1 Reading questions

●● Short-answer comprehension questions

(Paper 1 and Paper 2)

The reading questions on Papers 1 and 2 test the following assessment objectives
for reading:
R1 identify and retrieve facts and details
R2 understand and select relevant information
R3 recognise and understand ideas, opinions and attitudes and the
connections between related ideas
R4 understand what is implied but not actually written, for example
gist, relationships, writer’s purpose/intention, writer’s feelings, situation or place.

Practice questions
The questions in this first section of practice questions are suitable for both Core
and Extended tier candidates.
Read the following passages and answer the questions for each one.

Healthy eating for teens

A healthy diet can help you look and feel
great. Don’t follow the latest food fad:
find out the truth about eating well.
Your body needs energy and nutrients from food to grow and work properly. If you don’t eat a
healthy, balanced diet, you could be putting your health and growth at risk.
A healthy diet also gives you the energy you need and can help you look and feel great. But
eating well doesn’t have to mean giving up all your favourite foods. A healthy diet means eating
a wide range of foods so that you get all the nutrients you need, and eating the right number
of calories for how active you are.
Beware of fad diets: they’re rarely the best way to reach a healthy weight. Instead, use our tips
to help you eat more healthily.

Get started
Don’t skip breakfast. Some people skip breakfast because they think it will help them lose
weight. But skipping meals doesn’t help you lose weight and is not good for you, because you
can miss out on essential nutrients. Research shows that eating breakfast can actually help
people control their weight. In addition, a healthy breakfast is an important part of a balanced
diet and provides some of the vitamins and minerals we need for good health. Wholegrain cereal
with fruit sliced over the top is a tasty and healthy start to the day.
Aim to eat at least five portions of a variety of fruits and vegetables a day. They are good
sources of many of the vitamins and minerals your body needs. It’s not as hard as it might
sound: fresh, frozen, tinned, dried and juiced fruit and vegetables all count towards your total.
So fruit juice, smoothies and vegetables baked into dishes such as stews all count.
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At snack time, swap foods that are high in saturated fat or sugars for healthier choices.
Foods high in saturated fat include pies, processed meats such as sausages and bacon, biscuits
and crisps. Foods high in added sugars include cakes and pastries, sweets, and chocolate. Both
saturated fat and sugar are high in calories, so if you eat these foods often you’re more likely
to become overweight. Too much saturated fat can also cause high cholesterol.
Make sure you drink enough fluids. Aim to drink six to eight glasses of fluids a day: water,
unsweetened fruit juices (diluted with water) and milk are all healthy choices.
If you’re feeling tired and run down, you may need more iron in your diet. Teenage girls are
at higher risk of being low on iron, because they lose iron when they have their monthly period
and they are still growing. Good sources of iron include red meats, breakfast cereals fortified
with iron, and baked beans.
If you often feel hungry, try eating more high-fibre foods such as wholemeal bread, beans,
wholegrain breakfast cereals, fruit and vegetables. Foods that are high in fibre are bulky and
help us to feel full for longer, and most of us should be eating more of them.
If eating makes you feel anxious, guilty, or upset, or you’re often worried about food or your
weight, you may have an eating disorder. Help is out there: tell an adult you trust.
If you are underweight, you may not be eating enough. Restricting foods (or food groups)
or not eating a balanced diet can stop you getting enough of the calories and other important
nutrients your body needs. This can lead to weight loss. Being underweight can cause health
problems, so if you’re underweight it’s important to gain weight in a healthy way. Your doctor
can help with this.
If you are overweight, you may be eating too much. Foods high in fat and sugar are high in
calories, and eating too many calories can lead to weight gain. Try to eat fewer foods that are
high in fat and sugar, such as swapping to low- or no-sugar fizzy drinks. A healthy balanced diet
will provide you with all the nutrients your body needs.
Don’t follow fad diets. If you have an overweight Body Mass Index (BMI), aim to lose weight
to bring your BMI into the healthy range. If you want to lose weight, it’s important to choose
your diet plan carefully. It can be tempting to follow the latest fad diet, but these are often not
nutritionally balanced and don’t work in the long term: once you stop, the weight is likely to
come back. Diets based on only one or two foods may be successful in the short term, but can
be dull and hard to stick to and deficient in a range of nutrients. The healthier, long-term way
to lose weight is by combining long-term changes towards a healthy, balanced diet with more
physical activity. If you’re concerned about your weight, your doctor can help.
Watch out for ‘low-carb’ diets, or any eating plans that advise you to cut out whole food
groups. This can be unhealthy, because you may miss out on nutrients from that food group.
Low-carb diets can be high in saturated fat. Eating too much saturated fat can cause high
cholesterol, which can lead to an increased risk of developing heart disease. Other diets may
involve cutting out dairy foods such as milk, yoghurt and cheese. These foods are high in
calcium, which you need to ensure your bones grow properly. Choose lower fat dairy foods
when you can – semi-skimmed, 1 % fat or skimmed milk contains all the important nutritional
benefits of whole milk, with less fat.
From www.nhs.uk

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Exercise 1
a) What two things should you do to ensure a healthy diet?
b) Why should you not miss out on eating breakfast?
c) State two foods that are high in saturated fats and two foods that are high in added sugars.
d) What might cause you to feel tired and run down?
e) Why should we eat foods that are full of fibre?
f) State two things you can do to lose weight if you think you are eating too much.
g) According to the passage, what is wrong with following ‘fad diets’?
h) Using your own words, what would you say to a friend who is thinking about going on a fad
or low-carb diet.

Hurricanes
What is a hurricane?
A hurricane is a huge storm! It can be up to 600 miles across and have strong winds spiralling
inward and upward at speeds of 75 to 200 mph. Each hurricane usually lasts for over a week,
moving 10–20 miles per hour over the open ocean. Hurricanes gather heat and energy through
contact with warm ocean waters. Evaporation from the seawater increases their power.
Hurricanes rotate in a counter-clockwise direction around an ‘eye’ in the Northern Hemisphere
and in a clockwise direction in the Southern Hemisphere. The centre of the storm or ‘eye’ is the
calmest part. It has only light winds and fair weather. When hurricanes come onto land, the
heavy rain, strong winds and large waves can damage buildings, trees and cars.

How do hurricanes form?

Hurricanes only form over really warm ocean water of 80 °F or warmer. The atmosphere (the
air) must cool off very quickly the higher you go. Also, the wind must be blowing in the
same direction and at the same speed to force air upward from the ocean surface. Winds flow
outward above the storm allowing the air below to rise. Hurricanes typically form between 5 to
15 degrees latitude north and south of the equator. The force created by the earth’s rotation
is needed to create the spin in the hurricane and it becomes too weak near the equator, so
hurricanes can never form there.

What is storm surge?

Storm surges are frequently the most devastating element of a hurricane. As a hurricane’s winds
spiral around and around the storm, they push water into a mound at the storm’s centre. This
mound of water becomes dangerous when the storm reaches land because it causes flooding
along the coast. The water piles up, unable to escape anywhere but on land as the storm carries
it landward. A hurricane will cause more storm surge in areas where the ocean floor slopes
gradually. This causes major flooding.
Wind, waves, and sea-level rise all contribute to storm-surge damage.
With technology the way it is, there are computer models that allow forecasters to predict the
amount of storm surge that will affect a coastal area. These are called Slosh Models and take
into account a storm’s strength, its path, how the ocean shallows, and the shape of the land.
Then it calculates how much storm surge a hurricane will probably cause.
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When does hurricane season start?

The Atlantic hurricane season is from 1 June to 30 November, but most hurricanes occur during
the autumn months. The Eastern Pacific hurricane season is from 15 May to 30 November.

Who names hurricanes?

From 1950 to 1952, tropical cyclones of the North Atlantic Ocean were identified by the phonetic
alphabet (Able-Baker-Charlie-etc.), but in 1953 the US Weather Bureau switched to women’s
names. The rest of the world eventually caught on, and naming rights now belong to the World
Meteorological Organization, which uses different sets of names depending on the part of the
world the storm is in. Around the US, only women’s names were used until 1979, when it was
decided that they should alternate a list that included men’s names too. There are six different
name lists that alternate each year. If a hurricane does significant damage, its name is retired
and replaced with another.

What is the difference between

a hurricane and a typhoon?
Nothing except geography. Tropical storms occur in several of the world’s oceans, and except for
their names, they are essentially the same type of storm. In the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico,
and the Eastern Pacific Ocean, they are called hurricanes. In the Western Pacific Ocean, they are
called typhoons. In the Indian Ocean, the Bay of Bengal, and Australia, these types of storms
are called cyclones.
From www.weatherwizkids.com

Exercise 2
a) What causes hurricanes to gather heat and energy?
b) Explain what is meant by the ‘eye’ of a hurricane.
c) Which two weather features are necessary for a hurricane to form?
d) Why are there no hurricanes near the equator?
e) Explain what is meant by a ‘storm surge’.
f) Who is responsible for giving names to hurricanes?
g) What is the difference between a hurricane and a typhoon?
h) Using your own words as far as possible, explain how a hurricane is formed and how experts are
able to help people living in its path.

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Behind the timetable: a day in

the life of an English teacher
From poetry with year 8 to the opening night of the
school play, Simon Smith, an English teacher in a
vibrant inner-city school details his school day, from
wake up to falling into bed.
6.30a.m. 7.45a.m. of inspirational students, who
are school leaders, excellent
As I wake up at 6.30a.m., Today we arrive at 7.45a.m. debaters and journalists for the
as I always do, I am already – we always try and get in school Gazette, which I also edit.
mentally making lists to start early so there is actually I run the debate club in school.
planning how I am going to time to get some planning
fit everything in and what to done before the onslaught of The year 6 debate event finishes
prioritise for the day. I rarely students. at 12.30p.m. A great success,
get half of it done despite best but exhausting – hope some of
intentions. 9.30a.m. those current year 6 students
Today is special for several are inspired to join the debate
I live in Camberwell in south club when they start here in
east London, in a lovely flat reasons. The first is that I am
hosting a debating competition September.
with a beautiful garden which
for the whole morning.
I have designed and planted 12.30p.m.
from scratch over the seven So at 9.30a.m. groups of I have to go and get ready to
years I have lived there. children from six local primary teach my year 10 class. I have
During this hot summer, I eat schools flood into our school, about 30 minutes to eat lunch,
my breakfast there with the which is housed in a brand
print off resources, respond to
heavy scent of the lilies wafting new building that opened in
urgent emails and have a short
through. I am a creature of September 2013. Our school
rest while I also try to eat my
habit and always have porridge building is stunning but not
bagel (another of my habits) at
with blueberries and a cup of without problems. There are
my desk.
tea in my Hamptons Flag mug. four floors and hardly anyone
If we run out of blueberries in is allowed a lift key so on days The unperturbed debate team
the week, it is not a good start like this, when there are so either have to go back to lessons
to my day. many students to get around or to the final preparation for
the school all day I find myself the summer drama production
I am lucky as I drive to Deptford
running up and down so many of A Midsummer Night’s
Green School and usually pick
flights of stairs. It honestly feels Dream which has its premiere
up my friend and colleague
like I’ve run a mini marathon – tonight.
enroute at 7.30a.m. We have our
no wonder I never need to go
debrief during the 15 minute I am very excited about the
to the gym.
drive, talking through issues play as we have an outstanding
from yesterday and talk about I am also the school’s gifted drama department and some
plans for the school day. We both and talented (G&T) co- very talented budding actors
work in the English department ordinator and I feel privileged and actresses in our school,
so have got plenty to discuss. to work with a fantastic group many of whom I know well
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either through teaching them, I just hope the fun can translate 5.00p.m.
or through G&T events. Either into excellent controlled
myself or one of the Gazette assessment grades. From the end of the meeting
team, are going to be writing until the play starts at 7p.m.,
There are some real characters I have to continue marking year
the review of the show, so I
in that class and a couple can 10 mock exams, an arduous and
will be watching avidly. I am
be difficult to say the least. time consuming job that seems
excited to be attending the
One student is challenging but to take us all many days.
opening night.
he loves acting and so is very
happy playing Curley’s wife. 7.00p.m.
1.05p.m.
3.30p.m. At last, a much-needed antidote
It’s the first lesson after lunch to marking: the opening
and year 10 are already filing After tutor time, we have a long night of the school play. A
in. Many are late as usual. They department meeting discussing Midsummer Night’s Dream is
are currently learning Of Mice classes, schemes of work, data an unprecedented success.
and Men. It is my favourite and everything we need ready
Adapted from www.theguardian.com
unit and theirs too. We have for next year. We are a fully
so much fun reading it; I and collaborative department and
some of the students try to everyone shares all resources
do accents and whoever plays and writes schemes of work for
Slim gets to wear a Stetson hat us all to use, so we are all lucky
I had from a fancy dress party. to be part of it.

Exercise 3
a) What does Simon Smith particularly like eating for his breakfast?
b) What is the name of the school where Simon Smith teaches?
c) Why does Simon think that he never needs to go to the gym?
d) What subject does Simon teach and what is his other main area of responsibility within his school?
e) Between what times does Simon eat his lunch?
f) What is the name of the play that the school is putting on?
g) What does Simon think are the good things about the department in which he works?
h) Write down all the things that Simon finds rewarding about his work as a teacher.

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●● Form-filling exercises
At both Core and Extended tier (Papers 1 and 2) you will be required to complete a
form-filling (information transfer) exercise. This task will primarily test your reading
skills, although there is also a small element of writing involved. The question paper
will contain a reading passage that sets the scenario for the form-filling exercise
that follows. This could be based on a range of possible circumstances, but all tasks
will require you to read the information carefully and to complete the form using
exact details taken from the reading passage. It is important that you read the
questions on the form very carefully before completing your form, that you select
the appropriate details and that you do not give incorrect or irrelevant information.
Remember that the main purpose of filling in a form is that the person reading it
should be able to take in the relevant information on first reading.
You will lose marks if your spelling of details on the form is incorrect (after all, the
correct spellings of these details will be found in the reading passage). You should
also remember to observe basic punctuation conventions, such as starting proper
nouns with capital letters (for example, the name of a town as part of an address). It
is particularly important that you follow exactly any instructions given on the form.
For example, if you are told to delete one of the following ‘yes/no’, then you will
lose the mark if you circle the correct answer, rather than crossing out the incorrect
one. Similarly, if the form requires a date to be given in Day/Month/Year, your
answer will be marked as incorrect if you answer in any other order (for instance,
Month/Day/Year).
At both tiers, the form-filling exercise will require you to write one or two
sentences at the end of the form to elaborate on the information that you have
given. This sentence will be marked for writing and you will lose marks if your
sentence structure, spelling and punctuation contain errors, as well as if the
information that you give is incorrect or incomplete.
The two exercises that follow will allow you to practise the form-filling question.

Exercise 1

Read the information below and then use it to complete the task that follows.

Maria Martinez is 16 years old. She lives in a town called St Vicente and
attends Great Plains High School, where she is in Grade 11 and will be sit-
ting her IGCSE examinations at the end of the year. The school is situated in
River Valley Road in St Vicente.
On 16 November, Maria was returning home from school. She was travelling
on the number 19D bus, which she caught from the bus stop immediately
outside the school gates at 4 o’clock in the afternoon. She was with a group
of friends on the bus, sitting in the middle on the right-hand side. They were
all talking about the maths test that they would be taking the next day. They
were all rather worried about this and were looking at their textbooks to
check that they had remembered all the formulae correctly, and knew how
to apply them to answer the questions they thought that they might be set.
Maria lives at 27 Cedars Gardens which is one of the last stops on the bus
route. All of her friends had left the bus before it arrived at Maria’s stop. After
the last friend had left, Maria continued to read through her maths notes and
jumped up in surprise when the driver called out the name of her stop, as
her mind was fully concerned with maths problems. She quickly grabbed her
coat and the bag containing her sports kit from the rack above her head and
hurried to dismount from the bus. Her journey had lasted for 30 minutes.
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It was not until she reached home that she realised that in her hurry to get
off the bus, she had left her school bag containing not only her maths and
biology textbooks and coursework folders, but also her Blackberry Curve
9320 phone (number 07944333862) and her purse which contained a few
coins and her identity card (Number GY74927590), on the empty seat next
to where she was sitting on the bus.
As soon as she realised what she had done, Maria contacted the bus company
and informed them what had happened. The person she spoke to was very
hopeful that Maria’s bag would be found and handed in to Lost Property.
However, in order for her to be able to claim her property, it is necessary for
Maria to complete a Lost Property Form. The bus company representative
emailed the form to Maria (mmaria34@hotmail.com) straightaway.

Imagine you are Maria. Fill in the form using details contained in the passage.

LOST PROPERTY REPORT FORM

Date: ......................................

Claimant Details
Name of Claimant: ............................................................................................................

Address of Claimant: .........................................................................................................

..........................................................................................................................................

Contact telephone/Email: ..................................................................................................

Details of Lost Property

Bus number on which item was lost: .................................................................................

Direction of travel and stop at which Claimant joined bus: .................................................

Approx. time of boarding bus: ...........................................................................................

Stop at which Claimant left bus: ........................................................................................

Description of items lost (include any details to help identification): ....................................

..........................................................................................................................................

..........................................................................................................................................

How will Claimant collect lost property if found? Call in to bus depot/Have item(s) posted
to home address (will incur cost of postage)*

Please use the space below to write two sentences containing further
information that may help in identifying your property

..........................................................................................................................................

..........................................................................................................................................

..........................................................................................................................................

..........................................................................................................................................

*Please delete as appropriate

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Exercise 2
Read the information below and then use it to complete the task that follows.

The Newman family consists of James, aged 43, the father; Nicola, the
mother, aged 41; and three children Tom (15), Ryan (12) and Sian (6). They
live in England at 52 Grove Road, Taunton, Somerset, TA13 5XZ. Both James
and Nicola Newman are teachers and work in different schools. Their long
school holiday lasts from 21 July, which is a Saturday, until 4 September,
which is a Tuesday. However, Nicola has to be in school for the first half of
the first week of the holidays and James has to be present in his school for
the final week in August.
The family are planning a summer holiday at an Activities Centre in the
south of France. The name and address of the Centre is Les Trois Roches,
Avenue des Champs, 26372 St Bertrand, Var, France. Telephone +33 (0)4 11
32 90 00, email vacances@troisroches.fr.
There is a range of accommodation at the Centre, including self-catering
apartments and bed and breakfast in the on-site hotel which also serves
evening meals. There is also a campsite for people who wish to bring their
own tent and camping equipment. The Centre offers activities to suit all
ages and interests. There are three swimming pools (two outdoor, one with a
wave machine and one covered), cycle trails, a football pitch and basket ball
court and a nine-hole golf course as well as a range of other sports, including
archery and boules. There is a regular bus service between the Centre and St
Bertrand, which is a large town with shops, restaurants, an art gallery and a
museum of local history.
The family as a whole decide that this is exactly the place for them to
spend a two-week summer holiday. James enjoys a game of golf, all the
children, including Sian, are keen swimmers. Nicola cycles to work every
day; she teaches art and is very keen on visiting art galleries.
The holiday brochure has a special offer for people booking a family
holiday in August: grandparents can come for half the normal price. Nicola’s
father, William Clayton, aged 69, and her mother Alison are both very active
and happy to join the party.
The family decide to use all the available accommodation: James, Nicola
and Sian will stay in the hotel; Tom and Ryan will camp in their own
tent; and the two grandparents would like a self-catering apartment for
two people. They wish to stay at the Centre from Saturday, 4 August until
Saturday, 18 August. The five members of the Newman family will travel by
road in the family car and wish to use the Euroshuttle to cross the English
Channel. They intend to take a further two days to drive to the site and a
further two days to drive back to the Euroshuttle terminal in France. The
two grandparents prefer to fly to France and James will arrange to meet them
at the airport there.

Imagine you are James Newman. Fill in the form that follows using details contained in
the passage above.

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ACTIVE HOLIDAYS BOOKING FORM

Date: ......................................

Name of Party Leader: ......................................................................................................

Names of other members of the party (and Dates of Birth if under 18): .............................

..........................................................................................................................................

..........................................................................................................................................

Contact details for Party Leader: ......................................................................................

..........................................................................................................................................

..........................................................................................................................................

Name of Activities Centre where accommodation is required: ...........................................

..........................................................................................................................................

Dates of stay: ...................................................................................................................

..........................................................................................................................................

Accommodation required* and number of guests

Hotel: ...............................................................................................................................

Self-catering apartment(s): ................................................................................................

Campsite (inc. number of tents): .......................................................................................

Transport arrangements: ...................................................................................................

..........................................................................................................................................

Do you wish Active Holidays to arrange cross-channel transport? Yes/No**

If ‘Yes’ please state whether you wish to use Ferry/Euroshuttle**

Date of outward crossing: .................................................................................................

Date of return crossing: ....................................................................................................

Number of passengers in car, including driver: ..................................................................

In the space below, write two sentences giving brief details about your party
and what you most want to gain from your visit. You should write between
12–20 words for each sentence.

..........................................................................................................................................

..........................................................................................................................................

..........................................................................................................................................

..........................................................................................................................................

*Write N/A against any not required

**Please delete as appropriate

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●● Note-making and summary questions

Both Paper 1 (Core) and Paper 2 (Extended) will include summary questions.
These test both your reading and writing skills. These questions are marked both for
reading and writing.

Reading skills
• The first part of each summary question tests your reading skills and involves
note-making. It requires you to make a list of short notes about the key points in
the passage that relate to the requirements of the question. You will be awarded
1 mark for each relevant point that you make. Although it is permissible to use
words or phrases taken from the original passage, your answers must show clear
understanding of the key points that you refer to. For this reason, you should
concentrate on ensuring that your notes are clearly focused on the main details
and are not made over-long by the inclusion of unnecessary words or details.
• If the original question asks you to list the points under different headings, it
is particularly important that you put each point you make under the correct
heading as you will not be awarded the mark if it is entered in the wrong place.
• You should keep the assessment objectives for reading in mind, as a guide to
answering the summary question. In particular, you are required to ‘identify and
retrieve facts and details’ (R1) and to ‘understand and select relevant information’
(R2). The purpose will be indicated in the wording of the question.
• R4 refers to understanding ‘what is implied but not actually written’. Most
summary questions require you to show understanding, mainly of points in the
passage that are clearly stated. You will certainly not be expected to imagine and
make up points which are not contained in the original passage as summary
writing is not a creative task. However, in questions that ask you to summarise the
writer’s thoughts and feelings, it may be that one or two points are implied to the
reader by the vocabulary the writer has used to describe something, rather than
being directly stated.

Writing skills
• As far as the assessment objectives for writing are concerned (see next section,
page 1), it is important that you remember that W1 refers to your ability to
express clearly your understanding of points contained in the original passage. You
should not include your own thoughts about these topics or include unnecessary
references to similar experiences that you have had in your own life.
• It is important that your final version of the summary is written using your
own words as far as possible, as this is the most effective way of showing your
understanding.
• The most successful answers should be clearly sequenced and well-organised and
address the points in the order given by the wording of the question. This might
mean that you need to make the points in an order different from that in which
they occur in the original passage (where the focus of the writer’s content may
be different from that required by the question). The ability to re-order and to
manipulate the points you have identified is another good way of showing your
understanding of the passage as a whole, and will also help you to write the
summary using your own words.

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 1 Reading questions

• The most successful answers will be written in a clear and concise summary style
and in your own words, rather than relying too much on the language of the
original. Remember: the aim of a summary question is to show that you have
a clear understanding of key factual points from the passage, and that you can
express them in such a way that someone who hasn’t read the original can gain a
full awareness of these details from reading your summarised version. This can best
be achieved if you write in a clear and factual way, so that how you have expressed
yourself does not prevent the facts from being passed on to the reader.

Points to remember
Using your own words
All summary questions state that you should use your own words when you write
your final version. Doing so is a very good way to show that you have understood
the original passage. However, it is important that you keep this instruction in
perspective. You should certainly not just copy out large chunks of the original as
this will not give evidence that you have understood it. However, it is not expected
that you try to change every word that the writer used, as this is likely to result in
some distortion of what was originally written.
As far as possible you should attempt to put into your own words any vocabulary
in the original that might be considered difficult to understand. (Very often by
doing this, you gain a better understanding of the words yourself.) You will not be
expected to put technical vocabulary (‘global warming’ for example) into your own
words, and you are unlikely to be heavily penalised if, on occasion, you include short
phrases from the original as quotations worked into the fabric of your response.

Word length
All summary questions will stipulate an expected word length for the final version
(Paper 1: about 70 words; Paper 2: about 100 words). It is important that you
try to answer within this number of words, but equally important not to let the
requirement to do so become the be all and end all of your answer, as you must also
concentrate on organising your points effectively. However, the person marking your
paper will stop reading once he or she has reached the upper word limit and so any
point that you make after this will not be credited. So, very long answers will not
score as highly as shorter, well-focused ones because the very long answer is almost
certain to contain a large amount of unnecessary and irrelevant material. Similarly,
very short answers are likely to be self-penalising as it is likely that some key points
will have been left out.

Reading and writing marks

• As mentioned earlier, marks for reading will be awarded on the basis of 1 mark for
each relevant point you clearly make in your notes in response to the first part of
the question.
• Marks for writing will be based mainly on the standard of your summary writing
technique. So, the full 5 marks will be gained by an answer that uses your own
words consistently, is fully focused on the requirements of the question with no
irrelevance, and expresses the points clearly, fluently and with concision. However,
answers that exceed the maximum word limit, even by one or two words, will not
gain the top mark of 5 for writing.
• A mid-range response, worth 3 marks, will show some evidence of concision but
may not always be clearly focused on the topic, and the points made may either
be ineffectually sequenced or not well-linked and/or contain some avoidable

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 1 Reading questions

inaccuracies of expression. However, there will be some attempt made by the

student to use his/her own words.
• A low-scoring response is likely to contain a large amount of irrelevant material
and, as a result, be very long. The summary will be unfocused and is also likely
to contain a significant amount of lengthy copying from the original passage.
Responses at this level may also be written in the wrong format, such as personal
narrative or a list of notes.

Exercise 1
a) Read both sections of the following article and then make notes about:
● what the writer found interesting about her visit to Northern Peru
● the practical information she gives about travel to Peru, the accommodation available and
when to travel.

Exploring Northern Peru – the alluring Amazon

rainforest
Published: 3 September 2013, 9.38a.m.
When I arrived in Northern Peru I was met by the extreme heat and humidity of the
rainforest, but I knew there was a possibility of seeing a wide range of animals that I’d only
seen in books and magazines.
This part of the world is often overshadowed by the country’s number-one tourism site,
Machu Picchu – but travellers wanting to experience the Peruvian rainforest will discover
numerous examples of how precious this planet is.
The best way to explore is via a multi-day river cruise. Most expeditions use the waterways
of the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve, following in the movements of locals as there are
no roads.
In these rivers near Iquitos, not far from Brazil’s border, the vegetation is lush and beautiful,
while the wildlife easily outnumber the residents.
The rainforest environment allows glimpses of numerous kinds of wildlife: monkeys, snakes,
endless bird species like parakeet, parrot, stork, hawk, and herons, and creatures that come
out at night like caiman and capybara.
The ship’s crew explained how the demand for certain rainforest products, like mahogany,
has left areas of the forest bare.
Daily hikes are led single-file through the vegetation, but never go too fast, as there are
endless distractions for travellers like the chatter from unseen monkeys high in the tree-tops,
tiny mushrooms that are easily noticed because of their bright colours and the occasional
brilliantly-coloured flower or amazingly large insect.
Piranha fishing is an oddly exciting and encouraged activity for visitors, despite constant
discussions of rainforest conservation. Mimicking the locals, travellers are encouraged to fish
for these creatures, which are plentiful and part of the local diet, like the endless variety of
potatoes only found in Peru and many exotic fruits such as cocona, chirimoya, lucuma, camu
camu or aguaje.
Visitors will definitely want to catalogue a personal list of birds spotted and animals seen,
reinforcing why this diverse environment is so precious. For this visitor, it was the piranha,
▲
▲

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the fish with the worldwide reputation that most influenced my view of the Peruvian
rainforest, a tough survivor of a delicate ecosystem under attack.

Visiting Northern Peru

Travel – visitors can fly direct from Lima to Iquitos via LAN Airlines to get to the river cruise
departure points.
Accommodation – Aqua Expeditions offers three, four and seven night cruises of Northern
Peru’s Amazon region. Guests stay in modern and spacious cabins aboard a ship that can
accommodate a maximum of 32 passengers or a smaller ship that accommodates 16
passengers.
Travel tip – bring binoculars and cameras with telephoto lenses to increase chances of
capturing elusive wildlife.
Weather – June to August is the dry season and December to March is the wet season, so
optimum times for river cruises are during northern hemisphere spring and autumn seasons.
Average temperatures range from 25–30 °C plus humidity.
Adapted from http://o.canada.com

b) Imagine that you have just returned from Northern Peru. Using the notes you have made, write
a summary of your visit to the area and say why you found it interesting and enjoyable.

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 1 Reading questions

Exercise 2
a) Read the following article and then make notes of what the writer and his family particularly enjoyed
and found interesting about their visit to Parc Asterix and what they found less interesting about the visit.

Parc Asterix: leave the queues

and hype behind
By Fred Mawer
‘Liberum est intrare’, says a Other attractions have a characters do come over to
sign by the door of a souvenir Roman theme. Le Défi de say hello to guests in the lobby
shop in the Roman section of César is wacky – and great fun. each morning.
Parc Asterix – schoolboy Latin To start with, we were shown
We visited Parc Asterix and
for ‘free entry’. Just like the a cartoon of marching Roman
Disneyland Paris back to back,
Asterix comic books that have legionaries. Then it turned out
so it was impossible not to make
inspired it, the theme park has that we had been conscripted
comparisons. Parc Asterix
sparks of humour that appeal and our faces appeared under
struck us as being less polished.
to adults, while managing to the soldiers’ bobbing helmets.
In contrast with Disneyland
be thoroughly entertaining for Next, we were given a rousing
Paris, it made no linguistic
young children, too. speech by a robotic Caesar,
concessions in its attractions
before setting sail on a Roman
The highlight for our boys was and shows to non-French
galleon that was spun, or
meeting roly-poly Obelix and speakers. On the plus side, the
seemed to be spun, upside
the diminutive Asterix. They Asterix park was quirkier, and
down by Asterix and Obelix.
hang out and pose for photos even though we were there in
amid the thatched huts of their Elsewhere, the park rather the Easter holidays, there were
Gaulish village, alongside other loses focus. There’s an no queues, so we had a much
splendidly costumed, life-size ancient Greece section with less stressful time.
characters, such as Unhygienix a mediocre dolphin show and
We also ate much better
the bellicose fishmonger and a big, old-fashioned wooden
at Asterix than at Disney,
Vitalstatistix the obese chief. roller-coaster; a Viking area
notably at the Trois Hiboux,
Decorative touches in the with a loop-the-loop roller-
where the buffet breakfasts
village include flowerpots coaster; a medieval street
and dinners were outstanding.
made from Roman helmets. with artisans making stained
And in the park itself, meals
glass and pottery, and a walk-
Inevitably, the Asterix theme were also much better value
through re-creation of 19th
extends to some of the park’s than at Disney: steak and chips
Century Paris.
attractions. We rode on a in Le Relais Gaulois cost a
carousel where we were Parc Asterix’s Hotel des Trois very reasonable £6.50. A pity,
seated in Obelix’s bottom, had Hiboux, a surprisingly stylish though, that we couldn’t find
a dizzying spin in a Druidic and tastefully rustic property wild boar – the Gauls’ favourite
cauldron and got very wet on set in a birch wood in the dish, if you recall – on the menu.
the Menhir Express, a flume shadow of the rollercoasters, Adapted from www.telegraph.co.uk
ride in which you sit in a mock is refreshingly devoid of
prehistoric standing stone. Asterix theming – though the

b) Now use the notes that you have made to write a summary of what makes Parc Asterix a
particularly interesting place for a visit by all the family, adults and children.

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 1 Reading questions

Exercise 3
a) Read the article below about sea turtles. Make notes about:
● what you have learned about the appearance and habits of sea turtles
● why sea turtles are an endangered species
● ways in which you can help save turtles from becoming extinct.

An Introduction to Sea Turtles

Sea turtles are large, air-breathing reptiles that inhabit tropical and subtropical seas throughout the world. Their
shells consist of an upper part (carapace) and a lower section (plastron). Hard scales (or scutes) cover all but the
leatherback, and the number and arrangement of these scutes can be used to determine the species.
Sea turtles come in many different sizes, shapes and colours. The Olive Ridley is usually less than 100 pounds, while
the leatherback typically ranges from 650 to 1300 pounds! The upper shell, or carapace, of each sea turtle species
ranges in length, colour, shape and arrangement of scales.
Sea turtles do not have teeth, but their jaws have modified ‘beaks’ suited to their particular diet. They do not have
visible ears but have eardrums covered by skin. They hear best at low frequencies, and their sense of smell is
excellent. Their vision underwater is good, but they are nearsighted out of water. Their streamlined bodies and large
flippers make them remarkably adapted to life at sea. However, sea turtles maintain close ties to land.
Females must come ashore to lay their eggs in the sand; therefore, all sea turtles begin their lives as tiny hatchlings on
land. Research on marine turtles has uncovered many facts about these ancient creatures. Most of this research has
been focused on nesting females and hatchlings emerging from the nest, largely because they are the easiest to find
and study.
Thousands of sea turtles around the world have been tagged to help collect information about their growth rates,
reproductive cycles and migration routes. After decades of studying sea turtles, much has been learned. However,
many mysteries still remain.

Status of the Species

The earliest known sea turtle fossils are about 150 million years old. In groups too numerous to count, they once
navigated throughout the world’s oceans. But in just the past 100 years, demand for turtle meat, eggs, skin and
colourful shells has dwindled their populations. Destruction of feeding and nesting habitats and pollution of the
world’s oceans are all taking a serious toll on remaining sea turtle populations. Many breeding populations have
already become extinct, and entire species are being wiped out. There could be a time in the near future when sea
turtles are just an oddity found only in aquariums and natural history museums — unless action is taken today.

How You Can Help

There are many things each of us can do to help sea turtles survive. First, we must remember that we share the
oceans and the beaches with many other species. Second, become informed about the things that are killing sea
turtles or destroying their habitat. Elected officials and other leaders are making decisions on issues that affect sea
turtles almost every day. As an informed citizen, you have the power to influence the outcome of these issues by
making your voice heard. One way to keep informed about important issues is to join and support groups like the
Sea Turtle Conservancy, which monitor issues and encourage their members to get involved.
From www.conserveturtles.org

b) Using the notes that you have made, write a summary of what the article tells you about sea
turtles and the threats that they face.

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