ENGLISH LANGUAGE WORKSHEET Paper 1 Writing READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST Section 1: Directed Writing You are advised to write between 200 and 300 words. Total marks for this part: 30. The Student Council wants to make a documentary film about sports activities in your school. They wish to choose one student to take part in the film and to speak about the best aspects, of participating in school sports. You decide to write a letter to the Student Council applying to take part. Write your letter. You must include the following: why you would like to take part in the film details of your achievements in and out of school and why they make you suitable to take part in the film which aspects would like to speak about in the film and why. Cover all three points above in detail. You should make your letter informative and persuasive to show you are the right person for the film. Start your letter Dear Student Council, and remember to provide a suitable ending. Write on one of the following topics. Section 2: Creative Writing At the head of your essay put the number of the topic you have chosen. You are advised to write between 350 and 500 words. Total marks for this part: 30. 1. Describe the effects that inflation has had or is having on your family. 2. Write about one or more acts of selfishness that cause unhappiness. 3. Write a story based on any one of the following: either (a) A food store in your area suddenly closed and there was great trouble or (b) A rich man unexpectedly lost all his wealth 4. Jealousy
ENGLISH LANGUAGE Paper 2 Passage 1 Electronic Book Readers A new phenomenon is springing up nowadays in railway stations, in airport queues and on buses. It is the sight of people engrossed, not in a newspaper or paperback novel, but rather an electronic book reader (e-reader). Are downloaded e-books a passing fad or are they here to stay? One attraction of e-books is that some of them are free. Others can be downloaded at a much cheaper price than the bookshop price, and for avid readers this is an obvious advantage because the money saved can be spent on other things, perhaps new clothes or days out. There is no need to make time-consuming trips to bookshops, which is a real hassle, especially for parents with children to bundle into the car or bus. Instead, books can be paid for and downloaded from the comfort of your own living room. E-readers don t take up much space, which makes a huge difference to people whose living space might be limited, for example, families with several young children vying for space for toys, games and all the paraphernalia of family life. Moreover, e-readers are extremely portable; instead of having to choose which book to take with you to read on the train, or having to narrow your choice to three or four books to fit into your holiday suitcase, you can have the delightful experience of carrying hundreds on your e-reader. E-readers are a blessing to short-sighted or visually-impaired readers because, as with all computer screens, the size of the print can be increased; no more squinting at the pages of a book or, worse, having the frustrating experience of not being able to read the book at all. Lights can also be attached to e-readers, and this is generally conducive to keeping eyes healthy. Users of e-readers can personalise their reading in the same way that people often personalise their mobile phones, as e-readers can be purchased with covers in a variety of materials and colours. While those who are generally wary of technology complain that e-readers are mere gimmicks, teachers and parents, who often regret that children don t read enough, hope that the novelty value of e-readers will lead to increased reading and improved examination results. Gone is the need for bookmarks and the frustration of losing the place in your book, as e-readers remember where you stopped reading and take you automatically to that point when you open up to start reading again. However, e-readers have their critics too. There are those who say that e-readers will bring about the closure of libraries, which will be a great loss to society as a whole. Although downloaded books are cheap or even free, the initial cost of e-readers is high, as they are essentially computer-based, and computers are expensive. This is all very well for those who can afford it, but it is socially divisive because not everyone can. If e-readers do bring about the closure of libraries, some people those who can afford neither books nor the technology to read e-books will have little opportunity to read at all. And what about the sheer, aesthetic pleasure of owning books? Many people delight in holding, and just possessing, their favourite books. Snuggling up on the sofa with an e-reader pales into insignificance when compared with doing so with a real book. When people are moved to tears or to fury by characters or plots in a book, they instinctively tell their friends about it, and often books change hands and are temporarily swapped. This delight is denied to readers of e-books. Furthermore, students are not able to annotate e-books and use them for cross-reference in their studies in ways which are possible with books. When buying e-books from home, readers have to know what they are looking for, whereas browsing in a bookshop allows readers to stumble on books they might otherwise never have come across. It would be a great pity if bookshops had to close because they were unable
to compete with e-readers, either because the customers didn t come any more, or because they were reluctant to pay the higher prices inevitably charged for books as opposed to e-books. Moreover, jobs would be axed if bookshops closed. Will society have to pay too high a price for this latest technology? Perhaps it is too early to tell. Section 1: Reading for Ideas Read Passage 1 and answer all the questions below in the order set. 1 (a) Notes [15 marks] Identify and write down the points in the passage which tell us the advantages and disadvantages of e-readers. USE ONLY THE MATERIAL FROM PARAGRAPH 2 TO PARAGRAPH 6 INCLUSIVE. At this stage, you need NOT use your own words. To help you get started, the first point in each section of notes is done for you. You will be awarded up to 15 marks for content points. Free books can be downloaded MAIN POINTS Advantages of e-readers Disadvantages of e-readers E-readers will bring about the closure of libraries
(b) Summary [5 marks] Now use your notes to write a summary in which you state the advantages and disadvantages of e-readers, as described in the passage. This time, you will be awarded up to 5 marks for using your own words wherever possible and for accurate use of language. Your summary, which must be in continuous writing (not note form), must be no longer than 160 words, including the 10 words given below. Begin your summary as follows: These days, people are reading more and more e-books because...... No. of words 2. From paragraph 2, write down two opinions. One opinion is..... [1] Another opinion is..... [1] 3 Some people are generally wary of technology (paragraph 3). From your own knowledge or experience, explain why either you or someone you know was wary of a piece of technology, and explain briefly why that fear turned out to be justified, or why that fear turned out to be unjustified. Do not use the example of e-readers.......... [2] 4 What is the writer s attitude to e-books? Tick the box you have chosen. The writer thinks e-books are beneficial to society. The writer thinks e-books are detrimental to society. The writer is undecided whether e-books are beneficial or detrimental to society. [1] Total for Section 1 [25]
ENGLISH LANGUAGE Paper 2 Reading Miss Garnet has just arrived in Venice, a city of canals where transport is provided by boats and water taxis. 1 Miss Garnet thought it was surprisingly cold when she landed at Venice airport. Uncertain of all that she was likely to encounter on her exotic adventure, she had at least has the foresight to buy herself warm boots, despite her general caution about spending money. The heavy soled boots in a small way counteracted her sense of being somewhat insubstantial when, having collected her well worn suitcase with the stout leather strap, which had been her mother s, she followed the other arrivals outside to where a man with a clipboard shouted and gestured alternately to water-taxi drivers and prospective passengers. Before her spread a grey pearl-grey, shimmering, and quite alien waste of water. Water-taxi! she called. She had, through an agency found in the holiday section of the newspaper, taken an apartment in one of the cheaper areas of Venice. Because the man with the clipboard appeared to pay no attention, she repeated Water- taxi! 2 Yes, yes, wait a moment please, was the reply. He pointed at a water-taxi and then at an elegantlydressed couple who had pushed ahead of Miss Garnet in the shambling queue. The man, a tall American, spoke with the authority of wealth, asking the driver to take him and his wife to the Palace Hotel. Even Miss Garnet knew that the Palace was one of the most exclusive of Venice s many expensive hotels. Now the long plane flight, the extreme cold rising off the grey- green water, and especially her dislike of snobbery, made her act in an uncharacteristic way. Excuse me, Miss Garnet raised her voice towards the couple, but I was first. Miss Garnet raised her voice towards the couple, but I was first. As she spoke, she lost her footing, grazed her leg against a bollard, feeling apprehension on her own foolhardiness in ever attempting this trip to Venice. 3 The woman of the couple turned to scrutinise the person from whom these commanding words had issued. She saw a thin woman of medium height wearing a long tweed coat and a hat with a veil. The hat had brought to Harriet and although Miss Garnet, when she had seen it on Harriet, had considered it overdramatic, she had found herself reluctant to relegate anything to the bin. She had placed the hat onto her head in the last minutes before leaving for the airport. Did the hat not represent, she realised, a side to Harriet, which she had disregarded when her friend was alone? Excuse us, the man said, we would be honoured if you would share our taxi. Miss Garnet paused. She was unaccustomed to accepting favours, especially from tall, urbane men. But she was tired and she had to own, rather scared. Her knee hurt where she had stupidly bashed it. Moreover, there remained the overriding fact that they had, after all, pushed in front of her. It was only right that she should accept the offer. 4 When the taxi- water drew up at broad stone steps, covered in a dangerous looking slime. Miss Garnet tried to pay her share of the fare, but the couple said that it could wait until they all met again. Look after that leg, said the old woman as the water- taxi was leaving, and come soon to our hotel. Miss Garnett
found that the departure of the newly- met Americans left her feeling forlorn. Impatient with what seemed a silly show of emotions in herself, she asked directions to her apartment from three small boys who were passing. They grabbed her suitcase. Just in time Miss Garnet realised that, their intentions were not sinister but they wished merely to augment their pocket money by helping her. She produced the paper on which she had written the address and the smallest boy, who had by now commandeered the suitcase, almost ran it towards the house with green shutters and washing hangers from a balcony. the journey was no more than thirty metres and Miss Garnet, concerned not to seem stingy, became confused as to what she should tip the boys for their help. She hardly needed help; the suitcase was packed with a deliberate economy and her years of independence had made her strong. Nevertheless, it seemed churlish not to reward such a welcome from these boys. Despite her thirty - five years of school teaching, Miss Garnet was unused to receiving attention from young people. Section 2: Reading for Meaning READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST Answer all questions in both Section 1 and Section 2. Read Passage 2 in the insert and answer all the questions below in the order set. From paragraph 1 5. (a) What kind of weather was Miss Garnet expecting when she arrived in Venice?... [1] (b) Miss Garnet had embarked upon an exotic adventure. Pick out and write down the single word used later in the paragraph which continues the idea of exotic.... [1] (c) What two pieces of evidence are there that Miss Garnet was cautious about spending money? (i)... (ii)... [2] (d) What was the job of the man with the clipboard?... [1] From paragraph 2 6. (a) The American man spoke with the authority of wealth. What two other pieces of evidence are there that the American couple were wealthy? (i)... (ii)... [2]
(b) What was the most important factor which contributed to Miss Garnet s acting in an uncharacteristic way?... [1] (c) In what way did Miss Garnett assert herself?... [1] (d) Explain in your own words how Miss Garnet now felt about attempting this trip to Venice.... [2] 7. (a) For what two reasons did Miss Garnet decide not to throw away the hat that had belonged to Harriet? (i)...... (ii)...... [2] (b) What was the offer Miss Garnet received, and what was the main reason she thought she should accept it?... [2] From paragraph 4 8. (a) In what way do you think the slime was dangerous?... [1] (b) Why did Miss Garnet feel that it was silly to be upset when the American couple left?... [1] (c) Explain in your own words what two things Miss Garnet realised just in time about the three boys who grabbed her suitcase. (i)... (ii)... [2] (d) What effect is created by the word commandeered that would not be created by the word took?... [1] 9. Choose five of the following words. For each of them give one word or short phrase (of not more than seven words) which has the same meaning that the word has in the passage.
1. foresight (line 3) 4. urbane (line 29) 2. alternately (line 7) 5. own (line 29) 3. authority (line 14) 6. stingy (line 43) Five words chosen (from list above) Answer ( )...... [1] ( )...... [1] ( )...... [1] ( )...... [1] ( )...... [1] [5] Total for Section 2 [25]