Professional Documents
Culture Documents
The answers provided for the Reading Comprehension and Summary exercises indicate the
main details that are required for a correct response but, with the exception of those for the
very straightforward, one-mark fact-retrieval questions, these exemplar answers should not be
considered as definitive or exclusive. Be prepared to use your professional judgement to
reward responses other than those given in the answer booklet as long as they show a clear
understanding of the question.
Teachers, knowing their students’ aptitude and abilities, may amend and re-focus the printed
comprehension questions as they consider appropriate.
Throughout the various chapters in the book, we have provided specimen student responses to
the main question types (Summary, Composition, etc.), supported by comments and analysis.
Teachers should take note of these comments and apply them in their marking of students’
responses to similar tasks within the book.
It is not practicable to give specific guidance for marking students’ responses to the
Summary, Directed Writing and Composition tasks. We have noted below the main points to
be considered, and teachers should adapt these to meet the requirements of their own
department’s marking policy.
Summary questions:
For the Reading element of the task, teachers should evaluate the range of relevant ideas
referred to in the response and how effectively these have been selected and applied.
For the Writing element, teachers should evaluate how clearly the ideas have been expressed,
the fluency of the writing and how concisely the response has been written.
In addition to the above, teachers should assess how effectively the response has been
organised, the student’s use of their own words and/or grammatical structures, and the
application of appropriate vocabulary which clarifies meaning.
Directed Writing questions:
For the Writing element of the task, teachers should evaluate how coherently and effectively
the content of the response has been conveyed, the range and appropriateness of the
vocabulary used, and how well the student has used a range and variety of sentence structures
and types, including complex sentences. The accuracy of spelling, punctuation and grammar
should also be taken into account.
Composition questions:
Content and Structure: Teachers should evaluate how effectively a student has used a range
of descriptive or narrative techniques to convince and engage their readers and, in particular,
the use of language to convey clearly what is thought or imagined and the writer’s ability to
structure and organise the response clearly in order to achieve deliberate effects.
Style and Accuracy: For this aspect of the task, teachers should assess the range, precision
and effectiveness of the vocabulary used in the response and how well the student has used a
range and variety of sentence structures and types, including complex sentences. The accuracy
of spelling, punctuation and grammar should also be taken into account.
5 The explorers did not go on these journeys to become well-known but because they loved
going to places that were unknown to people in their own country and needed to have
excitement in their lives.
6 He was able to speak 29 languages and disguised himself as an Arab to travel to Mecca and
then described his adventure to audiences back home.
7 They had lost much of the equipment needed to measure the height and size of the lake which
would have proved the point.
8 It had been agreed that Speke and Burton would announce the results of their expedition
together when they returned to Britain. However, Speke got home before Burton and claimed
to have made the discovery about the source of the Nile. They argued about this so Speke went
back to check the source but died during the trip.
9 a i Anger
ii Keep going despite the difficult circumstances
iii Wet, boggy land that is difficult to walk on
b Some local people were afraid of the river and felt it had the divine power to show its
anger. The explorers felt they had no choice but to keep going despite the difficult
circumstances. The rainy season turned the firm land into a bog that was very dangerous.
‘terrible’
‘sinister air of expectancy’
behaviour of a man who perhaps was a servant
reference to people expected and meal prepared
‘oppressive…solitude’
Students have access to extensive quality resources [development: telebooks; more than a
million books can be accessed on-screen; paper books deteriorate; mechanical teachers
have vast knowledge to pass on]
There is no waste of resources [development: telebooks are not thrown away to end up in
landfill; paper is not wasted]
It is efficient [development: students submit their homework which is marked immediately
and they get instant feedback]
Learning is individualised: [development: the curriculum and the mechanical teacher can
be adapted to suit each student’s age and ability]
It is convenient [development: students are taught at home at set times; there is no need to
waste time travelling to and from school]
3 This should be marked according to the school’s policy for marking Narrative Writing tasks.
It is difficult to sleep.
Bushes and other plants are ripped from the ground and the branches of trees crash against
the buildings.
Structures such as rainwater tanks can be blown over.
8 It builds up the tension as the family wait out the storm, unable to go out and see what damage
has been caused. It emphasises the stress by comparing it to the terrible experiences her father
had had during the First World War and by the fact that the writer had to try to comfort her
father though it is more common for a father to comfort a child.
9 a i impossible to bear
ii caused, started
iii sleep
b They are effective in increasing the tension as they describe how difficult it was to keep
going for all that time. Her father was taken back to awful experiences during the First
World War and even when he did manage to fall asleep for short periods he would wake
screaming and upset the whole family.
10 Although the writer can see signs for hope, the father knows from experience that there will be
more storms so he cannot speak positively.
Large companies might be persuaded to drop unethical practices e.g. they might pay their
workers better, and stop avoiding taxes
But is it the consumers’ business to police manufacturers’ or retailers’ ethical practices
Environmental benefits from using local materials, reducing shopping and distribution
The items are probably the same wherever you buy with the same carbon footprint, just
labelled differently
Online shopping is just as convenient as shopping locally, now that most online firms offer
next or same-day delivery
Online shopping is usually cheaper because of size economies
Guidance for marking this type of exercise can be found on page 1 under the heading General
Marking Guidance.
Question 2
a Phrases discussed might be:
the ghastly light of the rising moon
vast pale cliff towering above
rising moment by moment out of a subsiding tide of darkness.
its phantasmal, mysterious beauty
b that it was a mixture of fear and relief, that the mountaineer did not know what to feel, that he
was out of control, or similar
c The personification makes it sound like a person who is alive.
It also sounds threatening (‘reared’ suggests the action of a dangerous animal).
d i It emphasises the difficulty the mountaineer was having in moving along the gorge.
ii It suggests that the journey at this point became more difficult again and perhaps was
hopeless after all.
e It conveys economically the contrast between the grass inside and the grass outside the wall
by using two short vivid words. It emphasises the difference between the two.
Section B
a Points might include:
the huge swell of people.
a dot matrix indicator
occupants leaning from open windows
a landscape of fields still worked by families with hoes and rakes.
in the distance a solitary tractor or other machine
still, serene and peaceful landscape.
every stage of rice production
a couple of perky dogs
a wall being erected
walls of rock rising sheer from the fields
a narrow gorge beside a mud brown river
stacks of bamboos being punted
very dark land
dismally lit stations
b Points might include
The writer has observed a mixture of old and new (‘impressively state-of-the-art’ but ‘that
seems old fashioned to us’ and ‘like a series of period tableaux’)
He thinks it is developing fast: ’immense characterless building in a side square crowned
with neon signs’, ‘giving notice of the spread of development to come’)
He feels the difference between city and country is very marked (the descriptions and ‘the
difference from the city is profound’
He found China a comfortable place to travel in: (‘comfortably’ and ‘all the food on our
long journey has been interesting and tasty’
Hardworking and efficient: the train leaves on time, the wall is going up ‘at remarkable
speed’, the description of the boys
Paper 2 Writing
Section A
Question 1
Points for evaluation might include:
Both texts:
Both are one-sided arguments with no recognition of opposing viewpoint.
There is a difference between testing for medicines and for cosmetics / cleaning products.
Text 1:
Academic / scientific stance does not address ordinary people’s concerns.
Not all groups who protest are ‘extremist’.
Technology improving all the time (so must encourage more use)
Does not allow that alternative methods can work.
All labs should agree protocols, not just ‘most’.
Protocols are not enough to avoid making animals suffer.
Text 2:
Over-emotional approach and language impair argument.
Important to keep even cosmetics / cleaning products safe for the public to use.
Feelings for animals are over-sentimental.
No alternative methods offered.
Guidance for marking this type of exercise can be found on page 1 under the heading General
Marking Guidance.
Section B: Composition
Teachers should remember that any piece of creative continuous writing is the product of a unique
individual writer and there is, therefore, no easy way to summarise what makes a successful
response to these questions. Look for the following qualities, but be prepared, also, for unexpected
but acceptable interpretations and approaches to the topics and reward them accordingly.
Content
Descriptive Tasks:
One or more of the following features will probably be incorporated in a cohesive picture of the
subject (but do not expect them all to be exhibited in any one composition):
Focus on the subject: for example, there may be close focus on detail, or the topic may be
presented from a wider perspective. The writer may move from detail to general or general to
detail. The approach may be factual/chronological or impressionistic.
Creation of atmosphere: for example, the writer may describe an atmosphere that is
welcoming and pleasing or sinister and foreboding. There may be an attempt to vary the mood
related to different times of the day or seasons of the year, or to present the subject within a
specific period of time.
Viewpoint: the writer may present opposing views of the subject such as close-up or from a
distant vantage point or panoramically. Some responses may deliberately focus on presenting
contrasting impressions of the subject.
Engagement of the senses: Descriptions are likely to attempt to convey the appeal of the
subject to the different senses of sight, touch, hearing, smell. The most successful will
incorporate this into the overall description; less successful ones tend to treat this aspect
mechanically as a checklist.
Features of Settings: Descriptive Writing tasks usually require descriptions of places or of
people. Take into account the way responses introduce people into what is intended to be a
description of place - does this enhance the descriptive effect or does it tip the description too
far into a narrative account? Conversely, does the inclusion of background scenic details
enhance the impression of a person being described or detract from the effect the writer is
trying to create?
Character of the writer: the writer of the description will probably also be acting as the
observer of the subject and provide a point of focus for the reader. The writer may, therefore,
Narrative Tasks:
One or more of the following features will probably be incorporated in a convincing story a (but
again do not expect them all to be exhibited in any one composition):
Story line: the most successful responses will be well planned and thoughtfully structured with
a sophisticated and coherent narrative line. Writers will be fully aware of the need to construct
a coherent story within a limited time period.
Scenario: the most successful responses are likely to establish a clear context for the narrative
with a focused exposition of both setting and characters. Description of the setting will be
sufficient to present a convincing background for the events that are to follow but will not be
so detailed that the description reduces the narrative tension.
Characters: the main protagonists of the story will be introduced efficiently, and their
character traits will be conveyed through well-chosen details and conveyed implicitly to the
readers by their reactions to each other, by explicit description of their feelings and through
the use of direct speech.
Structure: it is expected that writers will be aware of the need for a story to have a beginning,
middle and end and the most successful responses will show confident control of the time
frame of the narrative through techniques such as beginning the story in the middle or the end
of the sequence and using flashbacks or flashforwards to lead to its climax and resolution.
Sequence: the narrative should move smoothly through a carefully structured sequence of
events which develop organically from and into each other. Skillful paragraphing will enhance
this and will support the build-up of tension leading to an effective and convincing climax or
to a definite and clearly signaled ending or intentionally planned cliffhanger.
Remember: For all of the above elements the most successful responses will be consistent in
their approach and show confident control of the chosen technique.
Written Expression
The main features on which to focus when assessing the quality of written expression are listed
below. Teachers should remember that assessment of this element requires a holistic approach and
to credit the positive aspects of what has been written. Do not penalise for single spelling errors etc.
The most successful responses are likely to be (highly) accurate in expression with only occasional
slips.
Sentence structures will be varied, fluent and controlled to produce particular effects.
Tense sequences will be consistent and controlled with correct or mainly correct verb forms.
Vocabulary will be wide, carefully chosen and appropriate for purpose.
Punctuation will be usually accurate and helpful in conveying meaning.
Spelling will be nearly always/mainly accurate with some slips in more ambitious vocabulary.
Paragraphs will have unity, be coherently linked and show evidence of careful planning.
Middle level responses are likely to communicate clearly with patches of clear, accurate expression
despite errors which, although serious, do not significantly hinder communication.
Sentence structures may have some variety but may be repetitive in format. Simple and
compound sentences will generally be controlled but there will be limited evidence of
accurately constructed complex sentences.
Tense sequences may be uncertain at times with inaccurate verb forms requiring re-reading in
order to gain full understanding.
Vocabulary will be straightforward and generally accurate but there is likely to be some
confusion in using appropriate idioms.
Punctuation will be generally accurate with full stops usually used to separate sentences. There
may be problems with the use of direct speech punctuation.
The spelling of straightforward vocabulary will be mainly accurate and consistent but there are
likely to be errors in more ambitious vocabulary.
Paragraphs will be in evidence with some unity, but links may be missing or inappropriate.
In low level responses, overall meaning may not be in doubt, but errors are sufficiently frequent
and serious to impede communication and, at the lower end of the range, may be so serious that the
intended meaning is blurred or obscured.
Simple sentence structures may be used accurately but not consistently.
Tense sequences are likely to be uncertain with errors in verb forms leading to confused
meaning.
Vocabulary may be limited, repetitive and imprecise with (serious) misuse of idioms.
Simple punctuation may be used accurately but there are likely to be serious and frequent
sentence separation errors.
Spelling of simple vocabulary may be accurate (but not always consistent) with frequent errors
in more difficult vocabulary.
Paragraphs if present are likely to be used without cohesion.