English Language

Paper 2
Writers’ viewpoints and perspectives
1 hour 45 minutes

Revision Guide

This guide gives you:

 Examples of questions and model answers
 Mark-schemes and tips
 Suggested timings
 Questions for you to have a go at yourself
 Terminology guide
S. Gunter 2018

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 English Language
Paper 2 - Writers’ viewpoints and
perspectives
1 hour 45 minutes

Contents

Section A
Sources A and B for questions for you to
answer………………………………………………………. pages 3 - 5
Question 1………………………………………………….pages 6 - 7
Question 2………………………………………………….pages 8 - 10
Question 3………………………………………………….pages 11 - 12
Question 4………………………………………………….pages 13 - 16

Section B
Question 5………………………………………………….pages 17 - 22

Appendix
Guide to language methods terminology….pages 23 - 27
Sources for model answers………………………pages 28 - 30

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 Before your Start Answering the Questions
Top Tips:
 Read the texts carefully with the questions in mind
 Try to read ‘actively’: highlight key quotations
 Try giving each paragraph a title so you are definitely following
what you are reading

There are several questions in this guide for you to answer as

part of your revision. You might want to cut this page out so you can refer to
them closely when answering these questions.

(7 minutes reading time)

Source A: Why we shouldn't wrap our children in cotton wool
My youngest daughter had a bad bike accident recently but it won't change my mind on the
message I give my children
I'm not a Catholic but I find this week's column has more in common with a confessional box
than a newspaper column. Last week, I was cycling with my seven-year-old, Louise. She
wasn't cycling – she was perched on the back of my bike, with her helmet on, holding on to
my waist. We had travelled many times this way before without incident.
As I was cycling I heard a rasping scream. My daughter is a habitual screamer, but
this was different. I braked immediately, but lost balance as she was shifting about so much
on the back. The bike slowly toppled over. I was thrown one way, and Louise fell with the
bike. She had been screaming because her ankle had got mangled in the moving spokes of my
back wheel.
I lifted her and put her on my lap and inspected her wound. It was horrible. Huge and
grey and blue and red and traumatised. The wheel spokes had ripped her shoe and sock off,
leaving her bare flesh vulnerable.
Fortunately, the accident happened outside the house of some friends in the area.
They brought us in, as Louise wept pitifully and I held her in my arms, the awful vision of
her lower leg tugging at the corner of my eye line. Then, in between her screams of pain, she
looked at me for a moment, and said, with absolute faith that that I would be able to: "Help
me, Daddy." And I couldn't.
Our friends drove us to my house, where my wife, who is a nurse, took her to
hospital. Tests showed that there may have been a small fracture and her skin was flayed, and
could turn necrotic if not watched carefully. All this pain, all these wounds, were down to me.
Now she has to walk on a crutch until it improves – a matter of weeks.
Louise is out of hospital now and we are travelling to Mallorca, where she will not
have such a nice time as she might, as she is going to be confined to a pushchair and a crutch.
When anyone asks her what happens to her foot, she answers: "I don't want to talk about it." I
hope it's just the memory of the physical trauma and not her father standing helpless in the
face of her pain.
I have always believed that fear of risk was not something to inculcate in children – to
be over-precautionary and constantly reminding them that the world is a dangerous place. We

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never tell our children not to talk to strangers. We allow the 11-year-old to go to the shopping
centre with friends, on their own. Sometimes we pile too many children than is strictly legal
in the back of a car. I am, in other words, a fairly lax parent, somewhat by choice. Perhaps
that is just the rationalisation that I have always used to justify my behaviour.
And yet, and yet … I still can't find it in myself to renounce my former philosophy –
which others, I know, will see as pure fecklessness. Wrapping your children in cotton wool
and living every day as if a multitude of dangers were each crowding out the other to get their
fangs into them still seems to me an unhealthy message to broadcast. If your parents allow
you to climb trees, sometimes you will fall off them. If you're allowed to go wandering alone
in a wood, sometimes you're going to get lost.
I feel awful about what happened. I certainly won't travel with Louise on the back of
my bike again. But I refuse to swing to the other extreme – to a world seen through distorting
spectacles that show only hazard. No one goes through childhood without getting hurt. And I
won't let the continuing pangs of my guilt prevent my children living a childhood where
confidence, not fear, is the wellspring of behaviour.
Source B
From Labour and the London Poor by Henry Mayhew

The little watercress girl who gave me the following statement, although only eight years of
age, had entirely lost all childish ways, and was, indeed, in thoughts and manner, a woman.
There was something cruelly pathetic in hearing this infant, so young that her features had
scarcely formed themselves, talking of the bitterest struggles of life, with the calm
earnestness of one who had endured them all.
I did not know how to talk with her. At first I treated her as a child, speaking on
childish subjects; so that I might, by being familiar with her, remove all shyness, and get her
to narrate her life freely I asked her about her toys and her games with her companions; but
the look of amazement that answered me soon put an end to any attempt at fun on my
part. I then talked to her about the parks, and whether she ever went to them. "The parks!"
she replied in wonder, "where are they?" I explained to her, telling her that they were large
open places with green grass and tall trees, where beautiful carriages drove about, and
people walked for pleasure, and children played. Her eyes brightened up a little as I spoke;
and she asked, half doubtingly, "Would they let such as me go there--just to look?" All her
knowledge seemed to begin and end with watercresses, and what they fetched. She knew
no more of London than that part she had seen on her rounds, and believed that no quarter
of the town was handsomer or pleasanter than it was at Farringdon-market or at
Clerkenwell, where she lived. Her little face, pale and thin with privation, was wrinkled
where the dimples ought to have been, and she would sigh frequently. When some hot
dinner was offered to her, she would not touch it, because, if she eat too much, "it made
her sick," she said; "and she wasn't used to meat, only on a Sunday."
The poor child, although the weather was severe, was dressed in a thin cotton gown,
with a threadbare shawl wrapped round her shoulders. She wore no covering to her head,
and the long rusty hair stood out in all directions. When she walked she shuffled along, for
fear that the large carpet slippers that served her for shoes should slip off her feet.

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 "I go about the streets with water-creases, crying, 'Four bunches a penny, water-
creases.' I am just eight years old--that's all, and I've a big sister, and a brother and a sister
younger than I am. On and off, I've been very near a twelvemonth in the streets. Before
that, I had to take care of a baby for my aunt. No, it wasn't heavy--it was only two months
old; but I minded it for ever such a time--till it could walk. It was a very nice little baby, not a
very pretty one; but, if I touched it under the chin, it would laugh. Before I had the baby, I
used to help mother, who was in the fur trade; and, if there was any slits in the fur, I'd sew
them up. My mother learned me to needle-work and to knit when I was about five. I used to
go to school, too; but I wasn't there long. I've forgot all about it now, it's such a time ago;
and mother took me away because the master whacked me, though the missus use'n't to
never touch me. I didn't like him at all. What do you think? He hit me three times, ever so
hard, across the face with his cane, and made me go dancing down stairs; and when mother
saw the marks on my cheek, she went to blow him up, but she couldn't see him--he was
afraid. That's why I left school.

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Question 1
You are being tested on your ability to:
 Identify and interpret explicit and implicit information and ideas
 Select and synthesise evidence from different texts.

Sample question (the text can be found on pages 28 - 30 ):

Read again the first part of Source A from lines 1 to 14.

Choose four statements below which are TRUE.

 Shade the boxes of the ones that you think are true.
 Choose a maximum of four statements.

A Anton is standing in water, covered in mud.

B Anton is being carried away by the current.

C Glastonbury is a scene of near-total devastation.

D The moorings of the tents are floating down the hillside.

E The writer is shivering and caught in a thunderstorm.

F Half-naked people are running after their tents.

G At first, the writer was not pleased to be sent to Glastonbury.

H The writer was not surprised to find it was wet and muddy.
[4 marks]

Mark-scheme and model answer

A Anton is standing in water, covered in mud. (T) The correct answers are
B Anton is being carried away by the current. (F) selected.
C Glastonbury is a scene of near-total devastation. (T)
D The moorings of the tents are floating down the hillside. (F)
E The writer is shivering and caught in a thunderstorm. (F)
F Half-naked people are running after their tents. (T)
G At first, the writer was not pleased to be sent to Glastonbury. (T)
H The writer was not surprised to find it was wet and muddy. (F)

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 Question 1 TOP TIPS:
 Spend 3 minutes on this question
 Don’t take it for granted. This should be an easy question, but if you
rush it and do not read the text or statements properly you might end
up losing marks
 If you select the wrong box, put a line through it to unselect it
 You cannot select more than 4 hoping you will select the right one!

You turn (read the texts on pages 3 - 5):

1. Read again the first part of Source A from lines 1 to 14. Choose four
statements below which are TRUE.

 Shade the boxes of the ones that you think are true.
 Choose a maximum of four statements.

A. The writer, Tim Lott, is Catholic

B. He has a seven year-old daughter
C. She was the one pushing the pedals when they had the accident
D. They have had many accidents in the past
E. She mangled her ankle in the spokes
F. Her shoe and sock got ripped from her foot
G. The accident happened far from their home
H. He felt unable to help her

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Question 2
You are being tested on: your ability to:
 Identify and interpret explicit and implicit information and ideas
 Select and combine evidence from different texts

Sample question (read the texts on pages 28 - 30):

You need to refer to Source A and Source B for this question:

The things you see and do at Glastonbury Festival and Greenwich Fair
are different.

Use details from BOTH sources to write a summary of the differences.

[8 marks]

Mark-scheme:
 Show detailed understanding of differences between the information
 Offer perceptive interpretation of both texts
 Combine information from different sources
 Use evidence well from both texts

A basic frame:

Source A tells us “……………” This implies ………

But... instead of… alternatively… in contrast…

Whereas… on the other hand… unlike…

Source B tells us “………………” indicating that ………..

Two quotations from each text would be ideal

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Q2 Model Answer:
Glastonbury and Greenwich Fair are both hugely This answer immediately
addresses the question about
popular events, but incredibly different in their the differences between the two
contexts. Glastonbury, a modern festival, is all sources.
about the live music and bringing all different
styles together (1950s, pop, alternative etc), whereas Evidence from the texts is used
Greenwich Fair is something much more theatrical, to support the inference that
one is more “theatrical” than
with shops and band parades and pantomimes and the other.
various other dramatic presentations.
From the descriptions in atmosphere, they are
also hugely different. Glastonbury is described to A range of differences are
have a very safe family friendly atmosphere discussed with evidence.
according to people taking part. Apart from the fact
that it seems to look like a “near total” devastation,
everyone seems relatively calm, happy and friendly.
Perceptive inferences are made,
However, this does not seem to be the case at suggesting the student has
clearly thought about what is
Greenwich Fair. Charles Dickens describes it with suggested by the text.
“the firing of pistols, the ringing of bells, the
bellowings of speaking trumpets) among other
things.” This gives a crazy, almost out of hand
picture of something people in this day and age may Evidence is a mixture of well-
chosen quotations and
expect to be more civilised (Victorian 1839). The paraphrasing.
drinking and smoking in pubs, the rowdiness of the
games played and the attitudes towards women
especially make the fair seem like one huge brawl, Sustained perceptive
though also rather jolly and merry; everyone is inferences based on what
having fun. Everybody seems to take part in the student has read.
everything, which also contrast with Glastonbury,
where you can choose which concerts to go to.
Continues to focus on the
Overall, I think the main difference is that differences.
Glastonbury is much calmer than the chaotic,
atmosphere of Greenwich, despite my own (and
probably others’) assumptions. It gives a real insight Overall, this answers the
into how society has grown and what it feels is now question by focusing on the
“acceptable” when one lets their “hair down.” differences between the two
events. It gives a range of
evidence and makes
inferences based on this
evidence.

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 TOP TIPS:
 Spend around 10 minutes on this question
 Use brief quotations and discuss both texts in each paragraph you
write
 Write about two clear differences between them
 Use terms such as “whereas” and “on the other hand” to link
interpretations of the two texts
 Make inferences. Above all this is an inference question. For
example, it does not tell you that Glastonbury is “civilised” or that
Greenwich was a “brawl” but the student has inferred this from what
they have read. Paraphrasing is not making an inference. Really show
you understand what you have read
 You do not need to write about language methods
 Some connectives to use for comparison:

But... instead of… alternatively… in contrast…

Whereas… on the other hand… unlike…
Otherwise… likewise… similarly… equally…
as with… in the same way… like…

Your Turn (read the texts on pages 3 - 5 ):

2. You need to refer to Source A and Source B for this question:

The lives of children today and those, such as the Watercress Girl are
very different

Use details from BOTH sources to write a summary of the differences.

[8 marks]

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Question 3

You are being tested on: your ability to explain, comment on and analyse
how writers use language and structure to achieve effects and influence
readers using relevant supporting terminology

Sample question (read the texts on pages 28 - 30):

3. You now need to refer only to source B, Dickens’ description of the

fair itself (from line 19 to the end).

How does Dickens use language to make you, the reader, feel part of
the fair?
[12 marks]

Mark-scheme:
 Shows detailed and perceptive understanding of language
 Analyses the effects of the writer’s choices of language
 Selects a judicious range of quotations
 Uses a range of subject terminology appropriately

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 Q3 Model Answer:

A variety of devices are used in Source B by

The opening sentence
Dickens to invite the reader into the atmosphere of demonstrates the question has
the fair. The fair is presented as appealing and been understood.
jolly, with adjectives such as “gaily” and
“attractive” used to suggest how persuasive the
stalls look. Dickens suggests the large scale of the Quotations are used and the
event, both in terms of the amount of stalls and correct language terms/word
types are given.
people, but also the products themselves: “oysters,
with shells as large and cheese-plates.” The simile
suggests how enormous the oysters are: they are
appetising but also exotic and strange.
. Perceptive comments are
There is a selection of unusual verbs in lines 28 – made about why these
techniques are used and the
31 which when placed into such a long list have an effect they have on the
impressive cumulative effect upon the image reader.
produced. Particularly notable among these is the
showmen’s “hallooing”, an onomatopoeia which not A range of different
only directly demonstrates the sound created but techniques are identified
also encompasses a wider range of sounds and the with quotations and effects.

bawdy nature of the men’s hawking and the fair

itself.

Another device which assists in the presentation of

the fair is Dickens’ use of colloquial language in
recreating the speech heard at the fair: “pray come
for ‘erd” so you feel transported to the fair and can Overall, this student
almost hear the words spoken, bringing it to life for focuses on language, uses
the reader. quotations, identifies word
types and techniques
correctly and analyses the
effect on the reader.

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 TOP TIPS:
 Spend around 15 minutes on this question
 Focus on the correct part of the text
 Use quotations
 You can write about :
- Words (the writer’s use of nouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs etc).
It is especially good when you can spot patterns of word use
- Language features (simile, metaphor, onomatopoeia etc)
- Sentence types (simple, compound, complex, minor, declarative,
interrogative etc)
 Use language terms correctly
 Discuss the effect of this use of language on the reader. Don’t make
vague statements like “the onomatopoeia tells us the sounds made”
(What sounds? What effect?) or “It puts a picture in the reader’s
mind” (What picture? What effect?)
 Avoid vague comments like “it creates tension”: you need to go into
more specific detail than this.

Your turn (read the texts on page 3 - 5):

3. You now need to refer only to the last two paragraphs of

source B, The Watercress Girl

How does Mayhew use language to make you feel sympathy for the girl?

[12 marks]

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Question 4
You are being tested on: your ability to compare writers’ ideas and
perspectives as well as how these are conveyed across two or more texts.

Sample question: (read the texts on pages 28 - 30):

For this question, you need to refer to the whole of source A together
with the whole of source B.

Compare how the writers have conveyed their different views and
experiences of the festival and fair they describe.
In your answer, you could:
• compare their different views and experiences
• compare the methods they use to convey those views and
experiences
• support your ideas with references to both texts.

[16 marks]

Mark-scheme:
 Shows a detailed understanding of the similarities and differences
between the ideas and viewpoints
 Compares ideas and viewpoints in a perceptive way
 Analyses how methods are sued to convey ideas and viewpoints
 Selects well-judged quotations from both texts

Basic Frame:

The writer uses language to…………... In the quote “…………….” the use of [word
types or technique] suggests …………………… and ……………………

This indicates that… Which makes us think that…

… Implying that… …suggesting…
…which makes the reader feel… It is as if…
Here, the writer is… …gives us the impression that…

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Q4 Model Answer: Demonstrates
understanding of Elizabeth
Day’s viewpoint and uses
Elizabeth Day has a very negative view of quotations to support this.
Glastonbury before she actually visits the festival.
She tells us “My reaction was one of undiluted
horror” when she is given the assignment. Her
negative view also seems to be conveyed in the
The writers’ methods are
opening paragraph when she uses vocabulary like discussed with supporting
“devastation…shivering…disaster.” She implies quotations.
Glastonbury is a very unpleasant place to be.
By contrast, Dickens does not actually tell us his Both comparisons and
view of Greenwich Fair, but he describes the experience contrasts are made. Well-
of actually being there. Though he presents us with chosen evidence is used
throughout.
similar-sounding negative aspects of the fair, “Dust
flies in clouds…crowded with people…ladies scream Dickens’s viewpoint is clearly
understood.
with fright” his tone suggests it is still a popular and
happy place to be as he states “everybody is anxious to
be at the fair.”
A range of different quotations
Elizabeth Day’s views change as a result of her are used to demonstrate
experience of Glastonbury itself. She begins to paint different aspects of the writers’
views. Language techniques are
a picture of a happy and civilised place, despite the identified correctly with the
hardships. She uses noun phrases such as “well- correct terminology. The effect
spoken degree students, broad grins, tuxedo jackets, on the reader is clearly
discussed.
polite chit-chat” to make this sound like a ball or a
prom rather than camping in a field. Even the drizzle
is described as “polite.” Dickens’ methods are very
different, however. Dickens uses lengthy complex
sentences packed with lists. For example, lines 4 – 7
and lines 27 – 32 to convey the assault on the senses
Overall, the question is
that is Greenwich Fair. He still seems enthusiastic in answered: the different
his view as he wants the reader to experience it with perspectives and
him, “You are in the very centre of the fair.” Both experiences are explained.
Quotations are used
writers enjoy their experience but in different ways throughout and the student
and to different degrees. Day concludes by saying correctly identifies the
“it’s almost nice” suggesting the experience has language methods used by
changed her view. Dickens packs in the attractive the writers and their effect
on the reader.
details with the less attractive details and seems to
maintain his view that this is all part and parcel of
an experience not to be missed.
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 Paper 2 Question 4 TOP TIPS:
 This question is worth the most marks in Section A, so get on to this
question!
 Spend 25 minutes on this question
 Show understanding of the different perspectives
(viewpoints/thoughts and feelings) in each text. Don’t just look at the
ideas in the text, but the perspectives on these ideas
 Explain the similarities and differences in the texts’ viewpoints
 Use quotations
 Remember this is a language question! Identify language methods
used and use the correct terminology. Language methods also includes
shifts in tone, narrative perspective and structural features,
 Explain how these methods have an effect on the reader – how do
they get across these viewpoints to us? D
Linking words and phrases to Linking words and phrases to
indicate differences indicate similarities
Whereas Similar to/similarly
Unlike Like
But As with the
However Both
On the other hand This compares to
This contrasts with/in contrast to In common with
The exam board recommends this structure:
1. State a perspective/viewpoint in Source A
2. Give a quotation
3. Explain how the language makes that
perspective clear to the reader
4. State a different perspective in Source B (similar
or different)
5. Give a quotation
6. Explain how the language makes that
perspective clear to the reader

Then repeat the structure

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Your turn (read the texts on pages 3 - 5):

4. For this question, you need to refer to the whole of source A

together with the whole of source B.

Compare how the writers have conveyed their different views about the
treatment and experiences of children.
In your answer, you could:
• compare their different views and experiences
• compare the methods they use to convey those views and experiences
• support your ideas with references to both texts.

[16 marks]

17
 Section B
Question 5
You are being tested on: your ability to
Communicate clearly, effectively and imaginatively, selecting and
adapting tone, style and register for different forms, purposes and
audiences.
Organise information and ideas, using structural and grammatical features to
support coherence and cohesion of texts.

Sample Question:
You are advised to spend about 45 minutes on this section. Write in
full sentences. You are reminded of the need to plan your answer.
You should leave enough time to check your work at the end.

‘Festivals and fairs should be banned. They encourage bad behaviour

and are disruptive to local communities.’

Write a letter to your local newspaper in which you argue for or against
this statement. (24 marks for content and organisation
16 marks for technical accuracy)
[40 marks]

Mark-scheme:
Content
Register is convincing and compelling for audience
Assuredly matched to purpose
Extensive and ambitious vocabulary with sustained crafting of
linguistic devices

Organisation
Varied and inventive use of structural features
Writing is compelling, incorporating a range of convincing and
complex ideas
Fluently linked paragraphs with seamlessly integrated discourse
markers

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 Model Answer: The student immediately adopts
the correct tone and formality.
She also immediately addresses
Dear Sir or Madame the subject matter required: she
is meeting their audience and
I am writing to inform you of a shocking purpose.
statement made by one of your journalists in the
Hexhan Courant earlier this week. It was suggested
that “Festivals should be banned”, insisting that
they “encouraged bad behaviour and are disruptive
Paragraphs are used with
to local communities.” I implore that you read my signposts (such as “First of all”)
argument intently and hope that you see that the to help guide the reader.
viewpoint put forward by the paper is ridiculous.
First of all, may I make clear that the
accusation that festivals and fairs are disruptive
Vocabulary is impressive and
is a preposterous; it is evidently a claim from some appropriate.
ill-motivated Scrooge who cannot see the fun people
can have and finds such events an inconvenience
to yell “Bah humbug!” at. I am fully aware that
such fairs and festivals can promote a certain The Scrooge reference helps
rowdiness from crowds, creating large amounts of make their point. It is also
lively and amusing.
noise and somewhat brawling behaviour, but it is
nothing to be called disruptive. When the majority
of people are living in an area take part in such an
Persuasive techniques, such
occasion, how can their community be disputed? as rhetorical questions ,
Perhaps the minority should take it upon address the reader and guides
themselves to accept the fact that this is what a lot them towards agreeing with
the argument.
of people do for fun, and that maybe, if they gave
it a go, they would probably enjoy it too! However,
there is just no pleasing some people.
As for community, I would confidently say
Sentences are varied. There
that festivals and fairs are a way of bringing are simple, compound and
people together, creating new bonds, friendships complex sentences with
memories that are likely to never be forgotten. This different sentence openings.
is the case with festivals such as Glastonbury or
Beverley folk festival, where newly formed
communities get the opportunity to meet again
after a lack of contact over the year leading from
one event to the next. So despite the fact that that
neighbouring communities may find such
festivals tedious and a scar upon the face of the
19 community’s image and perhaps even reputation,
they remain a vital part of the society in allowing
 people to become involved with something they are
interested in, with people having similar interests.
Another point which brings me bewilderment as to A range of different
how local communities may complain about nearby arguments are made, adding
fairs or festivals is that they help boost the local detail.
economy. Put their towns on the map. Give their
towns a decent reputation for the exciting
opportunities and experiences they can provide. It Spelling, punctuation and
grammar is consistently
shocks me that certain people can deter such events
strong.
when they ultimately help provide for small
businesses, restaurants local retailers, consequently
helping people with the upkeep of their livelihoods
whilst directly fuelling other people’s enjoyment. Two
This paragraph ends well with
birds. One stone. short sentences and a well-
This I hope provides an insight into why the known metaphor used
statement is horrifically false, and how events such effectively.
as fairs and festivals are the reason some people are
able to do something they love, whether that be to take This concludes with a
part in a hobby that said fair/festival may provide, or passionately-argued summary
be an indirect aspect of keeping jobs going and of their views and a plea to the
reader to agree.
helping people earn the money they need. Fairs and
festivals are a vital part to our culture, something
incredibly British, allowing communities they create
to meet every year under cheerful circumstances,
bringing friends and possibly even families together. Overall, a passionately-
argued article with a range of
So how can this statement be true in the slightest? I excellent points. It is well-
trust that you can understand me perfectly. structured with varied
paragraphs, sentences,
vocabulary and language
techniques. There is accurate
spelling, punctuation and
grammar.

20
 TOP TIPS:
 Plan! (even if you hate planning!) The question asks you to plan so do
it!
- Planning should not just be a mind map. You need to ensure you
plan for structure. How is your writing going to begin, develop
and end?
 Meet your audience and purpose: adopt the write tone and formality
(not too slangy, for example)
 Your text should build logically and be easy to follow: organise your
writing effectively
 Don’t refer explicitly to the statement (‘I disagree with statement
because…’). Use the statement to inspire your own ideas. Have a clear
voice
 Check your spelling, grammar and punctuation
 Include a range of sentence (imperatives, interrogatives, exclamations,
simple, compound and complex) and paragraph lengths
 Use a range of appropriate and effective vocabulary
 Use a range of effective language techniques
 Use a range of sentences: Spend 45 minutes on this section.
You should leave enough time to check your work at the end.

MODEL PLAN:
You might hate planning, but the question asks you to, so plan!
Mind maps can be good or first ideas, but you must think of structure!
Perhaps: how will you order these ideas? At least number your mind map, or
perhaps instead list your story/description ideas in bullet points so you know
the structure:
1. Argument – festivals should not be banned
2. Festivals create community
3. Puts towns on the map – good for business
4. Summary – address reader

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Your turn
Section B
5. You are advised to spend about 45 minutes on this section.
Write in full sentences. You are reminded of the need to plan
your answer. You should leave enough time to check your work
at the end.

‘Young people today are “wrapped in cotton wool”: they are

overprotected and have lives which are too easy.”
Write a letter to your local newspaper in which you argue for or against
this statement. (24 marks for content and organisation
16 marks for technical accuracy) [40 marks]

22
 Appendix

Language Features/Methods:

Language Feature Explanation: Example where

possible
Adjective A word that describes A successful film.
a place, person or
thing
Adverb A word which He spoke fluently.
describes how a
verb/action is done
(these often end in
“ly”)
Alliteration The repetition of the The best bargains
same sound at the available.
beginning of words to
create an effect
Colloquialism Word or phrase used After school we went
in everyday to the chippie.
conversation rather
than formal writing
Colons Introduce a list. They There were many
can also introduce things I admired about
examples or him as a player: his
explanations skill, his pace, his
passing and his ability
to make a goal from
nowhere.
Compound sentence Two or more clauses It was sunny. The
joined by a connective birds were singing.
These can be joined
into one compound
sentence:

It was sunny and the

birds were singing.
Conjunction A word or phrase that However,
joins words, phrases, nevertheless, but
sentences or ideas also…

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 Clause A type of phrase that …because he was
includes a subject and angry.
an active verb

Declarative Sentence A statement He was hungry.

Discourse Markers A word or phrase Firstly…
used as an Secondly…
organisational tool to Another point to
link ideas consider is…
Exclamation An expression of “I don’t believe it!”
surprise, strong
emotion or pain
Emotive Language Words or phrases She was devastated.
deliberately used to Her whole life had
provoke a specific collapsed around her.
emotional reaction
Ellipsis A set of three dots I looked out of the
showing that a window and my mind
sentence is began to wander. I
unfinished. A thought about school,
sentence can also be my family, the
used in the middle of upcoming holiday…
a sentence (or ‘James!’ I was
quotation) to show suddenly brought
that some words have back to reality by Mrs
been missed out. Jenkins shouting my
name.
Explicit Something stated Lucy was annoyed.
openly and exactly
Implicit Something implied or Lucy threw down her
suggested school bag ran out
and slammed the
door.
Infer When you reach an
opinion based on
what someone has
implied.
Interpret When you explain the
meaning of something
in your own words
showing you
understand it.

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 Interrogative A question. What is your opinion?
Sentence
Metaphor A comparison where My room is a rubbish
one thing is said to tip.
actually be another
Onomatopoeia A word that imitates a The crashing of the
sound waves.
Paraphrased Reworded or “I was bemused” / The
explained a different writer is confused.
way.
Group of Three Listing three things to It was terrible,
create a specific effect appalling and
disgraceful.
Personification When you assign the The Sun was smiling
qualities of a person down on us.
to something that isn’t
human or, in some
cases, to something
that isn’t even alive
Perspective A way of thinking
about something from
a particular
standpoint, such as a
particular time or
place
Preposition A word used with a The bag was
noun or pronoun to underneath the table.
show place, position,
time or means
Pronoun Word used to replace You, they, he, she…
a noun, often to avoid
repetition
Punctuation Marks used to aid the He was angry –
understanding of a extremely angry –
piece of writing. angry and
Writers can use disappointed.
punctuation
imaginatively to create
an effect

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 Register The formality of a text “Hey, how’s it going?”
is in an informal
register. “Dear Mr
Davis, I am writing to
inform you…” is a
more formal register
Rhetorical Question A question that is Do we have the will to
asked for effect rather make poverty history?
than for an answer
Semi-colon Can separate items in Tomorrow is an
a list where the items important day; I better
consist of phrases stay in and revise.
rather than single
words. They are also
used to link two main
clauses when they are
both important or
when you want to
suggest a connection.
Simile A comparison where My room looks like a
one thing is compared rubbish tip.
to another, using the
words like or
as…as…
Simple sentence The most basic form He ran.
of sentence,
consisting of a subject
and a verb
Style A way of using
language
Subordinate clause A clause (a subject My brother, who was
and a verb) that gives staying with us at the
meaning to a main time, got locked out of
clause, but does not our house by mistake.
make sense on its
own On my way to work, I
stopped off to get a
coffee.
Summarise To give the main
points of something
briefly

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 Synonym Words that mean the Car / Automobile
same thing or
something very similar
Syntax The order and “I’m going to the gym
arrangement of words tomorrow.” /
or phrases to create Tomorrow, I’m going
sentences to the gym.” These
say the same thing
but with different
syntax
Synthesise Produce something You do this on Paper
that has been blended 2, Question 2
together from different
sources
Tone Manner of expression The text may have an
that shows a writer’s angry or a light-
attitude hearted tone, for
example.
Topic sentence The sentence that I believe social media
introduce or is damaging our
summarises the main society...
idea on a paragraph
Verb A doing or being word He ran as fast as he
could.

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Sources for model answers:
Source A - 21st Century non-fiction Elizabeth Day has been sent to report on
the 2005 Glastonbury Festival 1 for a Sunday newspaper.

Are we having fun yet? 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 Anton is standing knee-deep in tea-coloured

water. He is covered in a slippery layer of darkbrown mud, like a gleaming otter emerging
from a river-bed. The occasional empty bottle of Somerset cider wafts past his legs, carried
away by the current. "I mean," he says, with a broad smile and a strange, staring look in his
dilated eyes, "where else but Glastonbury would you find all this?" He sweeps his arm in a
grandiose arc, encompassing a scene of neartotal devastation. In one field, a series of tents
has lost its moorings in a recent thunderstorm and is floating down the hillside. The tents
are being chased by a group of shivering, half-naked people who look like the survivors of a
terrible natural disaster.
When I was told that The Sunday Telegraph was sending me to experience
Glastonbury for the first time, my initial reaction was one of undiluted horror. Still, I
thought, at least the weather was good. England was in the grip of a heat wave. But then
the rains came: six hours of uninterrupted thunderstorm in the early hours of Friday
morning. When I arrived later that day, there was a polite drizzle. By yesterday, the rain had
given way to an overcast sky, the colour of exhaled cigarette smoke. The mud, however,
remained, and the only way to get around the 900-acre site was - like Anton - to resign
oneself to getting very dirty indeed.
Everything else might have been damp, but the crowd remained impressively good-
humoured throughout. "It's a very safe, family-friendly atmosphere," says Ed Thaw, a music
student from London. “This is my sixth time at Glastonbury and I've never had any trouble."
Indeed, on my train to Castle Cary, the carriages are crammed with well-spoken degree
students sipping Pimms2 and making polite chit-chat. The acts for 2005 included Coldplay,
Elvis Costello and the American rock band The Killers, who brought a touch of
salubriousness to the proceedings by performing in tuxedo3 jackets and glitter.
But Glastonbury has still managed to preserve a healthy degree of wackiness. In the
Lost Vagueness area, a 1950s-style diner comes complete with fancy-dress rock 'n' roll
dancers and a constant stream of Elvis songs. The Chapel of Love and Loathing has a disc
jockey booth disguised as a church organ. Apparently, couples can get married here.
Outside, a man wearing a huge pink Afro-wig4 is twirling round and round in bare feet.
"What happened to your shoes?" I ask.
"They got washed away with my tent," he says, cheerily. Bizarrely, everyone seems
to be having a brilliant time and there are broad grins wherever I look. In fact, it's almost
nice, this Glastonbury thing.

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Source B – 19th Century non-fiction
Greenwich Fair: Where Dickens let his hair down

Charles Dickens is writing in 1839 about a fair in London which was a popular annual
event he enjoyed.

The road to Greenwich during the whole of Easter Monday is in a state of perpetual
bustle and noise. Cabs, hackney-coaches1, ‘shay’ carts2, coal-waggons, stages,
omnibuses3, donkey-chaises2 - all crammed with people, roll along at their utmost
speed. The dust flies in clouds, ginger-beer corks go off in volleys, the balcony of
every public-house is crowded with people smoking and drinking, half the private
houses are turned into tea-shops, fiddles are in great request, every little fruit-shop
displays its stall of gilt gingerbread and penny toys; horses won’t go on, and wheels
will come off. Ladies scream with fright at every fresh concussion and servants, who
have got a holiday for the day, make the most of their time. Everybody is anxious to
get on and to be at the fair, or in the park, as soon as possible.

The chief place of resort in the daytime, after the public-houses, is the park, in which
the principal amusement is to drag young ladies up the steep hill which leads to the
Observatory4, and then drag them down again at the very top of their speed, greatly
to the derangement of their curls and bonnet-caps, and much to the edification of
lookers-on from below. ‘Kiss in the Ring5,’ and ‘Threading my Grandmother’s
Needle5,’ too, are sports which receive their full share of patronage.

Five minutes’ walking brings you to the fair itself; a scene calculated to awaken very
different feelings. The entrance is occupied on either side by the vendors of
gingerbread and toys: the stalls are gaily lighted up, the most attractive goods
profusely disposed, and un-bonneted young ladies induce you to purchase half a
pound of the real spice nuts, of which the majority of the regular fair-goers carry a
pound or two as a present supply, tied up in a cotton pocket-handkerchief.
Occasionally you pass a deal6 table, on which are exposed pennyworths of pickled
salmon (fennel7 included), in little white saucers: oysters, with shells as large as
cheese-plates, and several specimens of a species of snail floating in a somewhat
bilious-looking green liquid.

Imagine yourself in an extremely dense crowd, which swings you to and fro, and in
and out, and every way but the right one; add to this the screams of women, the
shouts of boys, the clanging of gongs, the firing of pistols, the ringing of bells, the
bellowings of speaking-trumpets, the squeaking of penny dittos8, the noise of a
dozen bands, with three drums in each, all playing different tunes at the same time,
the hallooing of showmen, and an occasional roar from the wild-beast shows; and
you are in the very centre and heart of the fair.

This immense booth, with the large stage in front, so brightly illuminated with lamps,
and pots of burning fat, is ‘Richardson’s,’ where you have a melodrama (with three

29
murders and a ghost), a pantomime, a comic song, an overture, and some incidental
music, all done in five-and-twenty minutes.

‘Just a-going to begin! Pray come for’erd, come for’erd,’ exclaims the man in the
countryman’s dress, for the seventieth time: and people force their way up the steps
in crowds. The band suddenly strikes up and the leading tragic actress, and the
gentleman who enacts the ‘swell’ in the pantomime, foot it to perfection. ‘All in to
begin,’ shouts the manager, when no more people can be induced to ‘come for’erd,’
and away rush the leading members of the company to do the first piece.

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