and throughout the school the teachers tailor
each child’s learning to suit their ability as well as their age.’
The college is now looking to admit a small number of carefully selected adult learners who can join classes for
a year or so to inspire and encourage them to continue their education. In some countries the system of teaching
children of different ages together is known as ‘family grouping’, but surely children learning alongside adults
the same age as their parents or even grandparents is a step too far? Mrs Perez adamantly disagrees. ‘Some
adults who under-achieved in conventional schools have shown a keen interest in how we work here. Systems
which break down barriers between children and adults are good for the whole of the community, not just
schools. Our students are all learners, after all, whatever their age.
Read carefully the report from a newspaper about changes to the structure of a school in the Reading
Booklet Insert, and then answer Section 1, Question 1 on this Question Paper.
Question 1 Imagine that your school has plans to introduce family or vertical grouping.
Write an article for your school magazine giving your views on the topic, based on the article. In your article you
44
should:
• identify and evaluate the ideas expressed in the article about family or vertical grouping
• give your views about how you think it would affect students of different ages.
Base your article on what you have read in the newspaper report, but be careful to use your own words. Address
each of the two bullet points.
Write about 250 to 350 words. Up to 10 marks are available for the content of your answer, and up to 15
marks for the quality of your writing.
Write about 350 to 450 words on one of the following questions. Answer on this Question Paper. Up to 13 marks
are available for the content and structure of your answer, and up to 12 marks for the style and accuracy of your
writing.
Descriptive Writing
2 Describe the last-minute preparation and the moment before revealing a surprise party for a friend or relative,
and their reaction when it is revealed.
OR 3 Imagine you are stuck in a lift or elevator for a few minutes. Describe the other people in the lift or
elevator and their reactions, as well as your own.
OR Narrative Writing
4 Write a story which involves a visit to relatives.
OR 5 ‘That was one piece of advice I should have ignored.’ Write a story which ends with these words
MARCH 2017 PAPER 3
Read the passage carefully, and then answer Question 1 on the Question Paper.
In this speech to parents, the headteacher expresses concerns about the health of school children. Healthy
Bodies, Healthy Minds

45
As parents, I hope you will agree with me when I say that the state of children’s physical health has never been
more a matter of concern. You might think that, as your child’s headteacher, all I care about is healthy brains
generating academic excellence. Yes, it has been shown that physical health is linked to academic performance.
But my concerns are broader than this.
Over the years I’ve seen parents’ ability to promote healthy choices for their offspring decline. It’s all too easy to
take the path of least resistance and let your child sit quietly in front of the television. It’s exhausting trying to
coax a reluctant teenager into physical activity. And as for participating in an activity alongside them, how many
parents can be bothered to make the effort? It’s obvious too that we can’t rely on young people themselves to
take responsibility for their physical health. Social media and computer games are more attractive to youngsters
than leaving the house for physical exercise.
Our children’s lifestyles have never been more sedentary. It’s not just their lifestyle at home that’s to blame:
school too is a place where students spend the majority of their time sitting down. As parents, you should know
that spending so much of their time in a state of physical inactivity has a negative effect on children’s health. It
slows the metabolism, which affects the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar, blood pressure and break down
body fat. It’s no wonder so many youngsters are overweight. I can’t control the nutritional quality of the food
you allow your children to eat but I can, and will, take steps to promote their physical fitness in school.
It is my intention to introduce a programme of compulsory fitness sessions. We will start the school day thirty
minutes earlier to facilitate this. The emphasis is on the word compulsory: you and your children need to
understand that if you will not make physical activity a priority then I, in my role as headteacher, must impose a
regime to benefit each and every young person in my care. To maintain a basic level of physical health young
people need to participate in at least sixty minutes of physical activity each day. Our school playground is the
ideal environment for half of that recommendation to take place.
The World Health Organization advises that young people should participate in a range of activities of both
moderate and vigorous intensity. My proposal is that our students have a circuit training session involving sit
ups, press ups, skipping and running. There will be no need for expensive equipment and the benefits will be
significant. Every student will be expected to work to their full physical capacity. Those who don’t will be
named and shamed in front of their peers – a lesson to all youngsters.
Most importantly, circuit training promotes aerobic fitness. This means that heart rates will be raised, calories
will be burnt off and, in the long term, there will be a decrease in obesity levels. The other benefit is that circuit
training exercises strengthen bones and muscles, providing not only immediate health benefits but helping to
counteract weakness in later life. However, the benefits aren’t just physical. Studies have shown that physical
activity promotes social development, building self-confidence through interaction with friends outside the
classroom.
As your child’s headteacher, I am of course keen to promote academic excellence, and physical fitness can help
here too. Physical activity increases the oxygen flow to the brain and this leads to improvements in the areas
responsible for learning, memory and higher thinking skills. We all want the best examination results possible –
teachers, parents and pupils alike. I firmly believe that having a compulsory fitness session each day is a way to
achieve this. Physical activity will also lead to better levels of concentration and behaviour – a positive outcome
for all of us.
46
All in all, I am sure you will see that the benefits of my proposal are wide ranging. Yes, it would be wonderful to
think that youngsters have the foresight and dedication to make healthy choices for themselves, but we know
that, sadly, this is not the case. I hope you will join with me in promoting the benefits of my scheme. Healthy
minds and healthy bodies: what more should we desire for the children in our care?
Read carefully the speech in the Reading Booklet Insert and then answer Section 1, Question 1 on this Question
Paper.
Question 1
Imagine you are the parent of a student at the school.
Write a letter to the headteacher of the school in which you should:
• identify and evaluate the issues raised in the speech
• explain your views on whether the headteacher’s proposals are the best way to benefit pupils at the
school.
Base your letter on what you have read in the speech, but be careful to use your own words.
Address each of the bullet points.
Begin your letter, ‘Dear Headteacher…’.
writing.
Questions 2, 3, 4 and 5
Descriptive Writing
6 Describe the scene before and as a theatrical production begins.
OR
8 Imagine you have been away from home for a long time. Describe what you see and your thoughts and
feelings during your journey home.
47
OR
Narrative Writing
4 Write a story that begins with the words, ‘It felt as if I had been waiting all my life for this moment…’.
OR
5 Write a story with the title, ‘The Reunion’.

48
0500/12 PAPER 1 READING PASSAGES (CORE) FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018

Part 1 Read Passage A carefully, and then answer Questions 1 and 2 on the Question Paper.
Passage A: The mountain lake
In this passage, the writer describes a remote mountain lake in Ireland and tells what happened on a family trip
to fish for brown trout.
There is a lake, halfway up a mountain, where my family and I spend a day or two fishing each year. The climb,
over waterlogged ground, drains the energy from our legs and makes us pause every now and then to catch our
breath. During these short breaks we turn our backs on the mountain, and face, instead, the open country beneath
us. There is plenty to see. The flat green country is divided by the River Shannon. There are lakes everywhere.
Some of the larger ones we can name, but the small ones are too many to count; each one a jewel nestled into a
fold in the velvet landscape. All around us the air carries the sound of the tiny streams which gather the water
from the mountain and begin to steer it, well beyond our vision, towards the ocean.
The mountain lake is not easy to find. It seems unusual to locate a lake by climbing upward and, in many ways,
we were lucky to find it at all on our first trip. It is very small and seemingly invisible until you arrive at a ridge
and discover it, quite suddenly, at your feet. Sometimes it is not there at all. The dark clouds that graze the
mountaintops here may decide to throw a protective fog around it, and steal it back. On such days we are forced
to turn away and leave the local fish, the brown trout, to cruise the dark waters undisturbed.
This isolated lake is fed only by a stream which gathers rainfall from the mountain ridge above. How did the
trout get here? They are not big fish: the heaviest we have caught is probably just under half a kilo. With their
black backs, copper sides and two rows of red spots, they are all very similar in appearance. It seems to me that
their strict conformity to a shared dress code might say something about their history. Scientists suggest that
fewer physical differences are to be expected in a small population long isolated from others. In my imagination,
they are the descendants of ancestors which colonised these waters in prehistoric times; ancestors which swam
through channels long since vanished in a landscape of ice and glaciers and a wilderness unseen by human eyes.
I had taken my son, Leo, on a short fishing trip and had decided to go to the mountain lake as its eager fish might
offer him the greatest hope of an early catch. Here the brown trout always rise freely, as though to reward us for
the effort we have made to reach them. Would these bold trout oblige us by rising to the water’s surface as we
had hoped? I need not have worried. Sure enough, within ten minutes or so of our arrival, a swirl distorted the
mirror of the mountain lake’s surface. A few moments later, we were admiring the varnished scales of Leo’s first
trout before he gently lowered it into the lake once more and let the black water reclaim it.
To celebrate Leo’s first trout, I painted a watercolour picture of it. It is framed now and hangs on his bedroom
wall. It is not a good painting. While its proportions are approximately correct and its colours resemble the
original, I could no more capture its beauty using paints than I now can, using words. If you wish to see for
yourself how beautiful these trout really are, you must go there – and hope that, for a few hours at least, the
clouds will surrender the mountain lake to you.
Read carefully Passage A, The mountain lake, in the Reading Booklet Insert and then answer Questions 1 and 2
on this Question Paper. Answer all questions using your own words as far as possible.
Question 1 (a) State two features of the walk which made it difficult for the narrator to reach the mountain lake
(paragraph 1, ‘There is a lake … ’).
• ................................................................................................................................................. ................................
...................................................................................................................
• ................................................................................................................................................. ................................
...............................................................................................................[2]
(b) Using your own words, explain what the narrator can see as he faces the open country (paragraph 1, ‘There is
a lake …
’). ................................................................................................................................................... ............................
....................................................................................................................... .............................................................
..................................................................................[2]
(c) Which four-word phrase in paragraph 1 suggests that the water in the tiny streams cannot be seen by the
narrator (paragraph 1, ‘There is a lake …
’)? ...............................................................................................................................................[1]
(d) Re-read paragraph 2. Using your own words, give two reasons why the narrator says the mountain lake is
difficult to find (paragraph 2, ‘The mountain lake is not easy to find … ’).
49
• ................................................................................................................................................. ................................
...................................................................................................................
• ................................................................................................................................................. ................................
...............................................................................................................[2]
(e) Re-read the sentence, ‘Scientists suggest that fewer physical differences are to be expected in a small
population long isolated from others.’ (lines 19–20). The brown trout are similar in appearance. Using your own
words, explain what reasons scientists give for this similarity (paragraph 3, ‘This isolated lake is fed …
’). ................................................................................................................................................... ............................
....................................................................................................................... .............................................................
..................................................................................[2]
(f) Re-read paragraph 5, ‘To celebrate Leo’s first trout … ’ Using your own words, explain what the narrator
says about his experience of painting the
trout. ................................................................................................................................................... .......................
............................................................................................................................ ........................................................
........................................................................................... .........................................................................................
......................................................[2]
(g) (i) Re-read the passage. Using your own words, explain what the writer means by the words underlined in the
following quotations:
1. ‘ … the brown trout, to cruise the dark waters undisturbed.’ (lines 13–14)
2. ‘ … the brown trout always rise freely, as though to reward us for the effort … ’ (lines 25–26)
3. ‘ … admiring the varnished scales of Leo’s first trout … ’ (line 29)
Word underlined: ...............................................................................................................
Meaning of the word
underlined: ....................................................................................... ..........................................................................
.............................................................[1]
Word underlined: ...............................................................................................................
Meaning of the word
underlined: ....................................................................................... ..........................................................................
.............................................................[1]
Word underlined: ...............................................................................................................
Meaning of the word
underlined: ....................................................................................... ..........................................................................
.............................................................[1]
(ii) Explain how the language in each of the quotations in Question (g)(i) helps to suggest the appearance and
behaviour of the brown trout. You should refer to the whole quotation in your answer, not just the word
underlined.
Explanation: ........................................................................................................................................... ...................
....................................................................................................................[2]
Explanation: ........................................................................................................................................... ...................
....................................................................................................................[2]
Explanation: ........................................................................................................................................... ...................
....................................................................................................................[2]
Question 2
Imagine that you are Leo, the narrator’s son in Passage A. You have decided to write a journal entry, describing
the fishing trip to the mountain lake with your father.
In your journal entry you should:
• describe the sights and sounds of the mountain and lake
• describe how you felt when you caught your first trout
• explain how these experiences have influenced your attitude to the natural world.
Base your journal entry on what you have read in Passage A, but do not copy from it. Be careful to use your own
words. Address each of the three bullet points. Begin your journal entry: ‘I didn’t know what to expect when I
first saw the mountain lake … ’ Write about 200 to 300 words. Up to 10 marks are available for the content
of your answer, and up to 5 marks for the quality of your writing.
Part 2
Passage B: A life-changing decision

50
In this passage the writer describes the solitary life of John Treagood, a former teacher who decided to change
his lifestyle.
John Treagood used to work as a teacher. One day he made a life-changing decision. He decided to go for a
walk and hasn’t stopped travelling since. He trekked all the way from the north to the south west of England,
bought a horse and then built a caravan, based on a traditional design. That was 40 years ago. Nowadays, John
can regularly be seen travelling around roads and lanes, in that same handbuilt caravan, pulled by his even-
tempered horse, Misty. For him, home is now his one-room caravan, parked on a piece of wasteland, and his
chief companion is his horse.
Despite often facing sub-zero temperatures, John, 76, believes that life gets better every year. He says he doesn’t
feel the cold, adding that winters in the south west of England are mild, one of the reasons why he chose it as his
destination all those years ago.
John does not claim a government pension, even though he is entitled to receive it. He makes money from odd
jobs such as pruning hedges; he collects water from streams and food from the land. In total, John collects about
70 litres of water each day. He drinks approximately 2 litres of water a day while his horse drinks about 50 litres.
Although he occasionally supplements his diet with fish from the nearby river, he generally eats any berries and
vegetables he might discover along the way, always taking care to cut up carrots and apples for his horse. John is
rarely ill. One particularly frosty morning, however, he slipped and fell, breaking his arm. He didn’t seek help
until three days later, having walked nearly 7 kilometres to a friend’s house.
His only items from modern life are a radio to listen to music and a mobile phone. He explains, ‘A friend said
I’d need one for emergencies, but I haven’t switched it on for six months.’
Read carefully Passage B, A life-changing decision, in the Reading Booklet Insert and answer Question
3(a) and (b) on this Question Paper.
Question 3
(a) Notes
What are John Treagood’s essential daily needs and the difficulties he faces in maintaining his lifestyle,
according to Passage B?
Write your answers using short notes. Write one point per line. You do not need to use your own words. Up
to 10 marks are available for the content of your answer.
What are John Treagood’s essential daily needs and the difficulties he faces in maintaining his lifestyle?
• ..........................................................................................................................................
• .......................................................................................................................................... • [10]
(b) Summary
Now use your notes to write a summary of what Passage B tells you about John Treagood’s essential daily
needs and the difficulties he faces in maintaining his lifestyle. You must use continuous writing (not note
form) and use your own words as far as possible.
0500/22 PAPER 2 READING PASSAGES (EXTENDED)

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018
Part 1 Read Passage A carefully, and then answer Questions 1 and 2 on the Question Paper. Passage A:
Walk on the Wild Side
51
Thousands of people a year go ‘through-hiking1’ along the Appalachian Trail. This feat of endurance
takes about six months, and hikers need immense mental and physical strength to complete the 3500-
kilometre journey. Bo was bored with his comfortable life and decided to challenge himself by hiking the
trail alone.
Bo stared at his brand new backpack and wondered how everything would fit in. A change of clothes, a
super-light sleeping bag and a tiny tent would take up most of the space, leaving just enough room for some
dry food, water purification tablets and some rudimentary cooking equipment.
Now that the day had arrived, his stomach was churning with nerves. Bo wasn’t unfit but he’d never hiked
alone before. He wondered if successful hikers were city kids like him, more used to traffic than birdsong.
He’d read all the advice about arranging for food parcels in small towns along the route, and his family
would ensure that he could pick up money at regular intervals. He’d even planned in the occasional break in
hotels so he could shower and sleep in a real bed. The experts stressed the importance of regular rest days.
But Bo was still scared of all the things that could go wrong: dangerous wild creatures, poisonous plants, a
careless slip down a rocky slope – and nobody to call for help. A mobile phone would be useless: this
wilderness would be too remote for any signal.
Taking a deep breath, Bo hoisted the heavy pack on to his back and started walking. Within half an hour
he’d spotted the first white trail marker and stepped on to the pathway that would be central to his life for
the next six months. He could even see another hiker, climbing up a distant slope, their fluorescent jacket
vivid against the vista of greenery. It was probably an expert, judging by their smooth progress. Bo
wondered again why he hadn’t tried a shorter trail first.
Soon he was surrounded by ancient forest, footsteps muffled by centuries of discarded leaves. Myths of
terrifying forest guardians suddenly seemed much more plausible as the endless acres of trees stood watch,
stern sentinels of the trail. The silence was spellbinding as Bo crept onwards, down an almost subterranean
tunnel of primeval greenery. Forwards, always forwards, an intruder in a magical garden.
As the sun rose higher in the sky, the trees thinned out again and Bo was able to see the distant blue-green
of the mountain ranges ahead. He felt calmer, more resolved – and very hungry. Resting for a moment, he
ate an energy bar and filled his flask from a nearby stream, adding a water purification tablet. He also
carried an emergency water filter: unsanitary water was a much bigger danger than any accident.
Bo’s feet were a little sore but he had good thick socks to avoid blisters – he’d have to wash them out every
evening and hope they’d dry. Finishing his sparse meal, he set off again. Bo hoped to do at least twenty
kilometres a day and knew he couldn’t pitch camp until at least dusk if he wanted to hit his target. The other
hiker had disappeared but Bo wasn’t too troubled by the solitude, not while the sun was shining anyway.
Hours later, Bo crawled into his hastily erected tent and stretched out his aching limbs. Night had fallen and
Bo suddenly felt vulnerable. He hadn’t seen a living soul for hours, apart from the occasional glimpse of a
deer bounding away. No people, no civilisation, no alternative. He crept into the sleeping bag and closed his
eyes, wishing he could just wake up and be back in his safe and comfortable bedroom.
Was it minutes or hours later? A sharp crack, loud as a gunshot, snapped him to attention. Ears straining, Bo
quivered, listening for ravenous forest monsters ready to devour him in one gulp; or maybe a rogue bear or
wild boar, hungry for hiker meat? Bo lifted the tent flap and peered into the gaping throat of the darkness,
ready to be swallowed.
As his eyes became accustomed to the gloom, he saw the dim silhouette of a human figure stumbling over
the gnarled tree roots. Bo froze: The Wild Man of the Woods – it must be! The mythical figure who roams
ancient woodland, spiriting away foolish humans. He could even see spiked antlers, looming above the
head. Terrified, he fumbled for the torch. As it fell, the light flashed across the ‘antlers’, a large branch held
aloft by the bedraggled figure, recognisable as the distant hiker he’d seen earlier. ‘Hey, did I scare you? My
name’s Alex and I’m completely lost – and very hungry. Can you …?’
Notes: 1through-hiking: hiking a long-distance trail from start to finish
Read carefully Passage A, Walk on the Wild Side, in the Reading Booklet Insert and then answer
Questions 1 and 2 on this Question Paper.
Question 1
Imagine that you are a journalist preparing a magazine article about through-hiking. You interview Bo and
Alex about their experiences.
52
Write the magazine article.

In your magazine article you should explain:
• what through-hiking involves and how someone should prepare for it
• Bo’s and Alex’s memories of their first day
• the challenges and benefits of through-hiking.
Base your magazine article on what you have read in Passage A, but be careful to use your own words.
Address each of the three bullet points. Begin your article: ‘Through-hiking is rapidly rising in popularity
… ’ Write about 250 to 350 words. Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer, and up
to 5 marks for the quality of your
writing. .......................................................................................................................................................... ....
......................................................................................................................................................
Question 2
(a) the forest in paragraph 4, beginning ‘Soon he was surrounded by ancient forest … ’
(b) Bo’s reaction to the sudden noise in paragraph 8, beginning ‘Was it minutes or hours later?’
Select four powerful words or phrases from each paragraph. Your choices should include imagery. Explain
how each word or phrase is used effectively in the context. Write about 200 to 300 words. Up to 10
marks are available for the content of your answer.
0500/32 PAPER 3 DIRECTED WRITING AND COMPOSITION

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018
Zoopark
In this transcript of a local radio show, the host, George, is in the studio with a guest, Guy Pensivy. His
company is proposing to build a large, modern zoo and leisure complex on farmland near the quiet village
of Speizet.
George: Today’s hot topic is the controversial development proposed by Zoopark. Their marketing
representative, Guy Pensivy, is here today. Tell us, Guy, why should we let your ever-expanding company
build this huge zoo complex here in sleepy little Speizet? Why should anyone believe you’re interested in
saving animals, the planet and Speizet at the same time? This is just about profit for you, isn’t it?
53
Guy: Hi, George. Well, which of those questions do you want me to answer first? Yes, we’re a large,
successful company and for many that means opportunities. In a struggling rural area like this, our Zoopark
is good news.
George: Hardly good news for the animals though, is it?
Guy: Well, it is, actually. As a company, we follow a voluntary code of excellence. Animal enclosures in
our parks are spacious and built to the highest standards. We’ve got two of these new-style Zooparks under
way already in this region. In those places there was concern initially, but not now. Here too, in Speizet,
we’re persuading people.
George: That’s not what my listeners tell me. They’ve been emailing all week, not just with their objections
to zoos in general, but about the likely effects of this monstrosity on the local environment – the congestion,
construction noise, the litter. And what if something escapes from your Zoopark and starts attacking cattle?
You did have one of your big cats set free last year by anti-zoo campaigners, didn’t you?
Guy: Well, yes, but let’s be reasonable here. That kind of isolated incident really couldn’t happen again.
The member of staff responsible is no longer with us. Now, think of the positives here. We all know shop
and restaurant owners have noticed business declining recently. This Zoopark could really put historic
Speizet on the tourist map. A Zoopark is, after all, more than just a zoo – it’s a wildlife experience for the
whole family!
George: It’s not the kind of ‘experience’ families round here want. Wild marshland drained for car parks?
Fake plastic rainforests, and coaches clogging up roads?
Guy: Nonsense! You shouldn’t believe everything you read in the papers, George. Besides, local families
benefit specifically from our Park-Pals rate: a yearly, reduced-price ticket for regular visitors that means
everyone can make the most of having a Zoopark on their doorstep. Spend Saturdays with sharks in the
Sealife Café. Walk on the wild side through Tiger Kingdom. Families want somewhere to visit that’s fun,
educational …
George: Educational? People these days can travel worldwide to see animals in their natural environment.
Kids see animals on TV and the internet. It’s true, isn’t it, there’s no longer any real need for commercial
zoos?
Guy: You’re wrong. It’s our responsibility to educate the public to understand that we share this planet.
Being up close to animals makes them real and helps children better understand the consequences of losing
them. Besides, travelling great distances by air to see animals is hardly an environmentally friendly option,
is it? Our Meet-the-Beast sessions mean youngsters don’t have to go far to learn about animals from
experts. In an ideal world perhaps zoos wouldn’t be necessary, but this isn’t an ideal world and we’re doing
something positive here.
George: And the fun fair rides and tacky gift shops are for the good of the animals too, are they? Guy:
George, let’s be grown-up about this. Without zoos we’d lose some animals from our world altogether. We
also have links with sanctuaries for rare species and breeding programmes, which protect animals facing
overwhelming threats in the wild. Yes, there are gifts for sale and rides for the youngsters – that’s all part of
a great day out – and we have leaflets for various animal charities around our Zooparks too.
George: But you’re encouraging people to think that keeping wild animals in captivity is OK. The petting
sessions you offer just mean youngsters want to own exotic animals which are abandoned when they can’t
deal with them.
Guy: You’re exaggerating, as usual. Young people don’t have your notion of cuddly crocodiles. They’ve a
far more responsible attitude to the world and its inhabitants. We have plans for a partnership programme
with local schools, offering work experience to science students interested in animals and projects to teach
younger students research skills. Schools are queueing up to apply as we speak. Young people support what
we’re trying to do here. They’re right behind the Zoopark and welcome the opportunities it offers to them,
their community and the future of this planet.
Read carefully the transcript of the radio show in the Reading Booklet Insert and then answer Section 1,
Question 1 on this Question Paper.
Question 1
Imagine you live in Speizet.
Write an article for your local newspaper about the proposed Zoopark.
In your article, you should evaluate:
• the advantages and disadvantages of the Zoopark for the village
• the claims Guy Pensivy makes that Zooparks are saving animals and the planet.
Base your article on what you have read in the transcript of the radio show, but be careful to use your own
words. Address each of the bullet points. Begin your article: ‘The proposed Zoopark has certainly caused
debate locally … ’ Write about 250 to 350 words. Up to 10 marks are available for the content of your
answer, and up to 15 marks for the quality of your
writing. .......................................................................................................................................................... ....
54
...................................................................................................................................................... ......................
....................................................................................................................................
Section 2:
Composition Questions 2, 3, 4 and 5
Write about 350 to 450 words on one of the following questions. Answer on this Question Paper. Up to 13
marks are available for the content and structure of your answer, and up to 12 marks for the style and
accuracy of your writing.
Descriptive Writing
2 Describe a work of art that has been carefully created.
OR 3 Describe what you see, hear and feel in a place where you are sheltering.
OR
Narrative Writing
4 Write a story which involves an argument which should have been avoided.
OR 5 Write a story that begins, ‘It was clear that the room had been abandoned in a hurry … ’
55
NOVEMBER 2017 PAPER 3
An e-reader is a portable electronic device which allows you to download and read books on a
screen. The writer of this piece writes cookery books for a living and thinks that people should buy
books rather than e-readers.
E-readers vs. Books
Telephoning just before my birthday last year, my parents suggested I might like an e-reader for a
present.
They could tell I wasn’t enthusiastic. I muttered something about not needing another expensive
gadget to remember to charge up, and wanting to read outside in bright sunlight or by the pool, mostly
because I couldn’t find a way to shape my reluctance into words. The conversation was tactfully
forgotten. Weeks later, as my twin happily un-wrapped her e-reader, I was greeted by a new pair of
gardening gloves.
I’ve never used an e-reader and doubt they’d survive being dropped from my flour-covered hands as I tried
to follow recipes. I’ve seen them in an over-the-shoulder sort of way – the sleek tablets with intricate book
cover designs that materialise on their screens. Part of the reason I’m wary of picking one up is that I don’t
want to experience the inevitable lure, the wavering that might begin as I imagine myself pulling an e-
reader out of my significantly lighter bag on the train, or in a coffee shop. Like the dieter who drives the
long route home to avoid passing the sweetshop, I just don’t want to be tempted.
And then there’s my childhood habit of making books into companions. It isn’t just about reading a
novel – it’s about my memories linked to my copy of that novel, with its cover wrinkled from hours of
bathtub steam. I delight in the cracks on the spine of a book, the scribbled notes on some of the pages,
and the sheer presence and number of books on my shelves.
‘It’s like this,’ I explained to a friend once. ‘Video-chatting is nice enough – I hear your voice, see
your face on the screen. But the screen isn’t you. There’s a reason our friendship isn’t conducted
through a laptop.’
Books, as I grew up with them (real paper books with jackets, covers and spines), have stories that
reach beyond what’s written inside, and those stories are mine.
For example, there’s my tattered, second-hand copy of ‘Fahrenheit 451’, signed by its famous author
Ray Bradbury when he came to my hometown bookstore. If it weren’t for the signature in that now
valuable paperback, I wouldn’t have felt a personal responsibility for books and a connection to their
authors that led me to study classic world literature and its influence at university.
Then, there’s the advance copy of ‘The United States of Food Critics’, given to me in the first week of
an internship by my friendly magazine-boss and read entirely on the subway-train so fellow riders
could observe my insider status. If it weren’t for the gift of that book, I wouldn’t have developed the
friendship with my boss, a food editor, and that was what made me realise that exploring the place of
food in our lives was what I really wanted to do.
56
Books have lives that have changed mine.
In eliminating a book’s physical existence, something crucial is lost forever. Trapped in an e-reader,
the story remains but the book can no longer be written in, hoarded, burned, donated, recycled, given
or received. We may be able to read it, but we can’t share it with others in the same way. Its ability to
connect us to people, places and ideas is much less powerful.
I know e-readers will eventually carry the day – no more library fines, no more frantic flipping
through pages for a lost quotation or going to three bookstores in one afternoon to track down
an evasive title. Who am I to advocate the doom of millions of trees, when the swipe of a finger
can deliver for less than the price of a coffee all 838 pages of the classic ‘Middlemarch’ into my
waiting hands?
But once we all power up our e-readers, something will be gone – a kind of language. Books
communicate with us as readers – but just as importantly, we communicate with each other through
books themselves. When that connection is lost, the experience of reading – and our lives – will be
forever altered.
Read carefully the article in the Reading Booklet Insert and then answer Section 1, Question 1 on this
Question Paper.
Question 1
Write a letter to the writer in response to their article, ‘E-readers vs. Books’.

•identify and evaluate the writer’s views on e-readers
•explain how far you agree with the writer that people should buy books rather than e-readers.
Base your letter on what you have read in the article, but be careful to use your own words. Address each
of the bullet points.
Begin your letter, ‘Dear Sir/Madam…’.
your writing.
57
Questions 2, 3, 4 and 5
Up to 13 marks are available for the content and structure of your answer, and up to 12 marks
for the style and accuracy of your writing.
Descriptive Writing
2Describe a river as it flows from its source high on a mountain.
OR
3Describe a visit to an art gallery or museum.
OR
Narrative Writing
4Write a story with the title, ‘The Missed Opportunity’.
OR
5Write a story that begins, ‘Jas had to go back to the place where it had all started…’ .
NOVEMBER 2017 PAPER 2

58
Part 1
Passage A: The Spacesuit
Astronaut A is based at a station in space and is sent on a mission to remove some hazardous debris
which is occupying an orbit path.
When Satellite Control called me, I was in the observation bubble – the glass-domed office that juts
out from the axis of the space station like the hubcap of a wheel. Only a few yards away I could see
the construction teams performing their slow-motion ballet as they put the station together like a giant
jigsaw puzzle. And beyond them, four hundred kilometres below, was the blue-green glory of the full
Earth, floating against the ravelled star clouds.
‘Astronaut A here,’ I answered. ‘What’s the trouble?’
‘Our radar’s showing some metallic debris three kilometres away, almost stationary, about five
degrees west of Sirius. Someone needs to go out and haul it aboard; get it out of orbit.’
Hastily, I clambered into my spacesuit. Our suits are really baby spaceships, just big enough to hold
one person. They are cheerfully coloured stubby cylinders, about two metres long, and fitted with
softly chattering, low-powered propulsion jets. Their accordion sleeves at the upper end fit with
hospitable snugness around an astronaut’s arms and the gentle contours of the helmet’s visor finish
the feeling that you are being looked after by a responsible friend.
Inside, I switched on the power and checked the gauges on the tiny instrument panel. All my needles
were well in the safety zone, so I lowered the transparent hemisphere over my head and sealed myself
in. For a short trip like this, I did not bother to check the suit’s internal lockers, which were used to
carry food and special equipment for extended missions. The conveyor belt decanted me into the air
lock. Then the pumps brought the pressure down to zero, the outer door opened, and the last traces of
air swept me out into the stars, turning me very slowly head over heels.
I was now an independent planet – a little world of my own. I was sealed up in a tiny mobile cylinder,
with a superb view of the entire universe, but I had practically no freedom of movement inside the
suit. The padded seat and safety harness prevented me from turning around, though I could reach all
the controls and lockers with my hands or feet.
In space the great enemy is the Sun, which can blast you to blindness in seconds. Very cautiously, I
switched the helmet’s external sunshade to automatic, so that whichever way the suit gyrated, my
eyes would be shielded.
Presently, I found my target, a bright fleck of silver whose metallic glint distinguished it clearly from
the surrounding stars. I stamped on the jet control pedal and felt the mild surge of acceleration as the
low- powered rockets set me moving away from the station. After ten seconds of steady thrust, I cut
off the drive. It would take me five minutes to coast the rest of the way, and not much longer to return
with my salvage.
And it was at that moment that I knew that something was horribly wrong!
It is never completely silent inside a spacesuit: you can always hear the gentle hiss of oxygen, the
faint whirr of fans and motors, the susurration of your own breathing. These sounds are the unnoticed
background of life in space, for you are aware of them only when they change.
0500/21/INSERT/O/
© UCLES 2017 N/17
59
They had changed now. To them had been added a sound which I could not identify. It was an
intermittent, muffled thudding, sometimes accompanied by a scraping noise.
I froze instantly, holding my breath and trying to locate the alien sound with my ears. The meters on
the control board gave no clues; all the needles were rock-steady on their scales; no flickering red
lights warned of impending disaster.
Three things had gone wrong at once. The oxygen regulator had run wild and sent the pressure
soaring; the safety valve had failed to blow, and a faulty joint had given way.
Blind panic meant that it took me several attempts before I could press the right button and switch my
transmitter to the emergency wavelength. ‘Station!’ I gasped. ‘I’m in trouble…’.
I never finished; they say my yell wrecked the microphone.
I must have lunged forward despite the safety harness and smashed against the upper ledge of the
control panel. When the rescue squad reached me a few minutes later, I was unconscious, with an
angry bruise across my forehead. Coming to my senses an hour later, I saw our medical staff gathered
round my bed.
Part 2
Passage B: Emigration to Mars
This article has been written by the organisation Mars One to give information to a person who
might be considering an application to emigrate to Mars.
A one-way trip to Mars. What would this mean to you? Are you one of the very few people who
could rise to this immense challenge?
Many people would rather lose a limb than live the rest of their lives on a cold, hostile planet. You
will have said goodbye forever to friends and family, your only remaining possible communication
with them being through Space-call. Space-call has a seven-minute delay and, although you may hear
your loved ones speak, visual reception is only one-way. They will see you, but you will never see
them again.
We at Mars One know that, out there, there will be some individuals for whom travelling to Mars has
been a dream their entire life. Not unlike those ancient Chinese, Micronesians, Africans, Vikings and
famed explorers of Old World Europe, who left everything behind to spend the majority of their lives
at sea, these people see a one-way mission to Mars to be about exploring a new world and the
opportunity to conduct the most revolutionary research ever conceived: to build a new home for
humans on another planet.
If you become a Mars One astronaut, you will undergo eight years of training before you are allowed
to leave the Earth’s atmosphere. Isolated from the world for four months every year in simulation
facilities, living only with your team of fellow potential astronauts, you will learn about the crew
members who will take you to Mars and, importantly, about isolation from the people you have
known and cared about all your life. You will also acquire skills: how to perform physical and
electrical repairs to the settlement structures we will have on Mars; how to cultivate crops in confined
spaces, and how to address both routine and serious medical issues such as dental upkeep, muscle
tears and bone fractures.
60
The flight itself will take between seven and eight months (depending on the relative positions of
Earth and Mars when we embark). You will spend that time with your fellow astronauts in a very
small space, devoid of any luxury or frills. This will not be easy. Showering with water will not be an
option. Instead you and the other astronauts will have just one pack of wet wipes each.
Freeze-dried and canned food are the only options. There will be constant noise from the ventilators,
computer and life-support machines, and a regimented routine of three hours’ daily exercise in order
to maintain muscle mass. If your rocket is hit by a solar storm, you must take refuge in a very small
sheltered area of the rocket, which can provide protection for just three days.
When you land on Mars, you will find that you must share accommodation with three other
astronauts in our settlement. You may be able to choose your companions. You will have a relatively
spacious living unit of just over 50m2 in a combined living area of 200m2. You will have inflatable
components which include your bedroom, working area, living room, and a ‘plant production unit’,
where you must grow greenery. You will take a daily shower, prepare fresh food (which you have
grown and harvested) and wear clothes suited to the cold temperatures.
Mars construction robots have constructed passages across the settlement which will allow astronauts
some opportunity to socialise with each other. If you wish to leave the settlement to explore another
part of Mars, you must wear a Mars suit and bear in mind that it is unlikely that Mars One health and
safety checks will have been undertaken on areas outside the settlement.
Now you should ask yourself if you have the stamina and resilience to become part of what will
undoubtedly go down as the most significant expedition of exploration and research in human
history. To apply to become a Mars One astronaut, you should fill in a downloadable form.
Read carefully Passage A, The Spacesuit, in the Reading Booklet Insert and then answer Questions
Question 1
Imagine you are the Commander of Satellite Control. After this incident, you decide to write a letter
to all satellite stations about safety issues for astronauts who go on missions.
Write the letter from the Commander of Satellite Control to all satellite stations.

•briefly describe what happened to Astronaut A while out on the mission and why it is a matter of concern
•explain the existing safety features of the spacesuits and how they are adapted to perform missions
•provide advice on additional measures that need to be taken to ensure astronauts’ safety.
Base your letter on what you have read in Passage A, but be careful to use your own words. Address
Begin your letter: ‘Dear Colleagues,
Last week we had a serious incident involving Astronaut A who had been sent out on an important
mission…’.
Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer, and up to 5 marks for the quality
of your writing.
61
Question 2
(a)the space station and what Astronaut A saw in paragraph 1, beginning ‘When Satellite Control called
me…’
(b)the spacesuit in paragraph 4, beginning ‘Hastily, I clambered into my spacesuit…’.


Read carefully Passage B, Emigration to Mars, in the Reading Booklet Insert and then
answer Question 3(a) and (b) on this Question Paper.
Question 3
(a)Notes
What challenges would a person face if they became a Mars One astronaut, according to Passage B?
words.
The challenges faced by becoming a Mars One astronaut.
1...........................................................................................................................................
2...........................................................................................................................................
3...........................................................................................................................................
4...........................................................................................................................................
5...........................................................................................................................................
6...........................................................................................................................................
7...........................................................................................................................................
8...........................................................................................................................................
9...........................................................................................................................................
10.........................................................................................................................................
11.........................................................................................................................................
62
12.........................................................................................................................................
13.........................................................................................................................................
14.........................................................................................................................................
15.........................................................................................................................................
[Total: 15]
(b)Summary
Now use your notes to write a summary of the challenges that a person would face if they became a
Mars One astronaut, according to Passage B.

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2016
Part 1
Passage A: Stranded
In 1703, Selkirk, a pirate and buccaneer who was part of a crew sailing the South Seas looking for gold
and treasure, was deliberately left marooned on a remote island and forced to remain there as a
castaway.
63
In October, Stradling gave the orders to sail onwards. Selkirk advised the crew to refuse. In his view, in
this ship none of them would go anywhere but to the ocean floor. Worms had infested the bottom of the
ship and devoured its oak timbers and there was no point in continuing their voyage. Stradling mocked his
caution. Selkirk responded with fists and rage and Stradling accused him of mutiny. He told him he could
stay on the island: it was better than he deserved.
Selkirk’s concern about the ship was justified, but no one elected to stay with him, nor did the others
attempt to overrule Stradling’s decision. They had waited long enough and although the ship leaked, it
was their one chance of achieving their dream. Stradling ordered Selkirk’s sea-chest, clothes and bedding
to be put ashore. Selkirk watched from the beach as the men prepared to leave; he had not wanted this. He
begged Stradling to forgive him, to let him rejoin the ship. He promised he would comply. Stradling told
him he could be food for vultures for all he cared. He hoped his fate would be a lesson to the other men.
Selkirk watched as the small boats prepared to leave the shore. He lumbered over the stones and tried to
get on board but was pushed back. He waded into the water pleading. He watched as the anchor was
drawn and the ship headed to the open sea. The sound of the oars dipping into the water, the calling of
orders, the little silhouettes of men as they unfurled the sails, were all imprinted on his mind. The ship
slipped behind the cliff face and from his view.
All courage left him when the ship was gone. The sea stretched out endlessly. The thinly-pencilled line of
the horizon was, he knew, only the limit of his sight. The sea that had once beckoned freedom and fortune
now locked him in. He stayed by the shore, scanning the ocean. Whatever their fate, he now wanted to be
with them. Without them the island was a prison and he was a mariner without a ship, a man without a
voice. The day grew cool, the wind ruffled the water and for a moment a rogue wave or cloud looked like
a billowing sail. He did not leave the shore. He clambered over the stones to the western edge of the bay,
wanting a wider view of the ocean, but he was trapped in the bay by sheer cliffs.
The sun dipped down, the air cooled, the mountain darkened and the moon cut a path across the ocean. All
night the seals howled; they were the monsters of the deep. He fired a bullet into the air. For a minute the
bay seemed quiet. Then it started again, a croak, a howl. This island was a place of terror; there was fear
in the dancing shadows of night. A hostile presence sensed his every move. The wind surged through the
valley; the wind, he was to learn, was strongest when the moon was full. It uprooted trees. They swished
and crashed. The sound merged with the breaking waves and the calling seals.
**************************
Days turned into weeks and months. Whatever the island had, he could use; whatever it lacked, he must
do without. Activity dispelled depression. He kept busy. On a day when the sky was clear and the valley
still, his mood lifted. He felt vigorous, reconciled. He grilled a fish in the embers of a fire, ate it with
pimentos and watercress and forgot to deplore the lack of salt. Around him humming birds whirred and
probed. Mosses, lichens, fungi and tiny fragile ferns covered the trunks of the fallen trees.
He resolved to build a dwelling and gather stores. He chose a glade in the mountains a mile from the bay,
reached after a steep climb. Behind it rose wooded mountains. This glade had the shade and fragrance of
adjacent woods and a fast, clear stream and overhanging rocks. From it he watched mist fill the valley,
then dissipate with the morning sun. White campanulae grew from the rocks and puffins nested by the
ferns. A little brown and white bird swooped for insects. Clumps of parsley and watercress grew by the
stream.
He was right about the ship. After a month, it sank near a small barren island off the Peruvian coast.
Stradling and thirty-one men got onto two rafts. The others drowned.
Read carefully Passage A, Stranded,
in the Reading Booklet Insert and then answer Questions 1 and 2 on this Question Paper.
Question 1 You are a newspaper reporter.

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Following Selkirk’s rescue from the island, you investigate the events surrounding his abandonment and
the sinking of the ship. You interview Stradling, Selkirk and other surviving members of the crew, in
order to write a newspaper report.
Write your newspaper report.
In your newspaper report you should:
• describe the events leading to Selkirk being left alone on the island and the ship setting sail
• explain how Selkirk managed to survive for so long alone and how his feelings changed
• suggest how far those involved in the events could be blamed.
Base your newspaper report on what you have read in Passage A, but be careful to use your own words.
Begin your newspaper report with this headline: Castaway found alive!
Write about 250 to 350 words. Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer, and up
to 5 marks for the quality of your
writing. .......................................................................................................................................................... .
.........................................................................................................................................................
Question 2
(a) Selkirk’s surroundings and how they make him feel in paragraph 4, beginning ‘All courage left
him…’
(b) the island at night in paragraph 5, beginning ‘The sun dipped down…’.
Explain how each word or phrase selected is used effectively in the context. Write about 200 to 300
words. Up to 10 marks are available for the content of your answer.

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2016
Part 1 Read Passage A carefully, and then answer Questions 1 and 2 on the Question Paper.
Passage A: The Healer
Gant, formerly a doctor in a university hospital, is the only survivor of a time-travelling experiment that
went horribly wrong, trapping him half a million years in the past.
When Gant first opened his eyes, he thought for an instant he was back at home in his city apartment. He
sat up, looking wildly around in the dark of the cave and then remembered where he was. The noise
frightened his wife and his son, Dun, and they rolled to their feet, crouching, ready to leap. Gant grunted
reassuringly at them, and climbed off the moss-packed platform he had built for a bed. The barest
glimmerings of dawn filtered into the cave. The remnants of the fire glowed at the mouth.
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Gant poked the fire, put some chips of wood on it and blew on them. It had been a while since he had had
such a vivid memory of his old life half a million years away. He looked at the wall where he kept his
calendar, painfully scratched into the rock. It had been ten years ago today when he stepped into that steel
cylinder in the Bancroft Building at the university. What was it he’d said? ‘You need a medical doctor
involved in the first trial run. You physicists won’t learn anything about the physiological effects of time
travel, and I want to be in on this ambitious project.’
Gant listened carefully at the mouth of the cave, near the carefully constructed log barrier. Outside he
heard the sound of rustling brush and heavy breathing; he knew he could not leave now. He drank some
water, foul-tasting despite having taught his family to boil it, then ate some dried snake with his wife and
son. They all ate quietly.
Dawn came and he stepped to the mouth of the cave and listened. The great animal had left. He waved to
his wife and Dun, dragged aside the barrier, and went out. He went along the face of the cliff with the
heavy underbrush at its foot. He would go into it when he returned, to look for food.
In the marsh beyond was one of the many monuments to his vanity and failures. Among the jagged rocks
and stunted tree stumps he had tried to grow penicillin* on the sweet juices of the fleshy plump berries
that abounded in the region. He had crushed the berries to form pulpy, blood-red juices, which he placed
in clumsily-carved bark receptacles. For three years he had tried to raise the soft and lifesaving
marshmallowy green mould, but all he ever produced was a revolting and pungent, slimy grey mass that
rapidly rotted at the sun’s touch, promising nothing.
He hefted the heavy stone axe in his right hand. He approached a cave, grunted loudly and then went in.
The people inside held weapons and he was glad he had warned them of his approach. He ignored them
and went straight to the back corner to see the little girl who had been left alone, her family fearful of her
illness.
She sat leaning against the rock with her mouth hanging open, her eyes staring dully ahead. Her eyes were
onyx black and empty, contrasting with the downy blanket of blonde hair that grew on her face. Gant
snarled at her parents, whirled around, and snatched a bear-hide. He wrapped the limp and lifeless child in
it and then felt the part of her forehead where there was no hair. It was burning hot, about 105 degrees. He
placed her tiny frame on the rock and put his ear against her chest, hearing the solid concrete sound of
filled lungs. It was full-blown pneumonia now: his earlier efforts to keep her hydrated and warm hadn’t
worked. She briefly woke, looking at him, wild-eyed, like a frightened rabbit as she gasped for breath.
Gant picked her up and held her close, despite her parents’ frantic grunts and gestures.
He sat with her for over an hour trying to make her comfortable. He held wet leaves to her forehead to
cool her burning face. It didn’t seem to help. He knew he couldn’t save her.
He hunted on his way home and killed a heavy-bodied animal that hung upside down from the lower
branches of a tree. He found a large rock outcropping with a tiny spring coming out from under it. A mass
of newly-sprouted shoots grew in the soggy ground; his wife and son hated eating greens but he knew
these would be full of nutrients. He picked them and headed back to the cave. His family were there and
their faces immediately brightened when they saw him and what he had brought.
* Penicillin – antibiotics used to treat bacterial infections. Penicillin was discovered in 1928.
Read carefully Passage A, The Healer, in the Reading Booklet Insert and then answer Questions 1 and 2
on this Question Paper.
Question 1
You are Gant. Following a successful rescue attempt and your return to your home city, you give a talk
for your colleagues and students at the university about your experiences in the past.
Write the words of your talk.

66
In your talk you should:
• describe the challenges and dangers of life in the past and how you adapted
• explain the efforts you made to improve the lives of your family and the people around you
• suggest some things you have learned from the experience and how it has changed you and your
attitudes to modern life.
Base your talk on what you have read in Passage A, but be careful to use your own words. Address each
of the three bullet points. Begin your talk, ‘Colleagues and students, my life in the last ten years has been
a strange one…’.
Write about 250 to 350 words. Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer, and up
to 5 marks for the quality of your writing.
Question 2
(a) Gant’s attempts to grow penicillin in paragraph 5, beginning ‘In the marsh beyond…’
(b) The girl in paragraph 7, beginning ‘She sat leaning against the rock…’.
Explain how each word or phrase selected is used effectively in the context. Write about 200 to 300
words. Up to 10 marks are available for the content of your answer.
NOVEMBER 2017/22 PAPER 2

Part 1
Passage A: The Bear Hunt
Leo goes on a bear hunt in Russia. He is accompanied by an experienced bear hunter called Damian.
Damian believes that taking a bear by surprise is important in a bear hunt.
The air was frosty and sharp. Our snowshoes sank up to six inches into the soft, deep forest snow.
The bear’s tracks were visible ahead, and we could see how sometimes he too would sink up to his
belly and plough up the snow as he went. At first, under the protection of large trees, we kept his
tracks in sight, but when they turned into a thicket of firs, Damian stopped.
‘Leo, we must leave the trail now,’ he said. ‘He is resting somewhere in there. You can see by the
snow that he’s been squatting down here. Let’s leave the trail and go quickly and quietly around this
thicket. Don’t shout or cough, or we could alert him.’
67
Leaving the tracks, we turned off to the left. But, about five hundred yards on, we saw the bear’s
footprints again – right in front of us. This time we followed them, and they brought us out onto the
road. We stopped to examine its surface. Here and there we could see prints of his paw, claws and all,
as well as the marks of local people’s shoes. The bear had evidently headed towards the village.
As we started in that direction, Damian looked thoughtful. ‘He won’t have gone all the way. We only
need to watch out –] left or right – for when the marks go into the verges.’
We walked along the road for nearly a mile, and then saw, ahead of us, the bear’s footprints on the
side of the road. Quickly, we examined the markings and I stood back in amazement. The toes were
pointing out from the forest and towards the road. They were pointing towards us!
‘This must be another bear!’ I declared.
Damian looked at the footprints and considered for a moment. ‘No, Leo. It’s the same one. He’s been
playing tricks. He left the road by…walking backwards!’
We followed the reversed tracks for some ten steps to just beyond a fir tree. Damian stopped, and I
looked ahead with him. In the thick belt of snow, we could see that the footprints made a half-
circlethen proceeded straight ahead. I was incredulous.
Damian was decisive. ‘Now we need to get round the other side of him to take him by surprise. There
is a marsh ahead of us, and he will have settled down there. Let’s go this way around it.’
We began to make our way round the marsh and entered a stern-looking thicket of fir trees. I was too
exhausted even to consider my surroundings. My legs crumpled as their snowshoes pushed against
remorseless wedges of banked snow. At one point, where the snow flattened into treacherous ice
patches, I found myself gliding helplessly into the black, inhospitably barbed arms of a skulking
juniper shrub. One snowshoe slipped off and became wedged in the shrub’s mighty, invisible depths.
Drenched with perspiration, I dropped my fur cloak to retrieve it.
All the time, Damian sped ahead of me, indefatigable, gliding along as if in a boat, his snowshoes
moving of their own volition, never catching against anything nor falling off. He even came back to
me at one point, collected up my fur and slung it over his shoulder. Still, he kept urging me on.
As the evening glow showed red through the forest, we eventually came to a stop. We removed our
snowshoes, made seats of them in the snow and began to eat, first snow and then bread with salt. The
bread tasted so good that I thought I had never consumed anything like it in my life. As weariness
enveloped my body, I watched how, with a deft movement, Damian cocked his hunting rifle before
sitting, his back propped against the rigid form of a fir tree, in preparation for a vigil.
I slept so soundly that when I woke I didn’t know where I was. How wonderful! I was in some sort of
huge edifice, all glittering and white with gleaming pillars, and when I looked up I saw, through
delicate white tracery, a vault, raven-black and studded with coloured lights. I remembered then that
we were actually only in a forest where there were trees covered in wet snow and grey hoarfrost.
Suddenly, to my left, but at some distance, I heard heavy movements on the snow. I peered out
carefully between the tall fir trees, and saw, some fifty paces away, something big and black. My
stomach turned.
Part 2
Passage B: The Teddy Bear

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Teddy bears and their popularity.
One of the first gifts I received as a child was a teddy bear. He’s called Henry. I don’t remember
receiving Henry as I was a newborn baby at the time, but he still sits in front of me now on my office
desk – moth-eaten, rather grubby and dressed in woollen dungarees and a black felt hat. Henry has
had the odd encounter with the washing machine and invigorating soap powder, but I think I rather
like the fact that, a bit like me, he now looks rather jaded.
There is a convention of giving teddy bears as presents – especially to the very young, but also as
gifts to celebrate special events in the lives of much older people. I wonder why we find them so
appealing. After all, real bears are anything but fluffy, huggable and adorable. One of the stories I
have heard is that our love of the bear dates back to the story of the former United States President,
Theodore ‘Teddy’ Roosevelt, who refused to shoot a bear when out on a hunting trip. This resulted in
a series of satirical cartoons appearing in the Washington Post in 1902 and then a business man was
inspired to produce a cute little bear cub which he called ‘Teddy’s Bear’. Thus, the teddy bear was
born.
The British are particularly fond of their bears. In one survey it was discovered that up to 35% of
British adults still take their bears to bed with them. These were primarily women who kept and
anthropomorphised their bears from childhood, treating them like friends, sharing problems with
them and telling them about their day.
Teddy bears are a reminder of the carefree days of our childhoods and of the loved ones who
purchased the bears for us. But it’s not just that. Stroking the soft fur of the bear is therapeutic. On the
subject of cuddling teddy bears, a psychiatrist once wrote, ‘It evokes a sense of peace, security and
love. It’s human nature to crave these feelings from childhood to adult life.’ With that in mind,
various police, fire and paramedic departments routinely issue teddy bears to their officers because
they are useful tools in reaching scared, lost or traumatised children. Just cuddling, naming and
speaking to the teddy bear goes some way towards reducing the adverse psychological effects of
stress.
Bears come in all sorts of materials but the most popular is mohair plush. This is fur from long-
haired goats which is first woven into cloth, then dyed and finally trimmed. Nowadays these types of
bears can be purchased in a wide variety of stores and online. A famous company called Steiff
produces a huge range of these bears. Their ‘baby’s first bear’ comes in soft washable ‘plush’ but
they also produce expensive collector items. In 1908, Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia
bought a red Steiff bear for his daughter, Princess Xenia Georgievna, which she called Alfonzo. In
1989, Alfonzo was sold to a collector for the then record figure of $19,000.
Nowadays we have ‘bear artists’ who produce bears from unconventional materials and dress them in
outfits to suit their customers’ wishes. We also have designer bears, which retail at very high prices.
The world’s most expensive designer bear is the Louis Vuitton bear, which fetched an eye-
watering $210,000 at auction; it is now housed at the Teddy Bear Museum in Jeju, South Korea.
We also commemorate national and historical events by the production of bears. Royal weddings are
such an occasion. After the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, and as a token of respect for the many
lives lost, a black Steiff bear was commissioned.
Henry is nothing (I nearly wrote ‘no-one’) special. He serves no practical purpose in my life. I have a
feeling, though, that he will hang around with me for a good few years still to come.
Read carefully Passage A, The Bear Hunt, in the Reading Booklet Insert and then answer Questions
69
Question 1
Imagine you are Damian, the experienced guide and hunter in the story. When you return from your
expedition with Leo, another group of people express an interest in going with you on a bear hunt in
the same area.
Write the words of your speech in which you advise this group of people.
In your speech you should:
•tell the people about the habits of bears and how they should be hunted
•explain what the people are likely to experience on the hunt
•describe what happened after you and Leo set up camp that night.
Base your advice on what you have read in Passage A, but be careful to use your own words. Address
Begin your advice with, ‘Let me give you all some advice as bears are very crafty. Take the one I
tracked recently…’.
Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer, and up to 5 marks for the quality
of your writing.
Question 2
(a) the inside of the fir thicket in paragraph 10, beginning ‘We began to make our way…’
(b) what Leo thought he was looking at when he woke up in paragraph 13, beginning ‘I slept so
soundly…’.

Read carefully Passage B, The Teddy Bear, in the Reading Booklet Insert and then answer Question
3(a) and (b) on this Question Paper.
Question 3
(a)Notes
70
What are the reasons for the popularity of the teddy bear now and in the past, according to Passage
B?
words.
The reasons for the popularity of the teddy bear now and in the past:
1...........................................................................................................................................
2...........................................................................................................................................
3...........................................................................................................................................
4...........................................................................................................................................
5...........................................................................................................................................
6...........................................................................................................................................
7...........................................................................................................................................
8...........................................................................................................................................
9...........................................................................................................................................
10.........................................................................................................................................
11.........................................................................................................................................
12.........................................................................................................................................
13.........................................................................................................................................
14.........................................................................................................................................
15.........................................................................................................................................
[Total: 15]
(b)Summary
Now use your notes to write a summary of the reasons for the popularity of the teddy bear,
now and in the past, according to Passage B.
71

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2019
Read the two passages carefully, and then answer Question 1 on the Question Paper.
In this article, the writer discusses the experience and benefits of going to university.
Is university really worth it? Hannah Morrish tackles some of the common myths about
student life and higher education.
Going to university to study for a degree is as invaluable now as it ever has been. Yes, there are
other paths you can follow, and it’s always worth considering your options, but don’t let anyone
put you off university if that’s what you want.
University is like everything in life: you only get out what you put in. So, inquisitive students
who are not afraid to work hard will leave fully rewarded, both in terms of personal satisfaction
and employability.
New evidence from the UK has revealed that three and a half years after leaving university, 96
per cent of graduates were in employment or undertaking further study. It’s true that a degree
itself is not enough to secure a job – employers are looking for solid communication skills,
experience of administration, initiative and commitment. These are skills you can acquire from
your overall university experience, if not from studying your chosen subject. Some universities
offer career weeks and careers advisors.
Many students will supplement their bank balances by working part-time, thus using their time
productively. But even if they are not picking up extra cash by working, students are generally
72
industrious and committed to developing themselves. Some set up new volunteering projects or
create new societies and groups that bring people together. There is no excuse for watching
endless episodes of the latest TV series on your days off. Universities are excellent environments
for students to hone their leadership skills and inspire other students to do the same. Don't
believe me? Just join your university entrepreneurs’ society.
The financial cost of a degree can seem daunting, but this shouldn’t put you off. Loans are
available to cover both tuition fees and your living costs. Yes, the level of debt when you finish
your degree is difficult to ignore, but it’s often the case that you will barely notice the
repayments once you are earning a good salary.
However, it’s important not to think about university costs as simply paying for lectures and
seminars. You’ll have access to fantastic learning resources. Listening to experienced lecturers
means you learn about the latest research in their chosen fields. You’ll also get the opportunity to
be guided in your specialism, and receive expert feedback on your work.
Make the most of it. Education just for the sake of education shouldn’t be dismissed.
In the extract from a different article, three young people explain why they won’t be applying
for a university place.
Hazel: Since I don’t know what I want to do for my career, I couldn’t see a reason to go to
university. Instead, I’m going to give myself those three years to try out lots of different things
and work out what I really want to do. I want to try to find something I really love rather than
study something I might regret.
Ajay: Work experience while at school made me realise that I didn’t need to go to university. I
had intended to go to university, but faced with a choice of three years of studies, or going
straight into work and avoiding huge student debts, it seemed like an obvious choice. I talked to
my parents about it and we agreed it was better to get professional qualifications. I’m just not
someone who learns by sitting at a desk. I’ll miss the lazy student life perhaps, but I’ll still have
a social life.
Edon: I found school and exams overwhelming and knew I would not be able to cope with the
university workload. I do not want to live knowing that I have massive debts to pay back. My
parents used to say if you have a degree you’ll be paid more, but it’s my decision. I’m trying to
find work but many young people are trying to find summer jobs at the same time. Almost all of
my friends are going to university. It does make me feel jealous, but I’ll try to make the best of
any situation I end up in.
Read carefully the two passages in the Reading Booklet Insert and then answer Section 1, Question
1 on this Question Paper.
Section 1: Directed Writing Question
1 Imagine that you are trying to decide whether or not to apply for a university place. A relative has sent
you the information in the two passages.
73
Write a letter to your relative in response to what you have read.

• evaluate the opinions and ideas about going to university in the two passages
• explain whether or not you think going to university might be useful for you.
Base your letter on what you have read in the article and extract, but be careful to use your own words.
Address each of the bullet points. Begin your letter, ‘Dear …’ Write about 250 to 350 words. Up to 10
marks are available for the content of your answer, and up to 15 marks for the quality of your
writing. .......................................................................................................................................................... .
......................................................................................................................................................... ................
..........................................................................................................................................
Questions 2 and 3
Write about 350 to 450 words on one of the following questions. Answer on this Question Paper. Up to 13
marks are available for the content and structure of your answer, and up to 12 marks for the style and
accuracy of your writing.
Descriptive Writing
2 (a) Describe the kitchen of a busy restaurant at lunch time.
OR 2 (b) Imagine your school or college 25 years from now.
Narrative Writing
3 (a) Write a story about fulfilling a dream or an ambition.
OR 3 (b) Write a story using the title, ‘The Cancellation’.
MAY/JUNE 2019
This letter was written to the headteacher of a school attended by the writer’s children
Dear Mrs Ahlberg,

My two eldest children attended your school and have grown to be intelligent, successful young people.
I’m sure you remember them? Their success can be attributed to the academic excellence and good
pastoral care they experienced from the very able teaching staff there. My third child is now about to
begin his IGCSE studies at the school and I have equally high hopes for him. From my experience of
packing my older two off to college and university to fend for themselves, I would like to suggest how
your school could help even more by teaching students about life beyond its safe confines.
Take, for example, my daughter’s experience in her first term at university. Having encouraged Anna for
years to focus on her education at the expense of almost everything else, imagine my distress when I soon
discovered she had become very well-educated but also useless, with little idea of how to take care of
herself. She found the washing machine in her shared accommodation much trickier than the assignments
her tutors demanded of her and she burned a hole in her favourite outfit the first time she plugged in an
iron. She seemed to spend too much on what I would call luxuries, such as fast food and new clothes,
because she had no idea how to budget or how to cook a simple meal.
My second child fared little better when he began to train as a nurse. Having watched his sister flounder,
Jon took the easy option of a college much nearer home so that he still had his family to lean on. He tried
not to be as wasteful with money as his sister but didn’t realise how much interest he was paying on his
credit card bills or what a false economy it was to miss insurance payments on his belongings. His room
was so chaotic and often downright unhygienic that I had to visit him regularly just to keep it clean
enough to satisfy the landlord.
Of course, both of them will learn how to do these basic, practical tasks for themselves in time. However,
I am determined that my youngest child will be better equipped when he leaves home. I must admit
though that it’s difficult to find the time as working parents and we have rather old-fashioned ways of
74
managing our lives compared to those young people want to use. He wants a career in medicine and,
encouraged by your excellent teachers, works hard to achieve it, leaving very little time and energy to
learn skills he doesn’t need while he’s at home. I do worry, however, that he will waste valuable time
making the same mistakes as his siblings when he leaves home or will find it easier to stay home and take
even longer to become independent.
I realise, of course, that schools these days need to focus relentlessly on academic achievement and that
students won’t need these more practical skills until they are older and have left school. My youngest
child even believes that he will be able to afford to employ others to perform all these simple tasks when
he is a well-paid doctor. However, I have read recently that ‘life skills’ are becoming a compulsory part of
the curriculum in some schools. Students are taught basic DIY such as replacing a fuse or changing a car
tyre, some basic first aid, routine household tasks and a range of financial management skills – things not
all adults are good at – to help them make the transition to adult life. Some even teach students what they
need to know when buying a house or a car and how to invest money to make a good return. If you feel
that the school curriculum for older students is already crammed, perhaps these skills could be taught to
younger children so that they grow up knowing how to do such things. Some less important subjects, or
those which students no longer need to study for their chosen career, could be reviewed and possibly
replaced with these essential lessons. Whichever option you choose, I ask you to consider carefully how
the excellent education you offer in your school could be greatly enhanced by teaching young people
these important skills.
Yours sincerely,
A. Ifan
Question 1
Imagine you are the headteacher who received the letter.
Write a letter in response to the parent.
In your letter, you should:

• discuss and evaluate the issues raised by the parent in the letter
• give your own views about teaching life skills and whether you think these lessons should replace other
subjects in the curriculum.
Base your letter on what you have read in the parent’s letter, but be careful to use your own words.
Address each of the bullet points. Begin your letter, ‘Dear A. Ifan …’ Write about 250 to 350 words. Up
to 10 marks are available for the content of your answer, and up to 15 marks for the quality of your
writing. .......................................................................................................................................................... .
......................................................................................................................................................... ................
.......................................................................................................................................
75
0500/11 MAY/JUNE 2019

Part 1
Passage A: Hang-gliding in Rio
In this passage, the writer describes their experience of hang-gliding while on holiday in Rio de Janeiro.
Rio de Janeiro appeals to everyone. From the natural wonder of Rio’s harbour to the mountain top
paradise of Sugarloaf, Rio has got it all: world-class carnivals and two of the most famous beaches in the
world, Ipanema and Copacabana. But I only had a week there and was desperate to try something I’d
heard about long before arriving in Brazil. I was going to go hang-gliding.
Paulo was a nice guy and spoke perfect English. I was a bit nervous because I didn’t know anything
about hang-gliding. He assured me everything was going to be OK and that he had completed thousands
of jumps before. When we arrived at the registration hut to sign my life away, I found it strange that
nobody else was going. That made me nervous. Nonetheless, I proceeded to the van to be driven up
several thousand metres to the jump ramp.
As we arrived at the jump site, I looked out over the ledge and saw nothing but a vast carpet of trees and,
in the distance, the Atlantic Ocean thousands of metres down. Paulo told me what he wanted me to do:
‘When I say: “1, 2, 3, go!” You run and then jump off the mountain.’ This seemed pretty logical: just run
and jump off a sheer cliff. I love jumping off mountains having no idea what’s going on. So, I shrugged
my shoulders and decided he must know what he’s doing.
A savage wind buffeted us. Paulo said we would be able to stay up for half an hour and I would definitely
be getting my money’s worth while drifting helplessly around thousands of metres up in the air. I found
myself on the ramp ready to hurl myself off into a perilous abyss. Paulo screamed, ‘Go!’ As I took my
final step off the ramp, I heard that all too familiar voice in my head saying, ‘Why are you doing this, you
fool?’
To this day I still haven’t come up with a good answer, but maybe that, in fact, is the answer. I don’t
know why, it’s just something that I am drawn to. Not everybody likes to live life on the edge and feel the
rush of putting your life in danger, especially in someone else’s hands. I get adrenaline pumping through
my veins just thinking about it. After the initial screaming, and realising that I was still in the air and not
going to crash and die, it was just me, Paulo and the passing birds. I was soaring through the air with a
clear view of the most beautiful city in the world.
76
Half an hour later, we started descending. I was very sad to be landing, but if I had to land somewhere it
might as well be on a beautiful beach in Rio de Janeiro. As we came down, Paulo unstrapped my legs so I
could land and run with the momentum of the hang-glider, but of course this ended up with me flat on my
back. I didn’t care: I was so happy I had experienced something that most people will never do.
My trip to Rio de Janeiro was full of highlights and it’s hard to pick one thing that really stands out
because it is such a great international city. After we landed, Paulo showed me some of his favourite parts
of the city, but nothing beat the trip flying above it. I would recommend Rio de Janeiro to anyone who
asks and if you do happen to go hang-gliding, tell Paulo I will see him again next time I am in Rio.
Read carefully Passage A, Hang-gliding in Rio, in the Reading Booklet Insert and then answer Questions
1 and 2 on this Question Paper. Answer all questions using your own words as far as possible.
Question 1
a. Reread the second sentence (lines 1–3). Give one word that suggests Rio de Janeiro is an
outstanding place to visit.
........................................................................................................................................... .................
.......................................................................................................................... ..................................
......................................................................................................... [1]
b. Using your own words, explain why the writer did not feel confident about hang-gliding
(paragraph 2, ‘Paulo
was ...’). ........................................................................................................................................... ..
......................................................................................................................................... ...................
........................................................................................................................ [2]
b. Using your own words, explain what the writer means when he says: ‘I looked out over the ledge
and saw nothing but a vast carpet of trees ...’ (lines 12–13).
........................................................................................................................................... .................
.......................................................................................................................... [2] c. Give the
meaning of the underlined words in the following three phrases as the writer uses them in the
passage. Then explain how the phrases help you understand the conditions at the jump site.
(c) (i) ‘This seemed pretty logical: just run and jump off a sheer cliff.’ (lines 15–16) Meaning of the
underlined word as the writer uses
it: ........................................... ..................................................................................................................
.............. [1]
(d) (ii) Explanation of the whole
phrase: ................................................................................................................................ .....................
........................................................................................................... .......................................................
......................................................................... [2]
(iii) ‘A savage wind buffeted us.’ (line 19) Meaning of the underlined word as the writer uses
it: ........................................... ..........................................................................................................................
...... [1]
Explanation of the whole

phrase: ................................................................................................................................ .............................
................................................................................................... ......................................................................
.......................................................... [2]
(v) ‘I found myself on the ramp ready to hurl myself off into a perilous abyss.’ (lines 21–22)
Meaning of the underlined word as the writer uses
it: ........................................... ..........................................................................................................................
...... [1]
Explanation of the whole

77
phrase: ................................................................................................................................ .............................

................................................................................................... ......................................................................
.......................................................... [2]
e. Using your own words, explain why the writer asks himself: ‘Why are you doing this, you fool?’ (line
23)
........................................................................................................................................... ..............................
............................................................................................................. [2]
f. Reread paragraph 6 (‘To this day ...’). Using your own words, explain two things that the writer enjoys
about his experience of hang-gliding.
(f) ........................................................................................................................................... .........................
.................................................................................................................. .......................................................
.................................................................................... .....................................................................................
...................................................... [2]
g. Reread paragraph 7 (‘Half an hour ...’). Using your own words, explain what happens when the writer
reaches the end of his hang-gliding trip.
........................................................................................................................................... ..............................
............................................................................................................. [2]
Question 2
Imagine you are Paulo, the guide in Passage A. The day after these events you write a letter to a friend
describing your experience taking the writer on their hang-gliding trip.
Write your letter.
In the letter you should comment on:
• the place where you take people hang-gliding
• your impression of the writer and what they thought about their hang-gliding experience
• what happened after you landed. Base your letter on what you have read in Passage A, but do not copy
from it. Be careful to use your own words. Address each of the three bullet points. Begin your letter:
‘Dear ...’ Write about 200 to 300 words.
your writing.
Part 2
Passage B: Flying squirrels

Although they are called flying squirrels, these small mammals do not really fly: they glide using a thin,
furred membrane of skin that extends from their wrists to their ankles. By gliding with outstretched arms
and legs, the flying squirrel is able to move about the tree tops, for up to 90 metres at a time. Holding onto
the tree trunk, the squirrel judges the distance and, using its hind legs, it leaps into the air. During ‘flight’
the arms and legs are stretched to form a flat surface area for gliding. The tail flips downward and is used
for steering and as a brake. The feather-light landing takes place in a vertical, upright position with the
back feet making contact first.
Weighing 100–167 grams, the flying squirrel is the smallest of all the squirrels. They make a soft
churning noise or a chirp. They use lichen, dried grass, and finely shredded bark to make nests in tree
cavities. Sometimes they will make use of an abandoned woodpecker nest. When natural cavities are
scarce, an abandoned bird’s nest will be modified. In some areas, they nest in bird boxes and in attics.
Their velvet soft fur varies in colour, ranging from cinnamon or grey to a red or blackish-brown. The tail
is broad, flattened and fluffy. Large, black eyes dominate the head and the ears are small and lightly
furred.
78
The squirrels’ diet consists of berries, blossom, buds, cherries, and nuts, supplemented by insects, stolen
bird’s eggs, or small nestling birds. The major predators are foxes, weasels, martens, and owls. Protection
is found by living in the trees and being active after dark. It is the only squirrel species that is nocturnal
and spends the majority of its life in a tree. Hence, most people have never seen the spectacular sight of a
flying squirrel gliding through the air.
Read carefully Passage B, Flying squirrels, in the Reading Booklet Insert and then answer Question
3(a) and 3(b) on this Question Paper.
Question 3
a. Notes
What do you learn about the appearance of flying squirrels and how they fly (or glide), according to
Passage B? Write your answers using short notes. Write one point per line. You do not need to use your
own words. Up to 10 marks are available for the content of your answer. The appearance of flying
squirrels and how they fly (or glide):
(a)
1 ........................................................................................................................................
2 ........................................................................................................................................
3 ........................................................................................................................................
4 ........................................................................................................................................
5 ........................................................................................................................................
6 ........................................................................................................................................
7 ........................................................................................................................................
8 ........................................................................................................................................
9 ........................................................................................................................................
10 ...................................................................................................................................... [10]
B. Summary
Now use your notes to write a summary of what Passage B tells you about the appearance of flying
squirrels and how they fly (or glide). You must use continuous writing (not note form) and use your own
words as far as possible. Your summary should not be more than 150 words. Up to 5 marks are available
for the quality of your writing.
79
0500/11 MAY/JUNE 2020

Read Text A, and then answer Questions 1(a)–(e) on the question paper.
Text A: The problem with plastics

This article warns of the dangers of plastics.
Plastics are wonder materials: adaptable and durable. We produce and use more
plastics than we do almost any other man-made materials, apart from steel, cement
and brick. Scientists calculate the total plastic ever made as 8.3 billion tonnes – as
heavy as one billion elephants – an astonishing mass of material.
Mass-manufacturing of plastics began in the 1950s. Plastics are now all around us, in 5
everything from food wrapping to aeroplane parts and flame retardants. It is precisely
plastics’ amazing qualities that present a growing problem.
‘We’re rapidly heading towards “Planet Plastic”. If we don’t want to live in that kind
of world we have to rethink how we use materials, particularly plastic,’
explains
environmental scientist, Dr Ros Gaia. ‘None of the commonly used plastics are 10
biodegradable. You can permanently dispose of plastic waste by incinerating it – but

that’s complicated by concerns about health and emissions.’
Plastic items tend to be used for very short periods before being discarded. Waste
plastic is sent largely to landfill; much of it just litters the wider environment,
including
the oceans.
15
Dr Gaia commented: ‘People need to realise that a plastic bottle could be recycled
20 times. Currently, poor design limits us. The whole point of recycling is keeping
material in use for ever if you can. Actually 90 per cent of the material that does get
recycled only gets recycled once.’
In the meantime, the waste mounts up. Recycling rates are increasing, and there are 20
new biodegradable alternatives, but manufacturing plastic is so cheap that there is
little incentive for change. Each year eight million tonnes of plastic end up in the
oceans, with clear evidence that some gets into the food chains because marine
creatures ingest small fragments of micro-plastics.
80
Dr Gaia explains: ‘We’re facing a tsunami of plastic waste. The global waste
industry 25
needs to get its act together. We need a radical shift. On current trends, it will take
until 2060 before more plastic gets recycled than landfilled and lost to the
environment. We can’t wait that long.’
Read Text B, and then answer Question 1(f) on the question paper.
Text B: It’s great that Blue Planet II is pushing hard on plastic

pollution, but
The writer of the article has viewed a documentary about the world’s oceans called Blue Planet II. The
documentary was first aired as a series on television and attracted large numbers of viewers.
I gasped in awe at the latest stunning images of marine life in the marvellous television documentary,
Blue Planet II. Blue sharks dodged great whites to scavenge on oceanic carrion; sperm whales dozed
vertically then plunged to unfathomable depths to feed. It was jaw-dropping stuff.
However, in this final part of the series, the narrator’s tone has changed. He has bad news. He shows us
grim images: turtles and tropical fish tangled in plastic debris and, most heart-breaking of all, a mother
pilot whale unable to let go of her long-dead infant. ‘Today in the Atlantic waters whales have to share the
ocean with plastic. A mother is holding her newborn young – it’s dead,’ he said. ‘The mother’s milk may
have been contaminated by plastics.’
10
This had a big impact. One newspaper headline: ‘Shocked viewers vow never to use disposable plastic
again,’ captured the reaction of many. Online message boards buzzed, demanding a ban on all plastics.
I know research suggests there could already be over five trillion pieces of plastic in the ocean; that by
2050 there could be more plastic than fish; that birds are starving as they fill their guts with plastic waste;
that micro-plastic is in our seafood. I wanted to shout, ‘Yes! Ban plastics!’ but the scientist in me resisted.
In the whole programme, no direct link was made between the death of this baby whale and plastics; we
saw pictures of whales and pictures of plastics in the sea, but no evidence that this whale-mother’s milk
actually contained contamination from plastics. 20
Nothing. I convulsed with frustration at the idea of wildlife being killed by human waste, but was
incensed by the lack of direct evidence shown in the programme. Some wildlife programmes have been
criticised for passing off footage of captive animals as hard-won material taken in the wild. If the facts are
right, perhaps that’s OK – it makes striking educational TV – but the linkages between this dead whale
and plastic pollution were at best circumstantial.
Campaigners argue that plastic and toxic chemicals are capable of killing young whales, and everybody
needs to realise the urgency of the pollution issue.Urgent action is needed, but we need to keep up the
pressure for change with good evidence. I don’t want exposing the production fakery to become the story,
overshadowing the real story about plastic pollution. Please, programme makers, go beyond brilliant
images and gripping storylines. Documentaries can change views with truth and scientific evidence.
81
Read Text C, and then answer Questions 2(a)–(d) and Question 3 on the question paper.
The narrator, Tom Michell, has borrowed his friend’s luxury holiday apartment by the sea. It is out of
season, and the friend is not using the apartment himself. Tom is enjoying a few days relaxing and
exploring in the quiet resort, and unexpectedly meets a new friend and companion.
A few fishing boats and pleasure craft rocked gently in the small harbour on the fashionable western side
of the point, basking serenely in the winter sunlight. Cries of gulls and the smell of fish filled the air.
Vibrant colours of boats and painted houses played against the sapphire sea and azure sky.
Swimming in unison, shimmering shoals of sprats raced around the harbour, zigzagging, dividing and
reuniting. Waves of mesmerising light reflected off these iridescent fish. There were penguins in the
harbour, too. It was captivating to watch them fly through the water, twisting and turning, snapping up
sprats. I was only surprised that there were not more penguins there feasting on such rich and easy
pickings.
I turned and walked round the promontory to the eastern side. I had only been strolling along the seashore
for minutes, when I caught sight of the first of them: black, unmoving shapes. Initially, I was aware of
only a few but, as I walked on, they grew in number, until the whole beach appeared to be covered with
black lumps in a black carpet.
Hundreds of penguins lay dead in the sand, covered in thick, cloying oil and tar. Each wave that broke
piled another grim batch of carcasses on top of those already there. The sight was dreadful, sickening and
depressing.
I understood then why there were so few penguins in the harbour – only a lucky few had avoided the oil
slick. Consumed by dark thoughts, I continued walking. The pollution along the beach extended as far as I
could see.
I had not heard reports of any oil spill, but in those days regulations were less stringent. 20
After discharging cargo at their destinations, oil tankers would put to sea again and wash
out their tanks, creating vast, deadly floating oil slicks.
I had been walking briskly, unwilling to focus closely on the details of the dead creatures,
when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a movement in the stillness on the beach. I
stopped. One valiant bird was alive: a single survivor struggling amid all that death.
Although it was lying on its belly and covered in tar like the others, this penguin was
holding its head up and moving its wings with little spasmodic jerks. Could I walk on and
abandon it to the poisonous oil and exhausting, suffocating tar? I decided that I could not; I
headed towards it.
I had no clear plan – in fact, no plan at all. As I approached the solitary penguin, it
struggled to its feet, flapping sticky wings and ready to fight for its life once more.
Amid all the obscenity, this single penguin sparking with anger stood there, eyeing me
suspiciously. How would I approach this filthy, aggressive bird? I scanned the
82
accumulated rubbish along the beach: bits of wood, plastic bottles, disintegrating fishing
net. As I moved away, the penguin settled back down on its tummy again. Hurriedly, I
gathered debris that I thought might be of assistance. Now, gladiator-like, I approached my
quarry. Sensing the renewed threat, it immediately reared up to full height. Its black,
malevolent eyes shone with pure loathing and venom. Its beak snapped shut with a savage
metallic clack. Swirling a piece of fishing net, I distracted the penguin and, with the
swiftness and bravery of Achilles, dropped the net over its head, pushed it over with a stick
and grabbed its feet.
Arriving back at the flat, I looked around and realised that I’d been carried away with the
idea of rescuing the penguin. The average penthouse holiday flat is rarely equipped with
the necessities for de-tarring penguins. I had not thought about the practicalities that
cleaning would involve. The flat was elegant, tasteful, like an advertisement from a
glossy magazine – the last place to bring a furious, oil-soaked penguin. The chances of
making a real mess, and getting injured into the bargain, seemed very real.
Read Text A, The problem with plastics, in the insert and then answer Questions 1(a)–(e) on this
question paper.
Question 1
a. Give three examples of man-made materials humans use more than plastic. [1]
b. Using your own words, explain what the text means by:
(i) ‘adaptable and durable’ (line 1) [2]
(ii) ‘an astonishing mass’ (line 4): [2]
c. Re-read paragraph 3 ( ‘‘‘We’re rapidly emissions.’’’). Give two reasons why disposing of
plastics is difficult. [2]
d. Re-read paragraphs 4 and 5 (‘Plastic items recycled once.’’’).
(i) Identify two facts about how plastic items are dealt with, which lead to plastic waste
littering the environment. [2]
(ii) What changes are needed to improve the recycling of plastic? [3]
e. Re-read paragraphs 6 and 7 (‘In the meantime that long.’’’). Using your own words, explain
the reasons why the problem of plastic waste is not being dealt with quickly enough. [3]
Read Text B, It’s great that Blue Planet II is pushing hard on plastic pollution, but , in the insert and
then answer Question 1(f) on this question paper.
83
Question 1
f. According to Text B, what problems are associated with plastic waste and the way documentary
programme makers are presenting the issue?
summary should not be more than 120 words.
Up to 10 marks are available for the content of your answer and up to 5 marks for the quality of your
writing. [15]
Read Text C, The penguin lessons, in the insert and then answer Questions 2(a)–(d) on this question
paper.
Question 2
(a) Identify a word or phrase from the text which suggests the same idea as the words underlined:
(i) Boats used for recreational purposes were moored in the harbour as well as the boats used
by local fishermen............................................................. [1]
(ii) The colours of the boats and houses by the harbour were bright and cheerful. [1]
(iii) At the time of the incident, rules about where oil tankers could wash out their tanks were
not as strict as they are now. [1]
(iv) Oil tanks washing out their tanks left huge poisonous oil patches of sea covered with a
film of [1]
(b) Using your own words, explain what the writer means by each of the words underlined:
I turned and walked round the promontory to the eastern side. I had only been s trolling along the seashore
for minutes, when I c aught sight of the first of them: black, u nmoving shapes.
(i) strolling ................................................................................................................. [1]
(ii) caught sight .......................................................................................................... [1]
(iii) unmoving ............................................................................................................. [1]
(c) Use one example from the text below to explain how the writer suggests his feelings about what
he saw on the beach.
Use your own words in your explanation.
Initially, I was aware of only a few but, as I walked on, they grew in number, until the whole beach
appeared to be covered with black lumps in a black carpet. Hundreds of penguins lay dead in the sand,
covered in thick, cloying oil and tar. Each wave that broke piled another grim batch of carcasses on top of
those already there. The sight was dreadful, sickening and depressing. [3]
84
(d) Re-read paragraphs 2 and 9.
• Paragraph 2 begins ‘Swimming in unison ’ and is about the wildlife in the harbour.
 Paragraph 9 begins ‘Amid all the ’ and is about approaching and capturing the bird.
Explain how the writer uses language to convey meaning and to create effect in these paragraphs. Choose
three examples of words or phrases from each paragraph to support your answer. Your choices should
include the use of imagery.
Write about 200 to 300 words. Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer
Re-read Text C, The penguin lessons, in the insert and then answer Question 3 on this question paper.
Question 3
Imagine you are a local journalist. Recent events have prompted you to write a magazine article about the
need to better safeguard the area.
Write the magazine article.
In your article you should explain:
 the attractions of the local area and why people visit
 the problems affecting the area and the likely impact if things do not improve
 what Tom Michell did and why, and the result of his actions.
Base your article on what you have read in Text C, but be careful to use your own words. Address
each of the three bullet points.Begin your article with a suitable headline. Write about 250 to 350
words. Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer and up to 10 marks for the
0500/12 MAY/JUNE 2020 .2 HOURS

85
Text B: The rebirth of the bookshop
This article explains how bookshops have changed in recent years.
Time was when bookshops appealed for being old-world and fusty with their
confusing layouts, musty smells and eccentric proprietors. Now a new breed of
bookshops is emerging. Luminous and spacious – the very opposite of the traditional
bookstore.
Changing tastes in architecture and interior design are partly responsible for this trend,
but so, too, are economics and new book-buying habits. Fierce competition from online
5
retailers, cut-price supermarkets and e-books has seen the market for physical paper
books dwindle, causing many bookshops to close, but booksellers are fighting back.
One of their tactics is to hire cutting-edge architects to design shops with an alluring,
contemporary feel to help attract customers day and night.
A case in point is Foyles bookshop, London, once famous for its quaintly chaotic warren
10
of rooms with books piled up everywhere – not just on shelves but in nooks under
tables. Last June, however, the mammoth store relocated. Interviewed recently,
Foyles’ chief executive, Sam Husain, said that one reason why the shop moved was
that its original layout was old-fashioned – ‘higgledy piggledy and inefficient’. By
contrast, the new shop
boasts 6.4 kilometres of orderly bookshelves and stocks over 200,000 titles. Its interior
15
is clean-lined, minimalist and easy to navigate, geared to convenience in an age

when customers are used to snapping up goods online at lightning speed. Customers
can also use an in-store mobile search tool to see if the book is in stock and, if so,
where. With the aid of an interactive map, the book can be located.
Another survival tactic for this new generation of bookshops is to operate as a cultural
20
centre, not just a bookstore. To use that retail cliché, shops today must offer an
‘experience’ – not just a ‘shopportunity’ – if they are to succeed. According to retail
expert Matthew Brown: ‘Shops have never been about buying stuff – we can get that
online. We expect hospitality and service.’
Worldwide there’s an emergence of a new wave of bookstores – businesses which 25

have diversified their product ranges, have increased their scope. Bookstores like
Livraria Cultura in São Paolo also sell electronics, DVDs, toys and stationery, and
they function as event and meeting spaces for book and product launches. Livraria
Cultura boasts an exhibition space, conference area and garden café. It’s as
much a
see-and-be-seen hangout as a bookshop. White bookshelves incorporating LEDs, 30
laminate surfaces and glass handrails on the staircases all contribute to the shop’s
86
luminous, transparent feel. The shop also has two basement levels, with the lower
one devoted to children’s books, and featuring a funky, rainbow-striped ramp
providing access to shelves, and beanbags to recline on and read.
In short, bookshops are turning over a new leaf as they battle to survive in the internet
35
age.
Read Text C, and then answer Questions 2(a)–2(d) and Question 3 on the question paper.
Text C: Mr Penumbra’s 24-hour bookstore
The narrator, Clay, is young and talented, but struggling to find a new job. After months of
searching, including walking the streets each day looking for advertisements in shop windows, he
finds just one job to apply for.
Lost in the shadows of the shelves, I almost fall off the ladder. I’m exactly halfway
up. The floor of the bookstore is far below, the surface of a planet I’ve left behind.
The tops of the shelves loom high above. It’s dark up there – books are huddled
together, not letting any light through. The air might be thinner, too. I think I see a
bat. I’m holding
on for dear life, one hand on the ladder, the other on a shelf, fingers pressed white.
5
Many of the books have the look of antiquity – cracked leather, gold-leaf titles;
others are freshly bound with bright crisp covers. All are in such excellent condition
that they might as well be new.
My eyes search the spines. I spot it - the book I’ve been sent up for.
But wait – let me explain how I got here:
10
I was unemployed, a result of the great food-chain contraction sweeping through the
country, leaving bankrupt burger chains and shuttered sushi empires in its wake.
The job I’d lost was at the corporate headquarters of a very new company. It wrote
software to design and bake the perfect burger bun: smooth toasted skin, soft
interior.
It was my first job out of art school. I started as a designer, making marketing materials
15
to explain and promote this tasty treat: menus, diagrams and posters for store windows.
There was lots to do: first, redesigning the company’s logo, then, the website. I was
the company’s voice on social media, attracting followers with a mix of fast-food
trivia and digital coupons.
Then the economy nose-dived. It turns out that in a recession, people want good 20
old-fashioned food, not smooth alien-spaceship snacks. I was jobless.
Next to the bus stop I’d seen the handwritten advertisement:
MR PENUMBRA’S 24-HOUR
BOOKSTORE HELP WANTED

87
LATE SHIFT
25
I pushed the bookstore’s heavy wooden door, making a bell tinkle brightly, and
stepped slowly through.
Inside: imagine the shape and volume of a normal bookstore turned on its side. This
place was absurdly narrow and dizzyingly tall. The shelves went all the way up,
fading
smoothly into the shadows as if they might just go on forever. Shelves were packed so
30
close together it felt like I was standing at the border of a forest – an old
Transylvanian forest, full of wolves, witches and dagger-wielding bandits all waiting
just beyond
moonlight’s reach. There were ladders that clung to the shelves and rolled side to side,
stretching up ominously into the gloom. I stuck to the front half of the store, where bright
midday light pressed in.
35
‘Hello there,’ a quiet voice called from within. A figure emerged – a man, tall and
skinny, in a light blue cardigan. He tottered as he walked, running a wrinkled hand
along the shelves for support. He was very old.
He nodded at me. ‘What do you seek in these shelves?’
That was a good line; for some reason, it made me feel comfortable.
40
‘I’m looking for a job.’
Mr Penumbra blinked, then nodded and tottered over to the desk beside the front door. It was a massive
block of dark-whorled wood, a solid fortress on the forest edge.
‘Employment.’ Penumbra nodded again. ‘Have you ever worked at a bookstore?’
‘Well ’ I said. 45
‘No matter,’ Penumbra said. ‘Tell me about a book you love.’ I knew my answer immediately. No
competition.
I told him, ‘The Dragon-Song chronicles.’
Penumbra smiled. ‘Good very good,’ he said, then squinted at me. His gaze went up and down. ‘But
can you climb a ladder?’ 50
And that’s how I find myself on this ladder, up on the third ‘floor’ of Penumbra’s Bookstore. The book
I’ve been sent up to retrieve is over an arm-length to my left. Obviously, I should return to the floor and
scoot the ladder over. But down below, Penumbra is shouting, ‘Lean across! Lean!’
And I really need this job 55
0500/12 May/June 2020

2 hours
Read Text B, The rebirth of the bookshop, in the insert and then answer Question 1(f) on this question
paper.
88
Question 1
(f)
According to Text B, how and why have bookshops had to change to attract customers?
Up to 10 marks are available for the content of your answer and up to 5 marks for the quality of your
writing.
Read Text C,Mr Penumbra’s 24-hour bookstore, in the insert and then answer Questions 2(a)–(d)
on this question paper.

Question 2
(i) A lot of the books in the store s eem to be from the ancient past. [1]
(ii) The narrator was l ooking at the outside edges of the books to check what they were
called. [1]
(iii) The narrator used to work in the main office of a software company. [1]
(iv) The narrator lost his job when the economy p lunged dramatically downwards. [1]
I was unemployed, a result of the great food-chain c ontraction sweeping through the country, leaving
bankrupt burger chains and s huttered sushi empires in its wake.
(i) contraction .................................................................................. [1]
(ii) sweeping................................................................................................................ [1]
(iii) shuttered ............................................................................................................... [1]
(c) Use one example from the text below to explain how the writer suggests what the narrator thinks
about the burger bun. Use your own words in your explanation.
The job I’d lost was at the corporate headquarters of a very new company. It wrote software to design and
bake the perfect burger bun: smooth toasted skin, soft interior. It was my first job out of art school. I
started as a designer, making marketing materials to explain and promote this tasty treat: menus, diagrams
and posters for store windows. [3]
 Paragraph 1 begins ‘Lost in the shadows ’ and is about what Clay sees and feels as he climbs the
ladder.
 Paragraph 12 begins ‘Inside: imagine ’ and describes the inside of the bookstore.
Explain how the writer uses language to convey meaning and to create effect in these paragraphs.
Choose three examples of words or phrases from each paragraph to support your answer. Your choices
should include the use of imagery. Write about 200 to 300 words.
89
Re-read Text C, Mr Penumbra’s 24-hour bookstore, in the insert and then answer Question 3 on this
question paper.
Question 3
Imagine you are Mr Penumbra. Clay has been working in your store now for over a year and has
suggested ways to improve the bookshop and increase trade. You reflect on your thoughts and Clay’s
suggestions in your journal.
In your journal, you should:
• remember what exactly happened the day you first met Clay and your impressions of him
• reflect on the shop as it is now – what you like about it
• outline the suggestions Clay has made for how he could help improve the bookstore.
Base your journal entry on what you have read in Text C, but be careful to use your own words. Address
each of the three bullet points. Write about 250 to 350 words.
Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer and up to 10 marks for the quality of
your writing.
0500/13 MAY/JUNE 2020

2 hours
Read Text A, and then answer Questions 1(a)–(e) on the question paper.
Text A: My week on powdered food
The writer explains their experience of a new powdered food product called Erfoo (Earth Food).
I’ve always found lunch annoying. It interrupts work. At the office, I resent the endless canteen queues;
working from home, I object to the daily decision-making. Lunch fatigue troubled me so much that last
90
month I decided I’d had enough. Erfoo (Earth Food) would be the solution to my problem. According
to the advertisements, this self-proclaimed ‘future of food for our planet’ delivers ‘everything your body
needs’. 5
Coming in a minimalistic white pouch, the meal-replacement powder blends things like rice, peas and
flaxseed. Add water, shake it up, and there’s your lunch, dinner or breakfast, or all three. I ordered a
week’s supply, telling friends about my exciting discovery. Comments ranged from outraged to
encouraging (‘this makes a lot of sense’). My mum suggested I just ate a banana.
Apparently, Erfoo is favoured by developers – people who make websites and apps. It leaves them with
more time to write code. I began fantasising about my new streamlined lifestyle: the extra work I would
do, money I could save; maybe I’d lose weight. At the very least, I would feel a bit like an astronaut.
Sadly, my first gulp of Erfoo tastes revolting. There are lumps in the mixture – I’ve 15
accidentally made it with room-temperature water. Chugging down the concoction, it
strikes me that Erfoo doesn’t just sound like the act of vomiting. I haven’t enjoyed my
liquid meal. Afterwards, I feel full, but not as if I’ve eaten.
When lunchtime next rolls around, I’m not hungry – the thought of Erfoo doesn’t appeal.
But if you’re committed to the future of food, you know lunchtime is Erfoo o’clock.
20
This time I use chilled water, and a hand blender to eliminate lumps. I also add
mocha flavouring. It occurs to me that I’m now, in fact, ‘cooking’. This defeats the
object of attempting to streamline the rigmarole of lunch, but at least my second
Erfoo tastes more palatable.
As the week progresses, Erfoo becomes a habit, but by day seven a new joylessness
25
has engulfed lunchtimes. I don’t feel like a spaceman. I feel like an idiot. The Erfoo
goes to the back of a kitchen cupboard and I eat a banana instead.
Text B: A complete diet in a time-saving way?
The writer discusses some of the meal-replacement products such as protein shakes, gels and powders
that are currently available.
You can divide the world into two groups of people: those who drink protein shakes for breakfast and
those who don’t. I am firmly in the latter. It’s fair to say that I’m not the target market for the lucrative
line of trendy meal-replacement products all tapping into the idea that food is old-fashioned, inconvenient
and boring. Apparently, there’s now a more hi-tech, whizz-bang way of delivering the same nutrients
more efficiently in the form of gels and powders. Yum.
I’m almost tempted to try the ‘bespoke vitamin and mineral blend’ described as ‘an all-natural, vegan
formula’ – until I talk to Joanna Blythman, an investigative food writer.
She scoffs at the idea. ‘These products contain technologically altered hi-tech
ingredients. You’re talking about industrial food chemistry where basic ingredients are
10
being mucked around with and transformed. There are these very intense chemical
sweeteners in there. There’s sucralose; that’s something like 200 times sweeter than
sugar. There’s maltodextrin – that’s another sweetener. And xylitol – that’s another
91
one.
It’s all just rubbish. Then there’s ‘pea protein’, which sounds good, doesn’t it, but what
is it? Peas treated with a number of complex, chemical reactions to extract some sort
15
of beige powder.’
It does raise the question of why you’d want to eat that.
On Twitter, I find a Swiss software developer who tells me he’s been eating nothing
else for weeks. ‘I’ve just moved to the city and it’s an effort to find time to cook
each
evening. I have a very healthy lifestyle and like eating healthily. I read about it and 20
thought I’d give it a go.’
My running partner, Catherine, is exactly the type of person who drinks protein
shakes for breakfast. At the end of our run she pulls out her ‘lunch’ from her
rucksack. ‘It’s OK,’ she says.
I’m not sure. We may want to maximise the health benefits of food, but the research
25
simply isn’t there yet, and what about the emotional, cultural and social well-being
aspects of food? We’re not robots: food is more than just fuel.
Appetite is such a fundamental drive. Food is part of what we do every day to make
our lives a bit nicer. If you’ve had a bad day, it’s just that little nice thing you can do
for
yourself. And these products just don’t get that at all.
30
Read Text C, and then answer Questions 2(a)–(d) and Question 3 on the question paper.
Text C: The Clement Street Soup and Sourdough Restaurant
Lois has moved away from the place where she grew up to work for a company called General Dexterity
(GD) founded by a young businessman called Andrei. The company designs industry-leading robot arms
for factories and needs talented computer-programmers to find ways to improve what their robots can do.
Day one, Andrei gave a guided tour of the company’s underground base – a cavernous construction,
formerly a car park. Towering rows of robot arms sweeping, grasping and lifting lined the cement floor.
Their plastic cladding was coloured sky-blue, their contours friendly and capable with just the faintest
suggestion of biceps – gentle swells sporting
92
GD’s logo, a lightning bolt.

5
These were repetitive gestures, Andrei explained, currently executed by human

muscles and minds. Repetition stifled human creativity, he said. Repetition belonged
to robots.
I learned about the software I’d be working on and saw the founder’s original
prototype robot arm, a three-jointed limb taller than me. You could call, ‘Arm,
change task. Say
hello!’ and it would wave a wide, eager greeting – unlike my new workmates.
10
Orientation week ended on Friday night. Then my job began. Not the following
Monday. The next morning. Saturday. I had the feeling of being sucked – floop –
into a pneumatic tube.
Programmers at GD were almost exclusively young, distant, cold-eyed wraiths, in

identical denim. They started early morning, working past midnight, in a hurry to be
15
done, and rich. Each week the section manager, Peter, reminded us: We’re on a
mission to replace human labour – work harder.
Programmers often slept at the office. Some nights I’d lie there, staring blankly at
the ceiling and the braids of fibre ferrying data around the office. My parents were
far away,
locked in the frame of a video-chat window. I had no friends nearby. There was a knot
20
in my stomach that wouldn’t loosen. I existed in a state of stupor, brain flaccid, cells
gasping. I couldn’t get my turbine spinning.
It was Peter who’d recommended switching to the meal-replacement, Slurry. ‘It’s

what we all eat,’ he said.
At meal times, I sat in a corner of the empty cafeteria and slurped the grey gel.
25
It would have been Slurry for ‘dinner’ as always, if I hadn’t discovered, stuck to my
apartment’s door, a handwritten menu advertising a local delivery service. I’d just
arrived home from work. My face felt brittle from stress – this wasn’t unusual. I was
already flagging after a single summer at my new job. I was supposed to be one of
the bright
new additions, the fresh-faced ones. My face wasn’t fresh. My hair had gone flat and
30
thin. My stomach hurt.
I wouldn’t normally have been interested, but this menu, written in a dark confident
script, intrigued me. At the top, in exuberant letters, was the restaurant’s name and
93
telephone number. The menu was compact: Spicy Soup, a Spicy Sandwich or a
Combo
(double spicy), all of which, the menu explained in its curling connectors, were 35
vegetarian. The menu charmed me – as a result, my night, and my life, bent off on a
different track.
I called the number. A friendly voice answered, ‘Hello! What can I make for
you?’ I ordered the Combo.
Sometime later, my order arrived, delivered by a cheery young man with a heavy, 40
hard-to-place accent: ‘Good evening, my friend!’
I dug in my pocket for cash, then thought to ask, ‘What kind of food is this?’
His face beamed. ‘Real food, traditionally made. If you like it, I’ll give you the recipe.’
Sitting on my kitchen countertop – utterly bare in those days, free from any sign of food
preparation – I consumed the first Combo (double spicy) of my life. The healing powers,
45
physical and psychic, of the spicy soup made traditional noodle soup seem like
dishwater. It was an elixir. The sandwich was spicier still, thin-sliced vegetables
slathered with a fluorescent red sauce, the burn buffered by thick slabs of bread
artfully toasted.
First my stomach unclenched, then my brain. I let loose a long sigh that transformed
into a rippling burp. I laughed out loud.
50
That night, instead of fitfully reviewing the day’s errors, I fell asleep soothed by
spicy broth and dreams of baking that fragrant, fluffy sourdough bread.
0500/13 MAY/JUNE 2020

2 hours
Read Text A, My week on powdered food, in the insert and then answer Questions 1(a)–(e) on this
question paper.
Question 1
(a) Give two examples of what advertisements say about Erfoo (Earth Food), according to the text
(paragraph 1). [1]
(b) Using your own words, explain what the text means by:
(i) ‘Lunch fatigue’ (line 2): [2]

94
(ii) ‘meal-replacement powder’ (line 6): [2]
(c) Re-read paragraph 2 (‘Coming in ate a banana.’).
Give two examples of reactions which show that the writer’s friends and family did not all think that
switching to Erfoo was a good idea. [2]
(d) Re-read paragraphs 3 and 4 (‘Apparently, Erfoo is favoured by I’ve eaten.’).
(i) Identify two advantages the writer hoped switching to Erfoo would bring. [2]
(ii) Explain what the writer did not like about Erfoo when they first tried it. [3]
(e) Re-read paragraphs 5, 6 and 7 (‘When lunchtime next rolls around banana instead.’). Using
your own words, explain why the writer decides not to continue with Erfoo. [3]
Read Text B, A complete diet in a time-saving way?, in the insert and then answer Question 1(f) on this
question paper.
Question 1
(f) According to Text B, what are the worries and concerns some people have about the new meal-
replacement products now available?
your writing.
Read Text C,The Clement Street Soup and Sourdough Restaurant, in the insert and then answer
Questions 2(a)–(d) on this question paper.

Question 2
(i) The company’s headquarters was a huge building. [1]
(ii) The lines of robot arms seemed extremely tall. [1]
(iii) Andrei believed that doing the same thing over stopped people being inventive. [1]
(iv) The prototype robot arm appeared to offer an enthusiastic welcome.[1]
95
Programmers at GD were a lmost exclusively young, distant, c old-eyed wraiths, in i dentical denim.
They started early morning, working past midnight, in a hurry to be done, and rich.
(i) almost exclusively.................................................................................................. [1]
(ii) cold-eyed ............................................................................................................... [1]
(iii) identical.................................................................................................................. [1]
(c) Use one example from the text below to explain how the writer suggests Lois’ feelings while at
work. Use your own words in your explanation.
Programmers often slept at the office. Some nights I’d lie there, staring blankly at the ceiling and the
braids of fibre ferrying data around the office. My parents were far away, locked in the frame of a video-
chat window. I had no friends nearby. There was a knot in my stomach that wouldn’t loosen. I existed in a
state of stupor, brain flaccid, cells gasping. I couldn’t get my turbine spinning. [3]
 Paragraph 10 begins ‘I wouldn’t normally have been interested ...’ and is about Lois’ reaction to
the menu.
 Paragraph 16 begins ‘Sitting on my kitchen countertop ’ and gives Lois’ reactions to her first
Combo.
Explain how the writer uses language to convey meaning and to create effect in these paragraphs. Choose
three examples of words or phrases from each paragraph to support your answer. Your choices should
include the use of imagery. Write about 200 to 300 words. Up to 15 marks are available for the content of
your answer.
Re-read Text C, The Clement Street Soup and Sourdough Restaurant, in the insert and then answer
Question 3 on this question paper.
Question 3
Imagine you are Andrei. You have noticed the changes in Lois which have made you reconsider how your
business operates and decide to make some improvements. A few weeks later, you give a speech to other
business owners.
In your speech you should explain:
• the nature of your business, what you hope to achieve and how successful it has been so far
• the concerns you have had about your staff
• the improvements you have made at GD as a result of speaking with Lois.
Write the words of the speech. Base your speech on what you have read in Text C, but be careful to use
your own words. Address each of the three bullet points.
Begin your speech: ‘My company, General Dexterity ’ . Write about 250 to 350 words.
96
your writing.
0500/21PAPER 2 DIRECTED WRITING AND COMPOSITION

MAY/JUNE 2020
Text A: Why space tourism matters

The article below outlines some of the benefits of space tourism.
Right now, one of the most exciting space facilities in the world is a Second World War hangar in the
Mojave Desert, in California. The wooden hangar belongs to one of the companies building rocket planes
to fly tourists into space. Further along the runway, another billionaire is developing a new space launch
system. Eleven other small space businesses are spread around the site at
the Mojave Air and Space Port.
5
Some of these companies are charging huge sums for the privilege of experiencing five minutes
of weightlessness; others will charge for a ride in a two-seater rocket ship. The cost alone puts
this fledgling space tourism industry beyond most of us, but it’s worth outlining why space
tourism matters.
There’s already talk of drastically reducing flight times between cities by planes that can use 10
space as a result of the work done by scientists working with space tourism companies. Space
tourism will also inspire a new generation of engineers. ‘It’s an engineer’s dream job,’ one 26-
97
year-old working here says. ‘Most engineers sit behind a desk all day. I get to come out here in
the shop, turn wrenches and fire rocket engines.’
What’s more, the cost of reaching space will go down. Conventional space rockets could only 15
be used once, at huge cost, but space tourism is developing space planes which will be able to
reach orbit many times. Space, the final frontier, could finally become economically viable to a
lot more people.
Space travel will provide a new view of our planet. It is widely accepted that one of the greatest
achievements of the Apollo mission was the view of the Earth from space. Apollo 8 astronaut, 20
Bill Anders, summed it up: ‘We came all this way to explore the Moon,’ he said, ‘and the most
important thing is that we discovered the Earth.’ The images put us in our place, a blue marble
against the backdrop of nothingness.
Every astronaut I have interviewed talks about how seeing the Earth from space changed their
view of the world. As a result, could it influence the decisions we make on pollution or climate 25
change?
Text B: Why on earth would I be a space tourist?
The passage below is an article arguing against space tourism.
Indulge me with this scenario for a moment: you have a (very) rich old uncle with a serious passion for
all things space. He’ll give you a very large sum of money if you promise to fulfil a dream he knows he’s
now too frail to achieve. Yes, he wants you to book one of the first available tourist seats on a commercial
rocket into space.
A thrilling prospect beyond your wildest dreams? I, for one, would have to respectfully suggest 5
my uncle bestows his generous legacy elsewhere.
Even without speculating about how much good all that money could do for a really worthwhile
cause, it’s hard to justify the cost, both financially and environmentally, of space tourism. There
are millions of people who have never travelled outside their own regions and for whom the
very idea of tourism here on Earth is unattainable. Even in wealthy countries, travel beyond the 10
borders is still relatively unusual. Sixty-four per cent of US citizens have never left the country.
Before space becomes the new, must-see tourist destination, wouldn’t it be nice if more people
got to see more of their own beautiful world?
Relieving poverty and the effects of conflict are not fashionable fields of endeavour for billionaires
with money to burn. They won’t have a good return on their investment in 10 or even 50 years. 15
I can see the appeal of cutting-edge technology and shiny new rockets lifting off in a blaze of
fire. But for the tiny elite of people who benefit, either as tourists or from jobs in the industry, a
huge and struggling population remains benighted and bereft.
It seems that all astronauts who have gazed down from space on their terrestrial home are powerfully
struck by its beauty. Don Thomas, who has been in space four times, says as more 20
people get to see such an awe-inspiring sight on their tourist flights, ‘the better off we’re all going
to be.’ But he also describes how fragile the Earth looks from space and how ‘paper-thin’ the layer
of atmosphere is protecting it. I’m really not sure how the burgeoning space tourism industry is
going to help with that!
98
My imaginary space-obsessed uncle will have to find someone else to waste his money on, 25
I think.
.
Section A: Directed Writing
Question 1
Imagine you have a rich relative who is considering whether or not to reserve a seat on one of the first
tourist space flights and they have asked you for your views.
Write a letter to your relative. In your letter you should:
• evaluate the ideas and opinions in both texts
• give your own views to your relative, based on what you have read.
Base your letter on what you have read in both texts, but be careful to use your own words. Address both
of the bullet points. Write about 250 to 350 words. Up to 15 marks are available for the content of
your answer, and up to 25 marks for the quality of your writing.
Section B: Composition
Answer one question from Section B.
Write about 350 to 450 words on one of the following questions. Answer on this question paper.
Up to 16 marks are available for the content and structure of your answer, and up to 24 marks for
the style and accuracy of your writing.
EITHER
Descriptive Writing
2 Describe a room in a house that belongs to an older person.
OR
Descriptive Writing
3 Describe moving from a stressful place to one which is peaceful.
OR
Narrative Writing
99
4 Write a narrative about a time you had an important responsibility.
OR
Narrative Writing
5 Write a narrative which includes the words, ‘I was so focused’.
0500/22 Paper 2 Directed Writing and Composition

May/June 2020
Read both texts, and then answer Question 1 on the question paper.
Text A
The post below is from an online education forum in which a Headteacher argues for study exchange
visits to different countries by teenagers.
Many people in my country believe that study exchange visits by students to other countries have limited
educational value and offer little more than brief holidays subsidised by parents and their often cash-
strapped schools. Some say that older students need every minute in their own schools to give them a
chance of success in higher education and a competitive workplace in the future.
In my school, however, we’ve recently instigated an ambitious programme of exchange visits where
students in the second term of their course can spend a few weeks living and studying in a different
country, while keeping up with some of their home school’s work online. It’s proving incredibly popular.
Students apply to spend four weeks studying in a partner school overseas.
They have to show enough maturity and sense of responsibility to represent their school and 10
their country, as well as benefit from the experience personally.
If we choose carefully, our students return from their exchange visits enriched by exposure to
new cultures and different educational methods and principles. One of our brightest 14-year-olds
recently returned from a four-week visit to study in a school overseas where the resources
100
available reflected the country’s struggling economy. She learned that the teacher, not the shiny 15
gadgetry, is the key to effective learning. Other students have returned with aspirations to work
in the countries they visited, fuelling their ambition and drive to succeed.
There is more to educating our students than stuffing their heads with facts and knowledge. The
opportunities provided by study exchange visits – to develop young people’s personalities,
resilience and sense of adventure – cannot be replicated in the classroom. We’ve had young 20
people return from studying in other countries with renewed motivation and enthusiasm, more
tolerant and open-minded about the wider world. Now, that’s what I call education!
Text B
This post was written by another Headteacher in response to the Headteacher in Text A.
It’s said that travel broadens the mind and maybe it does. I don’t believe, however, that a school should
compromise on its primary role which is to equip students with the skills and knowledge to do well for
themselves, their families and their communities in later life.
A lot of learning happens in four weeks, and the huge time and effort involved in vetting host families,
planning and preparing for a lengthy exchange visit is very costly in teacher time. It’s
5
also a very rare 14-year-old, in my experience, who can leave their family, school and country for
four weeks and cope well. Adolescence, especially these days, can be a traumatic enough time
without such dubious ‘experiences’, and the school will be left to pick up the pieces.
Having taught in schools in different countries in the past, I know that educational practices and
principles vary widely across the globe. Students returning from four weeks studying abroad
10
may have some superficial views about the relative value of other ways of learning but their real
education happens in their own schools. How are 14-year-olds meant to judge what they see
elsewhere? A snapshot of a less challenging school environment could limit students’ expectations
of themselves while a visit to a school with small classes, plush surroundings and
all manner of electronics may well induce resentment in young minds. For some, that resentment 15
may eventually drive them away from their own communities where their education can do most
good for others.
As for overseas students coming here to my school on an exchange visit, I would struggle to
persuade teachers to adapt lessons for someone whose progress, especially in examinations,
is not their responsibility. I wonder how the parents of students in my school would view the 20
teacher time expended on students who are temporary visitors. We have no way to measure what
tangible benefits our students would gain from a study exchange visit, but we might be
measuring the disadvantages in poorer grades. We already have close links with several foreign
101
schools with whom our students correspond regularly, developing their language skills and
broadening their horizons.

25
Section A: Directed Writing
Question 1
Imagine you are the parent of a student who attends a school that is considering a study exchange
programme.
Write the speech you give at a meeting for parents and teachers about whether it is a good idea for the
school to run a study exchange programme. In your speech you should:
• evaluate the ideas and opinions given in both texts
• give your own views, based on what you have read, about whether your child would
benefit from a study exchange visit.
Base your speech on what you have read in both texts, but be careful to use your own words. Address
both of the bullet points. Write about 250 to 350 words. Up to 15 marks are available for the content of
your answer, and up to 25 marks for the quality of your writing.
Section B: Composition
Answer one question from Section B.
Write about 350 to 450 words on one of the following questions. Answer on this question paper.
EITHER
Descriptive Writing
2 Write a description with the title, ‘Downhill’.
OR
Descriptive Writing
3 Describe what you see, hear and feel in a very crowded street.
OR
Narrative Writing
4 Write a narrative with the title, ‘The Moon’.
OR
102
Narrative Writing
5 Write a narrative which starts with the words, ‘I was too late …’.

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1

ENGLISH LANGUAGE 0500

LIGHT INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ENGLISH LANGUAGE 0500 REVISION BOOKLET

May/June 2015/11 paper 1

Passage A: Tiger Encounter

The tiger, now left in peace, continues his stroll.

LIGHT INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ENGLISH LANGUAGE 0500 REVISION BOOKLET

(b) ........................................................................................................................................... ....................

(h) Complete parts (i) and (ii) to answer Question(h).

Phrase selected: 1, 2, 3 or 4...........................

LIGHT INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ENGLISH LANGUAGE 0500 REVISION BOOKLET

Passage B: 3,200 Left on Earth

LIGHT INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ENGLISH LANGUAGE 0500 REVISION BOOKLET

Up to 5 marks are available for the quality of your writing. (b)

May/June 2015 paper 1/13

LIGHT INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ENGLISH LANGUAGE 0500 REVISION BOOKLET

Passage B: Endangered Animals: Polar Bears

LIGHT INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ENGLISH LANGUAGE 0500 REVISION BOOKLET

LIGHT INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ENGLISH LANGUAGE 0500 REVISION BOOKLET

MAY/JUNE 2015 PAPER 2

Passage A: Common Land

LIGHT INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ENGLISH LANGUAGE 0500 REVISION BOOKLET

This widespread bird of prey is vulnerable when in contact with humans.

LIGHT INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ENGLISH LANGUAGE 0500 REVISION BOOKLET

LIGHT INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ENGLISH LANGUAGE 0500 REVISION BOOKLET

Write a newspaper report about the meeting.

In your newspaper report you should:

• describe the atmosphere and reactions of the crowd at the meeting

Write about 250 to 350 words.

Re-read the descriptions of:

(a) the common land in paragraph 6, beginning ‘The meeting resumed…’;

(b) Rufus Carmichael in paragraph 13, beginning ‘Rufus’ face tightened…’.

Write about 200 to 300 words.

Up to 10 marks are available for the content of your answer.

Answer the questions in the order set.

You do not need to use your own words.

Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer.

LIGHT INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ENGLISH LANGUAGE 0500 REVISION BOOKLET

MAY/JUNE 2015 PAPER 2

LIGHT INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ENGLISH LANGUAGE 0500 REVISION BOOKLET

LIGHT INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ENGLISH LANGUAGE 0500 REVISION BOOKLET

and 2 on this Question Paper.

Imagine you are Zelda’s husband, Bob.

should comment on:

• your expectations of the trip

Write about 250 to 350 words.

Re-read the descriptions of:

Write about 200 to 300 words.

Up to 10 marks are available for the content of your answer.

Answer the questions in the order set.

You do not need to use your own words.

Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer.

LIGHT INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ENGLISH LANGUAGE 0500 REVISION BOOKLET

LIGHT INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ENGLISH LANGUAGE 0500 REVISION BOOKLET

Up to 5 marks are available for the quality of your writing.

Paper 3 MAY/JUNE 2015

Parents’ Forum: Is your teenager ‘house trained’?

Section 1: Directed Writing

0500/11 MAY/JUNE 2016

Answer all questions using your own words as far as possible.

Phrase selected: 1, 2, 3 or 4..................

Passage B: Hadrian's Villa

0500/13 MAY/JUNE 2016

Passage A: The Open Window