PAPER
ONE - 2 ˝ HOURS
A
number of texts will appear on the paper. Hopefully
they will be of different types, e.g. an extract
from a story, a piece of informative writing, a newspaper
report, an article from a serious publication, a piece
of persuasive argument, a picture or set of pictures,
a humorous piece etc.
Each
text will deal generally with the same theme e.g. in
the Sample papers the theme at Higher Level was OUR
WORLD, at Ordinary Level the theme was FRIENDSHIP.
The
purpose of this themed approach to Paper 1 is to help
the student come to grips with the paper and also to
help you when it comes to the Composing element of the
paper.
There
are THREE TASKS in this paper;
- COMPREHENDING
(50 marks)
- FUNCTIONAL TASK (50 marks)
- COMPOSING
(100 marks)
Note;
If you answer Question A on one text you MAY NOT answer
question B on the same text.
COMPREHENDING
Two,
three or four pieces of text will appear on the paper.
One of these texts may be composed of pictures.
Here
is a survey of some of the questions on the Sample Paper;
TEXT
ONE OUR WORLD - THEIR WORLD
Question
A (i)
Things
to think about;
This
question asks you to draw "general conclusions". Be
sure that you don't just repeat the specific facts in
the text. General conclusions from this text may concern
the state of health of people in the First and in The
Third world. Another general conclusion may be drawn
with regard to Education or the amount of cash wasted
on silly luxuries by the people of the West when the
people of the third world can barely feed themselves.
A
(ii)
Sample
Answer
The
author's purpose in laying out the information as two
parallel lists is firstly to display the information
as clearly as possible. His intention in writing the
piece is to draw a comparison between the lifestyle
and expectations of Our World and Their World and the
format chosen by the author allows us to observe those
comparisons clearly and instantly. If the information
was contained in two separate paragraphs, the reader
would have to do the work of the editor and so the impact
of the comparison would be lessened.
The
second purpose in using this format is to shock the
reader into an awareness of the injustice in the world
and so is more likely to provoke him to do something
about it. The facts speak for themselves.
TEXT
3 THE LIBRARY.
Question
A (i)
Things
to think about;
You
will need to read the passage you have chosen to answer
on at least twice. Think about possible responses to
this question. Read the introduction above the main
image. Note the mention of "vast crumbling castle".
Look a the images; they are part of the experience and
may help you to come to a clearer view. Remember the
adjectives you choose will be important. Consider some
of the following; gloomy, solemn, dilapidated, depressed,
melancholic etc. Add some of your own. Your answer
should consist also of references to the text to justify
your opinion.
Question
A (ii)
Decide
clearly what you think of Sepulcrave before you start
writing. Mark those portions of the text where you have
the evidence to back up your opinion. Don't be afraid
to respond personally. Try to imagine meeting Sepulchrave.
Be vivid, be direct.
Question
A (iii)
Sample
Answer
The
passage contains many excellent examples of descriptive
writing which help to vividly portray both the gloominess
of the castle and the melancholy of its owner.
The
best examples I found were in Section 2. The description
of the Library is masterly in its use of significant
detail. The chandelier's light is "unable to reach the
extremities of the room" thus contributing to a sense
of gloom and mystery. The table in the centre is made
of "the blackest marble"; note the use of colour and
the superlative "-est" to intensify the glumness of
the scene.
The
finest examples of description are reserved for Sepulchrave
himself. Five or six deft sentences suffice to bring
him to life (if that's the proper word!). The use of
the adverb "limply" to describe his arms is very effective.
His "Grey habit" is also effective in allowing us to
picture the scene. The description of his hands using
the image "shadowy transparency of alabaster" makes
us aware of his sensitivity. Another excellent description
is "His dejection infected the air about him" implying
his sadness is like a disease. The personification of
the galleries "brooding with slow anguish" is wonderfully
descriptive. It's as if they were alive. Overall, I
think it's very good descriptive writing.
(Note
this is 200 words. Less than a page.)
Question
B - THE FUNCTIONAL TASK
Be
sure you think before you choose the task to write on.
On
the sample paper there are FOUR tasks but you will have
a choice from THREE only.
The
choices are;
- A letter to a politician arguing a point of view and persuading.
- Thought for today delivered to early morning listeners.
- The text of an advertisement selling Gormenghast - persuasive
writing
- A letter of response arguing a point of view.
(Please
see The Sample Paper for the full questions)
IMPORTANT
The
purpose in answering on the Functional task is to display
your ability to write fluently and convincingly in a
variety of different styles or registers.
Therefore
before you write think through the following process;
- What is the purpose I'm trying to achieve?
- Who is my audience going to be?
- What style of writing (or register) will I adopt in order to achieve
my purpose most effectively?
Look
again at the Functional Tasks above. Think out your
answers to each of these questions. Now practise doing
them.
SAMPLE
ANSWER
Question
B - TEXT 4 EXPLORING OUR WORLD
Dear
Sir,
I read with sorrow the letter written "in ever
diminishing hope" and feel I must reply to his condemnation
of the progress of the modern world.
He seems to suggest that scientific experiment
and discovery are merely the child's play of scientists
who have nothing better to do. However, it is these
very same scientists who have painstakingly discovered
real solutions to the many problems and difficulties
that beset mankind.
Take the area of health, for example. One hundred
years ago the mortality rate for young children was
very high, but today it is negligible. Why? The answer
is simple. Scientists in the medical field have worked
to help find cures for diseases such as typhus, cholera
and polio. If they had not then maybe your dissatisfied
letter-writer would not be here to complain. So, instead,
let him be thankful!
The writer's view that science has ruined our
sense of wonder is a bit romantic, I think. If you look
at the night sky through the Hubble Telescope (designed,
I believe, by scientists) you will see the most wonderful
array of galaxies invisible to the naked eye.
And
as to breathing clean air! Well there is very little
of that at present and unlike the writer I live in hope
that the clever scientists will come up with a solution
to pollution so that we can all continue to benefit
from progress.
(240
words)
Yours sincerely,
English
Higher
