AQA GCSE English Language Specification Aweyvalley.dorset.sch.uk/For the students/English Website Materials... · AQA GCSE English Language Specification A Exam Practice: Paper 1

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© This resource may be copied or used only by the purchasing institution.

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CCoonntteennttss 11 OOvveerrvviieeww 33 22 EExxaamm tteecchhnniiqquueess ffoorr bbootthh sseeccttiioonnss 44 Section A Section B 33 PPllaannnniinngg 66 Why should I plan? How should I plan? 44 WWrriittiinngg ttoo aarrgguuee,, ppeerrssuuaaddee aanndd aaddvviissee 55 AAuuddiieennccee aanndd ppuurrppoossee 1111 66 FFoorrmmaatt 1122 Formal letters Informal letters Articles for magazines Articles for newspapers – tabloid and broadsheet Leaflets Speeches 77 PPrraaccttiiccee ppaappeerrss 1199 Higher Level paper Key to Section A Sample answer for Question A Examiner’s comments on sample answer Foundation Level paper GGlloossssaarryy 3344 TTeeaacchheerrss’’ nnootteess 3355 KKeeyy ttoo eexxeerrcciisseess 3366 Acknowledgements We are grateful to the Co-op for permission to reproduce their press release ‘Sales of Fairtrade Chocolate Set to Double’ (page 19) and to People and Planet and Oxfam for permission to reproduce their Trade Justice leaflet (pages 21–2 and separate PDF file).


11 OOvveerrvviieeww This resource will help you to prepare for Paper 1 and give you hints on how to tackle the exam. To do well in exams, you need a combination of perspiration and inspiration and this guide will help you to put in a bit of both so that you can dazzle the examiner with your knowledge and exam expertise. So let’s start off with a brief overview of Paper 1. Words in bold will be explained in the glossary at the end of this resource.

Both Foundation and Higher Papers consist of Section A (marked for reading only) and Section B (marked for writing only) with equal marks for each section. There is no choice in Section A (i.e. you must answer all the questions) but in Section B you choose one out of three or four questions. The time given is on the front of both papers (1 hour and 45 minutes) and you are told on the front of the paper how long to spend on each section. Take note of their guidelines: they are there to help you.

Section A Section A is the Reading section of the paper. On both Foundation and Higher, you are advised to spend about an hour on this section. You will be given two or more pieces of non-fiction or a media text. These could consist of:

newspaper articles items from the internet letters extracts from a biography travel writing

an advertisement a charity appeal a leaflet an encyclopaedia entry

You may be given a visual stimulus – a photograph, cartoon, etc.– and be asked to comment on that too. The questions in Section A are designed to test your understanding of what you have read. You need to show that you can show how form and style help writers to get their ideas across, and that you understand how writers use different techniques to persuade us that their ideas are valid and worth supporting. Section B Section B is the Writing section of the paper. You should spend an hour on this section for the Foundation Paper and 45 minutes for the Higher Paper. You are given a choice of tasks which test your ability to argue, persuade and advise. Only choose one of these tasks. Do not under any circumstances attempt all of them! You will be offered a variety of different forms to write in which could consist of:

a newspaper or

magazine article a letter – formal or

informal

a leaflet, concentrating on the text a report a speech

Section B assesses your ability to write clearly and accurately, with an awareness of purpose and audience. On both Foundation and Higher, you are invited to write about two pages in your exam book – depending obviously on the size of your writing.

I have a dream …


22 EExxaamm tteecchhnniiqquueess ffoorr bbootthh sseeccttiioonnss

Exams are a bit like football tournaments. Was Greece the best team playing in Euro 2004? Probably not, but somehow

by a mixture of preparation, technique and performing well on the day, they came out on

top. Exams are similar – it’s not always the best students who get the best marks. How often do you come out of an exam feeling that you haven’t done yourself justice? You’ve run out of time or you just haven’t planned your game properly? Worst case scenario – almost into

injury time ten minutes before the end of the exam, you realise that you’ve made a mistake? This section will help you to avoid those problems by preparing you with the right equipment, mental attitude and skills to tackle this exam. Nothing takes the place of hard work through your GCSE years and some solid revision before the exam. But read the notes below and you should be able to perform on the day and get the result you deserve.

Top tips

Bring the right equipment for the exam. Manage your time properly.

Make sure you know how to get Reading marks in Section A and Writing marks in Section B

Essential exam equipment

pens – in the plural just in case one runs out pencils a ruler

a watch highlighter pen or pens – for annotating the text

Remember: you can’t take a dictionary into the exam – a good reason to work on your spelling! Time management 1 The exam board and the examiners are kind to you – believe it or not: they want to give you marks.

One of the ways they help you is by telling you on each paper exactly how long they think you should spend on each section. Use that information as your guideline.

2 Use the time when you are being seated in the exam to read the information on the front of the paper. There is useful time information (and other information) on the front of the paper.

3 Make use of your watch. Be strict with yourself. Don’t let yourself go over time on one section of the paper – once your time is up, finish that section quickly and move on to the next one.

4 In Section A, do some quick mathematics to make sure that you’re spending more time on the questions with more marks. Generally speaking, spend twice as long on the questions with eight marks than on those with four.

5 Before you divide the time up, subtract five minutes for reading right through the paper and ten for checking at the end. It is not a good idea to write up to the deadline – you’ll pick up more marks in ten minutes checking through your work at the end than you will in ten minutes’ worth of writing.

6 If you run out of time to check your work (and you won’t if you’ve followed all of the advice above), concentrate on Section B rather than on Section A, because that’s where the writing marks are.

AAccttiivviittyy 11:: TTiimmee mmaannaaggeemmeenntt

Look at the list above and try to remember one word which sums up the advice in the point made. Then visualise it as an object. For example, you might decide that point 3 is best summed up as a clock. Now imagine those six objects on a tray in front of you. Then see if you can remember them – and if this helps to bring back the exam tip being made. It may help you to make a sentence using the first letters of each word – it really works for some students.


Answering Reading questions You will get reading marks by showing that you –

can understand the implicit as well as the explicit meaning of a text

are able to pick out the main points understand how writers use different

techniques to get their ideas across realise that graphics – photographs,

illustrations, etc. – can tell a story can compare two pieces of writing,

identifying similarities and differences can answer the question, the whole question

and nothing but the question can support answers with textual reference.

Do this by doing the following:

Read through the material quickly once. Read the questions. Highlight information relevant to the answer.

You could colour-code different questions. Use the mark scheme as a guide to how

much to write. For ten marks, you’ll need ten ‘hits’ in terms of correct answers.

Use the question bullet points as subheadings in your answers to help you answer all parts of the question – especially for Foundation papers.

Include exactly what has been requested. You get marks for answering the questions on the paper, not the ones you wanted to find there.

Quote evidence from the text selectively to support your ideas: just copy a word or phrase to illustrate your point, inside quotation marks (‘…’). Don’t quote chunks of text in the hope that the answer will be in there somewhere. This wastes time and shows that you don’t really know the answer.

Make the point once: don’t say it again in different ways. You only get the marks once.

Remember, there are no writing marks for this section of the paper, so don’t waste time on your writing style. A list of points may get the information across to the examiner quickly. You needn’t always write full sentences.

Answering Writing questions You will get the writing marks by –

answering the right number of questions writing the right amount using information from Section A to answer

the questions in Section B when appropriate planning your work carefully writing in the correct format being aware of audience and purpose.

You should do the following:

Read the instructions very carefully Write at least two pages in the answer book Make sensible use of the information in

Section A. When the examiner writes on the

paper, ‘You may use some of the information from Section A,’ it’s a coded way of saying that you should do so. But you won’t gain marks by copying lengthy passages. Adapt the information for your own purposes.

Plan – this is such an important part of exam technique that it is dealt with in its own section below.

Write a letter if you’ve been asked for a letter, a speech if asked for a speech, and so on. The layout and format of types of writing is dealt with in Section 6, page 16.

Check that you understand ‘audience and purpose’ – see Section 5, page 14.

AAccttiivviittyy 22:: QQuuiicckk qquuiizz

Read all the advice on Section A and then answer the questions below: 1 What percentage of the marks on Section A are for writing? 2 Why should you only use a word or short phrase to illustrate your answers? 3 How many times should you read through the text? 4 What does ‘comparing’ two texts mean? 5 How many times should you make the same point in your answer?


33 PPllaannnniinngg During the time you’ve been writing your GCSE coursework, your teachers have probably encouraged you to look at different methods of planning and drafting your material. It may be that either one or the other suits your writing style better, or you may have got into the habit of using both.

AAccttiivviittyy:: PPllaannnniinngg Fill in the table below and then compare your answers with those which follow.

Planning Drafting

What do you understand by planning? What do you understand by drafting?

What are the advantages of planning for homework/coursework?

What are the advantages of drafting for homework/coursework?

What are the disadvantages of planning for homework/coursework?

What are the disadvantages of drafting for homework/coursework?

Your answers may look something like this:

Planning Drafting What do you understand by planning? 1 Thinking about what I’m going to write before

I write it 2 Having something in note form on paper

before I write 3 Sorting out those notes into some sort of

order by linking ideas so that I can form a paragraph plan

What do you understand by drafting? 1 Not planning very much before I write, just

getting my ideas down 2 Producing something I can work with and

then fiddling about with it or editing: changing things, adding things, etc.

3 Writing up a final version


Why plan for homework/coursework? 1 It helps me to get my ideas down onto paper

– gets over the ‘blank paper leads to panic’ syndrome.

2 It orders my ideas. 3 It means that I don’t miss anything out. It might in the long run save me time.

Why draft for homework/coursework? 1 I like to get my ideas down on paper – it

helps me to be creative and flow. 2 My teacher can look at a first version and

make suggestions. 3 My final version will be improved. 4 Planning is boring and I don’t see the point.

What are the disadvantages of planning for homework/coursework? 1 It takes time. 2 Sometimes I don’t know what I want to write

until I start. 3 It stops me from being creative.

What do you think are the disadvantages of drafting for homework/coursework? 1 It’s fine if you work on a computer but too

time-consuming if you’re doing it by hand. 2 Writing up drafts is boring, so I make more

silly mistakes than in the original.

Now think about the exam situation and ask yourself the second two questions:

Planning Drafting Why plan in the exam?

Why draft in the exam?

What are the disadvantages of planning in the exam?

What are the disadvantages of drafting in the exam?

Your answers should look like this:

Planning Drafting Why plan in the exam? 1 I won’t miss anything out. 2 My answers will be easy to read, so it will be

easy for the examiner to give me marks. 3 It might take some time but this is good

thinking time – and therefore. 4 It might save me time in the long run.

Why draft in the exam? It would be the same advantages as with coursework BUT

What are the disadvantages of planning in the exam? There aren’t any marks for planning – the examiner just marks the final answer.

What are the disadvantages of drafting in the exam? I WON’T HAVE TIME!


Why plan? I hope you agree that although drafting might be a good way of approaching coursework, there really won’t be time to do it in the exam. Your first draft must be your final draft, so planning is going to be essential. Some students resist the idea of planning for all the reasons that you’ve probably thought of. The problem is that there won’t be time to do a draft in the exam and the chances are that if you attempt to write without any planning, you will miss things out, your work will become muddled,

and it will be hard for the examiner to award you the marks. The mark scheme rewards you for ‘communications and organisation’, and you will communicate better if you organise what you write. There are no marks in the mark scheme for planning, but examiners complain in their exam reports that candidates show too little evidence of it. Give them what they want to see. After all, on the front of the paper it says: ‘Do all rough work in your answer book. Cross through any work you do not want marked.’

___________________________________________________________________________________ How should I plan? The simple answer is that you have to find a method that suits you. It may be that you like to start with a simple idea in the middle of a page and then add ideas to it linking in more ideas as you go. You may prefer to jot ideas down in a long line and then fiddle about with them until they make sense. Whichever method you choose, it has to be one which suits you. It also has to be a method that suits the question that you’ve been given – you may find it easier to approach different questions in different ways. Look at the following question. ‘Your college or school intends to ban students from doing part-time work. Write a letter to your Principal or Head Teacher arguing either for or against students doing part-time work. You could use any of the following methods to get some ideas down on paper:

Method one – link words Write the key words of the title down and let your thoughts flow down onto the paper: Part-time work – lots of money – work experience – time-consuming – can’t do coursework – social life – time for friends – self-esteem – money to waste? – clothes – clubbing – have to give up other things – up to me how I spend my time – looks good on CV – no time for football – family important – means more independence – more responsible with money – saving. You can probably think of other ideas but this will do for now. You should already see clear advantages and disadvantages and you may now decide to order them further. Two columns would be useful. The table below already provides an outline. In this case, there are more advantages than disadvantages so it might be better to argue from that viewpoint. You will see how to use disadvantages to strengthen your argument in Section 4, page 10, below.

Advantages Disadvantages

Gives me money to spend on things I want Time-consuming

Makes me more independent of my parents Have to give up other things

Good work experience – could tie in with my course

School work might suffer

Will make me responsible for things – start saving

Good for my self-esteem


Method 2 – Spidergrams Start by putting the key word in the middle of the page. Then add ideas as you did in the first method:

Then you can add ideas to flesh out your arguments: clothes football training holidays less reliant on parents ••• Will take time but help me to organise time ••• Looks good on CV ••• Will help me to be responsible ••• Watch too much telly anyway ••• Job training and work experience ••• Better to be constructive You could add disadvantages to strengthen your argument but you’ve done half of the planning already. Other methods You may find another planning method which helps you to get ideas down and order them. Some students make their central idea the middle of a flower, with the ideas coming off as petals. Find a method that works for you so that you can write your answer with a clear idea of what you want to say and how to say it.

Whichever method you use to generate ideas, it’s always a good idea to have a paragraph plan before you start writing. This is just what it sounds like – a numbered list of paragraphs telling you what order to write in.

Part-time work

Time

Money

Learning to be responsible

Social life

Part-time work

Money Social

life

time Learning to be

responsible

Need to go out, etc. Friends important


Ordering your arguments So, you’ve worked out what you want to say and how to support your answer with arguments. Now, what order should you write them in? The first paragraph, whatever the question, should always be an introduction. Rather than launch into your first argument, you need to introduce the examiner to the ideas that you’re going to develop. Likewise the last paragraph should be a conclusion – one that sums up and rounds off your idea. How you order the paragraphs in the middle is really up to you but it’s a good idea if you can to link them together through the topic sentence (the first sentence of each paragraph) so that the arguments follow in a logical sequence. The paragraph plan for the question on part-time work (page 9) might look a little like this: 1 Introduction 2 Money – personal needs, personal freedom 3 Time – organising myself 4 Responsibility – job opportunities, work

experience, punctuality, etc. 5 Social life – how to fit job in with my lifestyle 6 Conclusion Or, if you decide to use topic sentences to organise your paragraphs:

1 Introduction 2 ‘Young people today clearly have spending

needs and should be allowed to exercise the freedom to earn and manage that money.’

3 ‘With the many demands on a young person’s time, it is vital that at an early age, they learn to manage the time that they have available to them for social, academic and other activities.’

4 ‘Part-time work will develop in young people the skills that are needed for the work place.’

5 All academic work and no play makes this Jill a very dull girl.

6 Conclusion You may argue that this process will take up time. But it will also save you writing time. Instead of having to stop every five minutes to think about what to write next how to organise it in paragraphs, that part of the work is already done for you. This is a DIY paragraphing kit. Your arguments will be logical and ordered and, more importantly, will be apparent to the examiner, making it easier for him or her to give you the marks. As for the time factor, with practice, the whole planning process shouldn’t take more than five minutes – ten at the outside. You will more than save that time in the writing process. Remember that the writing process consists of three equally important stages:

1 Planning 2 Writing 3 Checking

AAccttiivviittyy 33:: WWrriittiinngg aa ppeerrssuuaassiivvee lleetttteerr

Your school or college wants to limit students in their use of email. Write the plan for a letter to your head teacher or principal, arguing the benefits of email for students.


44 WWrriittiinngg ttoo aarrgguuee,, ppeerrssuuaaddee aanndd aaddvviissee Whichever task you do in Section B of the paper (remember – you only have to do one) it will involve writing to argue and persuade. Two-thirds of Section B marks are for how well you argue, so spend time working out how to make your writing persuasive. The tips below will help:

Some questions in Section B will be based on what you read in Section A. Make sure you use the information that they give you.

This includes being very clear whether you have been asked to give one or both sides of the argument – on the paper. You will probably be given the opportunity to do both.

You needn’t agree with the case you’re arguing but you have to sound as if you do.

Mix opinions with supporting evidence. Opinions alone are not persuasive.

Careful planning is essential so that you can build up your arguments, from easy ones to more complex. The examiner is trying to give you the marks. Make it easy by structuring your work.

Writing a persuasive argument is like being in a boxing match. Use the 1–2–3 technique. You can make a stronger case by acknowledging that there is an equal and opposite argument to the one you’re proposing. The technique is:

••• Here is my first blow in the match – my argument.

••• Here is the counterargument – where I take the blow on the chin.

••• Here is my knockout punch – where I show that my argument is the stronger.

A simple example looks like this: ‘Animals should not be used in testing because it is cruel and unnecessary. Some people argue that it is essential for the development of science but it has been proved repeatedly that most animals are not similar enough to us genetically for those tests to be valid.’

Don’t be afraid to be controversial. The examiner will be marking hundreds of scripts and will pleased to find an original one. Keep your work lively by varying sentence structure, using questions, quotations and opinions to vary the tone, and using humour when appropriate.

Use topic sentences to begin each paragraph to keep your ideas clear and on track.

Make moderate use of emotive language, but don’t get carried away by the power of your own rhetoric. If you watch politicians on television, the best speakers remain in control of their material.

Don’t overuse ‘I think’ or ‘I believe’. Definitive phrases such as ‘This is simply untrue’ can be very effective.

Signpost your argument with marker phrases: ••• For introducing arguments with which you

disagree – ••• ‘Some people may think …’ ‘It could be

argued that …’ ‘It is often said …’ ••• Giving your opinion –

••• ‘It is my belief …’ ‘I disagree …’ ••• ‘This argument does not convince

everyone …’ Use linking phrases and words to hold your

arguments together: consequently, on the other hand, however, therefore, even so, nevertheless, in spite of this.

AAccttiivviittyy 44:: TTrruuee oorr ffaallssee??

1 One third of the marks in Section B are for arguing your case effectively. 2 If asked to argue one side of a debate, it’s best to pretend that there is only one side. 3 You don’t need to plan this kind of answer. 4 The topic sentence is usually the first sentence of each paragraph. 5 You should support your ideas with evidence when possible. 6 The more passionately you write, the better your answer is likely to be. 7 You should use marker phrases to show which way your argument is going. 8 Some questions in Section B are based on the reading material in Section A.


55 AAuuddiieennccee aanndd ppuurrppoossee To get the marks on Paper 1, keep two key words in mind – audience and purpose. What do they mean? Well, it helps if you remember them in the form of two questions: Who? and Why? Audience – Who? The audience of a piece of writing is who it has been written for. We usually think of an audience as people who go to view a film or a play and, in fact, we all develop a sense of audience in spoken language, changing the way we speak depending on who we’re talking to. Imagine that you’ve just discovered a ‘non-smoking’ friend having a cigarette behind the bike sheds. How would you tell another friend about that? ‘Hey, guess what, I’ve just copped Dopey Dave like having a quick smoke up by the back of the bikes. Didn’t think he pulled on the weed.’ But if you report the incident to your head teacher, your language will be rather different:

‘Excuse me, Miss/Sir, but I’m sorry to report that I’ve just noticed David Fag concealed behind the bike shed having an illicit cigarette.’ Think of the expressions you use to talk to your peer group about someone who has overindulged in alcohol. Then think how you might change them if you were talking to a parent or teacher. Students often lose marks by not being aware of their audience – by using inappropriate slang or making the language too informal. For example, the 2004 Higher paper asked candidates to write a letter to the Head Teacher or Principal about Saturday jobs. Here, you would need to use a formal tone – no slang or abbreviations – just clear, persuasive and unambiguous language. There are many ways to divide up an audience – for example, age, sex, interests. The exam will test whether you are addressing that audience.

AAccttiivviittyy 55:: AAuuddiieennccee Look at the following question: ‘Write an article for a teenage magazine in which you advise young people on what to

consider when choosing a course.’ Make a note below of who the audience is and how you might make your writing appropriate:

My audience is …

Therefore I would need to make my writing …

I would need to avoid …

I would need to include …


For Activity 5 (page 12) your table might look something like this: My audience is Students – people like me!

And therefore I would need to make my writing

Interesting to people like me.

I would need to avoid Language that sounds stuffy. The sort of language that my friends and I wouldn’t use – things that sound pompous . But – it’s an exam so I need to be careful – not swear, etc! Language, ideas, information and examples that I think might be regional – this needs to be general.

I would need to include Lively language. Words that mean something to me and people like me. Advice that is appropriate to both sexes.

Purpose – Why?The purpose of a piece of writing is why it’s been written. Has it been written to give you some information, to amuse or entertain you? To make you part with some money for a product, a cause or a charity or to make you carry out a specific action? Maybe it’s been written to bring you round to a certain way of thinking or even to shock you into some sort of action.

You will be given a variety of tasks in Section B of the paper and each task will make it quite clear what the purpose of that task is, usually in bold. Be quite certain of the purpose of each one before you decide which to answer – it will help you to make the right choice.

Go APE Before we finish this section, remember that Audience and Purpose are really important for Paper 2 because an understanding of –

Audience and Purpose helps you judge Effectiveness.

Audience + Purpose = Effectiveness

Remember the APE!


66 FFoorrmmaatt Section B of the paper tests your ability to argue, persuade or advise. So far, so good, but you will also need to be aware of the different formats to write in and how to reproduce them. Some of the most common are

letters – usually formal, sometimes informal articles – for magazines articles for a newspaper – tabloid or

broadsheet the text for leaflets a speech

Let’s go through them one by one. 1 Formal letters Exam paper often ask you to write a letter. They are quite easy if you follow the tips below. Put your address (but not your name) in the top right-hand corner 1 Leave a line and put the date underneath –

day, month and year – and leave a line 2 On the left-hand side, write exactly what you

would write on the envelope; e.g.: Mr D Brown Managing Director Little Box Company Shepperton Road Swindon SN8 9IK

3 If you don’t know the name of the person

you’re writing to, write ‘Dear Sir or Madam’ (with no e on the end – it spells the same

backwards as forwards) of ‘Dear Sirs’. 4 Make it clear in the opening paragraph why

you’re writing. State your intentions clearly. 5 Use formal language: be clear and detailed

and give reasons. Keep paragraphs fairly short.

6 Aim for a minimum of three paragraphs. Separate them with a line space – don’t indent. Try to link them with reasons.

7 Make sure that the final paragraph – the conclusion – packs a bit of a punch. Sum up the points you’ve made briefly. If it’s a letter of complaint, use the final paragraph to state exactly what action you want taken.

8 Close the letter properly. Letters which start ‘Dear Sir or Madam’ (or variations) end with ‘Yours faithfully’. Letters starting with ‘Dear Mr Brown’ end ‘Yours sincerely’. Remember: the ‘s’ on ‘sir’ and ‘sincerely’ do not go together!

2 Informal letters You are less likely to be asked to write one of those, but be prepared. You still need to put your address on the right-hand side and the date, but you don’t need to put in the address of the person you’re writing to on the right. Start the letter ‘Dear’ whoever it is and you can finish with any more informal ending that you think is appropriate: ‘With best wishes’, ’Regards’, etc. You may even want to finish ‘Love from …’ (but don’t treat the examiner to a long line of xxx kisses!).

AAccttiivviittyy 66:: WWrriittiinngg aa lleetttteerr

Consider the following question. ‘Your youth club has arranged a trip which you’ve been looking forward to. It could be to a sporting event, an ice rink, a tourist attraction, or something else. You’ve paid for your ticket and now a friend has dropped out, leaving you to go alone. Write to another friend to persuade him or her to go with you.’

Highlight the key words in the title. Now, referring to the work that you have done on planning, spend five minutes producing a paragraph plan for this question.


3 Magazine articles These are becoming increasingly popular for exam questions, mainly because examiners can use them to test the students’ understanding of audience. They are different from newspaper articles in that they tend to have a very specific audience (for example ‘write an article for a teenage magazine’) and a very specific

purpose which is not usually to do with news. They can often be more in-depth than newspaper articles and have more than one focus, leading you to use subheadings and shorter paragraphs. It is important to pull out the key words from the question so that you make sure you are giving the examiner exactly what he or she wants.

4 Newspaper articlesAgain, this is something which you are often asked to do on exam papers and you can expect one of the options in Section B to be a newspaper article. Similarly you are very likely to be asked to analyse one or more newspaper articles in Section A. One thing you need to be very clear about is the difference between a tabloid and a broadsheet newspaper.

The terms ‘broadsheet’ and ‘tabloid’ tend to refer to national rather than local newspapers and basically the differentiation between them is by size. Broadsheets, as the name implies, are papers like the Guardian which have broad sheets; tabloids are newspapers like the Sun which have a smaller format.

AAccttiivviittyy 77:: WWrriittiinngg aa mmaaggaazziinnee aarrttiiccllee You have been asked to write an article for a teenage magazine focusing on changes

in fashion in the last five years. Highlight the key words in the title. Referring to the work that you have done on planning, spend five minutes producing a paragraph plan for this question.

AAccttiivviittyy 88:: TTaabbllooiiddss aanndd bbrrooaaddsshheeeettss Using the knowledge that you have about newspapers, place the following national

newspapers in the correct column: the Daily Mail, the Telegraph, the Sunday Mirror, the Observer, the Express, the Daily Star, The Times, the Sunday Times, the Daily Mirror.

Tabloid Broadsheet


Newspaper content All newspapers have to sell to stay in business and they survive by appealing to different markets. Broadsheets tend to be more serious, even stuffy. They have hard news stories and deal in depth with domestic and foreign news. There is little gossip: pop and soap stars get very little coverage. Headlines are small in proportion to the amount of text as are photographs and usually the English is well constructed and follows a logical pattern. Tabloid newspapers appeal to people who read newspapers more for entertainment than information. They often have sensational front pages with huge headlines, large photos

and splashes of colour. The language is often dramatic or playful. Editors delight in playing with the English language – they use alliteration, word plays and puns, give personalities nicknames (e.g. Posh ’n’ Becks) and fill the paper with stories that will sell, such as romance and world exclusives. There is little hard news, and little or no current affairs or foreign news. Editors often take a strong stance on an item of topical or controversial interest – asylum seekers, football hooligans, David Beckham’s hair. The use of English is generally limited, with short sentences and paragraphs, a restricted vocabulary and a liberal use of exclamation marks.

AAccttiivviittyy 99:: TTaabbllooiidd cchhaarraacctteerriissttiiccss Read the list of features of tabloid and broadsheet newspapers and then put them into

the appropriate column in the table below: Large pages – dramatic and emotive language – scandal – detailed articles – short paragraphs – smaller print size – large headlines – use of bold colour – gimmicks and games – word play – political background – detailed foreign news – focus on personalities – factual and largely unbiased reporting – lots of subheadings – large dramatic photographs – controlled use of language – simple sentence structure – nicknames – sophisticated vocabulary.

Broadsheet Tabloid

TToopp ttiippss oonn wwrriittiinngg nneewwssppaappeerr aarrttiicclleess:: Know whether you’re writing for a tabloid or a broadsheet – this gives you your audience Try to give an idea of the appropriate layout – you could write in columns. Draw in a square for where photos might go and put in a caption but don’t under any

circumstances waste time drawing – this is an English, not an art exam! Use a lively snappy style for a tabloid and a more serious style for a broadsheet.. Use the first paragraph to give the outlines of the story. Include the five key ‘W’ questions – what happened, where, when, why, and to whom. Use quotations for human interest which will be written in direct speech. Use the final paragraph to sum up and round off the story.


5 Leaflets You will probably not be asked to write a whole leaflet but you may be asked to write the text. You may also be asked to comment on a leaflet in Section A, so be prepared for that too. How to approach a leaflet in Section A 1 Remember the APE – think about audience

and purpose 2 Think about the layout as well as the texts.

Designers try hard to attract your attention with the front cover, grab you with the inside and use the back page for maximum effect.

3 Design is important. Look at how graphics have been used as well as colour. Even font choice is important. How have bullet points been used?

4 In an English exam, the text is clearly the most important element. Think hard about how vocabulary has been used to get the message across. Go back to the first point – is the vocabulary used suitable for the audience and the purpose? Does it do what it’s trying to achieve? Is the vocabulary working hard enough?

Writing for a leaflet in Section B 1 Bear all the above points in mind but 2 You are probably going to be asked to

produce the text only, so 3 Don’t waste lots of time on fancy design. 4 Concentrate on the text.

6 Speeches Generally speaking, it is very hard to write a speech. Ask any politician – they pay someone to do it. It might be better to avoid these questions unless you really don’t like the look of the alternative. One of the reasons it is difficult you probably know already – you will have spent time on your GCSE course looking at the differences in written and spoken English. In fact your teacher has probably told you many times

already not to write as you speak, unless you are doing a very specific task like writing dialogue for a story or a script or inventing a quote for a newspaper article. Now you’re being asked to do just that – to write down a speech, so in some ways, the task doesn’t make much sense. However, if you do decide to choose this question, the box on page 18 shows what you’ll need to bear in mind.

AAccttiivviittyy 1100:: WWrriittiinngg aa lleeaafflleett You have been asked to write the text for a leaflet on Health and Safety around your

school or college. It is to be aimed at students and should be informative and lively. Highlight the key words in the question. Then write some notes showing what you would include and give examples of the kind of language you think would be appropriate.


The pages which follow give practice papers.

AAccttiivviittyy 1111:: SSppeeeecchheess –– ttrruuee oorr ffaallssee Decide whether the following statements are true or false:

1 Writing speeches is a nice easy option in the exam. 2 A speech should sound like something someone would actually say. 3 You don’t need to plan a speech. 4 A speech has no formal structure. 5 You don’t need to think about purpose when you’re writing a speech. 6 It may be effective to use a mixture of tones when writing a speech. 7 It’s a good idea to have the nub of the speech in your head in one sentence. 8 You might need to use a lot of apostrophes in writing speeches. 9 Repeating phrases and key words is often a good rhetorical device to use. 10 A rhetorical question is a real question and therefore needs a question mark.

TToopp ttiippss ffoorr wwrriittiinngg ssppeeeecchheess It’s best to have some views on the subject and use the information that you’re given in Section

A to back up your argument. As always, think about your Audience – who is the speech aimed at? As always, think about your Purpose – what are you trying to achieve? You should be able to finish this sentence: ‘This speech is intended to persuade people that …’

(e.g. that smoking should be banned in public places, that fishing is a cruel sport). Having decided on your purpose and your argument, you need to decide on your tone – should

the speech be humorous, aggressive, motivating, emotional – or a combination of lots of tones? Your speech will need to be planned using the hints in the planning section. If you don’t plan

your speech, it will come out like a shopping list and have as much merit. Think about rhetorical devices – methods used to make speech more persuasive, including:

o rhetorical questions – e.g. ‘Is it fair that the defenceless fox is hunted in this way?’ o addressing your audience directly (‘when was the last time you found yourself inhaling

someone else’s smoke with your meal?’) o balancing fact and opinion and using lots of examples o structuring your speech well with a beginning which introduces the topic, a middle that

develops it and a conclusion that summarises it and makes a final impact. You can also make an impact by repeating key words frequently and repeating important

phrases with variations: ‘You cannot enjoy a meal with smoke being blown into your face; you cannot work in a smoky atmosphere; you cannot enjoy life if you live in fear of the dangers of passive smoking.’ Three is considered the key number for repetition and you can impress the examiner with your use of semicolons between linked and repeated phrases.

Finally, try to ‘hear the speech in your head’ as you write it. You can’t try it out loud in an exam, unless you want to be thrown out, but you can imagine what it will sound like when spoken. Remember that when we speak, we use contractions (isn’t, I’ve, etc. – always with the apostrophe) but sometimes in formal speech writing, you may like to write things out in full for emphasis. Above all, you need to produce something that you can imagine a person would actually say.


PRACTICE HIGHER EXAM PAPER – SOURCES

Item 1 – Internet News Release (November 2003)

Sales of Fairtrade Chocolate Set to Double

UK sales of ethically produced chocolate are set to double following the announcement today that the Co-op supermarket is switching its entire range of own-brand chocolate bars to Fairtrade in 2,400 stores nationwide. The move will put pressure on multinational chocolate manufacturers who are still reeling over allegations that the exploitation of global trade is encouraging child slavery in the remote cocoa-growing communities of West Africa. The Co-op’s groundbreaking deal, struck with the Ghanaian cocoa co-operative, Kuapa Kokoo, which supplies some of the best quality cocoa in the world, will:

• guarantee a fair price for their cocoa harvest – above the average and one that covers the cost of production and a basic living wage

• provide schools, water wells and vital medical facilities for impoverished communities

• start a race amongst major UK supermarket groups anxious to demonstrate that they care.

Last year the major multinational chocolate manufacturers which account for around 80 per cent of the UK’s chocolate produced came under fire when a BBC investigation revealed the presence of child slave labour in West Africa. The industry was forced to admit that it had little control over the labour conditions or monitoring them. Living in remote forest villages, West African growers supply almost 70% of the world’s cocoa beans – the main ingredient in our favourite indulgence, chocolate. The UK consumes more confectionery than any other country in the world. Expenditure on chocolate

alone is almost £4 billion and each Briton spends an average of £63 a year on chocolate. Yet due to wildly fluctuating world prices and ruthless middlemen trading in cocoa, many West African growers live in poverty, often earning less than £170 per year. Ironically many of then have never even tasted the chocolate their cocoa is used to make. Fairtrade means UK organisations like the Co-op can cut out the middlemen, deal direct with growers and guarantee a fair price for their produce. The scheme also pays a social premium to help fund vital community projects. Kuapa Kokoo currently sells around 650 tonnes of cocoa under the Fairtrade scheme. The Co-op move will mean a 30 per cent increase in Kuapa’s Fairtrade sales – providing enough funds to allow them to send 164,000 children to primary school and build new wells to supply 25 entire villages, if all the money was spent this way. If the Co-op’s move goes according to plan, sales of Fairtrade chocolate in the UK will double, jumping from £3 million to £6 million, and if other supermarkets followed the Co-op’s Fairtrade, as they have in the past, commercial manufacturers would have to bow to commercial pressure. The Co-op’s Terry Hudghton said, ‘The Co-op will continue to increase our other Fairtrade lines but we’ve made chocolate our primary focus because of the obscene contrast between the pleasure derived from eating it and the suffering that can go into supplying its key ingredient. Now that all the Co-op’s own-label chocolate bars are switching to Fairtrade, customers can help stamp out the abuse of some of the world’s most exploited workers – simply by eating chocolate.’


Item 2 The Rectory

Chalfont St Millicent Buckinghamshire

AM43 8KM

The Editor 25.12.04 The Chalfont Times 23 Grub St Chalfont Buckinghamshire AM16 7YT Dear Sirs, I read with interest a recent press release from the Co-op about their plans to stock only Fairtrade chocolate and I would like to use the good offices of your newspaper columns to make a few important points. Being, as I am, a man of the cloth, much of my time is taken up with charity work and although the area in which I live is relatively affluent, I do much of my work in the inner city areas of London, where I see on a regular, even daily, basis people who are struggling to make ends meet, to feed their families and to make the best of their lot in life. I am constantly impressed with the resourcefulness of the families on low incomes, single parent families and those where the head of the family is unemployed or on benefit, as they juggle their finances and attempt to build a better life for themselves and their children. For such families, a few bars of chocolate at the end of the week is maybe the one luxury they can afford for their children. Therefore having read the article mentioned above, I was shocked to note in my local Co-op the differential in price between Fairtrade chocolate and more conventional brands. For example, Co-op Fairtrade milk chocolate retails at 39p whereas a comparable non-Fairtrade bar retails at 26p – a difference of 33%. Further research revealed that Fairtrade products, which included tea, coffee, bananas, sugar and juice, were on average 42% more expensive than non-Fairtrade brands. I feel that charity should begin at home. People who cannot afford the luxury of shopping ethically do not need to be made to feel embarrassed or small-minded because they cannot afford to pay these inflated prices. If the Co-op feels so strongly about the ethics of the matter, then surely they should be supporting the scheme themselves by subsidising Fairtrade products rather than passing on these outrageous hyped up prices to the consumer? Further research has revealed that not only are we paying over the odds for these ‘ethically produced’ goods but also that the quality leaves more than a little to be desired. The tea and the coffee are both abysmally weak, the biscuits crumble to pieces and the juice is bitty. As a consumer, I demand better. In addition, a little investigation reveals that we are being conned. According to an article in the Observer newspaper in November 2003, many farmers do not see the benefit of Fairtrade prices until a premium is paid at the end of the year – often too late for them to buy seeds for the new harvest. Premiums paid benefit the whole village rather than the individual – fine, you may say, but where is the incentive for individual farmers to improve their productivity and therefore their income? (I think this is a recipe for laziness and complacency.) As a consequence, only 45,000 of Ghana’s two million cocoa farmers belong to co-operatives and sometimes even they are sceptical about what can be achieved. The evidence of child slavery in cocoa plantations is particularly sketchy – I need more facts before I’m convinced. Let the Co-op answer these accusations before they try to make us feel guilty about buying the chocolate that we love. Let me reiterate: charity begins at home. Yours truly Ivan Aero (Reverend)


Item 3 (see separate PDF for full colour version) LEAFLET PAGE 1

Before you finish eating breakfast in the morning, you’ve depended on more than half the world. MARTIN LUTHER KING

Tea, coffee, chocolate, fruit – we all enjoy food grown in the ‘third world’. But with Fairtrade you can make sure that the farmers benefit too.

Fairtrade means that you get high quality foods, carefully selected by the growers themselves.

It also means the farmers get a better deal for their hard work. When you see the Fairtrade Mark on a packet you can be sure:

••• The farmers received a fair price for their product or the workers on the plantations received a fair wage.

••• No child or forced labour was involved. ••• Working conditions were healthy and safe. LEAFLET PAGE 2

BUY Fairtrade SUPPORT Trade Justice

Buying Fairtrade directly helps poor farmers work their way out of poverty. But although Fairtrade already benefits 4.5 million producers worldwide, it’s only a tiny part of global trade.

If trade is to benefit the three billion poor people who today live on less than $2 a day, then all international trade needs to be fair.

The new Trade Justice campaign aims to do just this – to get governments to rewrite the unjust rules that govern global trade so that it starts to work for the poor. And we need your support to make this happen.

Please help make our Government support Trade Justice

TAKE ACTION for Trade Justice

Stick the Fairtrade Mark from the next Fairtrade product you buy onto the opposite postcard, sign it and then send it to the Trade Minister. Please let us know you’ve done this by sending the other postcard to us.


LEAFLET PAGE 3 Dear Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, I’ve taken action for Trade Justice - what about you? I buy foods with the Fairtrade Mark because I think international trade should help people out of poverty, not keep them poor. However consumers like me can only do so much. Unless governments rewrite the rules of world trade, trade will never work for the poor. Please start supporting the aims of the Trade Justice campaign, which calls on world leaders to agree new trade rules that: • allow poor countries to support and protect their vulnerable traders and communities. • allow poor countries to sell more of the things they produce in the markets of rich countries. • control multinational companies, who often exploit poor countries and damage the environment. LEAFLET PAGE 4 Sign up for FREE email updates from People & Planet, the UK’s largest student network campaigning to end world poverty and protect the environment. Yes, I've sent a postcard demanding the Government takes action for Trade Justice. Please send me your free email updates so I can keep in touch with the campaign. Yes, I want to join my local People & Planet group. Please pass on my details so they can tell me about the next meeting. LEAFLET PAGE 5 (BACK PAGE) About Trade Justice Global trade matters. It’s worth US$7,000,000,000,000 each year and could be a massive help to poor countries, enabling them to sell what they make and buy what they need. But today, unjust trade rules are keeping the world’s poor locked in grinding poverty.

Rich countries who break international trade rules cost the poor world more than US$100 billion a year. This is one of the main reasons why half the world – nearly three billion people – live on less than two dollars a day.

International trade is governed by a set of rules agreed by governments. We need rules – but they should be rules that prevent the rich and powerful nations from using their wealth and power unfairly against poor and vulnerable nations.

The Trade Justice Movement is a fast-growing group of organisations including People & Planet and Oxfam – that has been created to campaign for trade rules to be rewritten so they benefit poor people and protect the environment. We are calling on world leaders to:

••• allow poor countries to support and protect their vulnerable traders and communities ••• allow poor countries to sell more of the things they produce in the markets of rich countries ••• write new rules to control large multinational companies, who often exploit poor countries and

damage the environment. Our campaigning to cancel third world debt showed the world that by acting together we can bring about change. By working together on trade in the Trade Justice Movement, we hope to fundamentally change the unjust rules of trade, so that trade is made to work for all.


PRACTICE HIGHER EXAM PAPER

You should spend an hour on Section A and about 45 minutes on Section B.

SECTION A: READING

You should spend about one hour on this section. Read Item 1, an internet article about the Co-op supermarket’s decision to stock Fairtrade chocolate. 1(a) What are the main points the writer uses to support the argument for the Co-op stocking only fairly traded chocolate. (8 marks) Now read Item 2, the letter from the Reverend Ivan Aero. 1(b) Pick out two facts and two opinions from the letter. (4 marks) Look at Item 3, a leaflet produced by Oxfam together with People and Planet. 2(a) What are the main techniques used by the producers of this leaflet to convince you of the benefits of Fairtrade and Trade Justice. (7 marks) (b) In Item 2, how does the Reverend Aero use language to shape the reader’s response? (4 marks) (c) What are the similarities and the differences between Item 3 (the leaflet) and Item 1 (the Internet press release)? (4 marks)


SECTION B – WRITING TO ARGUE, PERSUADE OR ADVISE

Answer one question from this section.

You should spend approximately 45 minutes on this section.

You may use information from Section A if you want to, but you do not have to. If you do use any of the information, do not simply copy it.

EITHER 3 Write a letter to your college or school Governors in which you argue for stocking Fairtrade chocolate in the tuck shop. (27 marks) OR 4 Write the text for a speech in which you

• argue the case for supermarkets to stock only Fairtrade chocolate • persuade people that it’s an issue that they should be interested in (27 marks)

OR 5 Write an article for a teenage magazine in which you give advice to young people on how they can become ethical shoppers. (27 marks) OR 6 Write the text for a leaflet aimed at 15- and 16-year-old students in which you try to persuade them to take a more active role in the their local community. (27 marks)

Remember:

• spend 5 minutes planning and ordering your answer • aim to write at least one side in your answer book • spend 5 minutes checking –

o your paragraphing o your punctuation o your spelling


PRACTICE HIGHER PAPER

KEY TO SECTION A

1a ••• It will guarantee a price for the harvest. ••• Money can be used to provide schools, wells and medical facilities. ••• Other supermarket chains will join in, which may bring prices down in the shops. ••• conditions of cocoa pickers in West Africa are unacceptable – include child labour. ••• There is no control from the west over living conditions. ••• There is no control over prices paid to the grower – they are affected by the world market and the

presence of middle men. ••• Poverty is caused by lack of control over industry. ••• Co-op’s move will mean that the sales of Fairtrade chocolate in the UK will double. ••• It’s a simple way to improve the condition of the cocoa pickers and one that British customers can

take part in by doing what they like doing anyway – eating chocolate. 1b Facts ••• The prices of chocolate. ••• Other Fairtrade products are more expensive. ••• Premiums paid are for the community, not for the individual. ••• There are 2 million cocoa farmers in Ghana and only 45,000 are in co-operatives . Opinions ••• Low income families work hard for their living. ••• Chocolate is the only luxury they can afford. ••• Charity begins at home. ••• People should not be embarrassed if they can’t afford Fairtrade products. ••• The Co-op should pay for the differential in price. ••• We pay too much for the products and the quality is bad. ••• Paying the community rather than the farmer makes individuals lazy. 2a ••• Front cover Use of colour (natural colour of crops?, optimism of colour orange), use of language

and play on words (squeezed, crushed, ground down) ••• Page 1 Quote from Martin Luther King (important historical figure), emphasis on ‘you’, association of

‘farmers’ with ‘hard work’, emphasis on ethical credentials of Fairtrade, plus bullet points. Fairtrade logo to make it instantly recognisable. Picture of full range of products to show large scale movement.

••• Page 2 Introduction of idea of Trade Justice, inclusion of facts and figures (4.5. million producers, three billion, $2). Contrast between ‘just’ and unjust’ and the inclusion of the individual – ‘And we need your support to make this happen). Picked up again in ‘Please’- direct appeal used twice. Action to be taken clearly outlined. Use of logos at bottom of page – hopefully recognisable

••• Page 3 Change of colour (yellow? Colour of optimism and hope but also again earthy colour of crops). Use of ‘I’ – the individual is now directly involved in the campaign. Clear appeal to the individual: ‘I’ve taken action for Trade Justice – what about you?’ Emotional appeal with built-in guilt factor. Use of present tense (I buy, I think) to emphasise that you are now involved. Clear link between ‘consumers like me’ ( the good guys) and governments (the bad guys). Repeated use of ‘please’. Bullet points with ‘poor countries’ repeated three times. Strong language such as ‘exploit’ and ‘vulnerable’.


••• Page 4 Change of colour but still using earth colours with yellow used for contrast. Repetition of ‘yes’ again – very affirmative – and clear actions to take (or assumed to be already taken – ‘I’ve sent a postcard’).

••• Page 5 (back page) About Trade Justice – I think you could argue this is overkill. Facts and figures about trade, but lots of repetition of arguments inside leaflet. Some emotive language – e.g. ‘the world’s poor locked within grinding poverty’. Lots of emphasis on ‘working together’ ‘unjust rules of trade’ and constant repetition (again) of ‘poor countries’.

2b ••• Establishes his credentials as ‘a man of the cloth’. ••• Keeps language fairly moderate (‘constantly impressed’) to start with but builds up to ‘I was shocked’,

‘I demand better’ and later ‘I think this is a recipe for laziness and complacency’ which is quite strong. ••• Uses mainly unsubstantiated opinions ‘the tea and coffee are both abysmally weak, etc.’ and when

he cites sources, they tend to be vague (‘according to an article in the Observer newspaper’). ••• Uses clichés – charity begins at home. ••• Uses repetitions – ‘let me reiterate’. ••• Rather clumsy and pompous expressions (being, as I am, a man of the cloth). ••• Rhetorical questions (‘if the Co-op feels so strongly, etc.’, ‘where in that is the incentive etc.) ••• Overall comes across as all pomp and bluster. The letter’s style reveals more about the writer than

he would probably wish. 2c ••• There is a strong correlation between Item 3 and Item 1in terms of general argument – they are

working from the same principles ••• Both use quotations, but whereas the Co-op press release uses a shop spokesman, the leaflet uses

a well-known historical figure (and martyr?) for impact. ••• They use different facts and figures, basically because the press release is only dealing with

chocolate production whereas the leaflet deals with Fairtrade and trade justice in general. ••• The press release is giving information and the leaflet is trying to change attitudes and make people

act. Therefore: o Item 1 tends to use a non-emotive and factual tone whereas Item 3 uses the devices of

advertising – emotive language, repetition, rhetorical devices. o The layout of Item 1 is unimportant, whereas Item 3 uses all colour, bullet points, tear-off

forms, logos, interesting graphics, etc.


SAMPLE ANSWER – QUESTION 1 16 Woodgate Avenue Chester CH6 7YU 29th December 2004

The Board of Governors, Woodgate Community School Cherseley Rd Chester CH45 9PO Dear Governors

I have been following with interest a debate in the local newspaper concerning Fairtrade products in local supermarkets and I would like to suggest that it would be advantageous for both staff and students if the school tuck shop were to stock some fairly traded items.

Global trade is worth a staggering US$7,000,000,000,000 each year but unjust trade rules mean that nearly three billion people – half the world’s population – live on less than two dollars a day. This is despite the fact that as Martin Luther King said, ‘Before you finish eating breakfast in the morning, you’ve depended on more than half the world’ – and we’re talking about the same half of the world.

Nowhere is this glaring anomaly more apparent than in chocolate production. In Britain, we spend an average of £63 per year on chocolate and yet for the West African growers who can earn as little as £170 a year, chocolate is ironically a luxury that they cannot afford. For these farmers who supply almost 70 per cent of the world’s cocoa beans, working conditions are often terrible. A lack of control over world prices and unscrupulous middlemen who deal in cocoa beans ensure that these workers are trapped into a cycle of poverty from which it is difficult to escape. A recent BBC investigation also revealed the scandal of child slavery in the cocoa plantations and the remoteness of the plantations in some areas mean that little can be done about it.

Yet there is a way out of this. Co-operatives are being set up which ensure that the farmers get a better deal for their work. Already 4.5 million workers worldwide are benefiting from such Fairtrade co-operatives – such co-operatives ensure that no child or forced labour was involved in food production and that working conditions are healthy and safe. Premiums are paid to the whole community rather than the individual, ensuring that everybody benefits – for example the cocoa producing co-operative Kuapa Kokoo in Ghana has just struck a deal with the British supermarket Co-op, which will provide enough funds to ensure that 164,000 children go to primary school and could build wells to supply 25 whole villages. Indeed the Co-op has recently announced that all of its own branded chocolate will be fairly traded and the hope is that other British supermarkets will soon be following suit.

Naturally we must expect to pay more for products which are fairly traded – the average chocolate bar may cost up to 40 per cent more. I am, however, convinced that the majority of students in the school will be happy to pay a little bit more knowing that no child or forced labour has been involved in the production of the chocolate, especially if the school is willing to educate children about these issues before the chocolate is introduced via school assemblies or citizenship. What self-respecting child will be satisfied with a Mars bar when they understand what obscenities have been involved in its production? Indeed with a Fairtrade premium, there is the possibility of added profits for the school tuck shop through the selling of Fairtrade chocolate, money which can be ploughed back into the school.

I do hope that you will consider my request carefully and I would be happy to discuss this matter with you at any time. I look forward to hearing from you to learn how we can work together on this vital issue.

Yours truly,

Bunter (William)


Examiner’s response to sample answer to Question 1 This is a response from a very good candidate. He has used the conventional format of a business letter with the correct layout, etc. The opening paragraph states exactly why he is writing the letter (but without resorting to ‘I am writing …’). The second paragraph puts the letter into an international context by skilfully using information from the leaflet and from the press release. The ground is then prepared to write about chocolate production and the transition between the two paragraphs is smooth. Again the information is mainly taken from the two sources of the leaflet and the press release but put together in such a way that the letter sounds fresh and convincing. Having established what the problem is, he then moves onto the solution, first on a global scale and then in terms of his own school. He uses the Reverend Aero’s arguments but argues well against them – yes, the chocolate will be more expensive but the children will be happy to pay that for a good cause, especially if they are properly educated beforehand. Here he has moved away from the source material to make the subject relevant to his own situation. Realising that he can probably get the Governors behind him through their pockets, he suggests that there will be more money for the school in Fairtrade chocolate. The final paragraph is perhaps a little weak, showing that perhaps he is unsure how to finish a letter – an assumption that he has convinced them and suggestion on how to move forward ‘together’ might have been more effective. His use of vocabulary is good throughout – for example, ‘glaring anomaly’, and he has an awareness of the devices of persuasion which carry his letter through. Technically it is excellent. This teacher would award a middling A star mark for this response and suggest that the boy will go far.


PRACTICE FOUNDATION EXAM PAPER - SOURCES

Item 1

Internet News Release (November 2003)

Sales of Fairtrade Chocolate Set to Double UK sales of ethically produced* chocolate are set to double following the announcement today that the Co-op supermarket is switching its entire range of own-brand chocolate bars to Fairtrade in 2,400 stores nationwide. The Co-op’s groundbreaking deal, struck with the Ghanaian cocoa co-operative, Kuapa Kokoo, which supplies some of the best-quality cocoa in the world, will guarantee a fair price for their cocoa harvest and provide schools, water wells and vital medical facilities for impoverished communities. Living in remote forest villages, West African growers supply almost 70 per cent of the world’s cocoa beans – the main ingredient in our favourite indulgence, chocolate. The UK consumes more confectionery than any other country in the world. Expenditure on chocolate alone is almost £4 billions and each Briton spends an average of £63 a year on chocolate. Yet many West African growers live in poverty, often earning less than £170 per year. Many of then have never even tasted the chocolate their cocoa is used to make.

Fairtrade means UK organisations like the Co-op can cut out the middlemen, deal direct with growers and guarantee a fair price for their produce. The Co-op move will mean a 30 per cent increase in Kuapa’s Fairtrade sales – providing enough funds to allow them to send 164,000 children to primary school and build new wells to supply 25 entire villages, if all the money was spent this way. If the Co-op’s move goes according to plan, sales of Fairtrade chocolate in the UK will double, jumping from £3 million to £6 million. The Co-op’s Terry Hudghton said, ‘The Co-op will continue to increase our other Fairtrade lines but we’ve made chocolate our primary focus because of the obscene contrast between the pleasure derived from eating it and the suffering that can go into supplying its key ingredient. Now that all the Coop’s own-label chocolate bars are switching to Fairtrade, customers can help stamp out the abuse of some of the world’s most exploited workers – simply by eating chocolate.’

* ethically produced – produced so that the growers get a fair proportion of the profit


PRACTICE FOUNDATION EXAM PAPER Item 2

The Rectory Chalfont St Millicent

Buckinghamshire AM43 8KM

25.12.04

The Editor The Chalfont Times 23 Grub St Chalfont Buckinghamshire AM16 7YT

Dear Sirs, I read with interest a recent press release from the Co-op about their plans to stock only Fairtrade chocolate. As a vicar, much of my time is taken up with charity work and, although the area in which I live is relatively wealthy, I do much of my work in the inner city areas of London, where I see on a regular basis people who are struggling to make ends meet, to feed their families and to make the best of their lot in life. I am constantly impressed with the resourcefulness of the families on low incomes, single parent families and those in which the head of the family is unemployed or on benefit, as they juggle their finances and attempt to build a better life for themselves and their children. For such families, a few bars of chocolate at the end of the week is maybe the one luxury they can afford for their children. Having read the article mentioned above, I was shocked to note in my local Co-op the difference in price between Fairtrade chocolate and more conventional brands For example, Co-op Fairtrade milk chocolate retails at 39p, whereas a comparable non-Fairtrade bar retails at 26p – a difference of 33 per cent. Further research revealed that on average, Fairtrade products, which included tea, coffee, bananas, sugar and juice, were on average 42 per cent more expensive than non-Fairtrade brands. I feel that charity should begin at home. If the Co-op feels so strongly about the ethics of the matter, then surely they should be supporting the scheme themselves by subsidising Fairtrade products rather than passing on these outrageous hyped up prices to the consumer? In addition, according to an article in the Observer newspaper in November 2003, Fairtrade bonuses benefit the whole village rather than the individual farmer. Fine, you may say, but where is the incentive for individual farmers to improve their production and therefore their income? ( I think this is a recipe for laziness.) As a consequence, only 45,000 of Ghana’s two million cocoa farmers belong to co-operatives. As for child slavery in cocoa plantations – I need more facts before I’m convinced. Let the Co-op answer these accusations before they try to make us feel guilty about buying the chocolate that we love. I repeat: charity begins at home. Yours truly Ivan Aero (Reverend)


FOUNDATION PRACTICE EXAM PAPER

SECTION A; READING

Answer all questions in this section.

You should spend about one hour on this section. Read Item 1, an Internet article about the Co-op stocking Fairtrade chocolate. 1 (a) Choose and write down four facts about chocolate production in West Africa which have encouraged the Co-op to make this move. (4 marks) Now read Item 2, the letter from the Reverend Aero

(b) Explain in your own words three reasons why Reverend Aero does not agree with the policy of the Co-op.

(3 marks)

Now compare Item 1 and Item 2

(c) In what ways are the items similar and different in their attitude to Fairtrade chocolate production.

(6 marks) 2 (a) Choose three presentational devices from Item 3, the Fairtrade leaflet and explain how

effective you think each of them is. (6 marks)

(b) How does the Reverend Aero use language in Item 2 to tell the reader how he feels about Fairtrade chocolate? (4 marks)

Look at the front cover of Item 3, the leaflet.

(c) Why do you think the words and pictures have been used as they have? (4 marks)


SECTION B: WRITING TO ARGUE, PERSUADE OR ADVISE

Answer one question from this section.

You should spend about 45 minutes on this section.

You may use information from Section A if you want to, but you do not have to. If you do use any of the information, do not simply copy it.

EITHER 3 Write a letter to your college or school Governors in which you argue for stocking Fairtrade chocolate in your tuck shop. You may choose to write about all, or some of the following:

the conditions of the cocoa pickers in West Africa the actions of the Co-op your own personal views

Remember to:

write in letter form choose the right language for a letter to college or school Governors.

(27 marks)

OR 4 Write the text for a speech where you

argue the case for supermarkets to stock only Fairtrade chocolate persuade people that it is an issue that they should be interested in.

Remember to:

choose the right language for a speech argue a case persuade your listeners (27 marks)

Remember:

• spend 5 minutes planning and ordering your answer • aim to write at least one side in your answer book • spend 5 minutes checking –

o your paragraphing o your punctuation o your spelling


OR 5 Write an article for a teenage magazine in which you give advice to young people on how they can become ethical shoppers. You could write about:

the kinds of products they might buy where they might go to buy them why they should become ethical shoppers

Remember to:

write an article choose the right language to advise write for students to read (27 marks)

OR 6 Write the text for a leaflet aimed at 15- and 16-year-old students in which you try to persuade them to take a more active role in their local community. Remember to:

use a variety of persuasive arguments use a variety of persuasive techniques (27 marks)

END OF QUESTIONS


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ALLITERATION Using words beginning with the same letter or combination of letters. Often found in tabloid newspaper headlines – e.g. Tony’s Terrible Tales

AUDIENCE Who a piece of writing has been written for CAPTION Words found underneath a photograph, often in a newspaper, explaining the image in a few words CONTRACTION Shortened form of word or phrase omitting one or more letters; e.g. don’t, I’ve DIALOGUE Same as direct speech DIRECT SPEECH The actual words spoken by the character in a story or someone being quoted in a newspaper story. Written inside inverted commas (‘ …..’) EMOTIVE LANGUAGE Language deliberately chosen to stir up emotions, such as anger or pity. EXPLICIT Clearly stated, the opposite of implicit.

FORM The format a piece of writing uses; e.g. newspaper article, letter, leaflet, etc. FORMAL WRITING Writing for some authorised or official purpose, very often with an unknown audience. Not casual. Includes official reports, letters to newspapers, etc. IMPLICIT Understood but not clearly stated. You will have to read between the lines to find the implicit meaning of a piece of writing. INFORMAL WRITING Writing which is not formal. Often between friends or acquaintances. The language used might well be more casual, use slang and abbreviations, etc. PURPOSE Why something has been written; what it sets out to achieve. RHETORICAL DEVICES Methods used when writing a speech to make the speech more effective. Can include repetition, addressing the audience, plays on words etc RHETORICAL QUESTIONS Questions that aren’t real questions because they don’t expect an answer. (See the film The Life of Brian for what happens when they do get answered.) Used particularly in speech, hence the name. SENTENCE STRUCTURE How a sentence is put together. This can be simple (with one subject and verb) or more complex with a number of subjects and verbs. SLANG Informal language which we might use between friends but not in a formal piece of language – e.g. calling a cigarette a ‘fag’. STYLE How the writer has achieved his or her effects – the way the story, article, etc., is written. TONE The expression of feeling of the writer – e.g. sarcastic, humorous, angry, etc. TOPIC SENTENCE Often the first sentence of a paragraph which gives an idea as to what the whole paragraph is about. VOCABULARY The words used.


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As a practising teacher of GCSE English, I know how difficult it can be to motivate pupils and students towards the end of the course. Also, we all know how hard it is once the coursework is in to make the jump from coursework techniques to preparing for the exam and making sure that students perform to their best ability under timed conditions. This resource aims to provide materials that can be used with students in the weeks leading up to the exam and is not meant to be prescriptive in any way or worked through in any particular order. It will obviously depend on the needs and ability of the class. I have attempted to write materials which can be adapted to different classes and different situations so that, for example, the work on planning techniques can be altered to suit any topic which you think might engage a particular class. Sample questions I have modelled practice papers on those recently set by AQA. I hope that students find the topic interesting – if nothing else, it gives everybody an opportunity to eat lots of chocolate. The letter is invented (but uses some facts from an article in the Observer food magazine, November 2003); the Internet press release is genuine (but edited so as to not overtax students, especially for the Foundation paper) and the leaflet is produced by People and Planet in conjunction with Oxfam. (More copies are available from People and Planet, 51 Union Street, Oxford OX4 1JP.) Note: the full leaflet is provided as a pdf. Students need to see in some form in order to comment fully. However, the main text is given on pages 21–2. If you are unable to provide the leaflet in colour, you will have to modify the key on pages 25–6. I have attempted throughout to keep jargon and technical language to a minimum (a) because I’m sure teachers will have dealt with this during the GCSE course and (b) because I think it turns a lot of students right off. Where I have used technical language, I have underlined it with an explanation/definition in the ‘Glossary of Terms’ which teachers may use as they wish.

The explanations are deliberately kept to a minimum and are as simple as possible. Some of the activities will lend themselves to Powerpoint and sophisticated computer techniques and, hopefully, teachers will treat them as a basic resource and use them as they see fit. There are clearly lots of opportunities for oral work if teachers think it’s a good use of time before the exam – the People and Planet leaflet, for example, works well if used for a paired or a group discussion. I make no apologies for devoting so many pages to planning which personally I consider one of the most valuable lessons to be taught before the exam. My experience is that with students mainly banging out their coursework on computers and editing at will to produce a polished finished result, it is very hard to convince them of the value of planning their work properly, which can have disastrous consequences in the exam, especially for weaker candidates. The activities in that section are designed to bring them to the logic of planning by themselves and to prove to them that coursework techniques for writing do not transfer to the exam. The exam tips are likewise very personal but seem to work well for my students – especially the APE. The tip not to attempt speeches I would stand by for weaker students but it might be a good option for potential A/A* candidates, especially those who had been involved in debating. Two good speeches for teaching rhetorical devices are the Earl of Spencer’s speech at Diana’s funeral and the Neil Kinnock speech to the 1987 Labour Party Conference. (If you type ‘Why am I the first Kinnock in a thousand generations to be able to get to university’ into an Internet search engine, you come up with the whole speech plus some plagiarised versions which are useful for comparisons.) Finally I have included a few answers to the practice exam paper with comments – more for discussion more than anything else.


KKeeyy ttoo eexxeerrcciisseess Activity 2 1 1 None! All the marks are for reading 2 To prove to the examiner that you know which part of the text is relevant – copying big chunks wastes time and

might indicate that you’re unsure which is the right bit 3 Twice – once before you read the questions and once after. 4 Finding out what is similar about them. 5 Only once. Activity 4 1 False – it’s two-thirds. 2 False – stating the opposite argument and then effectively arguing against it strengthens your own argument. 3 False – planning is essential in building up an effective argument. 4 True – use it to effect. 5 True – opinions on their own don’t stand up to much. 6 True and false really – you need to sound like you believe in what you’re saying but remain in control. 7 True – the more the merrier. 8 True Activity 8 Tabloid: Daily Mail, Sunday Mirror, Express, Daily Star, Daily Mirror. Broadsheet: Observer, Daily Telegraph, Times, Sunday Times. Note that the Independent doesn’t appear in this table. This is because it has confused the issue by producing itself in tabloid version when in terms of content, it is clearly a broadsheet paper. Teachers and students could have done without that.

Activity 9

BROADSHEET TABLOID Large pages Detailed articles Smaller print size Political background Detailed foreign news Factual and largely unbiased reporting controlled use of language Sophisticated vocabulary

Dramatic and emotive language Large headlines Short paragraphs Scandal Use of bold colour Gimmicks and games Plays on words Concentration on personalities lots of subheadings Large dramatic photographs Simple sentence structure Nicknames

Activity 11 1 False – the other options are probably easier. 2 True 3 False – you really do need to plan it very well. 4 False – it’s very important that a speech has a proper beginning, middle and end. 5 False – you must think about what you’re trying to achieve. 6 True – usually very effective in grabbing your audience. 7 True – will keep you focused. 8 True – remember we’re trying to replicate real speech and we do talk in abbreviations. 9 True – it’s essential. 10 True – although you don’t expect them to be answered. They are technically real questions and therefore must

have a question mark.

AQA GCSE English Language Specification Aweyvalley.dorset.sch.uk/For the students/English Website Materials... · AQA GCSE English Language Specification A Exam Practice: Paper 1

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