English Language paper practice

Jan 2012 English Language paper              Understanding and producing Non-fiction texts

Key words highlighted in bold!

1                     Based on Britain’s big problem with water [source the  Telegraph.co.uk]

What do you learn from Geoffrey Lean’s article about the issues of rainfall and flooding in Britain?

• ·         N+W get more rain than they want
• ·         S+E get less
• ·         Also most populated part of country and going to get worse.
• ·         ½ of all recent year’s development is on land prone to flooding
• ·         Flood defences neglected.
• ·         Damper areas going to get worse
• ·         Cost
• ·         Could be rationing in some areas
• ·         £2bn to £25bn potential damage costs by 2080
• ·         Some hopeful signs but not many!                                                       [8]                                                                                                                      

Implications are that getting water out of areas where it causes a problem and to areas where there isn’t enough is a serious concern and whatever is done is going to cost considerably.

2                     Based on article Four amputations, 13hours - one extraordinary swim [source The Independent 2010]

Explain how the headline, sub-headline and picture are effective and how they link to the text.

Student answer: [my bullet points – original is in prose with paragraphs!!]

• ·         The title is effective because it’s bold which makes it the first piece of text you look at.
• ·         Plus it has all the key information about what’s in the article: ‘four amputations’ tells us what the person has gone through.
• ·         ‘13 hours’ tells how long it took to do this challenge.
• ·         And ‘extraordinary swim’ makes it seem exciting.
• ·         The sub-headline is also effective because it gives extra detail as to the article’s content. It tells us who the man is and that he had swum across the channel ’16 years after losing all his limbs.’
• ·         This also makes the audience feel sympathy and urges the reader to read it.
• ·         Use of the word ‘extraordinary’ in the title also links to the words ‘crazy’ ‘challenges’ and ‘calamitous’ in the text.
• ·         The picture is effective because it shows the limbless man struggling in the water, but the gold swimsuit suggests a sense of achievement. We can clearly see both his challenges: physical [his lack of limbs] and environmental [the water] and feel a sense of sympathy and admiration for what he overcame.                                                               [8]

Unseen poetry practice

You all need to practice reading, understanding and writing about poems you have never seen before.
For this all you need is your anthology. All of the poems below come from it.
Choose one and have a go at answering the question on it.

1     Checking Out Me History [p5-6]
          Explain what the poet feels about the teaching of British history to children of other cultures
          in Britain today.

2     Ozymandias [p14]
          What point is the poet making about Ozymandias?

3     The Ruined Maid [p19]
          How does the poet show how these two characters feel about each other?

4     The Moment [p23]
          What does the poet suggest about the ownership of land?

5     Neighbours [p25]
          How does the poet convey her feelings about the effects of the Chernobyl disaster?

6     London [p28]
          How does the poet show his feelings about London?

7     Nettles [p63]
          How does the father in the poem feel about the nettles and what they did to his son?

8     Sonnet 43 [p58]
          Howdoes the poet show how much  the character in the poem loves the one they love?

Conflict poetry practice

After you have completed your grid comparing the poems and linking them to each other by theme, have a try at answering one of these questions.

1     Compare how the poets present feelings of sadness and loss in 'Poppies' and one other poem from the Conflict section.

2     Compare how the poets present fear inspired by conflict in 'Out of the Blue' and one other poem from the Conflict section.

3     Compare how the poets present attitudes to the effects of conflict in 'The Yellow Palm' and one other poem from the Conflict section.

Crucible essay practice

So it's the downhill sprint section of the year!
By which I mean the exams are approaching with the inexorable speed of an out of control juggernaut! And you are in the way!
In other words time to step up a gear.
So here is some practice at Crucible questions. Although generic, the questions are designed to cover both character and issue / theme areas of focus.
Choose one and have a go. What ever you write I will mark.

Crucible essay practice 2013

1                     Reread p 22 Rebecca’s speech to p 26 [prose section]

Using quotations from this extract explain how Miller shows what the relationships in the community are really like. Why is this explanation important in view of what happens later in the play?

2                     Reread p56 Proctor’s speech to p 65 exit Hale.

Using quotations from this extract explain how Miller shows how Hale’s faith is undermined during this scene and how Miller shows the beginning of his change of heart. Explain why this is important in view of what happens later in the play.

3                     Reread p81 to 96

Using quotations from this extract explain how Miller shows the shift in the balance in power between the characters throughout this scene and the significance of this.