GCSE ENGLISH LANGUAGE Exam - Teeth

GCSE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

Exam - Teeth (Year 7)
TEST PAPER
1 hour 45 minutes

INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES
Use black ink or black ball-point pen.
Answer all questions in Section A.
Select one title to use for your writing in Section B.
Write your answers on a separate sheet.
You are advised to spend your time as follows:
Section A - about 10 minutes reading
- about 50 minutes answering the questions
Section B - about 10 minutes planning
- about 35 minutes writing

INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES

Section A (Reading): 40 marks
Section B (Writing): 20 marks
The number of marks is given in brackets at the end of each question or part-question.

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 GCSE ENGLISH LANGUAGE Exam - Teeth

Victorian London - Dentistry and Teeth

The most efficacious method of getting the mouth clean with a brush is to follow up the horizontal
brushing with brushing from the gum downwards between the teeth. My friend always keeps a
piece of liquorice stick in his mouth and this acts as a splendid tooth brush. Generally speaking,
every animal keeps its teeth clean by chewing some sort of fibrous material. The instinct is born in
children who love to chew bits of straw, grass and stick, and are often scolded by parents who do
not know that this is one of Nature’s lessons to her little ones.

The modern habit of using all foods sloppy or artificially prepared has much to answer for in the way
of dirty teeth. Notice the difference between such a simple thing as whole-meal bread and white
bread! The former is much less likely to stick between the teeth, and the flakes in it have a scrubbing
action on the enamel, which white flour bread has not. The black bread of the peasants of other
lands, and of England in bygone times did much for the preserving of the teeth, and as a result the
best teeth are not to be found among the higher classes who take the most artificial care of them,
but among those peasant races that live on the hardiest teeth-cleaning foods. Quite an unsuspected
cause of dental decay is the use of meat and soft starch foods. The fibres of the meat get between
the teeth, and there rapidly decay. This constitutes the great difference between the fibres of meat
and the fibres of the liquorice root. The latter cleanse and do not decay, the former decay and do
not cleanse. The best thing to do is to see that the daily food contains something or other which will
give teeth work of a cleansing character. A thick piece of wholemeal bread is fairly good; but the
chewing of liquorice root, or sugar cane, or some other fibrous substance (like tough celery) is
better. If using a toothpick, use a bamboo splint, or a thorn from a hawthorn bush. Don’t use pins or
needles, or metal or any sort.

(Mothers and Daughters magazine, 1890 http://www.victorianlondon.org/health/toothpaste.htm)

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 GCSE ENGLISH LANGUAGE Exam - Teeth

Take Good Care of Your Teeth and Mouth

No matter what your age, you need to take care of your teeth and mouth. When your mouth is
healthy, you can easily eat the foods needed for good nutrition. Smiling is also easier when your
mouth is healthy, and it will help avoid an expensive and possibly painful trip to the dentist.

Tooth Decay (Cavities)

Teeth should last a lifetime. Taking good care of your teeth and gums is the only way to protect
them. Tooth decay is not just a problem for children, it happens to adults too. Infact 5% of all adults
have no teeth and 92% of adults have had some form of tooth decay. Tooth decay ruins the enamel
that covers and protects teeth. Once the enamel is damaged, the teeth become vulnerable and
decay more quickly. Tooth decay cannot be fixed without the help of a dentist, which is painful, time
consuming and often expensive. When you don’t take good care of your mouth, bacteria clings to
your teeth and forms a sticky, colorless film called dental plaque. 26% of all adults have untreated
decay due to a buildup of plaque. This plaque leads to tooth decay. Gum disease can also cause
teeth to decay. Use a fluoride toothpaste and mouth rinse every day to help protect your teeth.

Gum Diseases
Gum diseases are painful infections that harm the gum and bone that hold teeth in place. When
plaque stays on your teeth too long, it forms a hard, harmful covering, called tartar, that brushing
doesn’t remove. The longer the plaque and tartar stay on your teeth, the more damage they cause.
Caring for your teeth and keeping them clean will greatly reduce the risk of developing gum disease.

A Brighter Smile
Do you want to have a bright smile that you can be proud to use? If so, beware of using tooth
whitening products, they may make your teeth whiter and make you feel more confident but if they
are not approved by your dentist they can damage the protective layer covering your teeth and
cause tooth decay. There are hundreds of DIY whitening kits available on the internet but these are
not dentist approved and usually cause permanent damage to teeth and gums.

Follow these daily steps to keep your teeth healthy and looking good:

 Brush your teeth and gums twice a day (with a fluoride toothpaste)
 Floss once a day
 Make regular visits to your dentist for a checkup and cleaning
 Eat a well-balanced diet
 Don’t use tobacco products

Brushing and flossing the right way is so easy. Gently brush your teeth on all sides. Small round
motions and short back-and-forth strokes work best. Take time to brush carefully and gently along
the gums. Along with brushing, clean around your teeth with dental floss to keep your gums healthy.
Careful flossing will remove plaque and leftover food that a toothbrush can’t reach. Only use dental
approved floss. Some people use cotton thread or pins and can damage their teeth and gums.

How to Floss

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 GCSE ENGLISH LANGUAGE Exam - Teeth

Hold floss as shown. Use floss between upper Use floss between lower
teeth. teeth.

For more information about healthy gums and teeth, try the following:

www.nhs.co.uk/healthysmile

It only takes a few minutes every day to get a smile that you can be proud of. Good dental care
starts at a young age and is of life long importance. A healthy, happy smile helps you to feel like a
healthy, happy person. So brush well and keep smiling!

(Information taken and adapted from http://bit.ly/1XxRcRZ)

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 GCSE ENGLISH LANGUAGE Exam - Teeth

SECTION A : 40 marks

Answer all the following questions.

'Victorian London-Dentistry and Teeth', is an article taken from Mothers and Daughters magazine
(1890).

The passage, ‘Take Good Care of YOUR Teeth and Mouth’ is an internet guide produced by Colgate.

Read the Colgate internet guide.

A1. What percentage of adults have experienced tooth decay? [1]

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

A2. Write down one thing that causes dental plaque. [1]

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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A3. Explain what you can do every day to protect your teeth? Why would each of these help? [4]

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A4. The writer of the Colgate guide has included a series of pictures. Explain why you think these
pictures have been included.
[2]

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 GCSE ENGLISH LANGUAGE Exam - Teeth

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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A5. Look at the layout of the guide. Explain two ways in which the guide has been
organised/structured to make the information clear to the reader.
[2]

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A6. The Colgate internet guide tries to persuade you to look after your teeth. How does it try to do
this? Complete the table below.
[6]

Evidence/area of text Explain how this persuades

Now read the article, ‘Victorian London - Dentistry and Teeth’.

A7. What does the writer mean by the phrase, "efficacious method"? [1]

Tip: locate the word in the passage. Think of any other words that start in a similar way to help you.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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 GCSE ENGLISH LANGUAGE Exam - Teeth

A8. What do some people chew to help them clean their teeth? [1]

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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A9. What does the writer mean when they say that sloppy or artificially prepared food has, “much to
answer for”? [1]

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A10. Use evidence from the article to explain why peasants have better teeth than rich people? [2]

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A11. Write down one unexpected cause of dental decay.

[1]

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A12. What does the writer think and feel about the different ways in which people care for their
teeth?
[8]

Complete the table below. It will help you to organise your thoughts.

Evidence from the text Based on this evidence, what does the writer
think and feel about the different ways people
care for their teeth?

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 GCSE ENGLISH LANGUAGE Exam - Teeth

A13. Both of these texts are about how to keep your teeth clean.

Compare the writers' advice on how to keep your teeth clean. [10]

Advice from Colgate on how to keep your teeth Advice from ‘Victorian London’ on how to keep
clean. your teeth clean.

Next to each of the details you have filled in in the table above, can you complete the following?

1. Draw a line to link any points that are similar.

2. Put a tick next to any points that are made by only one writer.
3. Underline any points which contradict each other.

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 GCSE ENGLISH LANGUAGE Exam - Teeth

SECTION B: 20 marks

Answer Question B1

In this section you will be assessed for the quality of your writing skills.
For this question, 12 marks are awarded for content and organisation; 8 marks are awarded for
vocabulary, sentence structure, punctuation and spelling.

Think about the purpose and audience for your writing.

You should aim to write about 300-400 words for this task.

B1. There is a plan in your school to make all young people more responsible in the community. Your
head teacher has given a few suggestions of things you can do such as: clearing litter, removing graffiti
and helping elderly people in the community.

You have decided to write an article giving your views about this suggestion.

Remember to write in full sentences. Do not use abbreviations, text language or slang.

Write your article.

[20]

The space below can be used to plan your work.

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