PAPER 1, ONE HOUR 45 MINUTES
Step 1: Answer Q5: Descriptive / narrative writing, [40 marks] 50 minutes: 5 mins planning + 40 mins writing + 5 mins checking)
Always select narrative writing option. Use the story structure you have been taught that can be applied to any story/theme/idea.
Practise a “weather” description, which can be always be used at the start of the story.
Example story:
Flooding down in a shower of gold, light came through the parting clouds. The storm that had raged for the best part of the morning had grumbled its last roll of thunder, and now the wet pavements were being warmed by the midday sun. A black cab waited outside the train station. Now, Zac’s radio was silent. He leaned his elbow lazily on the window, and looked up at the vivid blue sky peeking through the clouds. Zac’s mind wandered…Spring now…almost Summer…almost time to leave this city and escape- maybe by plane? Train? He didn’t care. The mode of transport was a secondary concern for him. What mattered to Zac was the destination. His chest ached for the shimmer of sunlight on the sea; his body yearned to feel sand beneath his feet; his mind pleaded to be unshackled from this relentless toil of work. A car horn blared. Zac’s attention snapped back to the present.
Passengers emptied out of the station; checking their google maps and looking around: gormless and dazed. Zac’s eyes found one of these passengers as he bumbled about, and finally ended up at Zac’s passenger door and tumbling in. The man was dressed like a tramp, and Zac’s nose wrinkled in disgust. He was no more than twenty, and had been caught in the rain, as his heavy fisherman’s jumper was soaked. It had two gaping holes under his right arm, and his jeans were ripped and frayed. Zac noticed that he had no belt, and instead had tied a red string through the loops. Inside he groaned. The passenger mumbled incoherently. Zac shifted round in his seat, and was going to ask him to repeat himself, when the man dug a grubby hand into a pocket, and pulled out a scrap of paper with an address, and a crisp fifty pound note. Winding through the back roads of the city, the journey pulled the taxi down into the underbelly of the town. They rolled past buildings with boarded up windows; blind to the criminal activity taking place on the front door step. The sky above seemed to be returning to the grey of the morning, and streets were dark once again. The dream beach felt further away than ever.
Zac stole a look behind him: his passenger was sat with his head in his hands.
‘Bad day, buddy?’ There was something tragic about this mysterious enigmatic young man.
‘Yeah...you could say that,’ he laughed. A hard kind of laugh that knifed and sliced the air. A laugh devoid of humour. The laugh of someone who doesn’t know what it means to laugh anymore.
Zac waited to see if he would say anymore, and the quiet hung in the air like ice, freezing the moment in time. In the days, and weeks, and months that came to pass, Zac would often think back to the moment and wonder how different things would have been if he’d just changed the subject.
‘Yesterday my father died,’ he whispered the words hoarsely. ‘And today I found out he was murdered...and I found that out because...well, his ghost told me.’ He laughed again. That same maniacal strangled cry.
Zac didn’t reply. He thought of his beach; it felt small and silly now.
‘He wants me to avenge his death...this morning I wanted to...and now I don’t know if I should...’
His voice trailed off, and returned his head to his hands.
The sat nav beeped. They had arrived at their destination. Click. The door closed. He was gone. Zac looked at the clock- his shift was over. He realised his heart had been racing, and in his wing mirror he watched the wretched figure disappear down a side road. As he went to pull away, his attention was caught by someone crossing the road and heading the same way as his passenger. Hesitating, putting one foot out and then back again in some kind of bizarre soundless dance, Zac drove off, not staying to see anything. Not wanting to know anything more. Zac had a beach to get to.
Step 2: Read extract. 5 minutes.
Step 3: Answer Q1 List four things, [4 marks] 5 minutes
These ‘things’ may be explicit (obvious) or implicit (hidden, hinted at).
If you use words from the text, always use quotation marks.
Step 4: Answer Q2: How does the writer’s use of language…? [8 marks] 10 minutes
Example response:
In line 9, the writer uses imagery to suggest that books used to be valuable. She writes that ‘books were golden’. By using this imagery, the writer makes it very clear that Mr Fisher thinks books from the past were extremely special. Through this imagery, the reader is encouraged to picture bright, shining chunks of gold, glistening and inviting the reader to pick them up. Gold is something precious, expensive and valuable. The writer uses the word ‘golden’ therefore to imply that Mr Fisher thinks books were much more precious, expensive and valuable in the past than they are now.
In lines 10-11, the writer uses imagery of animals and rockets to bring the stories to life. She writes that the stories ‘ran like gazelles and pounced like tigers and exploded like rockets’. By using this imagery to compare stories to ‘gazelles’, ‘tigers’ and ‘rockets’, the writer suggests that the stories are extremely exciting and that readers wanted to read the stories extremely quickly. The word ‘pounced’ suggests that the stories are lively and make the reader feel lots of energy while reading them. The words ‘exploded like rockets’ suggest that the stories will take you by surprise, like the sudden explosion of a rocket into the air.
Step 5: Answer Q3: How does the writer use structure to interest the reader? [8 marks] 10 minutes
Structure: the way that a text is ordered/organised
Opening: What does the writer focus on and why?
Where does this change? How does this change? Why does this change?
OR
Ending: What happens in the final few lines? Why?
(choose to write in detail about two moments only)
In the opening, the writer focuses the reader’s attention on Mr Fisher’s marking routine. She writes about his ‘small terraced house’ and his ‘two or three stacks of books’. By doing this, the writer gives the reader a good insight into Mr Fisher’s domestic routine, which seems quite repetitive and boring. By writing ‘small terraced house’, the writer helps the reader to picture the small space in which Mr Fisher is marking. By writing ‘two or three stacks’, the reader is able to picture the large number of books that Mr Fisher will have to mark. The reader is encouraged to believe that this will be a very boring experience for Mr Fisher.
In the middle, the writer shifts the reader’s attention to Mr Fisher’s memories of how stories used to be. She writes about times when ‘imaginations soared’ and ‘the world was filled with stories that ran like gazelles’. By shifting the reader’s attention in this way, the writer makes it very clear that Mr Fisher really enjoys reading and writing stories. For a moment, it takes the reader out of the boring, domestic environment, where Mr Fisher is marking stacks of books, and helps the reader to picture animals and rockets, which are extremely exciting. Perhaps the writer does this to make clear to the reader that Mr Fisher used to be very passionate about teaching exciting stories because the students back then had good imaginations.
OPTIONAL THIRD PARA (not needed)
Towards the end, the writer shifts the focus to one particular story that Mr Fisher is marking, making it very clear that Mr Fisher is excited and surprised by how good the story is. She does this by writing that ‘Mr Fisher took a breath and looked down at Tibbet’s exercise book. By focusing on one particular student, she makes the reader start to wonder if this story will be just as disappointing as the others that Mr Fisher has read, or if it will surprise and excite him. This is the only student in Mr Fisher’s big pile of books that has been named. The reader is therefore feeling hopeful that ‘Tibbet’s’ book might contain an exciting story inside, which will help Mr Fisher to feel just as passionate about stories as he used to.
Step 6: Answer Q4: To what extent do you agree with xxxxxx? [20 marks] 25 minutes
Focus this part of your answer on the second part of the source, from line 25 to the end.
A student said, ‘This part of the story, where Mr Fisher is marking homework, shows Tibbet’s story is better than Mr Fisher expected, and his reaction is extreme.’
Where / What / Which / Why
Example response:
I agree with the student’s statement about Mr Fisher’s reaction.
In line 26, the writer makes it clear that Tibbet had rushed his homework. She writes that he had ‘obviously done part of his homework on the bus’. By stating this, the writer implies that Mr Fisher has noticed Tibbet completed his homework while travelling to school and is therefore not expecting too much of this work. The word ‘obviously’ suggests that Tibbet didn’t even try to hide the fact that he completed his homework on the bus. This implies that Tibbett is lazy. The reader is therefore not expecting much when Mr Fisher reads the story.
From line 33, the writer conveys Mr Fisher’s reaction to the story using powerful imagery. We can see this in the words ‘tightening in his diaphragm’ and ‘began to sweat’. By using this imagery to bring to life Mr Fisher’s physical reaction to reading the story, the writer makes it very clear that Mr Fisher’s reaction is quite extreme. Your breath normally tightens where you are feeling anxious, excited, under pressure or exercising heavily. The fact that his breath tightens in this moment suggests that he is feeling quite extreme reactions, and this his body is reacting involuntarily to the way he is feeling. This is emphasised by the fact that he also sweats. This is not a reaction you would expect from someone reading a story - more a reaction you’d expect from some exercising or feeling extremely tense. It’s clear, therefore, that he is unable to control the heat in his body while reading the story. In line 36, the writer states that Mr Fisher’s breathing isn’t regular. She writes ‘his breathing quickened, stopped, quickened again’. By writing that his breath ‘stopped’, the writer suggests that he is so shocked by what he is reading that he is momentarily unable to breathe. By repeating the word ‘quickened’, the writer makes it clear that Mr Fisher’s breathing is irregular and that he cannot control it. A person might breath irregularly like this if they felt panicked. The writer implies, therefore, that Mr Fisher is panicked when reading the story, which does seem quite extreme, as suggested in the statement.
In lines 39-43, the writer compares Mr Fisher’s experience with a bankrupt person who suddenly finds ‘a nugget of gold the size of his fist’. By using this exaggerated imagery, the writer suggests that Mr Fisher felt disappointed, like a bankrupt person, before he read the story. The reader is able to imagine that, now that he has read the story, he feels over the moon, like someone would if they were bankrupt and suddenly found gold. This change in reaction supports the student’s statement as Mr Fisher’s mood changes dramatically while he is reading the story.
It is clear throughout this section of the extract, therefore, that Mr Fisher didn’t expect much from Tibbett’s story, and reacts in an extreme way when he realises how good it is.
PAPER 2, ONE HOUR 45 MINUTES
Step 1: Read extracts. 10 minutes.
Step 2: Answer Q1, [4 marks] 5 minutes
Asks you re-read part of source A and shade the boxes of the true statements.
Step 3: Answer Q2, [8 marks] 10 minutes
Asks you to summarise the writers' attitudes in both sources.
In Source A, the writer writes about the surfboards that were around when he first started surfing. In line 24-25, he writes that the surf boards were ‘eleven feet long’ and ‘weighed fifty or sixty pounds’. The reader is therefore able to imagine that the surf boards at the time were extremely heavy and long, which would have made them quite awkward to carry.
In Source B, the writer writes about surfboards that were around much earlier than Source A, in 1875. In line 4, she writes that they were ‘six to nine feet long’. The reader is therefore able to understand that these surfboards are shorter than the surfboards used in Source A. In line 5, the writer writes that the surfboards are ‘well oiled and cared for’. The reader therefore begins to understand that the wood must need to be rubbed down with oil in order to make it smooth enough for the surfers to ride on. The words ‘cared for’ suggest that these boards need to be well looked after by the surfers.
Step 4: Answer Q3, [12 marks] 15 minutes
Asks you to analyse the language used by the writer in source B.
In line 18, Bird writes that the surfers rode ‘majestically’. The word ‘majestically’ suggests that she hugely admires the way they are riding. If something is majestic, it is extremely impressive and beautiful. The use of this word therefore makes clear that Bird finds the surfers beautiful to look at, and finds their surfing skills extremely impressive. In line 21, Bird describes the wave as ‘towering’ over the surfers. The use of this word suggests that the wave is extremely tall and dangerous. It is clear that Bird is quite afraid of what might happen to the surfers as this wave approaches. Perhaps she feels this even more as she has never surfed before herself and is therefore unfamiliar with how they tackle such mighty waves.
In line 24, Bird writes that, when the surfers re-emerge from the water after falling under, their heads bob ‘like corks in smooth water’. This imagery suggests that she is a distance away from the surfers, and that she can only make out a series of heads floating in the water. She contrasts the ‘towering’ waves she described before with the ‘smooth’ water now. It is clear, therefore, that she understands she didn’t need to be afraid of might happen to the surfers. After the towering wave, she creates an image of stillness and calm, to demonstrate that the surfers are safe and unphased by the surfing.
Step 5: Answer Q4, [16 marks] 25 minutes inc. 5 minutes of planning
Asks you to compare how the writers present their ideas and attitudes.
Source A, 1993, California
Doyle
Professional surfer
First time he saw surfers, then tries it out himself.
Source B, 1875, Hawaii
Bird
Explorer/traveller. Not surfer.
Surfing was not known by anyone in Britain.
Both...very impressed by surfing.
Doyle. ‘Bronzed god’ - metaphor. ‘Happier and ‘healthier’ adjectives
Bird. ‘Majestically. Adverb. Powerful and impressive. ‘Great art’. Word ‘art’ suggests skill.
Whereas …
Immediately wants to get involved.
‘feeling in my bones’, ‘surfing was for me’
Tries it out.
Humorous image of him waiting to find a spare board to jump on. ‘jump’ ‘scramble’ ‘hop’ - verbs all suggest eagerness and excitement
‘like riding a scooter’ - simile suggests he found it easy. Came naturally to him.
Ends with humorous image of his first attempt having gone wrong, ‘spread-eagled’ on the sand.
Whereas…
Watches from a distance.
Describes surfing in detail - a new sport.
‘Mount the breaker at precisely the right time’
‘Precisely’ and ‘exactly’ - she’s noting very specific things about what they’re trying to do.
Thinks it’s dangerous.
‘Held my breath in terror’
Choice of verbs ‘smothered’ and ‘dashed’ - worried about them being injured
Example response:
Both writers seem very impressed by surfing. In line 13 of Source A, Doyle uses imagery to show how much he admires the surfers. He describes the surfers as ‘bronzed gods’. By using this imagery he makes it very clear that the surfers are fit and healthy. The word ‘bronzed’ clearly demonstrates that their bodies are tanned as a result of being in the sun so much. The word ‘God’ is usually used to describe a being that people worship and idolise. By using this word, therefore, the writer clearly demonstrates that he admires the surfers. He is extremely young at the point of first encountering the surfers, so looks up to them as if they are ‘Gods’. Similarly, in line 18 of Source B, Bird shows that she is in awe of the surfers. She describes them as surfing ‘majestically’. The word ‘majestically’ suggests that she hugely admires the way they are riding. If something is majestic, it is extremely impressive and beautiful. The use of this word therefore makes clear that Bird finds the surfers beautiful to look at, and finds their surfing skills extremely impressive.
Whereas Doyle immediately wants to get involved in surfing, Bird watches the surfers from a distance. Early in Source A, Doyle makes it clear that he feels he was born to surf. For example, he describes a ‘feeling in my bones’ and writes ‘from that day on I knew surfing was for me’. It is clear in these words that Doyle knows instinctively, as soon as he catches sight of a surfer for the first time, that it is something he must pursue. The words ‘a feeling in my bones’ suggest that he feels something in his body when he sees surfing for the first time, which implies that there is something instinctive within him that wants to surf. The words ‘from that day on’ suggest that he never looks back after first being introduced to surfing. Bird on the other hand watches from a distance. In line 24, Bird writes that, when the surfers re-emerge from the water after falling under, their heads bob ‘like corks in smooth water’. This imagery suggests that she is a distance away from the surfers, as she can only make out a series of heads floating in the water. Whereas Doyle immediately wants to surf, Bird seems happy admiring the surfers, who are just ‘heads’ to her, from a distance.
Whereas Doyle writes about how he bravely tries to learn how to surf, Bird writes about the dangers of surfing. When he describes the first time he gets onto a surfboard, Doyle uses fast moving words such as ‘jump’, ‘scramble’ and ‘hop’. All of these words suggest that Doyle was very eager during the first time he got onto a surfboard. The word ‘scramble’ suggests that, at this point, he doesn’t quite know what he is doing as he is trying to clamber clumsily onto the board. The word ‘hop’ suggests he had a childish energy the first time he rode a surfboard. Bird on the other hand seems afraid of the dangers of surfing. In line 32, Bird writes that she was terrified when the surfers disappeared under the water. She states that she ‘held her breath in terror’. These words indicate that Bird was quite afraid that the surfers might injure themselves or drown in the water. The fact that she ‘held her breath’ suggests that she was extremely tense and nervous. The word ‘terror’ seems quite extreme when describing someone watching a sport. It emphasises the fact that the sport is new to her, and that she is extremely afraid of something catastrophic happening to the surfers. Bird, unlike Doyle, does not tackle the sport herself, so perhaps doesn’t know that it’s not quite as dangerous as it looks.
Step 6: Answer Q5. [40 marks] 45 mins. 5 mins planning + 35 mins writing + 5 mins checking
P - to explain my viewpoint on..
A - who will be reading/listening?
F - article / letter / speech
A
R
R
E
S
T
E
D
My three main arguments: