Read carefully Passage A, Mountain biking, in the Reading Booklet Insert and then answer

Questions 1 and 2 on this Question Paper.

Question 1

You are one of the local press team. You are writing an article about tourism and mountain biking
in the region, including the arrival of the well-known long-distance cyclist, Robert Costello.
Write the article.
In your article, you should explain:
• what the region has to offer tourists
• what the region’s mountain biking entails
• what Robert was worried about initially and how he overcame his worries.
Base your 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: ‘Our region offers so much to keep visitors happy ...’
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.

Summer means mountain biking

Our region offers so much to keep visitors happy. We have beautiful landscapes, comfortable resorts or
chalets, but most importantly, an annual mountain biking Carnival. Many tourists choose to visit us due to
the fact that the comfortable accommodation, which is filled with majestic beauty, but also many enjoy
themselves during the main attraction which is the carnival where visitors can choose to participate on a race,
simply watch them or learn with an experienced guide.
The famous carnival is organized during this time of the year, and many aficionados visit to join us in the
famous festival. At the event, there are prizes for the different categories, which are, children, paraplegic,
beginners and advanced. Over the years, this carnival has attracted many visitors which has benefited the
tourism business within the region, and that lead to these being able to create a better experience for the
tourists each year.
This year we had the pleasure of having the talented long-distance biker Robert Costello joining us.
However, he had never practiced mountain biking, but he decided to begin in our region alongside his guide
Flora. One of Robert’s main fears was about painful injuries, which can happen since this type of biking
requires to pedal through some steep mountains at a high speed.
Another of his worries was about equipment, since the bike he uses is lighter than the ones that are required
for mountain biking, however someone lent him the necessary equipment. Also, Robert was told that he had
to correct his posture so as to have more control when he was on the bike, but he stated that ‘it takes more
than two mornings to undo twenty years of bad habits’. Despite having his worries, Robert managed to enjoy
himself just like the other tourists.
Question 2

Re-read the descriptions of:

(a) the mountain bikers, their equipment and their activities in paragraph 2, beginning ‘Downhill
mountain biking ...’
(b) the sights in the region in paragraph 5, beginning ‘Basking in a mild ...’
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.

In paragraph 2, the writer describes how he saw the bikes in action. He used the word ‘lug’ to describe the
amount of people that were gathered together to presence the cyclists, and then proceeds to describe the
bikes by using the phrase ‘suspensioned machines’ which paints the picture of how Robert saw these bikes
and how he wants us to perceive them. Then, he goes on to describe how the cyclists started the race and
used the phrase ‘at first like caution baby penguins’ to picture how at the beginning of the race the cyclists
started off slowly until they began to sped down the mountain. After the cyclists finished, the writer
described the atmosphere by using the phrase ‘echo to the sound embroidered tales of near catastrophe’
which shows the fear and how he saw mountain biking as a dangerous practice.
Then in paragraph 5 the writer describes his walk through the region, and he saw the landscape ‘bathed in the
gentle violet hues of dusk’ which pictures that he was exploring the area during the evening and he was
contemplating the sun setting. He also described that the area now seemed to have ‘a softer presence’ in
comparison to when the mountain was filled with cyclists, but now it did not seemed that petrifying to the
writer. Then he goes on to describe how the conifer trees ‘noiselessly crept up the most steep mountain sides’
showing the reader how Robert is amazed by his surroundings and was losing his fear of mountain biking,
but not completely. Once again, we can see Robert’s amazement when he said that he was ‘stilled by
wonder’ due to what he was contemplating in the mountain.

Read carefully Passage B, Hot-air ballooning, in the Reading Booklet Insert and then answer
Question 3 on this Question Paper.

Question 3

How would a company operating balloon trips ensure that their trips were enjoyable and accessible to all
their passengers, according to Passage B?
You must use continuous writing (not note form) and use your own words as far as possible.
Your summary should not be more than 250 words.

Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer, and up to 5 marks for the
quality of your writing.

To ensure enjoyable and accessible hot-air balloon trips for passengers, the most important factor is that the
personnel is trained to attend politely and sensitively all passengers, to provide the best experience. Another
commodity that should be integrated is to always create a safe and comfortable space for the people to ride
in, which means that the seats have to be clean and pleasant, the security measures have to be thoroughly
explained, and that the passengers do not experience any discomfort at any time during their ride. Also, a
crucial step is to assure the travelers that they will be warm and that they will not have to wait while the
balloon inflates, nor when we land since the balloons should be tracked and workers should come to pick the
passengers up. However, the overall experience tends to be expensive, so a recommendation is to provide
discounts for children, elder, veterans and students so that anyone can experience these once in a lifetime
rides.