Challenge IG
Abhor =detest=loathe
Absolve =forgive
Abyss =hell=deep chasm
Accentuate=stress=emphasize
Accolades´=praise=award
Adept=expert
Adequate =suitable
Adherent =follower
Advocate ´=defend
Aesthetic =artistic
Affront =insult
Altruism=unselfishness
animated=enliven=alive
anonymous=unidentified
antipathy=hatred
antithesis=contrast
apprehend=fear,understand,
arrest
arrogance=haughtiness
average =usual=intermediate
axiom =spontaneous=self evident=intuitive
backlash =reaction
benefactor =generous=charitable
benign =kind
bigamy =marrying 2 women
brink =edge=fringe
calf =cow
caustic =bitter
chronic =long and lasting
chronology=events order
circumlocution =excessive
circumstance ´=condition
cognition =realization=perception
coherent =consistent
combatant =fighter=warior
common sense =instinct
comrade =mate
condescend =modest
confidant =close friend
confound =astonish
confront =face
conscientiously=with care
conspicuous =obvious
constrain =oblige
constrict= reduce
contestant =competitor
contraband=smuggler ´
contradictory=contrasted
converge =approach=close
convoluted =roll=twist
corpulent =fat
cumulative =piled
curtail =shrink
dauntless =brave=high-spirited=valorous
defray =afford=pay
dehydration =dryness=aridity=drought
delectable =tasty=pleasant
delude =deceive
delve =dig=disenter=exhume
demure =serene=shy
denomination =congregation=sect=group
despicable =contemptible=vile
destitute =poororious
diction =wording=locution=rscitation
digression
diligent =industrious=hard-working=laborious
disconsolate =gloomy=depressed=bleak
disdain =contempt
disperse =scatter=spread
disposed =arrange=prepare
disposition=tendency
distress =grief
dormant =inactive=inert=lazy
droll =amusing
eccentric =strange
ecstatic =delighted=elated
elaborate =master=skilled
elicit =extract=deduce
eminent =outstanding
empower =authorize=accredit=certify
endeavor =effort=attempt
endorse =approve
enhance =improve
ephemeral =passing=short-lived´
esteem =respect=admire
evade =avoid
evocative =remindful
excise =tax
expend =consume
expunge =erase
exultant =joyful
facetious =amusing=humorous
fidelity =faithfulness=honesty
flaunt =boast
formidable =horrifying
fortitude =constancy
frail =weak=fragile
fraught =charged ,filled with
fret =worry=irritate
frivolous =worthless=trivial
gridlock=traffic jam
grotesque=weird,distorted
hidebound ´=narrow-minded=conservative
ignominy =disgrace=shame
impede =hinder=obstruct
impetuous =reckless
impressionable =delicate=sensible
incessant =lasting =continuous
indulgent =forgiving
innovate=devise
inscribe
insinuation =hint=implication
insuperable =unovercome
interact =react=interplay
interject =interfere=butt in
intermittent =snatch=discontinuous
intrepid=brave=fearless
invincible =unbeatable=undefeated
jocular =funny
kindred=kinship=like-minded
laud =praise=glorify
malicious =envious=spiteful
mediocre =ordinary=average
medley =mixture´
misnomer =incorrect name´
monotony=routine=sameness
mundane =secular
nautical =marine
obliterate =wipe=deface
obnoxious =odious=hateful
obtrude =invade=intrude
opulent =abundant=ample
overkill=excess=surplus
pall =cover=coffin
pallid =pale
partisan =supporter
patronize =act arrogantly
pensive =meditating
permeate =penetrate=diffuse´
perseverance =persistence
perspicacious =acute=sagacious=perceptive
pestilent =deadly=harmful
picturesque =charming
precipitous =hasty=hotheaded=extravagant=reckless
predator=tigerish=wolfish
predecessors =forefather
prescribe =impose
pretentious =immodest=would-be
prevail =dominate=reign
prodigy =marvel=wonder
protracted =long=lengthy
prowess =wittiness=proficiency
recourse=shelter
recuperate =recover
refractory =stubborn
regress =return
rejuvenated =enliven
remorse =repentence
renown =qualm
reprehension=censure=scold
resigned =quit=leave
resilient =flexible=elastic
retract =withdraw
rift =split
satire =redicule
scribble =scratch
scrutinize=meditate=contenplate
sentiment=passion
slapstick =comedy
solitary =isolation
sordid =greedy,dishonest
specter =ghost
speculate =contemplate
stricture =restrict
stringent =strict
suave =gentle=subtle
symbiotic =cohabitation
symmetrical =identical´
syndrome =synchronism
synopsis =consise
tantalize =torment=torture
temperate
tentative
tip-off ´
torrid
torsion
traction
transcribe
transcript ´
transient
traumatic
treachery
tribulation
tumult
ultimate
undaunted
underdog ´
unerring
unrequited
unrestrained
vanquish
vigilant
virtuoso
vivacious
volatile
voracious
wag
wanton
wary
wend
whet
whimsical
wind chime
witticism
zealously
zenith
• client (clients)
colleague
employer
parent
sibling
spouse
autonomous
consistent
tolerant
idealistic
flexible
efficient
conventional
operative
vulnerable
addiction
allergy
cancer
dehydration
infection
vaccinate
examine
discharge
diagnose
admit
obesity
stroke
administer
astronomy
archaeology
economics
geology
linguistics
psychology
sociology
evaluate
investigate
evidence
analyse
claim
define
theory
hypothesis
addiction
allergy
cancer
dehydration
infection
vaccinate
examine
discharge
diagnose
admit
obesity
stroke
administer
astronomy
archaeology
economics
geology
linguistics
psychology
sociology
evaluate
investigate
evidence
analyse
claim
define
theory
hypothesis
accompany
encounter
overcome
reschedule
seek
dreary
intense
pivotal
itinerary
destination
profound
valuable
challenge
venture
circumference
diameter
height
launch
convey
adjust
secure
reinforce
suspend
amenity
commuter
congestion
housing
pioneering
bustling
neighborhood
inhabitant
resident
immigrant
urban
sprawling
rural
historic
pioneering
advocate
acknowledge
assert
dispute
debate
persuasion
imply
justify
drawback
assemble
proof
current affairs
recital
broadcast
attend
establish
observe
amateur
classical
contemporary
participate
resign
condense
contract
estimate
predict
state
accurate
likely
flow
expand
contracted
current
drought
flood
glacier
hurricane
figures
axis
column
typhoon
abandon
evolve
diminish
modify
refine
shift
transform
decline
alter
abandon
contrast
compare
resemble
contrary
conversely
distinguish
differentiate
diverse
distinct
vary
chain reaction
consequence
impact
influence
outcome
induce
determine
contribute
provoke
stem
inevitably
trigger
interestingly
necessarily
particularly
presumably
absolutely
approximately
ideally
indefinitely
supposedly
relatively
provisionally
undoubtedly
surprisingly
deteriorate
complication
crisis
alleviate
approach
eradicate
intervene
predicament
dilemma
tackle
framework
dogma
concept
conjecture
consensus
stance
ambiguous
biased
compelling
flawed
abundant
ample
modest
attain
dividend
down payment
audit
accumulate
commensurate
commitment
embark
escort
allocate
compile
deluxe
entitle
conducive
ascertain
discrepancy
constitute
disparate
conform
burdensome
asset
disrupt
conservative
disseminate
inconsiderate
incorporate
incur
inspire
integral
itinerary
hamper
offset
mentor
merchandise
lobby
pertinent
petition
mortgage
preclude
prerequisite
rectifyعدل
recurتكرر
refund
rehearse
relinquish
remainder
repel
prospective
subjective
aggregate amounting to a whole; total
allocate to set apart for a particular purpose; assign or allot
alter to make different in some particular way, as size, style, course, or modify
ambiguous open to or having several possible meanings or interpretations
amend to modify, rephrase, or add to or subtract from (a motion, bill, constitution, etc.)
analogy a similarity between like features of two things, on which a comparison may be based
append to add as a supplement, accessory, or appendix; subjoin approach to come near or nearer to
appropriate suitable or fitting for a particular purpose, person, occasion, etc.
arbitrary subject to individual will or judgment without restriction
aspect appearance to the eye or mind
assemble to fit together the parts of
assess to fix or determine the value or amount
assign to give or allocate; allot
assume to take for granted or without proof; suppose; postulate
assure to declare earnestly to; inform or tell positively; state with confidence
attach to fasten or affix; join; connect attain to reach, achieve, or accomplish; gain; obtain
attribute to regard as resulting from a specified cause
automate to apply the principles of automation to a mechanical process bias a particular tendency or inclination
cease to stop; discontinue; to come to an end
circumstance a condition, detail, or attribute, with respect to time, place, manner
clarify to make (an idea, statement, etc.) clear or intelligible
coherent logically connected; consistent
coincide to occupy the same place in space, or the same relative position
collapse to fall or cave in; crumble suddenly
commence to begin; start
commission the act of committing or giving in charge
commodity an article of trade or commerce, especially a product as distinguished from a service
compatible capable of existing or living together in harmony
compensate to recompense for something
compile to put together
comprehensive of large scope; covering or involving much; inclusive comprise to include or contain
compute to determine by calculation; reckon; calculate
conceive to form (a notion, opinion, purpose, etc.)
concurrent occurring or existing simultaneously or side by side
conduct personal behavior; way of acting; bearing or deportment
confer to consult together; compare opinions
confine to enclose within bounds; limit or restrict
conflict to come into collision or disagreement; be contradictory, or in opposition
conform to act in accordance or harmony; comply
consent to permit, approve, or agree; comply or yield consequent following as an effect or result; resulting considerable rather large or great in size, distance or extent
constitute to compose; form; to appoint to an office or function
constrain to force, compel, or oblige
construct to build or form by putting together parts; frame; devise
380 consume to destroy or expend by use; use up A
contemporary existing, occurring, or living at the same time
contradict to assert the contrary or opposite of; deny directly and categorically contrary opposite in nature or character; diametrically or mutually opposed: contrary to fact
contrast to compare in order to show unlikeness or differences; note the opposite natures
contribute to give to a common supply, fund, etc., as for charitable purposes
controversy a prolonged public dispute or disputation concerning a matter of opinion
convene to come together or assemble, usually for some public purpose converse to talk informally with another or others; exchange views, opinions, etc., by talking
convert to change (something) into a different form or properties; transmute; transform
convince to move by argument or evidence to belief, agreement, consent, or a course of action
coordinate of the same order or degree; equal in rank or importance corporate of, for, or belonging to a corporation or corporations
correspond to be in agreement or conformity (often followed by with or to )
crucial involving an extremely important decision or result; decisive; critical
decline to withhold or deny consent to do, enter into or upon, etc.; refuse
deduce to derive as a conclusion from something known or assumed
demonstrate to make evident or establish by arguments or reasoning; prove
409 denote to be a mark or sign of; indicate A
depress to make sad or gloomy; lower in spirits; deject; dispirit
derive to receive or obtain from a source or origin (usually followed by from ).
detect to discover or catch (a person) in the performance of some act deviate to turn aside, as from a route, way, course, etc.
devote to give up or concentrate on a particular pursuit, occupation, purpose, cause, etc.
dimension a property of space; extension in a given direction
discrete apart or detached from others; separate; distinct
discriminate to make a distinction on the basis of the group category rather than according to actual merit
displace to compel (a person or persons) to leave home, country, etc.
420 dispose to give a tendency or inclination to; incline A
distinct distinguished as not being the same; not identical; separate (sometimes followed by from )
distort to twist awry or out of shape; make crooked or deformed
diverse of a different kind, form, character, etc.; unlike
domain a field of action, thought, influence, etc. domestic of or pertaining to the home, the household, household affairs, or the family
dominate to rule over; govern; control
eliminate to remove or get rid of, especially as being in some way undesirable emerge to come forth into view or notice, as from concealment or obscurity
equate to regard, treat, or represent as equivalent
erode to eat into or away; destroy by slow consumption or disintegration
ethic the body of moral principles or values governing or distinctive of a particular culture or group
explicit fully and clearly expressed or demonstrated; leaving nothing merely implied; unequivocal
exploit a striking or notable deed; feat; spirited or heroic act
extract to get, pull, or draw out, usually with special effort, skill, or force federal pertaining to or of the nature of a union of states under a central government distinct from the individual governments of the separate states
finite having bounds or limits; not infinite; measurable fluctuate to change continually; shift back and forth; vary irregularly
hierarchy any system of persons or things ranked one above another
hypothesis a proposition assumed as a premise in an argument
ideology the body of doctrine that guides an individual, social movement, institution, class, or large group
immigrate to come to a country of which one is not a native, usually for permanent residence
implement any article used in some activity, especially an instrument, tool, or utensil
implicate to show to be also involved, usually in an incriminating manner
impose to lay on or set as something to be borne, endured, obeyed, fulfilled, paid, etc.
incentive something to incite to action, as a reward offered for increased productivity
incidence the rate or range of occurrence of something, especially of something unwanted inevitable unable to be avoided, evaded, or escaped; certain; necessary initial of, pertaining to, or occurring at the beginning; first: the initial step in a process
innovate to introduce something new; make changes in anything established
integrate to bring together or incorporate (parts) into a whole
interval an intervening period of time
intervene to come between disputing people, groups, etc.; intercede; mediate
invoke to call for with earnest desire; make supplication or pray for involve to include as a necessary circumstance, condition, or consequence
478 legislate to make or enact laws A
levy an imposing or collecting, as of a tax, by authority or force
liberal favorable to progress or reform, as in political or religious affairs
maintain to keep in existence or continuance; preserve; retain manipulate to manage or influence skillfully, especially in an unfair manner
mediate to settle (disputes, strikes, etc.) as an intermediary between parties
negate to deny the existence, evidence, or truth of
orient the countries of Asia, especially East Asia
paradigm an example that serves as a pattern or model
perspective a technique of depicting volumes and spatial relationships on a flat surface
phenomenon a fact, occurrence, or circumstance observed or observable pursue to follow in order to overtake, capture, kill, etc.; chase rational agreeable to reason; reasonable; sensible
reluctance unwillingness; disinclination
revenue the income of a government from taxation, excise duties, customs, or other sources,
sequence the following of one thing after another; succession
aggravate =annoy
dexterous=skillful
sluggish=lazy
drowsy=sleepy
painstaking=diligent=laborious
cynical=rediculous
fussy=accurate
impulsive=hasty,spontaneous
melancholic=pathetic=sorrowful
sedate=grave=solemn=serene=demure
heady=rash,stubborn
incisive=sharp
ferocious=fierce
jovial=cheerful
boisterous=stormy,fierce
A Chip On Your Shoulder:
Being upset for something that happened in the past.
A Drop in the Bucket:
A very small part of something big or whole.
A Penny Saved Is A Penny Earned:
By not spending money, you are saving money (little by little).
A Piece of Cake:
A task that can be accomplished very easily.
A Slap on the Wrist:
A very mild punishment.
A Taste Of Your Own Medicine:
When you are mistreated the same way you mistreat others.
Add Fuel To The Fire:
Whenever something is done to make a bad situation even worse than it is.
All Greek to me:
Meaningless and incomprehensible like someone who cannot read, speak, or understand
any of the Greek language would be.
All In The Same Boat:
When everyone is facing the same challenges.
An Arm And A Leg:
Very expensive. A large amount of money.
An Axe To Grind:
To have a dispute with someone.
At The Drop Of A Hat:
Willing to do something immediately.
*******************
Back Seat Driver:
People who criticize from the sidelines, much like someone giving unwanted advice from
the back seat of a vehicle to the driver.
Between A Rock And A Hard Place:
Stuck between two very bad options.
Bite Off More Than You Can Chew:
To take on a task that is way to big.
Bite Your Tongue:
To avoid talking.
Blood Is Thicker Than Water:
The family bond is closer than anything else.
Blue Moon:
A rare event or occurance.
Buy A Lemon:
To purchase a vehicle that constantly gives problems or stops running after you drive it
away.
*******************
Can't Cut The Mustard :
Someone who isn't adequate enough to compete or participate.
Come Hell Or High Water:
Any difficult situation or obstacle.
Crack Someone Up:
To make someone laugh.
Cross Your Fingers:
To hope that something happens the way you want it to.
Cry Over Spilt Milk:
When you complain about a loss from the past.
Curiosity Killed The Cat:
Being Inquisitive can lead you into a dangerous situation.
Dog Days of Summer:
The hottest days of the summer season.
Don't count your chickens before they hatch:
Don't rely on it until your sure of it.
Don't Put All Your Eggs In One Basket:
Do not put all your resources in one possibility.
Eighty Six:
A certain item is no longer available. Or this idiom can also mean, to throw away.
Finding Your Feet:
To become more comfortable in whatever you are doing.
From Rags To Riches:
To go from being very poor to being very wealthy.
Fuddy-duddy:
An old-fashioned and foolish type of person.
Get Up On The Wrong Side Of The Bed:
Someone who is having a horrible day.
Graveyard Shift:
Working hours from about 12:00 am to 8:00 am. The time of the day when most other
people are sleeping.
Haste Makes Waste:
Quickly doing things results in a poor ending.
Head Over Heels:
Very excited and/or joyful, especially when in love.
High on the Hog:
Living in Luxury.
Hit The Hay:
Go to bed or go to sleep.
Hit The Sack:
Go to bed or go to sleep.
Hocus Pocus:
In general, a term used in magic or trickery.
Hold Your Horses:
Be patient.
In Your Face:
An aggressive and bold confrontation.
Its Anyone's Call:
A competition where the outcome is difficult to judge or predict.
Keep An Eye On Him:
You should carefully watch him.
Keep body and soul together:
To earn a sufficient amount of money in order to keep yourself alive .
Kick The Bucket:
Die.
Know the Ropes:
To understand the details.
Lend Me Your Ear:
To politely ask for someone's full attention.
Let Bygones Be Bygones:
To forget about a disagreement or arguement.
Let Sleeping Dogs Lie:
To avoid restarting a conflict.
Like a chicken with its head cut off:
To act in a frenzied manner.
Make No Bones About:
To state a fact so there are no doubts or objections.
Mumbo Jumbo:
Nonsense or meaningless speech.
Mum's the word:
To keep quiet. To say nothing.
Nest Egg:
Savings set aside for future use.
New York Minute:
A minute that seems to go by quickly, especially in a fast paced environment.
No Dice:
To not agree. To not accept a proposition.
Off On The Wrong Foot:
Getting a bad start on a relationship or task.
On Pins And Needles:
Anxious or nervous, especially in anticipation of something.
On The Fence:
Undecided.
On The Same Page:
When multiple people all agree on the same thing.
Out Of The Blue:
Something that suddenly and unexpectedly occurs.
Out On A Limb:
When someone puts themself in a risky situation.
Pass The Buck:
Avoid responsibility by giving it to someone else.
Pick up your ears:
To listen very carefully.
Pig Out :
To eat alot and eat it quickly.
Pull the plug:
To stop something. To bring something to an end.
Pulling Your Leg:
Tricking someone as a joke.
Raincheck:
An offer or deal that is declined right now but willing to accept later.
Raining Cats and Dogs:
A very loud and noisy rain storm.
Rise and Shine:
Time to get out of bed and get ready for work/school.
Saved By The Bell:
Saved at the last possible moment.
Sitting Shotgun:
Riding in the front passenger seat of a car.
Sixth Sense:
A paranormal sense that allows you to communicate with the dead.
Smell A Rat:
To detect somone in the group is betraying the others.
Smell Something Fishy:
Detecting that something isn't right and there might be a reason for it.
The Ball Is In Your Court:
It is your decision this time.
The Best Of Both Worlds:
There are two choices and you have them both.
The Bigger They Are The Harder They Fall:
While the bigger and stronger opponent might be alot more difficult to beat, when you
do they suffer a much bigger loss.
The Last Straw:
When one small burden after another creates an unbearable situation, the last straw is
the last small burden that one can take.
The Whole Nine Yards:
Everything. All of it.
Third times a charm:
After no success the first two times, the third try is a lucky one.
Tie the knot:
To get married.
Til the cows come home:
A long time.
To Make A Long Story Short:
Something someone would say during a long and boring story in order to keep his/her
audience from losing attention. Usually the story isn't shortened.
To Steal Someone's Thunder:
To take the credit for something someone else did.
Tongue-in-cheek:
humor, not to be taken serious.
Turn A Blind Eye:
Refuse to acknowledge something you know is real or legit.
Twenty three skidoo:
To be turned away.
Under the weather:
Feeling ill or sick.
Use Your Loaf:
Use your head. Think smart.
Water Under The Bridge:
Anything from the past that isn't significant or important anymore.
Wear Your Heart On Your Sleeve:
To openly and freely express your emotions.
When Pigs Fly :
Something that will never ever happen.
Wild and Woolly:
Uncultured and without laws.
Wine and Dine:
When somebody is treated to an expensive meal.
X marks the spot:
A phrase that is said when someone finds something he/she has been looking for.
You Are What You Eat:
In order to stay healthy you must eat healthy foods.
You Can't Judge A Book By Its Cover:
Decisions shouldn't be made primarily on appearance..
Vocabulary to describe temperament:
calm, serene, composed, gentle, charming, delightful, , cheerful, jolly, hearty,
serious, matured, natural; impressionable, impassionate, spirited, excitable, ,
, , playful, unaffected; affected, quick, , acute, ,
, fiery, hysterical, , hot, sentimental, over-sensitive, restless, ,
, gloomy, moody, , sharp, cheerless, nervous, hot-headed,
emotionally stable, , impulsive, , mature.
Vocabulary to describe Energy:
alert, energetic, active, quick, industrious, , laborious, persevering, passive,
steady; inactive, lazy idle, , slow, , fatigued, tired; ,
absent-minded
Vocabulary to describe readiness to accept responsibility:
ready, willing, enthusiastic, keen, eager; reliable, helpful, dutiful; unwilling, reluctant, ,
composed, half- hearted, unreliable, irresponsible, timid, unstable, careless,
persevering.
Vocabulary to describe Punctuality:
excellent, punctual, regular; irregular, late, early, always, frequently, often, generally,
seldom, sometimes, rarely, scarcely, never.
Vocabulary to describe special aptitudes:
musical, artistic, scientific, mathematical, , systematic, entertaining,
mechanically- mind, skillful in, proficient in.
Phrases related to problem:
Recognizing problems, a problem, avoid a problem, cause a problem,
deal with a problem, identify a problem, ignore a problem, run into a problem, solve a
problem
Expressions about sleep:
be fast asleep, be sound asleep, be wide awake, drift off, feel drowsy, have a
sleepless night, nod off, sleep like a log, take a power nap, toss and turn
Informal Phrasal verbs:
burn out, calm down, chill out, drop off, perk up, race off, sleep over, turn in, do away
with, do with, get down to, jog along/on, lose out (to), make off, rake in scrape
along/by (on), take up on, whistle for, yank off, zero in (on)
Expressions with keep and stay:
keep connected, keep in touch, keep one’s grades up, keep out of trouble, keep
things in perspective, keep up, stay awake, stay connected, stay in touch, stay out of
trouble
Expressions of annoyance:
drive someone crazy, drive someone mad, drive someone up the wall, get on
someone’s nerves, get someone down, get someone’s goat, get under someone’s
skin, make someone mad, make someone sick, make someone’s blood boil
Examination tips:
This section gives you advice to help you do as well as you can. Some of the tips are
general advice and some are based on the common mistakes that learners make in
exams.
Reading and Writing: Paper 1 – Core tier
Paper 2 – Extended tier
Exercises 1 and 2
• Read quickly (skim) through the text – concentrate on finding the main idea in
each paragraph. As you read, underline any names, numbers or dates. Use the
pictures and other visuals to help you understand.
• Read the questions carefully and make a note of any questions that need two
pieces of information in the answer.
• Underline the question word and think about what it means: ‘Where’ means ‘a
place’; ‘How’ means ‘in what way’, and ‘Why’ means look for a reason or cause.
• Underline other important words in the question – nouns and verbs provide
information that you might need to find in the text.
• Try to match the words in the question with the correct point in the text. This is
called ‘scanning’. When you locate the sentence, read it more carefully to find
the exact answer. If you can’t match any words, remember, the word in the
question might be a synonym of the word in the text. If you still can’t locate the
right answer, read up or down from the sentence you found, or make a guess.
• Don’t write full sentences in your answer. Keep your answers short – a date or
number or a few words will be enough to get a mark. Too much writing can
waste your time, and, if you give too much information, you might include wrong
details which could mean you lose a mark.
• You can copy the words from the text – you don’t need to use your own words.
If you write in your own words, you won’t lose a mark as long as you include all
the correct information needed in the question.
• Look out for and learn the meaning of signpost phrases such as ‘apart from’, or
‘rather than’, or ‘According to the graph’, and make sure you understand what
they refer to.
• Remember that the questions follow the order of the text in Exercises 1 and 2.
The only exception to this is in Paper 2 – Extended Level – in Exercise 2 you
need to look back at the whole text to find answers to the last question.
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Exercise 3
• The first thing to remember is that this exercise is not only a test of reading
and comprehension, but also a test of writing. This means that you must be
completely accurate in spelling.
• Handwriting is important too, because you often have to write names,
addresses, or other proper nouns. Examiners are looking for the correct use
of capital letters, so you must make these completely clear when you write.
• If you have to write an answer on the line, remember to make it a short
answer.
• Do you know how to use the instructions Tick, Underline, Circle, and Delete?
If not, ask your teacher to explain.
• Remember that you’re completing this exercise as if you are the person in the
text, so you must use ‘I’ or ‘we’. Answers with ‘he’, ‘she’, or ‘they’ will get no
marks.
• The last section of this exercise is different:
Extended Level – one sentence – make sure it is a) within the word limit, b)
completely accurate, c) relevant (it answers the question).
Core Level – two sentences – make sure they are a) completely accurate, b)
relevant (they answer the question).
What does accuracy mean?
i) start your sentence with a capital letter
ii) finish your sentence with a full stop
iii) write a full and complete sentence, using a subject and verb
iv) don’t start your sentence with ‘and’, ‘but’ or ‘because’.
Exercise 4
• Use the same skills for reading and understanding as you did in Exercises 1
and 2.
• Try to connect the headings with parts of the text, so that your answers
correspond to the right heading. Correct answers in the wrong place don’t get
any marks.
• Notice the bullet points at the beginning of each line and write short answers
that fit the space on the line – remember this is a note-taking exercise.
• Although your answer must be short, make sure you include all the key
information.
Exercise 5 – General advice
In this exercise you need to write a summary based on the text you have read.
Eng_Dep/2014/Gr 10/Revision 41 | P a g e
In a summary you should:
• Keep to the word limit – before the examination, check how many words you
write on a line, then you’ll know how many lines you will need.
• Include all the key facts relating to the subject of your summary. This will
mean looking again at the entire text and underlining relevant points.
• Try to connect your ideas into a paragraph using linking words.
• If you use your own words instead of copying from the text, you have more
chance of getting a higher mark for language.
Paper 1 – Core tier
• Use your notes from Exercise 4, but you might not need all of them.
• Don’t just make a list of the points in your notes. Try to write connected
sentences. Linking words will help you do this.
• Keep on the topic and use your own words if you can.
Paper 2 – Extended tier
• Read the instructions carefully – do you need to summarise the whole text or
just part of it? Don’t waste time reading unnecessary parts of the text.
• Practise synonym exercises to help you use your own words.
• Practise connecting phrases to create sentences, and connecting sentences
to create paragraphs.
Exercises 6 and 7 – General advice
These exercises ask you to write in two different styles – usually an informal piece
and an opinion piece of writing.
Make sure you:
• Write at least the minimum word length.
• Use paragraphs to show your different ideas.
• Keep to the topic – it’s easy to wander away from the subject. Remind
yourself by looking again at the question.
• Try to write fluently – use words and phrases to connect your thoughts.
• Don’t use mobile/cell text language – this is a test of English language.
Exercise 6
• Think about who you are writing to.
• Try to write as if you are talking to this person and you’ll automatically use the
right tone and register.
• Don’t forget any of the bullet points – you’ll lose marks if you do.
• Write a paragraph for each bullet point – it will give your writing good balance.
• It’s a good idea to give your writing a start and a finish. If you don’t, it can
become more like a story, and you might lose the tone.
• Try to make your writing enjoyable to read.
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• If you like using idioms, be careful not to use too many. It can make your
writing sound unnatural.
Exercise 7
• Decide right at the start if you’re going to write about the topic from two sides
(for and against) or from just one (your opinion).
• If you write a two-sided (balanced) piece of writing, don’t forget to include your
opinion in the last paragraph.
• If you want to write only from your own point of view, include it in the first
paragraph.
• You can use the phrases and opinions given in the question, but if you want to
get higher marks, you must develop these ideas and not just copy them.
• Try to think of your own ideas on the topic.
• Remember to organise your writing: include an introduction, one paragraph
for each idea in the middle section, and a conclusion.
• Try to keep a few minutes at the end to read through and check your spelling
and grammar.
Listening: Paper 3 – Core tier
Paper 4 – Extended tier
General advice
• Make sure you read the introduction to each question, as this often provides
clues as to what will happen in the exercise.
• Anticipate (predict) who’s going to speak; where they are; what they’re going
to talk about.
• Remember, part of the skill of listening is to be able to predict what might be
said next (‘pre-listening’)
• You hear everything twice – concentrate all the time and make notes or
underline words to help you.
• Be careful with numbers – if you write a number in your answer, you might
need to include a unit – is it kilos, $, metres, tonnes?
• Notice any question that needs two details to get one mark or two marks, and
make sure you separate the answers clearly.
• In gap-filling exercises, use your knowledge of grammar to help you work out
what kind of word could fit in the gaps (could it be a noun, verb, adverb?)
• For longer answers, make sure you have communicated the idea clearly. If
you don’t know a word, try to write exactly what you hear.
There are 5 passages (or ‘exercises’ as stated in the exam paper) on the Reading and Writing paper. Here, we would like to provide 5 exam tips to score well in Reading.
Write short answers
You don’t have to write full sentences in the reading part. By writing 2 or 3 words, sometimes even 1, is sufficient to answer the questions. But you have to show the examinar that you understand the passage well, and you are able to provide the right answer straight to the point.
For example, if the question asks: “How often is the carnival held?”, you can answer “once a year” or “annually”.
There is no need to answer, “The carnival is held once a year” or “The carnival is held annually”.
In this way, you save time for questions that need longer time, and writing.
Remember the units
When you are providing short answers for questions that ask: how much, how many, quantity, price, etc., remember to include the units.
It is a common mistakes by students not providing units and loosing marks.
For example, if the question asks: “What is the percentage of drop-out in year 2002?”, you can answer “20 %” or “20 percent” or “twenty percent”.
If you are writing numbers, be careful to spell them right. All measurement units MUST be included, such as: dollar ($), pound (£), Euro (€), kilometer (km), hours, liter (ℓ), and so on. You can use either the full spelling or just the symbol.
When looking at the questions, you can look for the key words in the questions that will lead you to finding answers in the passage.
For example, if the question asks: “Why do some “samba” schools play in their own districts?”. In this case, the key words are: “samba schools”, and “play in own districts”.
You can underline these key words quickly, and head back to the passage to skim on where are these key words located.
Skimming and scanning
After gotten the key words from the questions, you are now able to first skim the text again to find the ‘location’ of the answers. Skimming means just go quickly thru the text to look for the key words. It is best if you could briefly underline, or just make an open-and-close bracket, the key words at the ‘location’ that you have found.
Some time, the same key word is used in several part of the passage. In this case, you will have to scan each ‘location’ to get the right answer. Scanning means do a ‘deeper’ reading to understand the meaning of each ‘location’. In fact, the answers could be in all the ‘locations’ you have found. This is especially common for questions that asked for several facts or points.
Watch for rephrased
Notice that words from the article are often rephrased in the questions. For example, the article states, “… one in four young people has neither a computer nor a mobile phone…”. Whilst the question asks, “What percentage of young people have no computer or mobile phone?”.
The answer would be 25%. As ‘one in four’ means ¼, and that is 25%.
Form-Filling and Note Taking
Section - A & B
In this exercise, you will need to complete a form/notes template based on the information provided in the question paper. Generally this exercise consists of different sections like Section - A, B & C. You need to write 2 sentences in the last exercise.
1)Do not drift away from the text; everything you write must be 'tethered' to the passage - just to transfer answers from the given text.
2)Correct spelling is essential throughout the form - filling exercise.
3)Upper case letters required at the start of proper nouns.
4)The conventions of form-filling (i.e. instructions to tick and underline) must be observed with total accuracy.
5)Before you start writing, decide what are the sections should be filled in Captial/Block letters.
6)Write the given email address as it is given in the text.
7)Mobile number should be written with the given country code number.
8)Please make sure that you know the following points:
NAME:
Imagine if the mentioned name in the text is Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.
The full name is Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, Family name or Surname is Tendulkar, Given name or First name is Sachin, middle name is Ramesh, Initial is S, Initials are SRT.
ADDRESS:
1.Permanent Address (resides permanently) / Present Address ( temporary) / Postal Address
2.When you furnish address in this exercises, importantly it should be in order, No (Flat, Street / Lane/ Avenue/ City / Capital / Country)
3.Don't use preposition 'at' street name or House/ Flat number, similary 'in' before the name of country.
Example:
19-A, Perry Cross Road, Bandra, Mumbai -4000018.
AGE:
DOB means date of birth (April 24th 1973)/Be sure about the age with simple calculation, Make sure that you are right after analysing the following points.
1) Going to be 41 it means the age is 40 .
2) Just celebrated / turned : 40
3) Will be 41 / going to be... on XX.XX.XXXX means now still 40
4) Under 41 means the ages is 40
5) Above 39 means 40.
6) Current / present age is 40
FOLLOW THE INSTRCTIONS APPROPRIATELY
Gender / Sex of Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is: male / female
[pic]
MAKE SURE YOU KNOW THESE FOLLOWING WORDS ABOUT
'JOB': Pofession, job, Educational Qualification, Project, employer, employee, responsibilities, post, experience, remuneration ( Salary).
MAKE SURE YOU KNOW THESE FOLLOWING WORDS ABOUT
'PEOPLE': Organiser, guardian, coach/ trainer, accompanied by, owner, relative, volunteer, referee.
Section – C
1. Max mark for this section is 4
2. Here, You need to write 2 different sentences, must be written from the point of view.
3. For each sentence, award up to 2 marks as follows.
4. Absence of a full stop at the end should be considered as 1 punctuation error.
5. Absence of an upper case letter at the beginning should be considered as 1 punctuation error.
6. Omission of a word in a sentence should be considered as 1 grammar error.
7. Most of the sentences should be started with pronouns like "I" or "We"...
(Note making)
MARK : Core =7 Extended=9
Both the tier students will need to make brief notes under supplied headings (Approximately 2 heading for core and 3 headings for extended) related to a text in the question paper.In the exam, the note-taking exercises take the form of headings followed by bullet points, against which students write their notes.
Full sentences are not required and answers can be one word or a brief phrase. Students should take care with spelling, however, as they may inadvertently miss a mark if a misspelled word gives another meaning. The bullet points guide the student as to the number of points to find, and each point should be used only once.
Core candidates... do remember it's a linked Exercise between Note making and Summary Writing. Consequently, you will be required to write a paragraph-length summary about an aspect or aspects of the passage. They will make use of the notes they made in Exercise 4.
Whereas, Extended Students will get a separate text for Note making and Summary Writing Exercise.
1. Read the questions carefully and underline the key words as you read.
2. Read the side headings.
3. Have a comprehensive ideas about the passage
4. Underline the required key sentences
5. Differentiate points- use appropriate number or colour coding For example: Number ( 1,2, 3...or I,II,III.. , a, b, c..etc) and underline each key point that are relevant to your heading.
6. Use the space effectively (Avoid Chunk writing)
7. Each heading requires different bits of information from the text. Don’t repeat anything you write or add any ideas or opinions of your own.
8. No complete sentence is necessary.
9. Remember that the finished notes should make sense. At the end ensure that if someone reading your notes understand them even if they hadn't seen the original passage.
10. Don't offer extra/unwanted details.
11. Avoid inappropriate preposition such as : in, at, the , of , etc..
12. When you have finished, it is useful to check your clarity by asking yourself, Could someone reading these notes understand them, even though they have not seen the original text?
WRITING GUIDE
To start the introduction with a rhetorical question (for articles only)
1. Have you ever thought of driving your own car? The thought sounds interesting, but…..
2. How many of you are counting the days until you can drive? A lot of us do, but have you stopped for a moment to think about the down side of cars?
3. How would you feel if you were kept in a cramped cage for the rest of your life? Needless to say, your feelings will be shared by the animals which are kept in zoos. I believe we should destroy zoos as it upsets the animals in many ways.
4. Are you in favour of the Principal’s decision to destroy our play area to build a science lab? There is no doubt that this plan will negatively affect the students.
5. Which is better: a library full of books or a digital library with internet connection? Like many of you, I believe that…….
6. Would you prefer helping your local farmers by purchasing locally grown products or buying imported goods? As a citizen of this country, I would definitely…..
To link two ideas together
1. not only………… but also
E.g. Buying locally grown products will not only benefit our local farmers, but also reduce foreign imports which will boost the country’s economy.
2. both……..….and
E.g. Buying locally grown products will both benefit our local farmers and reduce foreign imports which will boost the country’s economy.
3. coupled with
E.g. Coupled with reduction in unemployment, the project will improve our standard of living as more products will be available locally.
4. as well as (use instead of ‘and’)
E.g. If we host the next World Cup, our country will become famous, as well as improve the tourism industry.
5. too / as well (informal, use only when writing emails instead of ‘also’)
E.g. Uncle Salim loves playing cricket and he likes diving, too.
E.g. Uncle Salim loves playing cricket and he likes driving as well.
6. not to mention (used to add extra information and adds emphasis)
E.g. The airport will create noise and air pollution, not to mention its impact on the environment. Downloaded from | Sharing makes a difference!
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|To link similar and contrasting ideas (notice the register |Joining different points |
|shift) Joining similar points | |
|Formal |Informal |Formal |Informal |
|Furthermore, |What’s more |However, |,but |
|Besides, |That’s not all, |In contrast, |though (at the end) |
|Moreover, |Not only that, |On the contrary, |Although…. |
|In addition, |Other than that, |Nevertheless, |,but |
Frriendly letters format
1-Greeting 2- parag2 Introduction parag3-4 body parag4 – conclusion
Ending and signature
|Say |Don’t say |
|Dear Ali (brother/sister) |Dear brother samy |
|Dear mum/Dad |Dear father/ mother/dear parents |
|Dear Sally |Dear cousin Sally |
|Dear uncle/auntie =Omar/salma | |
|Dear |Dearest /best friend |
| | |
| | |
Don’t forget to indent each paragraph and to use simple names withour groups of letters dj/hm/kh/dh
*How to write an introduction :-
1-using apology 2-using personal reference 3- other ways
A-using apology when there is a reason for not writing
Ex-I’m sorry I haven’t written for ages ,but I’ve been busy studying and havn;t had the time .
B- using apology when there is no reason for not writing
I’ve been meaning to write for Ages ,but I’m afraid I just havn;t got round to it .
C-introductions without apology:-
• It was great to get your letter last week .
D- using personal reference :-
Ex-Congratulations on passing the exams /I hope you are feeling better than before .
--------------------------Transition-------------------
A- Use the transition words anyway or anyhow when using the apology style of introduction .
Ex- Dear / Nayl
I’m sorry I haven’t written for ages but I’ve been busy rehearsing my part for the school play.
Anyway,I thought I would drop you a letter……
Note –Use anyway only when the previous sentence doesn’t matter or isn’t important
B-Use past tense
Ex:I thought you might like to know something about …..
-I thought I would drop you a line to let you know something about my family
-Just a short note to let you know
----------------- signature ------------------
Love / love from with love from / yours…
1-Descriptive 2- Advice
3Narrative 4-Narrative-discriptive
You may be asked to describe your home ,family ,school,hobbies,free time.
1-create interest 2-personalise for the reader 3-support each ides 4-don’t list. 5- draw a full mental picture for the person you are writing to. 6-don’t state the obvious.
I live in a…..,it’s a house built on stilts to keep us above water in the floods.It’s a four-bedroom house .
I live right (person+verb instead of nouns)in the city centre of Paris with a marvelous view of river scene………………(supporting sentences )./I live in a three-bedroom house right in the city cenyre .It’s very different from your quiet village (contrast is the best way to create interest)and there are so many things to do ,you will never be bored .(creating interest)
I thought you might like to share my room with me,so we can listen to music together,but the guest room is all ready,if you prefer / I thought you might like some privacy , so you can have my brother’s room if you like , and he will move in with me.
1-Describing Members :- I have an older brother,Mark,and a sister called Maria,who is two years younger than me .
Note:-pick only one person to talk about ,so avoid listing .
Ex:-My older brother ,Mark, is mad about computer , just like you .!
Ex:-I’m sure you will get well on with my Dad .He loves football almost as much as you .
Ex:-My sister Maria is two years younger than me and loves to sing at the top of her voice whenever I’m trying to study .Don’t worry,she is going to summer camp,so we won’t be seeing much of her.
Note : always ask yourself , why are you telling friend this? And why should this interest him ?!
1-you can describe his hoobies ,what he/she likes and what not.
2-talk about his nature and behaviours,sympathetic,tough,easy to deal with..
3-his/her physical features.
I go to a very old school ,it was founded almost ……….
It’s only fifteen minute walk /bus ride to school from my house.
I have to get up at 6 o\clock to catch the bus to school .
Note :- try to create interest to make your friend keen on coming with you and chech if he is keen on music,sport or even reading.
As you did when describing your family , choose only one teacher to talk about .
Ex:- Wait till you see Mr jones our absent-minded physics teacher!He never remebers to comb his hair,his jacket sleeves are too short and he always dropping things.
Don’t forget to include your school friends .
-you will be glad to know .
-I know you will get on really with…
-Wait till you see or meet …..
-You will really enjoy
-I can’t wait till you
-should be short as two lines , and relate to the introduction .
(intro)=It was lovely to get your letter yesterday and to hear that you are coming to stay!I thought I’d drop you a line to give you some idea about life here .
Conclusion)=Anyway,I hope this gives you some idea about us here and that you are getting exited \bout coming .
Ending
-don’t forget to let me know about you.
-write soon and let me know where or when ..about you.
With best wishes/yours
First name.
DESCRIPTIVE SENTENCES COLLECTION
A) Describing the location.
1. I live in the heart of the island, with a breathtaking view of a waterfall.
2. I live in a bungalow, with a big flower garden.
3. I live right on the edge of the island, overlooking the volleyball ground.
4. I live at the end of Chaandhanee Magu, near the bushes.
5. I live in the middle of UK, with a great view of a botanical garden.
6. I live on the edge of Maaungoodhoo, with an awesome view of Kandoofa forest.
7. I live about twenty minutes’ walk from the school.
8. I live in the middle of the country, with a wonderful view of the snow-covered
mountains.
9. I live on the edge of Maaungoodhoo, with a beautiful view of the beach.
10. I live about fifteen minutes’ walk from the habour.
11. I live on the edge of Maaungoodhoo, in a two-bedroom semi, overlooking the
forest.
12. I live in a three-bedroom house, with a splendid view of the city park.
13. I live about half an hour’s walk from the airport.
14. I live in the centre of London, overlooking the well-known shopping mall.
15. I live near the city centre, with a view of a crowded supermarket.
16. I live on the edge of Maaungoodhoo, with a fantastic view of the beach.
17. I live in the middle of Maaungoodhoo, with a lovely view of the gardens.
18. I live about three minutes’ walk from the tennis club.
19. I live in the middle of Maaungoodhoo, overlooking the football ground.
20. I live right in the centre of Maaungoodhoo, with a wonderful view of the school.
21. I live in a six year old single-bedroom semi, right next to the tennis club.
22. I live in a bungalow, overlooking a big park.
23. I live in a two-bedroom semi, right in the middle of the city.
24. I live in a three-bedroom semi, in the middle of the city.
25. I live in a two-bedroom semi, overlooking a beautiful pine forest.
26. I live on the outskirts of Maaungoodhoo, with the beautiful view of the horizon.
27. I live in the heart of Maaungoodhoo, with a marvelous view of a vegetable
garden.
28. I live on the outskirts of Maaungoodhoo, overlooking some mango trees.
29. I live on the edge of Maaungoodhoo, overlooking the football ground.
30. I live in a semi-detached house – it’s only a five minute walk from the mosque.
31. I live on the edge of Maaungoodhoo, with the view of sunrise every morning.
32. I live in a two- bedroom semi- right in the heart of Maaungoodhoo. It’s not as
crowded as your city, but I know you’ll never be at a loose end.
33. I live in the centre of Maaungoodhoo, with a fantastic view of a mosque.
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Descriptive Sentences – Student Responses
34. I live in the heart of the country, with a breathtaking view of the snow- covered
mountains. It’s about two hours’ bus ride from the city bus station.
35. I live in our own building, right in the centre of the city.
B) Describing family members
Father:
36. My dad is a brilliant cook. He can make your favourite dish whenever you like.
37. My dad is a workaholic, so you don’t see much of him.
38. My father is crazy about football, like you. So, I’m sure you’re going to like him
a lot.
39. My father is a workaholic, he’s always busy with a client.
40. My father is a football fan! I’m sure you both are going to be wonderful partners.
41. My father is a bookworm, he’s always in his room.
42. My father is a workaholic, always at the shop, so you don’t see much of him.
43. My father is a great football player. He loves football as much as you!
44. My father always does work like your father.
45. I’m sure you’ll get on well with my dad, he is a bookworm - just like you!
46. You’ll be glad to meet my dad, he is a brilliant cook.
47. You’ll be glad to know my dad is mad about watching football - just like you!
Mother:
48. My mother is a brilliant cook - she can make your favourite food.
49. My mother is always ready to lend an ear whenever you need her.
50. I’m sure you’ll get on well with my mom. She’s a food lover - just like you!
51. I’m sure you’ll get on well with my mom. She loves to cook as much as you!
52. I can guarantee you’ll love my mom very much. She’s always ready to lend an
ear, and is young at heart too.
53. My mother is a great actress. I’m sure you’re going to love her acting.
54.My mother is a brilliant cook. She can make your favourite dish anytime you
want.
55. I’m sure you’ll get on well with my mom. She loves watching TV series as much
as you.
56. My mom is very friendly with all people - just like you.
57. You’ll be glad to meet my mom. She’s a linguist - just like you.
58.Wait until you meet my mom, she is as cool as a cucumber.
59. My mom is a workaholic. She’s always busy with the office works.
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Descriptive Sentences – Student Responses
Brother:
60. I’m sure you’ll get on well with my older brother, Arushadh. He loves watching
English series, just like you.
61. My younger brother is such a nuisance. He loves to play tricks on me whenever
I’m trying to do my homework.
62. My younger brother always wants to read storybooks, just like you.
63. My older brother always reads books for exams.
64. My older brother, Ali loves to listen to music whenever he gets free time.
65. My younger brother, Looth is a nuisance. Whenever I am trying to do some
work he disturbs me.
66.Wait until you meet my brother! He is crazy to play football - just like you.
67. Can’t wait until you meet my younger brother, Zunaam. He is mad about
drawing pictures.
68. You must meet my older brother Mark, he is a bookworm, just like you and has
got your favourite Hunger Game collection.
69.My older brother Vishaal is mad about football, just like you.
70. You don’t see much of my older brother Navin, he is always in his room.
71. My brother is crazy about music, whenever he’s at home you’ll get to hear lots
of amazing tones.
72. I have an older brother Kushal. He’s a workaholic, always at the office so you
don’t see much of him.
73. My younger brother, Hamza is a painter, so I’m sure you’re going to have a
fun time with him.
74. My younger brother is a nuisance, but don’t worry! He’s going to my uncle’s
place this holiday.
Sister:
75.My older sister Mary, is mad about Hindi songs almost as much as you.
76. I’m sure you’ll get on well with my younger sister, Naaz. She is made about
chocolates just like you! She can do anything for it.
77. I’m sure you’ll get on well with my younger sister. She is a nuisance, but she can
be really friendly.
78. I know you’ll be glad to meet my older sister, Jenifer. She is a linguist like you.
79. My older sister is really a good cook, she can make your favourite food.
80. I’m sure you’ll get on well with my older sister Naira. She’s a television addict
just like you.
81. My older sister Layaali is a hard worker always in her office, so you only see her
once in a week.
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Descriptive Sentences – Student Responses
c) Describing school:
82. I go to an old school, with modern facilities. It was founded almost 45 years ago.
It only takes me five minutes to walk to school from home.
83. I go to a very modern school which has got the latest technology. It almost
takes me thirty minutes to drive to school from home.
84. I go to a very old school, but with modern facilities.
85. I get up at six thirty to walk to school from my house. It’s about a ten minute
walk.
86. I go to a very old school. It was built nearly fifty years ago.
87. You’ll be glad to know it’s only a five minute walk to school from my house, so
you won’t have to get up early.
88. I go to a very old school. It was founded in 1970.
89. You’ll be glad to know our school has a football ground.
90. I go to an old school founded in 1970. It takes me five minutes to walk to school
from home.
91. I go to a very modern school. It was only built two years ago., but the sad thing
is, I have to get up at six o’clock to catch the bus to school. It’s an hour’s trip.
d) Describing teachers:
92.Wait till you meet our Math teacher. He is very strict but I’m sure you’ll like his
method of teaching.
93. I can’t wait you to meet my Islam teacher! He’s got a great sense of humour.
I’m sure you’re going to like him.
94. You’ll be glad to meet Mr. Ibrahim - our soft-hearted Dhivehi teacher! He always
shows some videos whenever he gets free time.
95. Wait till you see Mr. Hussain, he is the most strict teacher in our school.
96. Can’t wait you to meet Mr. Sharma, our Economics teacher - he is very friendly
and never scolds at us.
97. You should meet our account teacher Mr Khan. He is the biggest fan of “Salman
Khan” on the planet, he always uses his dialogues while he teaches.
98. I can’t wait you to meet Mr. Mikes, our genius English teacher! He knows almost
all the dictionary words. He’s amazing.
99.Wait till you meet Miss Elizebath, our absent- minded chemistry teacher. She
never remembers to bring her pens when she comes and always takes pens
from students. So you better be ready for it.
A) Describing family members
1. I can’t wait you to meet my Dad. He is a bookworm, just like you and has got
your favourite Harry Potter collection, too.
2. Wait till you meet my mom. She’s crazy about love birds – just like you!
3. I have an older brother, Hamza, who’s the busiest man on the planet. He loves
sightseeing just like you and if you’re lucky enough to see him, I’ll ask him to
take you on a tour.
4. You must meet my older sister, Khuzaima. She lives in another town, but has
promised to teach you some animation skills – so bring your laptop!
5. I’m sure you’ll get on well with my younger brother Bilal. He loves making his
own YouTube videos – just like you.
6. I know you love learning new languages and I’m sure you’ll love to meet my
younger sister, Aysha. She knows Arabic a bit, but thinks she can speak better
than any Arab.
B) Describing school, and teachers
7. I know how well you play volleyball, so why don’t you join the school volley
team? I’m sure they’d love to learn some new tricks.
8. I can’t wait you to meet Mr Ben, our hilarious English teacher! He teaches us
more jokes than grammar!
9. I’ve told my classmates about your dribbling skills, and guess what? They’re
dying to meet you!
When you write a letter of advice , you must be sympathetic.meanwhile , you shouldn’t write too much advice ,avoid listing, focus on the main problem and how it can be solved ,avoid listing .
1-Introduction :- note that the apology style is not suitable here , but go directly and quickly to advise your friend ,state the time as it’s matters here ,reassure him that you can help him get rid of his problem, and don’t forget to personalise , give reasons make him follow your advice supporting your situation . .
Ex:-It was lovely to hear from you yesterday,but I was sorry to hear you’re worried about your schoolwork.Don’t worry ,I know what it’s like because I was in the same boat last term.
Why don’t you join a sports club? It’ll help you more throwing weight away and keeping fit and it would be a good idea to get to know people ,too.
Advice sentences:
1-You really should 2-why don’t you
3-the best thing you can do is 4-it would be a good adea if you…
Narrative means to write to tell a story about certain incident happened to you , use your innagination but ,simultaneously,be realistic .Dont write about something impossible that will never happen don’t forget to Write everything in the same order it happened.
Type 1 :- about certain incident but doesn’t result in serious concequences.
Type 2 :- naraating doinf somethinf unusual and unexpected by friends.
Type 3:-about the happiest or proudest moment in your life.
INTRODUCTION:
I can’t wait to tell you… what happened to me…
I am dying to tell you… who/how/what
You’ll never believe…
You’ll never guess…
The introduction should be as short as possible.
BODY
o Describe what happened before the main event. (it should be something ordinary like having coffee with your friends or shopping)
o Include time sequence phrases. E.g.: in the morning, by this time, in the end, within
no time…etc.
o Show feelings. E.g.: I was horrified to learn that, I was furious to know that, I was delighted to see that…etc.
o Include personalizing phrases. E.g.: I wish you were there, as you can imagine I was terrified, if only you were there…etc.
CONCLUSION
The conclusion of a narrative letter should be short just like the introduction. It could be concluded by sentences like: “Well, I must dash now, got to tell Ben about it” or “Looking back, it was one of the most happiest moments in my life”
Dear Jeff,
You won’t believe what happened to me this morning! I might have forgotten some minor details due the excitement, but I promise I’ll re-live the whole experience for you.
I was in town with Fred and Jake, shopping in the new mall that opened last week to look at the latest skateboards. I should tell you, they have awesome new Quicksilver and a Tommy Hilfiger tuxedo shop, and the prices are unbelievably low!
Anyways, we were near the skateboard stall admiring the new designs (they are amazing!) when I saw her. I couldn’t believe my eyes first. I thought it was some crazy want to be women all dressed up. But then everyone in the mall came running toward her screaming her name and I finally realized that it was the real Lady Gaga! I was out of my mind in excitement. You know what a huge Lady Gaga fan I am. I wish you could have been there. The whole mall was in total chaos until she left.
I have no idea what Lady G was doing in our mall today, but whatever it is, I am glad that she showed up but I was one of the unlucky guys who didn’t get an autograph. Fred and Jake also didn’t get one but we really don’t mind. Well, I must dash now. I have to tell the whole family about the most exciting moment of my life.
Yours,
Tom
Sample reply to a narrative letter
Write a reply to a letter you received from a friend about seeing a famous person. It should be narrative. In the letter include:
o What you were doing.
o What your reaction was.
Your letter should be between 150-200 words long. Connect with the previous letter as much as possible.
****** ***** *** **** ***** **** ****
Dear Tom,
I can’t wait to tell you what happened this morning. It was the most exciting moment in my life. I am still finding it hard to believe.
I was out in the front yard to collect the mail when I saw a huge, paparazzi mob of screaming people with flashing cameras everywhere. I stood there for a while trying to figure out what was going on. I went over there and made my way through the crowd and when I saw her I was frozen on the spot dumbfounded. It was Lady Gaga! I couldn’t believe my eyes. I ran to my house and grabbed my backpack and came back and got an autograph on it. I am not a huge Lady G fan, so you can have my backpack. I have a new one anyway.
I have no idea what Lady G was doing in our neighborhood, but it was such a weird coincidence that I saw her when I was out to get your letter about you seeing her. After reading your letter I was amazed to see that we went through the same thing, so I rushed to write to you.
Well, I must go now. Have to tell my brother Sam about all this. Hope you like the backpack.
Yours,
Jeff
Type 2 narrative letter model
Example letter 1: Writing to a friend after you spent an afternoon parachute jumping:
Dear Zoe,
I am dying to tell you what we did this afternoon.
Clara and I were on our way home from tennis practice when we saw an advertisement for a parachute jump. You know how impulsive she can be. She signed us both up and begged me to come along!
Sitting next to her on the claustrophobic little plane was an absolute nightmare. She kept chattering about this and that while I just sat there with chattering teeth and wobbly knees.
After a while the instructor asked us to strap ourselves in and line up. My fingers fumbled so much I needed help with getting everything on! When it was my turn I took one look down and decided to bail out! You know how I feel about heights don’t you? Clara however had no intention of letting me live and gave me a sneaky shove!
The first few seconds were horrific but after I had the courage to open my eyes I had an absolute blast! The scenery was spectacular. Once I landed I couldn’t wait to get back up again!
I got to go now. I want to call Jane and tell her all about it!
Love from,
Anna
Example letter 2: Writing to a friend about taking part in the annual school concert.
Dear Dora,
You’ll never believe what I did last night.
A couple of days ago Ms. Jane asked me to practice a solo to perform at Star Night. I told her I couldn’t do it but you know how she is. She wouldn’t let up so I agreed to do it!
Well, last night was the big night. Standing backstage all I wanted to do was runaway like the coward I was. The whole place was pure chaos. Everyone running about screaming for their costumes and props. I stood really still going over the song I was about to perform hoping and praying they‘d forget all about me.
Just as my hopes were perking up I heard my name being called up on stage. I shuffled up and stood in front of the audience feeling like a complete fool. I couldn’t remember what I was supposed to be doing! Eventually I did come to my senses and just burst out into the song!
At first my voice came out all shrilly. You know how it gets that way when I’m nervous don’t you? After a while my heart settled into a less hectic hammering and my voice finally settled in.
Once I finished I literally ran offstage. I heard a few titters but by that time I was too overjoyed to care. I did it!
I must dash now-I want to tell Julian all the glory details!
Type 3 narrative letter sample
You won a scholarship to a well – known college/ school
Dear Aleeza,
I am dying to tell you what happened this weekend! I think it was probably the happiest moment of my life!
As you know I always had this dream of going to a well - known university for my higher studies. Last month as I was reading the news papers I came across a notice that the University of Harvard had scholarships open for 50 students. I was filled with excitement though I knew that the chances of winning one of those scholarship was 50 – 50.
I applied as soon as I could. I felt nervous a bit when I learnt that more than 1000 students were in the war with me to grab hold of one of those scholarships.
After what seemed like a hundred years the names of the scholarship winners came out! I was shaking when I was trying to find my name in those 50 lucky winners. When I finally found it I was very relieved and excited! I don’t need to tell you how happy I was!
Well I must dash now! I have got to call Vivien and tell her all about it!
With love
Amaany
We write this type when we want to write about certain occasion to include both decription and narration .in other words ,to write about an event has the style of descriptiok such as :- school party,family birthday,or even festival, note that incidents order isn’t important here as in narrative.
1-introduction:-I thought you might like to know what you missed .
-I thought you might be interested to know something about ..
2-Body: include what makes the occasion happen that without would be no occasion .That is :-people (behavious/clothing/habits),atmosphere (what you see/smell/taste/hear) ,weather and individual incidents.
People Ex:-I was caught by uncle Ken who statred giving me the usual advice about what I should study at the university,and then spent half an hour telling me the same old storied we’ve heard so many times about his student day.
Atmosphere EX:-When Alex arrived ,he had brought his CDs along and volunteered to be the DJ,then the party really livened up !
Food EX:-Auntie Lea had made an enormous version of her delicious chocolate cakeand with every slice I ate, I thought how much you would have enjoyed it.
Individual incidents Ex:-I was just about to serve myself a secod helping of gateau,when I knocked over a cup of coffee……….
3-conclusion: now you knew what you missed.
-Hope you will be feeling better for the party this weekend.
Exam question analysing
Question :-you have recently been on a visit to another town.Write a letter to a friend telling him/her what you did and saw.
1-you have recently been,means you have returned and now at home.
2-a visit , that suggests it’s a short holiday.
3-another town suggest its in youe countery no atmosphere variety.
✓ Don’t use friendly words such as :-slang,contracted forms,long form sentences .
✓ -Don’t write how the situation affected you personally ,use always impersonal style.
✓ -Time fixer expressions :-nowadays ,recently,these days,years ago.
✓ Introducing words :-in the first place , first,then,secondly ,finally,to sum up,in conclusion .
✓ -Generalisation:- most of,almost of ,a large number of ,in most cases .
Formal topics will be related to :- suggestions ,opinions,view and arguments .
Topics cstegory:-opinion and suggestion,views and arguments ,problems and solutions ,projects .
❖ In this category, you have to write about only one viewpointsupported by two opinions ,write only about either the good things or the bad things but not both ,so your format sholud be as follows:-
❖ Introduction:-general sentences showing the importance of the topic using your opinion (time fixers,generalisation,opinion phrases ),don’t go directly into the topic ,but write generlly and widely introducing your topic .
❖ In the 2nd and the 3rd paragraph give the reasons for your opinion supporting your situation .
❖ Conclusion :-summarise and write your opinion .
❖ Opinion phrases :-in my opinion ,in my point of view , I personally see.
❖ Suggestion :-it would be a good idea if +past.
❖ Write a list about points in favour and points against,in other words good and bad points list.It makes it easier to write .
❖ Write about 2 or 3 points at most.
Opinion composition sample
Question :- Zoos are cruel to animals and should be closed down m what do you think ?
Nawadays , a significant number of naturalists have been campaigning against zoos arguing that it’s cruel to keep wild animals in acages away from their natural environment.However,like many other people I believe that zoos have a positive role to play.
First of all ,many species of animal are under the danger of extinction because their natural habitat is disappearing due todeforestation.Some,like the elephant,are hunted for theie ivoryor the tiger for their skins .Therefore,if animals are kept in captivity ,they can breed in safety,which will prevent thr species from dying out .
Another reason for keeping animals in captivityis that it gives many of us a chance to see animals from all round the worldwithout having to travel.
A trip to the zoo is an example way to spend a day out because we can enjoy ourselves and learn about animals at the same time.
To sum up,in my opinion,zoos shouldn’t be closed down,because they are beneficial both to humans and to animals .
In this category , you have to write about both sides , points in favour and points against .so in the body paragraphs ,you will points you agree with and points against.
✓ Phrases in favour :-one of the main srguments in favour is that …
✓ Some people would argue that…
✓ Phrases against:- one of the aruments against is…
✓ It can be argued that……….
Vies and arguments Sample 1
Question :- there is a plan to build a wind farm in your ares to provide electricityfor the local population , put forward your views and arguments .
Until now, power generation has relied on natural resources, such as coal, gas and oil. As these supplies begin to run out, scientists have been investigating alternative methods of producing electricity, such as windmills.
One of the main arguments against windmills is that they are an eyesore, and spoil areas of natural beauty. This may lead to a reduction of tourism, which would be bad for the local economy. Moreover, many people are concerned that the windmills are not only a distraction to motorists, but that the noise they make may disturb local wildlife.
On the other hand, the main argument in favour of windmills is that they will provide a much more reliable power supply to remote areas and consequently small industries will be established which will provide employment for local people and at the same time boost the economy.
In conclusion, I believe that it would be a good idea if plans for the windmill farm went ahead, as they pose no threat to the environment in terms of air pollution and they would certainly be more attractive than a conventional power station.
Views and srguments Sample 2
The governors of your school have decided that all students should take part in competitive team sports. Set out your arguments for and/or against compulsory competitive team sports.
| In favour | Against |
| | |
| Compulsory competitive team sports should | Compulsory competitive team sports should |
|be encouraged because: |not be encouraged because: |
| | |
|they prevent students from becoming unfit due to laziness |when people are forced to do things, they are generally not enthusiastic|
| |participants |
|sport should be part of the timetable/ | |
|makes you fit/gives you more energy/ |students who do not like sport may weaken the team/may be bullied or |
|a healthy mind in a healthy body |even socially isolated |
| | |
|team games encourage the idea of working together/co-operation |too much emphasis on sport can result in obsession with winning, which |
| |can result in aggressive behaviour |
|they encourage social interaction | |
Nowadays, due to the media and awareness campaigns, the vast majority of people realise the importance of exercise, and the benefits it can have on health. In an effort to promote this idea, a large number of schools want to make participation in team sports compulsory.
One of the main arguments against anything compulsory is that when a student is forced into something, he will not be an enthusiastic participant, and this may weaken the performance of his team. Consequently, he could become unpopular, isolated socially, or even become a victim of bullying.
On the other hand, many people would argue that sport makes us fit and gives us energy. In order to have a healthy mind in a healthy body, sport should be a compulsory subject on every school timetable. Furthermore, it is a fact that team sport encourages co-operation and promotes social interaction.
To sum up, in my opinion it would be a good idea if team sports were made compulsory in schools to establish healthy habits early in life, and to prevent students from becoming unfit due to laziness.
• It’s a mixture of both types in which you will need to provide opinions and suggestions .Use longer and detailed introduction .
• Introduction : explain what the problem is ,what causes it and what are the results .
EX:-Nawadays ,Traffic has become a major problem.
There has been a noticable decease in …if we don’t protect the environment . we will all suffer.
• Body:-put forward your opinions and suggestions
• Conclusion :- explain that you are sure the peoblem can be overcome.Make it short and don’t repeat what you said .
Ex:- I feel confident that ………./I’m sure that …………. If these measres are taken into serious consideration ….. we will soon overcome it and the world will be better place to live in .
✓ If the formal letter starts with:Dear Sir or Madam ...... it ends with:Yours faithfully
✓ If the formal letter starts with:Dear Ms Kudsi.......it ends with:Yours sincerely
Re-read good examples of formal letters, e.g. an application for a job and a complaint letter; notice the structure:
• Where I read the advertisement + Basic information about myself (not name!)
• Why I believe I am suitable for the job: 1…… 2….. 3…… 4……
• Who to approach for references
• Yours faithfully/sincerely + name
• Notice and practise writing common phrases found in formal letters:
• Recently I read your advertisement for a …
• I would like to apply for …
• the position of … / the job of … / the vacancy.
• I believe that I am suitable for the job in a number of ways.
• Firstly, … Secondly, … Thirdly, …. Finally, …
• Also, … In addition, …
• I have worked as a …
• I had a holiday job as a …
• I have good _________ skills
• I have experience of ______ing …
• If you wish to obtain a reference, you may contact …
• Please feel free to contact me at any time.
• I read your recent article on ...
• I would like to lend my support to ...
• The School Council recently proposed that …
• I believe that this idea should be rejected.
• There are a number of reasons for this. Firstly, … Secondly, …
• Revise lists of connecting words/phrases:
• Firstly, … Secondly, … Thirdly, … Finally …
• For example, … For instance, …
• In addition, … Also, … Furthermore, … What is more, …
• As a result, … Because of this, … Consequently, … Therefore, …
• On the one hand, … On the other hand, …
• It is true that … However, …
• …, however, … In contrast, … On the other hand, …
• Similarly, …
• Another argument against _____ is that …
• Another disadvantage of _____ is that …
Application letter for a job
Write as you are a student looking for a holiday job for money and for your free time .
Your letter should be formal as you aren’t writing to a friend .
Introduction : Dear / sir/ Madame.
I was interested to see your advertisement in the local magazine for playgroup helpers . I’m an IGCSE student and I want to reduce the stress I have ,so I would like to put my energy in something different from studying .
✓ Say where did you find the advertisement. Why you would like to join .
Body :- write about your qualities and why you are suitable for the job,be modest ,don’t praise yourself ,say that others are saying about you .
✓ Although I don’t enjoy cooking , I regularly prepare a variety of snacks for my neighbours children when I babysit them every week.
✓ Although I don’t consider myself a sporty person m I succeeded in organizing fun races for for local children .
Ending :- I would be grateful if you would send me an application form and other relevant details .
I look forward to hearing from you .
Yours faithfully ,
Signature
Name
Application letter sample
Letter applying for a job:
Dear Sir or Madam,
I have read your advertisement in the Daily News and would like to apply for a position as a playworker. I am a fifteen-year-old student at Brookvale College and will be available for work throughout the school holidays.
I believe that I am suitable for the job in a number of ways. Firstly, I have worked as a babysitter for the past three years and my employers have been very satisfied with my work. The children I have looked after are between four and ten years old. Secondly, I have good organisation skills as I am a Girl Guide leader and have helped to plan four camping trips. As part of my duties, I supervise team games and sing-song sessions. I also play the guitar. Thirdly, I am a reasonably good cook. I can prepare simple pasta dishes and I have a lot of experience of making sandwiches for Girl Guide outings. Finally, I am bilingual, speaking both Indonesian and English fluently. I am also beginning to learn French.
If you wish to obtain a reference, you may contact my Headteacher, Mr.B.Parker (Tel: 7655518) or Ms J. Lung (6660021) who has employed me as a babysitter.
Yours faithfully
Name and Signature
You may use the descriptive narrative style ,when you write about losing an item in the hotel you stayed in recently .
Dear Mrs Talker,
I am writing to inform you that I was very disappointed with my visit to your restaurant two days ago. I read your advertisement in the newspaper and decided to spend an evening there with my friend. Unfortunately, I have a couple of complaints concerning this visit.
According to your advertisement the place is perfect for having private conversations in relaxing atmosphere. However, it turned out that the music was so loud that I could hardly concentrate on the chat with my friend. The waiter asked to turn the music down shrugged his shoulders and said that other guests liked it that way. Is that what you mean by 'discreet service'?
To make matters worse, the place was crowded and waiting for an ordered meal was intolerably long. I must admit that the cuisine was quite good but the prices were way too high.
I would like you to take my points under consideration and I expect a refund from your restaurant. I trust you will give this matter immediate attention. I look forward to receiving a reply from you.
Yours sincerely,
David Beckham.
========================================
• It contains information about new and retiring members of staff, news about school clubs and societies, sport, school trips both at home and abroad, exchange visits with language students, exam results and, of course, original contributions written by students of all ages,in brief it belongs to the school life.
The register (or level of language) used in a school magazine article can vary. Much depends on how serious the topic is. Some topics can be treated in a light-hearted way and can be written in informal (friendly) register. Other topics are more serious and will need to be written in formal register. Sometimes the language needed may fall halfway between the two registers.
School Magazine Article format
• Title introduction body ending
➢ Title :- Always give the article a title, and underline it. Make it interesting! From the very beginning
➢ Introduction An effective introduction often starts with a question to involve the reader and encourage him/her to continue reading. Are you one of the many students with exam nerves?
Transition :- Here are some introductions from magazine articles using the question technique. The transition sentences are in bold type.
✓ Look, no stress!! Don’t we all wish we could say this every day of our lives – and mean it? Nowadays, stress seems to be the one word that’s on everybody’s mind. (An article on stress)
✓ Looking dull and stressed? Well, don’t worry. You need not spend the entire evening in the bathroom. (An article on health or beauty)
✓ Want to experience the joys of the countryside? There’s nothing to beat a canal holiday to take you closer to nature. (An article about canal holidays)
Ending A school magazine article ending should be fairly short and use the same personal style and register as the introduction and transition.
The purpose of the ending could be:
to summarise the article
to express your own opinion
to leave the reader with something to think about.
Types of School Articles
1. Giving your view or opinion/putting forward arguments for and against
2. Dealing with problems and solutions
3. Giving advice/making suggestions
4. Narrative – sometimes referred to in the question as an account
Articles Samples
A problem called Tourism
When was last time you travelled abroad ?did you follow the rules of the place and respect the environment?if you didn’t,them you ought to give it some thought .
Recently,there has been a great increase in tourist industry, which has led to various environmental and social problems in a large number of countries .
It has been argued that the tourist industry is one of the largest in the world ,yielding a profit that is often enough to support a whole country’s economy .
Furthermore,it provides jobs for many young people ,leading to a decrease in the leels of the unemployment ,which is the reason for many crimes in society.
On the other hand ,tourists seem to spoil the beauty of the sites they invade due to littering as well as the fumes pumped out from their cars which leads to the pollution of the place .
✓ Begin by Writing the title of the book and the author then underline .Oliver by Charles
✓ Introduction :- Give the type of the book by ,,,,,, and why you enjoyed it .
EX: abook I read recently was Oliver Twist by charles that I enjoyed too much because it is so emotional.
✓ Give the type of the book if it is , Romance ,tragedy,socail……
✓ Set the book geographically and historically ,the place the story of the book took place and the period of time .
EX:- it’s classic romance set in pre-industrialized rural England ….
✓ Body ..P 1 ..the storyline , Tell only how is the story different at the end from the very beginning .
✓ Body .. P 2 .. the characters
EX 1:- the novel traces the life of Christina ,an orphan who, after spending many years living with her aunt ,finds herself transported to a man’s world when she moves in with her uncle and two cousins ,Mark and Joe.
EX 2 ..the novel contains a variety of well drawn characters ,such as Tom ,the stable boy that shows how morals and compassion are more important than social position , and william whose imagination and free spirit often cause tension between and his traditionally-minded father.
✓ Pick two characters and talk about them in brief then talk about one only in some detail , this may be the central character if the book, say who and why do you admire this character.
Ex-The character that made the most impression on me was ….because I was able to relate to her…..
✓ Paragraph 3 :-memorable incident :-select the most important event to write about.
✓ Recommendation :-Give your overall opinion about the book and support, and say who exactly the book is suitable for.
Ex:-Anyone with a taste of adventure will enjoy the fasting moving action of the book .
Ex:-the discription of rural setting and the weaving of complicated relationships make this novel a must for all romantics.
A report is a type of factual writing not fiction nor imaginatitve writing ,It’s basically written as a judgment or recommendation about person ,action,or place .It may be reported to a manager ,director or any responsible in some establishment about certain performance .
Format of Report
To: Mr .Jone ,the manager
From: Henery,Teacher
Subject: school Trip
Date: 2/9/2016
1-Introduction
Expressions and phrases for writing
Good expressions for describing sadness
1) Tears trickled down my face.
2) His face was grave, abstracted, almost could have fancied sad.
3) My heart was in my mouth, and the dread I felt was palpable.
4) He was disconsolate and without hope because of the loss of his mother.
5) “will you miss me?” I asked with a tinge of sadness.
6) He sauntered into the class gloomily.
7) Her eyes were puffy with a trace of wetness around the lids.
8) Jane blinked back tears that threatened to overcome her.
9) The great pain and sorrow totally shattered her.
10) The sorrow seemed to diminish everyone physically.
Good expressions for describing anger
1) He muttered furiously under his breath.
2) Her eyes glared at him in ruthless impersonality.
3) His resentment blinded his logic.
4) He was outraged.
5) He was infuriated with his son for not telling the truth.
6) She blew her top when she could not get her way.
7) There was fury in his eyes.
8) The little boy put a lot of anger into the blow, knocking the bully over.
9) She seethed with indignation.
Good expressions for regret/guilt
1) He lived a life of self-condemnation ever since he lost his child.
2) He was guilt-ridden for not lending a helping hand to his friend.
3) He reproached himself for scolding the person he loves.
4) Feeling reprehensible for the tragedy, he vowed never to drive again.
5) He felt rather contrite for having deceived his friends.
6) It was an agonizing feeling of shame and guilt.
7) Feeling remorseful for the accident that happened, he kneeled down in front of the victim’s family to beg
forgiveness.
8) All these years, the old man had carried his guilt like a gestating foetus in his mind.
9) Regret rushed through her veins, for her harsh words.
10) An unexpected wave of guilt swept over Jessica and she quickly suppressed it as soon as it came.
Good expressions for grief
1) No words could express the secret agony of my soul.
2) On hearing the terrible news, we were too numb to even cry.
3) She looked up at me with an inconsolable face.
4) Overcome by grief, the mother fainted when she saw her son’s body in the mortuary.
5) The wife was hysterical with grief when told of her husband’s death.
Good expressions for describing panic/disbelief/fear/anxious
1) Terror seized us all.
2) Panic started to engulf him.
3) She was at a loss for words.
4) He froze for a few seconds.
5) I rose shakily to my feet.
6) A rude shock awaited them.
7) A chill went down her spine.
8) The sight of the ghost sent shudders down her spine.
9) A loud voice boomed, sending shivers down her spine.
10) I was powerless and frantic with terror.
Phrases to describe happiness
a) Heart skipped a beat
b) Heart was thumping wildly
c) Heart almost burst with happiness
d) Heart swelled with happiness
e) Jumped for joy
f) Shining eyes
Expressions to describe weather
Good Weather
1) The sun shone brilliantly and the water in the pond glittered invitingly.
2) The sun filtered through the clouds, signalling the end of the rain.
3) A golden glow spread across the sky as the sun chased the dark clouds away.
4) The whole landscape was bathed in the warm glow of the rising sun.
5) Palm trees swayed gently in the breeze in the warm tropical sunshine.
6) Fresh air filled my lungs and I felt refreshed and exhilarated.
7) The breathtaking scenery captivated everyone.
8) The pond was bathed in a golden hue by the gentle sunlight and the water was as clear as crystal.
9) The sunlit clouds drifted across a clear blue sky.
10) The sun rose in a pool of crimson and gold, spilling light all over the land and the white clouds.
Bad Weather
1) The sky above was full of tumultuous, dark and ragged clouds.
2) It was a cold grey afternoon with a dull sky and threatening rain.
3) Ominous black clouds covered the sky and released a sudden shower
4) Thunder rolled in from the west and rain began to fall.
5) The dark clouds grew ominous
Expressions to describe Fire
1) The car burst into flames after colliding with a stationary lorry.
2) Within seconds, the room was engulfed in flames.
3) A minute later, a loud explosion rocked the building.
4) Screaming in pain, the occupants of the burning house came staggering out into the streets.
Expressions to describe accidents
1) Puddles of water were everywhere, making the road slippery and dangerous.
2) The car was going at full speed.
3) The short-lived laughter turned into screams of horror when they saw a car coming straight at them.
4) The car was speeding down the road.
5) The reckless driver swerved from left to right, overtaking many vehicles.
Expressions to describe setting
a) The afternoon sun was glaring. The sky was clear, revealing a wide vast of pale blue.
b) She strolled to the back of the house by herself, and she saw the most beautiful backdrop. Trees were
everywhere and sunlight was trying its best to penetrate the thick lush greenery. Right at the very middle of
the trees was a small lake. Danielle leaned against the fence and admired the scene before her with awe.
c) It was a chilly night. The moon had appeared out of the horizon and the skies were filled with stars.
e) Lightning streaked across the sky, sending umbrella-toting people scampering to their homes.
d) My feet sunk into the sand as I walked along the shore. The familiar smell of salt water filled my nostrils.
The weather was fine, and there were a couple of people around. I staggered to one of the remote corners of
the beach. The seagulls screamed past me as I walked towards them. I picked a button-shaped pebble and
tossed it into the water, creating a disturbance in the calm water. I looked up in the sky and then back down
onto the sand. I shut my eyes tightly, but could not control my tears. They trickled down my cheeks. I felt that
my life was meaningless.
e) The wonderful sunset at the horizon, the chilling sea breeze and the wonderful melodic sounds of the
splashing waves as the tide started to climb in.
Other Phrases
1. I had to see a doctor as I was running a high temperature and had a runny nose too.
2. The labourers working in the hot sun were perspiring profusely.
3. The whole room was splattered with blood. It was indeed a gruesome murder.
4. We were relieved when Mother regained consciousness shortly after she had collapsed in the kitchen.
5. The jug was already filled to the brim with water.
6. Last evening, we had a sumptuous meal at the popular restaurant.
7. After a long and tiring bus ride, we finally arrived at our destination.
8. The wailing sirens could be heard in the distance and soon, the fire engines and ambulances were in
sight.
9. In the dark of the night, I could hear the howling of the wind and the strange noises made by different
animals.
10. The newly opened department store was packed with people yesterday.
11. From the top of Mount Faber, we can have a clear view of the harbour.
12. When I found no one at home and discovered that the whole place was in a mess, my imagination began
to run wild.
13. Immediately I ran for my life, but the killer was hot on my heels.
14. When I was called up by the principal, I entered his office with mixed feelings.
15. I still treasure fond memories of my happy childhood days.
16. When all the excitement had died down, everyone returned to his seat and resumed work.
17. I caught sight of Bob running at top speed to the tuckshop once the bell had gone.
18. I don’t think you should keep the wallet. It should be returned to the rightful owner.
19. Although it was not a big house, it was very well-furnished.
20. It was only after much persuasion that Alice finally agreed to attend the party.
21. After spending an enjoyable day at my friend’s house, I thanked her family for their hospitality and bade
them farewell.
22. I immediately gave him medical aid and tried to relieve him of his pain.
23. Please consider the matter carefully before coming to a decision.
24. Mother keep telling lazy Jack to study hard for the examination, but her advice fell on deaf ears.
25. I had forgotten to study for the test, but by the stroke of luck, I managed to pass it.
26. Hawkers selling the New Year delicacies had a roaring business before the festival.
27. With extremely good results scored by the pupils, ‘Prize-giving Day’ was indeed a red-letter day for the
entire school.
28. He feasted his eyes on all the delicious food laid on the table.
29. The children had a whale of a time at the tea party.
30. The school is just a stone’s throw away from his house.
31. I couldn’t understand how my pen could disappear into thin air.
32. The poor beggar was so hungry that he simply gobbled up the food.
33. Mother nodded in approval of my suggestion.
34. Betty eyed the stranger with suspicion because he had been standing at the gate for more than an hour.
35. The girl with long silky hair and smooth complexion is my sister.
36. The little boy was numbed with cold as he begged in the streets on a winter night.
37. That old man with the wrinkled face and toothless grin is my grandfather.
38. I knew I was wrong, but my foolish pride held me back from apologizing to him.
39. I always like to hear the waves splashing because they soothe and calm my nerves.
40. From this window, I could have a picturesque view of the sea and the mountain.
41. I lost my balance, slipped and fell with a loud crash and a heavy thud.
42. Orville Wright climbed into the glider. The engine burst into life and the machine was soon in flight.
43. Mary had to tell a white lie to save her friend from further embarrassment.
44. The top pupil had all her answers at her fingertips.
45. The boy told a cock and bull story to explain his naughty act, hoping to escape punishment.
46. The throbbing headache that I have makes it difficult for me to concentrate on my work.
47. To participate in the competition or not is a nagging problem for most of our Primary Six pupils.
48. The disobedient son is a thorn in Mrs Li’s flesh.
49. Mrs Poh could not afford to buy a radio for she had been living from hand to mouth.
50. Wanli is a bull in a china shop. When he walks, he either knocks down something or brushes against
somebody.
51. Is a pencil missing from your pencil-box? Why raise a storm in a tea cup?
52. That fat middle-aged lady waddled like a duck down the corridor.
53. They felt a surge of embarrassment going through their bodies.
54. Ali gave Ahmad a cold shoulder when he discovered that he had made an unfair remark about him.
55. His hatred for his rival grew deeper.
56. Like they say, every dog has its day.
57. She was a very poor old woman, but she managed to keep her cottage spick and span and she always
had a vase of flowers on her table.
58. There was an old red cushion there, very worn and shabby.
59. It was a cold and frosty night.
60. His face turned red with embarrassment when everyone started teasing him.
61. His face turned as red as an apple when he realised that his zip was open.
62. There was a hive of activity during that day.
63. The minutes ticked by as I waited for my friend.
64. The peace and tranquillity of the park attracted many tourists.
65. He was green with jealousy when he saw his girlfriend talking to another man.
66. Then one day, tragedy struck. The volcano erupted and claimed thousands of lives.
67. They listened to him with utmost interest.
68. Then, before I could even flick an eyelash, they ran past me.
69. As he put the flute to his lips, the music was like the clear call of summer birds in the evening.
70. Soon, I realised that I had been walking in circles.
71. Without uttering a word, he stalked off.
72. I hit upon a bright idea on how to solve the difficult puzzle.
73. We craned our necks to catch a glimpse of the superstar.
74. People were bargaining at the top of their voices, in different languages, over the food price.
75. When she peered over the wall, she saw a snake.
Follow the steps below to write your summary.
In Exercise 5 of the IGCSE Reading & Writing Paper, you will have to read a text and provide a summary based on specific issues of the text relating to the task.
Example
Read the following article about the jaguar, and then write a summary about why the jaguar needed help and how the species has been preserved in Belize. Your summary should be about 100 words
Summarising is an excellent way of making sure that you understand and remember what you have read. The practice of summarising a text from notes you have made is a useful safeguard against the temptation to use the words of the original or lift chunks of language
A good summary:
conveys the information in fewer words
• expresses the content in fewer sentences
• omits information of little importance
• leaves out details and examples
• departs from the vocabulary and structure of the original text
• doesn't include your own opinions or feelings
To write a good summary follow these steps:
• Read the task carefully and underline what exactly you are required to summarise.
• Scan the text (read it quickly) to get the general meaning and underline or highlight the main points relating to the task.
• Read the text again and make notes of the main points.
• DO NOT look at the original text and write out your summary based on your notes.
• Don't forget to use linking words!!! ( First, secondly, finally, however, moreover, in addition etc)
• Read through your summary making sure you have not copied in extent from the original text or included irrelevant points. You can use words or short phrases from the original text but your summary must be your own writing!
• DO NOT exceed the word limit!
You can summarise ideas in different ways:
1. Through Vocabulary:
We spoke to the man who was wearing a white coat and a stethoscope = We spoke to the doctor
2. Through ellipses:
Sometimes, we can leave out words such as a subject or a verb provided that the meaning is clear.
Baby chickens are very sweet when they hatch = Chicks are sweet when hatched.
3. Through generalisation:
She went to the market and bought apples, bananas and oranges = She bought fruit at the market
4. Through shorter constructions:
Despite the fact that it was raining, I still went out. = Despite the rain, I went out.
5. Through rejection of unimportant details:
A few years ago, you could buy a property for next to nothing. Nowadays, however, many families can't even afford to buy a small flat. = Property is more expensive than it used to be.
NOW YOUR TURN!
Summarise the following passages:
(a) There was a heavy snowstorm and the two men, who were very good mountain climbers, climbed up to the highest peak in order to rescue the men who had been trapped at the top of the mountain and, in so doing, risked their lives.
(Write about 20 words)
(b) Although the town had been warned about the hurricane, the authorities did not have enough time to evacuate the residents from their homes. For this reason, there were more casualties than they had expected.
(Write about 20 words)
( c ) People should not kill each other because they have to respect the sanctity of life. Neither should they be prejudiced against a person's race or faith. Every individual has a right to free thought.
(Write about 15 words)
Suggested Answers:
(a) The expert mountain climbers risked their lives in the snowstorm to rescue the trapped men at the peak.
(b) Despite the hurricane warning, there was not enough time to evacuate the residents. Therefore, there were more casualties than expected.
( c ) People should respect human life as well as a person's race and religion.
The Rules for Writing an IGCSE SUMMARY
Do
• Use a concise, formal, impersonal style
• Use key words from the question, e.g. “ … is a sign of the past remaining”
• Remember to cover approximately 20 different points
• Consider the word limit given on the exam paper. If you write a lot less, you haven‘t included enough information, if you write a lot more, you must have included irrelevant information, repeated points or given your opinion
Don’t
• Don’t include an introduction or conclusion
• Don’t copy the wording from the passages – the information needs to be the same, but the wording needs to be different - Use your own words throughout.
• Don’t write using “I” or “you”
• Don’t use informal language or slang
• Don’t add to descriptions using unnecessary adjectives or adverbs.
• Don’t repeat any information – even if a point was made twice in the given passage you should only make it once.
• Your Opinion is not wanted in a summary - don’t give it!
The new music
The new music was built out of materials already in existence: blues, rock’n’roll, folk music. But although the forms remained, something wholly new and original was made out of these older elements - more original, perhaps, than even the new musicians themselves yet realize. The transformation took place in 1966-7. Up to that time, the blues had been an essentially black medium. Rock’n’roll, a blues derivative, was rhythmic, raunchy, teen-age dance music. Folk music, old and modern, was popular among college students. The three forms remained musically and culturally distinct, and even as late as 1965, none of them were expressing any radically new states of consciousness. Blues expressed black soul; rock, as made famous by Elvis Presley, was the beat of youthful sensuality; and folk music, with such singers as Joan Baez, expressed anti-war sentiments as well as the universal themes of love and disillusionment.
In 1966-7 there was a spontaneous transformation. In the United States, it originated with youthful rock groups playing in San Francisco. In England, it was led by the Beatles, who were already established as an extremely fine and highly individual rock group. What happened, as well as it can be put into words, was this. First, the separate musical traditions were brought together. Bob Dylan and the Jefferson Airplane played folk rock, folk ideas with a rock beat. White rock groups began experimenting with the blues. Of course, white musicians had always played the blues, but essentially as imitators of the Negro style; now it began to be the white bands’ own music. And all of the groups moved towards a broader eclecticism and synthesis. They freely took over elements from Indian ragas, from jazz, from American country music, and as time went on from even more diverse sources (one group seems recently to have been trying out Gregorian chants). What developed was a protean music, capable fan almost limitless range of expression.
The second thing that happened was that all the musical groups began using the full range of electric instruments and the technology of electronic amplifiers. The twangy electric guitar was an old country-western standby, but the new electronic effects were altogether different - so different that a new listener in 1967 might well feel that there had never been any sounds like that in the world before. The high, piercing, unearthly sounds of the guitar seemed to come from other realms. Electronics did, in fact, make possible sounds that no instrument up to that time could produce. And in studio recordings, multiple tracking, feedback and other devices made possible effects that not even an electronic band could produce live. Electronic amplification also made possible a fantastic increase in volume, the music becoming as loud and penetrating as the human ear could stand, and thereby achieving a ‘total’ effect, so that instead fan audience of passive listeners, there were now audiences of total participants, feeling the music in all of their senses and all of their bones.
Third, the music becomes a multi-media experience; a part of a total environment. In the Bay Area ballrooms, the Fillmore, the Avalon, or Pauley Ballroom at the University of California, the walls were covered with fantastic changing patterns of light, the beginning of the new art of the light show. And the audience did not sit, it danced. With records at home, listeners imitated these lighting effects as best they could, and heightened the whole experience by using drugs. Often music was played out of doors, where nature - the sea or tall redwoods - provided the environment.
(From The Greening of America by Charles Reich)
Answer
In the period 1966-7, three separate kinds of music - folk, rock and blues - were brought together, and influences from other traditions, for example, Indian, were added, to make a much more complex sort of music expressing new attitudes. Electronic devices were used to give music a new sound: it became much louder, and was associated with lighting effects. This, and the use of drugs, made the audience feel that they were not just listening passively, but participating in a 'total experience'.
Dilemma of the working mother
Living with children is one of the few situations where virtue is rewarded. Though it sounds intolerably priggish to say so, parents who think first what’s best for the children really do have an easier, more comfortable life than those who do what they like and make the children fit in.
The key decision is: should both parents go out to work? Dr Spock takes the standard line: if a mother realises how vital her care is to a young baby ‘it may make it easier for her to decide that the extra money she might earn, or the satisfaction she might receive from an outside job, is not so important after all’.
The evidence is, as usual, more confused. All research agrees on consistent loving care and a high level of stimulation as essential ingredients in optimal child development. But there’s increasing doubt that the 24 hours a day, seven days a week mum is the best way to provide it.
Two recent, as yet unpublished, London studies have quite independently come up with the same result: 40 per cent of mothers who stay at home with children under five are clinically depressed, although the depression is not necessarily caused by staying at home. Dr Michael Rutter, of the Maudsley Hospital, and Dr G. Stewart Prince, among others, have shown that depressed mothers produce depressed, neurotic and backward children. There are many other mothers who, without being depressed, are oppressed by the unending repetitive task of caring for a young baby, or the unceasing chatter of a toddler, and so get less pleasure from their children than they might.
Extra money is not to be despised. It buys automatic washers, tumble driers, dish-washers to make life easier and give more real attention-time to the children. It buys time off excursions, holidays. It may make the difference between a town flat and a house with a garden, a better environment for bringing up children.
For professional women there is another difficulty. To give up or even work part-time, probably means climbing painfully back on to the bottom rung of the ladder at 35 or 40 in galling subordination to younger and perhaps less able men.
Assuming the still-normal situation - mother at home - there are ways to guard against the imprisoned feeling. Any arrangement will do as long as it’s regular and doesn’t involve renegotiation every time.
For instance, once a week, a completely free day and evening during which the mother is relieved of all responsibility. She can visit friends, or go to a museum, spend all morning buying a pair of shoes and needn’t come back until she feels like it. The only rule is she must go out, not hang around catching up on household jobs. It’s best of all if combined with a regular night out for parents together. You can employ another woman to stand in for the day, set up a reciprocal arrangement with another family, or make it a Saturday when Father can take over - but that’s less good.
The split Saturday works well for some families. Father has morning off, Mother afternoon, to do what they like unencumbered by children. Much nicer for them, too, than the family shopping expedition, which soon makes small children tired and fractious.
Child-free weekends every few months are very restorative, and well worth the money. Family exchanges are fun for older children. Advertise if you don’t know a suitable family, but get well acquainted before you go off.
A word of caution: work which can be done at home is superficially attractive - Rhona and Robert Rapport’s book Dual-Career Families describes several households coping with this situation. But there is good evidence that withdrawal of attention is more harmful to children than physical absence - which is one reason why the switch-off phenomenon associated with maternal depression is so damaging.
Anyone with a toddler knows how he will play happily while you cook, wash up or make beds, but no sooner do you sit down with a book, pick up a complicated piece of knitting or take out your violin than he becomes demanding and tiresome. In our house ‘Mum's writing an article’ is a signal for unusual gloom, whereas ‘Mum’s off for the weekend’ is excellent news. (But it’s not a good idea to leave a child for very long between the ages of 9 months and 2.)
(Article in The Observer Magazine)
Suggested answer.
The boring routine work involved in bringing up small children can cause depression, and it is important for a mother to find ways of escaping from this. One solution is to work, and pay someone else to look after the children during the day. Women who do not go out to work can arrange for someone to look after the children once a week, so that they can have a completely free day and perhaps an evening out with their husbands. Weekends without the children, perhaps organised by means of a family exchange, are also a good idea.
Violence
Four instances of violence come to my mind. One I read about in the newspapers; another I witnessed; in a third I was on the receiving end; in the fourth, the most brutal of them all, I was a perpetrator.
The first took place an hour’s drive from my home in Atlanta, Georgia, when a mob in Athens, screaming epithets and hurling rocks, attacked the dormitory occupied by the first Negro girl to enter the University of Georgia.
The second I saw years ago as I walked through a slum area of the Lower East Side of New York: a little old Jew with a beard, pulling his pushcart, was arguing with a Negro who was demanding payment for his work. The bearded man said he didn’t have the money and the Negro said he needed it and the argument grew, and the Negro picked up a stick of wood and hit the old man on the side of the head. The old man continued pushing the cart down the street, blood running down his face, and the Negro walked away.
In the third instance, I took my wife and two-year-old daughter to a concert given in an outdoor area near the town of Peekskill, New York. The concert artist was Paul Robeson. As he sang under the open sky to an audience of thousands, a shouting, angry crowd gathered around the field. When the concert was over and we drove of f the grounds, the cars moving in a long slow line, we saw the sides of the road filled with cursing, jeering men and women. Then the rocks began to fly. My wife was pregnant at the time. She ducked and pushed our daughter down near the floor of our car. All four side windows and the rear window were smashed by rocks. Sitting in the back seat was a young woman, a stranger, to whom we had given a lift. A flying rock fractured her skull. There were dozens of casualties that day.
The fourth incident occurred in World War II when I was a bombardier with the Eighth Air Force in Europe. The war was almost over. German territory was shrinking, and the Air Force was running out of targets. In France, long since reoccupied by our troops, there was still a tiny pocket of Nazi soldiers in a protected encampment near the city of Bordeaux. Someone in the higher echelons decided, though the end of the war was obviously weeks away, that this area should be bombed. Hundreds of Flying Fortresses went. In each bomb bay there were twenty-four one-hundred-pound fire-bombs, containing a new type of jellied gasoline. We set the whole area aflame and obliterated the encampment. Nearby was the ancient town of Royan; that, too, was almost totally destroyed. The Norden bombsight was not that accurate.
These four instances of violence possess something in common. None of them could have been committed by any animal other than man. The reason for this does not lie alone in man’s superior ability to manipulate his environment. It lies in his ability to conceptualise his hatreds. A beast commits violence against specific things for immediate and visible purposes. It needs to eat. It needs a mate. It needs to defend its life. Man has these biological needs plus many more which are culturally created. Man will do violence not only against a specific something which gets in the way of one of his needs; he will do violence against a symbol which stands for, or which he believes stands for, that which prevents him from satisfying his needs. (Guilt by association is high-level thinking.)
With symbolic violence, the object of attack is deprived of its particularity. Only in this way can man overcome what I believe is his natural spontaneous feeling of oneness with other human beings. He must, by the substitution of symbol for reality, destroy in his consciousness the humanness of that being. To the angry crowds outside the dormitory in Athens, Georgia, their target was not Charlayne Hunter, an extremely attractive and intelligent young woman, sitting, brave and afraid, in her room. She was a ‘dirty nigger’ - a symbol abstracted from life. To the Negro who committed violence on the streets of New York, this was not a pathetic old Jewish immigrant, forced in the last years of his life to peddle vegetables from a pushcart, but a dehumanised symbol of the historic white exploiter who used the Negro’s labour and refused to pay him a just wage. To the screaming rock-throwers of Peekskill who fractured the skull of a young woman returning from a concert, the people in the car they attacked were not a family on an outing; in this car were people who had gone to hear a black-skinned communistic singer and who therefore were all congealed into a symbol representing nigger-loving communism. And as I set my interval meter and toggled of my bombs over the city of Royan, I was not setting fire to people’s homes, crushing and burning individual men, women and newborn babies. We were at war, we always dropped bombs on the enemy, and down there was the enemy.
(a Suggested answer.
The author describes four occurrences of violence. Firstly, white Americans attacked a girl students’ dormitory. Secondly, a black man hit a Jew who could not pay him what he owed. He then shows how white Americans attacked people who had been to a concert given by a black left-wing singer. Finally he , describes his own participation in a bombing raid on a German camp and a French city. In each case, the violence was not carried out because the victims were hated as individuals. They were seen as representatives of a hated class - negroes, communists, white exploiters, or ‘the enemy’ - who prevented the aggressors from living as they wanted to.
Schoolbooks and the female stereotype
Illustrations and stories in United States primary school textbooks tend to convince young girls that they should be ‘passive’ and ‘dependent’ creatures who need aspire only to lives of service to their future husbands and children, a conference of educators was told here yesterday.
Speaking at the first national conference on schools and sex role stereotypes, a University of California professor said a study of the 100 most widely used elementary text-books demonstrated that girls are constantly depicted as dependent on and subservient to boys.
Louise White, of the U.S. Office of Education, told the conference that the female stereotype presented to elementary school children was so overwhelming that by the time most girls reached fourth grade they believed they had only four occupations open to them - nurse, secretary, teacher, or mother.
The director of the elementary school textbook study, Lenore Weitzman, of the University of California, said that texts in spelling, reading, mathematics, science, and social studies were examined.
Most stories and illustrations tended to centre on boys rather than girls, and those boys tended to demonstrate qualities of strength, intelligence, love of adventure, independence, and courage.
Girls, however, were depicted in passive roles. Usually they were inside a house, and often they were helping with housework or playing with dolls.
When boys and girls appeared together in a text, she said, the girls were either watching the boys do something or they were helping the boys.
Adult men appearing in elementary school texts were depicted in various jobs - astronaut, truck driver, policeman, cowboy, scientist, banker - in addition to the role of father.
But the overwhelming picture of women that emerged from the elementary texts was that of mother and housewife. Even at that, said Professor Weitzman, the picture was one of a woman performing simple but time-consuming chores. It failed completely to reflect the complexities facing a modern housewife.
A study was done by an affiliate of the Central New Jersey National Organisation for women on 34 books published by 14 major publishing companies and involving 2,760 stories for elementary school children.
According to the findings the composite housewife or mother was a ‘limited, colourless, mindless creature...’ Not only does she wash, cook, clean, nurse, and find mittens: these chores constitute her only happiness.
‘In illustration, she frequently appears in the servant’s posture, body slightly bent forward, hands clasped, eyes riveted on the master of the house or the children.’
In contrast, the typical father found in the study was ‘the “good guy” in the family. He’s where the fun is. He builds things with his children and takes them hunting, fishing and up in planes. He solves the problems.’
The effect of this on young girls, Professor Weitzman said, is to make them think their role is to serve others. They think they should be attractive so that they can please others and although they generally have better academic records than boys by the time they reach adolescence, they value academic and scholastic excellence less than boys do.
(Report in The Guardian)
Suggested answer.
A study was made of a large number of elementary school textbooks on a variety of subjects. It was found that most space was given to boys, who were presented as being strong, brave, independent and adventurous. Men were shown as having interesting occupations and doing exciting things with their children. Girls appeared as far more passive and boring: they and their mothers were usually seen in the home, doing housework or admiring the men and boys. In these books, women had few occupations besides that of housewife. Secretary, nurse, and teacher appeared to be the only other possibilities.
Rescue archaeology in Scotland
Scottish history is being lost irretrievably and at a critical rate beneath the earthmovers and cement beds of redevelopment. That fact has emerged from meetings at Perth and St Andrews during the past few days called by Rescue, the Trust for British Archaeology.
More than seventy historic Scottish towns are thought by archaeologists to be threatened with Perth and St Andrews principal among them. In the countryside thousands of sites, from the earliest prehistoric middens to the remains of the last century, lie unexplored.
Before the seventeenth century, they explained, documentary evidence about Scottish communities was sparse. The country did not have the same conscientious habit as medieval England of recording its history.
Dr Nicholas Brooks, of St Andrews University, declared: ‘The first five centuries of Scottish town history relies almost entirely on archaeological work to show the pattern of trade, defences, the type of housing and churches, the social habits and the health of the people living there. It is archaeology that tells us how they lived, what they ate and how they died.’
Last year only five towns of 77 needing investigation had rescue work carried out on them and a mere £25,000 of the £1m British budget for rescue archaeology was spent in Scotland. In relation to size and population the country has a far higher proportion of ancient monuments under state guardianship than England but the trained archaeological officers able to organize rescue operations ahead of the bulldozer number barely a handful.
The council of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland has recommended that 20 such officers should work on the new regional authorities to assess sites and provide the liaison between developers and local authorities. That would also provide better career prospects for trained archaeologists in Scotland.
Rescue regards that as an excellent first step. It has proposed an immediate survey at Perth, where redevelopment is to take place on a plot overlapping the site of the original Scottish Parliament.
In St Andrews, where little has changed during the past 300 years, archaeologists detect sinister signs. ‘The town centre is a conservation area and St Andrews has its own planning authority, but it is calculated that in the past decade one tenth of the medieval borough has been destroyed by piecemeal development. All hope of recovering information has been lost’, Dr Brooks says.
The difficulty lies in the ruthless strength of modern machines used to plough up or clear the ground, to drive in the supporting piles or peel back an opencast coalmine. The Society of Antiquaries complains that much has already gone.
Road metal is being quarried from one of the largest and most important native hill forts in Britain at Traprain Law, East Lothian. One of the best-preserved Roman marching camps in Scotland was recently ploughed up.
Scotland has about 75,000 known field monuments. About three quarters of them are unprotected. ‘As long as change was fairly leisurely, Scotland’s archaeology was reasonably secure. That is no longer so and an alarm must be sounded.’
Suggested answer.
Scottish rescue archaeology has a difficult task, because sites, particularly in towns, are being redeveloped very fast, and information is being lost forever. At the same time, there is a shortage of money and trained staff. One suggestion is that twenty archaeologists should be employed to work with local government bodies so as to improve communication between local authorities and developers. An archaeological study is going to be made at Perth, the site of the old Scottish parliament, before redevelopment takes place. It is important, too, to make the public aware of the situation.
The marriages that Britain splits up
Caroline Pond sets off on Thursday on a 4,500-mile journey to visit her husband, Daniel, and two step-children. Against their will, she and Daniel are forced to live in different continents.
The reason: Caroline is one of hundreds of British wives who are victims of a law which prevents their foreign husbands joining them in this country. This law makes it almost impossible for a British woman to marry a foreigner - unless she is prepared to live in her husband's native country. But the law, which was intended to reduce the number of immigrants coining into the United Kingdom, does not apply to the British male who marries a foreign woman. He is legally entitled to bring her to live with him in this country.
'In the eyes of the law, women are second-class citizens,' Caroline says. 'In this country, we have about as many rights as a dog which belongs to a man.'
Caroline, 27, is a demonstrator in physiology in the Zoology Department at Oxford University; Daniel is an associate professor of biology at Michigan University. Before they married eight months ago, she applied to the Home Office for permission for him to live in Britain. 'It is a waste of time,' she says. 'The answer is always "never".'
For the sake of her career, Caroline wishes to stay in her job for at least another 18 months and the couple were hoping to live in the small Victorian house she owns at Oxford. Ideally, while his wife is at the university, Daniel would have liked to come here and write scientific text-books.
'We have both accepted that I should be the breadwinner,' Caroline says. 'Daniel has always looked after the children and would continue to do so. I cannot understand why there is this discrimination against women. After all, I pay the same taxes as a man.'
However, they have now resigned themselves to a commuter marriage for the next 18 months. During their courtship and marriage, Daniel and Caroline have already crossed the Atlantic 20 times between them. 'We are lucky, because we can afford to pay the fares, but there must be many women who cannot,' she says.
Before she leaves finally to make her home in the United States, she is determined to campaign for the reform of the law. 'I feel very strongly that if it is the last thing I do before I have to live in America, it should be for this cause.'
The discriminatory measure, unchallenged in the House of Commons, was introduced in 1969 by James Callaghan, then Home Secretary. He described it as an 'administrative measure' to stop abuse of the law which allowed a male Commonwealth citizen to enter this country if he could prove that he was to marry a British girl.
Two years later under the Conservatives, the Immigration Act took the matter even further by stating that no foreign husband married to a British girl 'has claim to settlement in right of his wife unless... the [Home] Secretary is satisfied that there are special considerations, whether of a family nature or otherwise, which render exclusion undesirable'.
Mrs Mary Dines, of the Joint Council for the Welfare of immigrants, says that hardship has now been defined by test cases as meaning that the wife would, if forced to live in her husband's country, suffer through political persecution, race, creed or difference of culture.
She comments: 'if you can prove you were marrying a Nigerian and would have to live in the bush, you would probably get off; but if you were marrying someone from, say, Cyprus, Greece or America, you wouldn't stand a chance.'
Moves are now afoot in both Houses of Parliament to end this discrimination. In the Lords, the Labour peer Lord Brockway has tabled a motion on equal immigration rights for women; and Mrs Lynda Chalker, the new Conservative M.P. for Wallasey, will put down a question in the Commons this week.
Mrs Chalker is collecting a dossier of cases - already she has more than 150. She believes that few British women are fully aware of the problems they may encounter if they consider marrying a foreigner and feels that more publicity should be given to the possible consequences. 'We should let the poor girls know what they are letting themselves in for,' she says.
Suggested answer.
At the time when the article was written, women from other countries who married British men could settle in Britain without difficulty, but the reverse was not true. Men from other countries could only join their British wives in rare cases where it was felt that the woman would suffer from going to live in her husband’s country. This discrimination was introduced by Callaghan in 1969 and confirmed by the 1971 Immigration Act. The effect on the Ponds, an English woman married to an American, was to force them to live in separate continents, and to spend a great deal of money travelling to see each other.
Writing 1 - Left your home country forever
Recently you left your home country forever.
Write a letter to your friend about this experience.
In your letter you should:
• explain why you left
• describe what you find attractive about the new place
• tell how you felt after leaving your country.
Dear Albert,
I heard your vacation in Mauritius is going pleasurably but you’ll have heartbreak
when you hear I’m leaving this country forever. And, it’s very sad you can’t attend my
leaving party; in fact, I don’t think you even have a clue about why I’m going!
I’m migrating because my family’s pockets are empty, hence we couldn’t afford to
pay rent. This is indeed an unfortunate turn of events, but there isn’t any other choice
we can opt for. I miss home, but living with my grandmother in Mexico is rather fun.
Mexico is pretty much a decent place to live in. To everyone’s liking, my little brother
is as happy as a clan, and so are my parents. I still feel homesick, however, the
landscape and natural beauty shrouds my negative emotions.
I felt uncomfortable about leaving, obviously. I don’t have a knack with getting along
with strangers; after all, I’m ridiculously introverted. I knew I wouldn’t make any new
friends anytime soon because that happens once in a blue moon.
You were my first friend here, Albert. I feel very upset to leave without properly
bidding you farewell, but I attached a picture of us and Merlin with this letter as a
memorabilia of us for you to have.
Writing 2 - Too much pressure on teenagers
Parents and teachers place too much pressure on teenagers and expect them to
work too hard at school and at home.
Write an article for the school magazine giving your views.
As today is the 21st century, individuals require a well-paying job to afford a decent
lifestyle. They are expected to have certain qualifications in order to participate in
such jobs. Considering this, parents and teachers pressurize the students to study
both at school and home and claim that it is beneficial, but I disagree.
Of course, studying is essential to us because knowledge is an important element to
strengthen our future. Almost everything around you is a result of education. In fact,
the reason why you are healthy right now is an outcome of education. We should be
pressurized to study and we should also aim for extraordinary results. We must
study in order to thrive for a valuable, enjoyable future, so it is not wrong that we are
being pressured.
However, I believe the keyword that disinterests us in studies in “pressure”. We
should not be pressurized to study, instead encouraged. If you had to perform a job
that you find undesirable, I doubt that you would give it your best. You would work for
the sake of earning money. In our case, it would be to satisfy our parents. We should
be given enough leisure time to compensate for studies, in order to maintain our
mental stability.
Therefore, I have arrived to the conclusion that it is important to dedicate ourselves
to education, although we should not be forced to do so. If you want the best result
out of us, I believe you should encourage us, and give us a reason to work hard and
succeed.
Writing 3 - Revisited a place you used to know well
You have recently revisited a place you used to know well only to find out that
everything has changed.
Write a letter to your friend describing the visit.
In your letter you should:
• describe the place and your connection to the particular place
• explain the changes you observed
• tell how the changes made you feel.
Hey Rebecca,
I’m really sorry I haven’t been replying to your letters. Actually, it was when I told my
mom about the letters I got yesterday, that she remembered about the two letters
you had sent before. I was not at home when the two came.
Becky, remember the park we used to go when we were little? The far-away one
where we used to go with your dad and we had so much fun. I haven’t gone there for
almost five years now, since you moved. But yesterday, I did. I went with Clare and
Andy. You know, everything was so changed. The grass was greener than ever and
there were more flowers and the red see-saw, “Reddy” (as you used to call it) wasn’t
even there. But there were two new blue ones and the little play house is bigger
than I remember. There is a canteen added and another ice-cream stand, too.
I want to be little again, Becky and I want to play with the little kids, climb the seesaw
and play hide and seek again. I just can’t help it. But somewhere deep inside,
I’m glad I’m a teen. I don’t have to deal with saying from my parents “you are too
young to understand that and you can do it when you’re older”. Not that much
anyway. But you know the park and all the changes made me realize that everything
does really change and sometimes, changes are good.
Come and visit me in the holidays. You can stay here. I’ve even talked to mom about
it. I miss you.
Love, Maya
Writing 4 - Dreams and success
Your school magazine is looking for articles on the following topic:
“Dreams are important in our lives to be successful.”
In this civilized world, we see teenagers living in a dream world. May be a fairy tale
like world, but they will know about it better. But all we see is a bunch of lazy
teenagers doing nothing. But there are kids who dream about what to do with their
lives and try to make it true. In my view, dreams are the key to success.
In the first place, a dream helps you to realize and know what you want or what you
need. It helps you to work harder for it. It builds up your courage and shows you your
path in life. But just dreaming will not do. You have to work for it – your dream, your
future.
Secondly, dreams are the first phase of success. It is the rope that leads you to your
ambition. Dreams help you achieve and build up a thirst for more, which means you
will get more than you think you deserve but what you actually do because of your
hard work for it.
On the other hand, dreams can be developed by doing nothing. You can just lie
somewhere and dream. But that will not bring you any good or any progress. You
need more than just a dream to get hold of success. You need the courage and the
will power to do what you want.
In conclusion, dreaming is a really important part in life. As the saying goes “Life
ends when you stop dreaming”, so do not stop dreaming and work hard for your
dreams. You can win.
Writing 5 - Revisited a place you used to know well
You have recently revisited a place you used to know well only to find out that
everything has changed.
Write a letter to your friend describing the visit.
In your letter you should:
• describe the place and your connection to the particular place
• explain the changes you observed
• tell how the changes made you feel.
Dear Spencer,
How have you been holding up with the continuous crashing of your cousins into
your room? Just kidding! I’m sure you’re enjoying the holidays as much as I am.
Hope you and your folks are doing well.
I know it’s summer vacations but I just can’t help writing to you! Not after what I’ve
seen here. Remember the pictures I showed you of Hulhumale’ 3 years back when I
shifted to Dallas? I can’t believe this is the same place from those photos! Everything
has changed so much. I nearly got lost finding my way back home just walking a few
steps away from it.
It’s still hard for me to digest that this is the same place I’ve lived for nearly a decade!
Growing up from 7 years to my teens, I’ve had so many beautiful and special
memories connected with this place.
As for the changes, instead of buses, trains are used which are superfast and we
don’t have to travel by ferry to Male’ because there is a bridge connecting both the
cities now. The whole city is greener to look. With lot of newly developed corporate
building, shopping malls, movie halls, parks and housing units. Seeing all, it makes
me feel so epic and proud. These developments have been what I’ve always wished
for.
I’m getting clicks of nearly everything. I’ll show it to you when I get back there. I miss
you a lot, best friend.
Love
Writing 6 - Dreams and success
Your school magazine is looking for articles on the following topic:
“Dreams are important in our lives to be successful.”
There are two types of dreamers - people who dreams in the dusty recess in the
back of their minds and people who act on their dream with open eyes. The
Lawrence of Arabia (T.E Lawrence) quoted in a similar way and as I believe, the first
step taken to pursue a successful future will be to act on our dreams.
As a first reason why I believe so is that without dreams, a wishful ambition cannot
exist. Here we do not take the meaning of literally dreaming in your sleep but
creating a graphically virtual reality of how your future is going to be in your mind.
Without dreams, it is easy for a person to go astray from his/her career/pathway.
On the contrary, dreaming is an act of creativity. One can easily change their minds
regarding many things just based on estimated calculations. The choice to decide is
a hard decision when you are in an unending realm of possibilities.
Even though dreamers have their disadvantages and challenges to face, I still
believe that one perspective of a dream will always catch the dreamers’ attention
better than others for him to see through, follow it to the end till he reaches it.
In conclusion, I would say that never stop dreaming if you hope to keep up to your
future ambitions. Never underestimate yourself because others can criticize you.
Dreaming is no bad things. In fact, the more person dreams the more his courage
builds up to fulfill his hopes and attain a successful life with pride and joy. It is one of
the best foundations that could be laid to outline you future plans.
Writing 8 - Increase in the price of an entry ticket
The manager of your favourite cinema wants to make a big increase in the price of
an entry ticket.
Write a letter to the cinema manager giving your views on this proposal.
Dear manager,
It came as a shock to hear from the media announcements about the dramatic
increase of the entry ticket prices for your cinema. Shine cinema has always been
not only mine but almost everyone’s favourite place to hang out consequently this
change may lead to a disapproval of our thoughts.
Your cinema, that is, the Shine cinema has been popular and well known for the
huge cinema hall and also for the low and affordable prices. Yes, I accept that the
price was raised for an acceptable reason. That is because of the high expenses in
society that effect on the maintenance of the cinema. But what is the use of an
expensive cinema if no one watches movie there?
There can also be other ways to help in overcoming your expenses rather than
increasing entry ticket price that would fall the cinema’s demand rapidly. Such a
ways could be opening a refreshment bar or a canteen at the cinema or conducting a
fund raiser. I am pretty much sure that all your customers will give full support for
this.
Shine Cinema has always been my favourite since the very beginning. So, I would
like to request you to remove the high price barrier for us and make the price
affordable. After all, there is nothing better than watching a movie at the Shine
cinema.
Thank you
Writing 9 - Finished four weeks of paid work
You have just finished four weeks of paid work during your last school holiday.
Write a letter to a friend in which you describe the job and say what you did.
In your letter you should:
• give details of where you worked and what you did;
• explain who gave you the job and why;
• describe what you learnt from the experience.
Dear Jim,
I bet you’re having fun in Tokyo this holiday. After all, you’ve been dying to visit
Japan! Unfortunately, my grandmother has burdened me with a part time job for the
holiday, so I had to throw my holiday plan in the garbage.
The part time job involved absolutely ‘FUN’ things, like helping the customers search
for goods, arranging the store items, and guiding my subordinates. Yes, I was the
assistant manager of a supermarket. Here’s the thing, supermarkets are fun when
you’re actually buying things, not when you’re helping people purchase things. Worst
of all, I hate Walmart.
My uncle is the manager there. He agreed to my grandmother immediately when she
asked him if I could work under him for holidays. I hate my uncle; he is such an
inconsiderate person. Apparently, my grandmother says the job is supposed to
“improve my mental and social health”, but you know, all it has really done is make
me a nervous wreck.
I did learn a ‘couple of things’ from this experience. Firstly, not to bother
communicating with annoying Chinese old ladies. Secondly, I learned that I’m
irresponsible and that the chances of me doing anything that requires responsibility
without messing up is as good as nothing.
This holiday has been terrible for me. Sarcasm apart, at least I wasn’t forced to go to
Japan to meet my father’s boring relatives like you were.
Regards,
James
Writing 10 - Did something for the first time
People say there is a first time for everything. Recently you did something for the first
time in your life.
You decide to write a letter about your new experience to a friend.
In your letter you should:
• say what gave you the idea to do it;
• describe what you did for the first time;
• explain why you would or would not like to repeat the experience.
Dear Dexter,
What’s new in LA? Has Margaret turned 6 yet?
Well, things here have been very good actually. Remember how I always wanted to
cliff dive but was scared to do it because I am afraid of heights?
Well, I finally got over that phobia and cliff dived. Actually, at first it was more like me
shutting my eyes out and screaming at the top of my lungs as I jumped off the cliff of
Breckin’s most famous cliff diving spot into the turquoise waters of Green River. But
after the second time, it turned out to be much more fun than I expected it to be.
So, to say that I hogged the spot the whole day would be right. I think I dived at least
7 times from that cliff. Even when evening came and everyone wanted to go home, I
just pouted like a child, wanting to do it again. But I agreed to go home at last
because my muscles were sore and my body was calling for a good, warm and
relaxing bath.
That night, my brothers laughed at me and joked about how I complained that I could
never cliff dive. I laughed along with them and thanked them for the dare. Speaking
of, I forgot to mention before, how it all started was because my brothers dared me
to dive off the cliff and you know I always complete my dares.
Visit us around November, and we can go cliff diving together. I’d do it over and over
again until I can’t. That’s how much I love it now.
Love,
P.S: my love to Maggie and the folks.
Writing 11 - Advantages and disadvantages of the car
Your school year group is doing a project on the advantages and disadvantages of
the car as a means of transport.
As the world has developed, our means of transport has exceeded beyond our
imaginations. However, the most common and favorable transport happens to be
cars. Cars have brought about many advantages to the people. But like everything
else, even cars have their drawbacks. The question is which is more? In my view,
cars are more advantageous than non-beneficial.
The cars have solved a major problem that majority of us face, which is time
management. It is true that public transport like buses are cheaper and all. However,
with cars, we can rush to work or school and still stay fresh and relaxed unlike in
buses where the atmosphere is unpleasant and crowded, as a result, our minds are
at ease when we arrive at our destination and our work is much easier.
On the other hand, as critics may argue, that with the increase in number of cars, the
pollution levels will also escalate. Meaning that, the air we breathe in maybe filled
with toxic gases which are harmful to us. However, with the introduction of
converters, even this problem may be solved. These converters can convert the
harmful gases into less harmful gases.
It is also a known fact that if we were to travel as a family, it will be faster, easier,
more relaxing and enjoyable if we use a car instead of taking the smelly bus which
will cause headaches and make us grumpy and annoyed by the time we have
reached our destination.
To conclude, even with the disadvantages cars have, I believe that cars are more
beneficial to people than public transport because cars allow us to save time and yet
stay relaxed and ready for our work. Furthermore, with converters the risks of
harmful gases will be evaded. Moreover, cars are more fitting for a family rather than
others like buses. Wouldn’t you agree so?
Writing 12 - Met a person who is famous in your country
You recently met and talked to a person who is famous in your country.
Write a letter to a relative, describing what happened.
In your letter you should:
• give details of the famous person and where you met
• explain what you talked about
• describe how you felt afterwards.
Dear Yammo,
I heard someone is getting a baby sister soon. Good for you. Anyway, that’s not why
I’m writing this letter to you. You won’t believe what happened the other day.
Last Sunday, I was doing some last minute shopping for mom when a stranger
asked me if I could recommend a type of chocolate to buy for his sister. I
immediately ran over to the chocolate isle and handed him my favorite, Cadbury
Dark Forest.
He laughed and thanked me. Then, as we pushed our carts to the queue in front of
the cashier, we discussed about art since he had seen the few brushes in my cart.
Apparently, he knew a lot about art and by the time it was my turn to pay, I’d known
quite a few things about art I didn’t know.
He even gave me his card and told me to call him if I’d a question about art. I was so
happy and excited that I didn’t even check the card. Only when I got home, I
checked the card and found El Yardey printed on the card. Remember how I used to
idolize about this El Yardey the artist? Well, it was him.
I couldn’t believe my luck. I felt so excited that when he picked up the phone, I went
all fan girl on him. But he said he didn’t mind because I was an enthusiastic artist. He
also told me he’d check out my art if I brought it to him. So that’s what I’m doing next
Thursday. Want to come with me?
Give me a reply soon.
Love,
Writing 13 - An event to raise money for a local charity
You recently organised an event to raise money for a local charity.
Write a letter to a friend, explaining:
• why you chose your particular charity
• how you planned the event
• whether or not you felt the event was successful.
Dear Lana,
How’re you doing? Hope you and your family are having a great vacation in Miami. I
expected mine to be boring at home but I was very wrong about that. Let me fill you
in with the details.
I was out for a walk by the orphanage Sunshine one fine evening. I thought I saw
Mrs. Vans’ car parked outside. You do remember her right? She taught us math
when we were 9. Since I wasn’t getting late to go anywhere I went inside to go say hi
to her. I met her inside alright but with a worried look upon her face.
I asked her what the matter was and she explained that she had been among the
board members of Sunshine for a long time and that the government was trying to
usurp the land and they needed to pay a certain amount of money to stop them from
doing so. I gave them the idea of a fundraising event and volunteered to manage it
myself.
I distributed fliers around town that there was a sand castle building competition at
the beach 3 days later. I got dad to sponsor the winning prizes. The basic idea was
to build anything out of sand that was detailed and could stand, in a 3D position.
Luckily, some tourists were also there that day and they were all professional 3D
artists. I told them of the situation and they were more than glad to help. A lot of
other people also took part.
By the end of the day, we’d collected about 3000 dollars by the entry fees and by
generous donations made by various people. Sunshine wasn’t going to be
demolished anymore. I was gifted a 100 dollars for managing the event successfully.
It was all very fun.
Waiting for your reply restlessly. Send my love to your folks and do tell how you find
the pictures from the event.
Lots of love,
Writing 14 - Did something for the first time
People say there is a first time for everything. Recently you did something for the first
time in your life.
You decide to write a letter about your new experience to a friend.
In your letter you should:
• say what gave you the idea to do it;
• describe what you did for the first time;
• explain why you would or would not like to repeat the experience.
Dear John,
We’ve not been in touch with each other for a long time and I’m sorry. Things would
not have happened this way, had I not been so busy with studies. But a few weeks
ago a hard working five days of school gave way to the most amazing weekend of
my life!
I’ve been watching the discovery channel a lot lately in the hope of learning
something valuable. And I could not help being attracted to a program which features
a man in the wild. My family was planning a visit to an uninhabited island that
weekend so I thought it would be awesome to explore the island like this man in the
wild.
To my surprise the island we visited was huge. At nine in the morning my cousin and
I set out to explore the place carrying only a bottle of water with us. We wandered
through the thick trees finding beautiful places, rare plants used for local medicine
and most remarkable of all, an ancient artifact half buried in the sand. When we
brought it to the camp my grandfather said it was used to in the early centuries to
preserve food temporarily.
That experience was the best I’ve ever had because it gave me a different feeling, a
curiosity to find what lays in the unexplored. When you return from India we should
plan a trip like this.
Love
Writing 15 - Discovered an old piece of paper hidden
While working on a school project you discovered an old piece of paper hidden on a
book. The paper had some surprising information about something.
You decide to write to your friend who left your school to join another school.
In your letter you should explain:
• Who had written it and when it was dated
• What was written on it
• Your reaction to the news and what you think should be done.
Dear Philip,
I’ve recently been as busy as a bee studying for exams so I’m sorry I haven’t written
to you for such a long time. You’re really lucky your exams are next week, so good
luck with that.
I’m really excited to tell you about a strange occurrence at school yesterday. It all
started when Rashifa and I were perusing through the library books to find
something to help me on my project on successful businesses. It was like finding a
needle in a haystack, there was nothing good there. All of a sudden, eagle-eyed
Rashifa was squinting at a piece of paper sticking out of an old history book.
I carefully took the crumpled old paper and read it. I almost fell over backwards when
it said there was a bomb in one of the cupboards of the cafeteria! Shockingly though
it was written in 1992. We should have told the teacher but we decided to look for it
ourselves. In the blink of an eye, we had shuck into the cafeteria and found the bomb
behind a coffee can. Luckily it had been diffused. You could have reached it if you
were here.
We left it there, and that’s where the story ends. May be we could show it to you
next time you come over.
Your friend
Writing 16 - Home education
The Academic Club is interested in hearing your views about home education.
Write an article for your school magazine giving your views.
Are you someone who learns better in a group with the atmosphere of learning
reflected all around you? Or do you find it easier to learn from a tutor in the comfort
of your home? While every coin has two sides, I belong to the former. The topic of
where the next generation should learn their trade has become a highly debated
topic. Even though homeschooling has its advantages, I believe we should stick to
the traditional way.
First and foremost, the sheer joy of co-operation together with friends cannot be
replicated in homeschooling. In homeschooling the focus and the spot light is on you,
so it is easier to clarify doubts with the teacher. However, some information can only
be shared with friends and the friendly competition among students is also a kick in
the step to study well.
Secondly, traditional schooling is a tried and tested method which has been known
to produce outstanding students. As of now, there is no guarantee that
homeschooling can help a student to succeed. A study conducted earlier this year by
the University of Chicago showed the ratio of pass to fail in schools is 5:1 compared
to homeschooling’s 2:1. Well, you reap what you sow.
In a nutshell, traditional schooling is statistically better than homeschooling.
However, homeschooling might pick up some steam in the following years. After all,
Rome was not built in a day.
Writing 17 - Lost something important
Dear Smith,
I’ve been meaning to write for ages but I’m afraid, things kept me cropping up and I
just haven’t got round to it.
I thought I’d drop you a line to let you know something about what happened to me
last week. You know, I was at Liberty Plaza with John to buy a gift for my younger
sister, Helen. It was drizzling at the time we went into the shopping mall. I was in a
hurry as John wanted to see his Mom at hospital. I collected a small but a nice gift
and hurried home. You believe or not, I was horrified to realize, I’d lost my ID card
somewhere else.
I can’t tell you how I felt it, as you know, the exam is just around the corner, just
imagine, I collapsed on to the Sofa and couldn’t stop feeling on edge. It wasn’t until
some time later, when Dad came home. He soon took me to the shop where I’d
bought the gift. I was lucky because the shopkeeper had kept it safe. What could you
do if you were in my position?
I’m running out of my space. Don’t forget to tell this to Uncle, Sam. Tell me all your
news.
Love from
Ray
Writing 18 - A Virus Has Been Detected
As a school student, I can sadly announce that a majority of students have got an
addiction worse than heroine. And it is computer gaming. A wise man once said “Too
much of anything is bad for you”, so it can be deduced that even computer gaming
has its pros and cons.
Research has shown that computer gaming can figuratively corrode your mind if it’s
in high doses. The time spent playing games leaves students hardly any time to
study. Staying awake to play games brings a lack of sleep which disrupts your
schedules. This is when we get headaches and our minds explode.
On the other hand, it is argued that computer games spark intelligence in children
and help develop language skills. All work and no play make Jack a dull boy. So it is
necessary to keep the mind fresh by playing games.
In conclusion, from my point of view playing computer games is alright but the
problem arises when we go beyond limits. Students need to learn how to manage
time between studying and playing computer games. Do you have the antivirus to
destroy this virus that is spreading like bonfire? Or are you already addicted to it?
Writing 19 - The only thing that is constant is change
“The only thing that is constant is change” and undoubtedly it can be said that
change is the spirit of life as only change can fight monotony and stagnation. Despite
the argument that changes can have a telling effect on culture and traditions, I
believe that changes are inevitable.
There are compelling reasons to believe that changes are, most of the times, for the
better and they bring more opportunities without which a nation cannot progress.
Moreover, no nation can remain the same for ages as the new generation cannot
necessarily afford to be satisfied with what was there decades before or with what is
available now. On the other hand, some are conservative in their outlook and are
adverse to change believing that changes can shake the foundation of a nation.
However, improvement in living standards is impossible without changes and no one
can deny the fact that change is the rule of life.
Another significant argument in favour of change is that it helps in the technological
advancement and provides necessary medical and transportation facilities other than
being instrumental in the development of a nation- politically and economically.
Furthermore, if something does not change over a period of time, it is the same as
being dead and nobody wants to be in a set-up that is no more alive.
To sum up, it is obvious that man would have remained primitive if the predominant
attitude was that of apathy towards change. If not convinced yet, just think who
would be willing to live with the amenities of Stone Age men?
Writing 20 - Looked out of the window and saw something
Dear Nancy,
I’ve been meaning to write to you but I was busy moving to the new flat. You know,
whenever I sit to write my younger brother runs away with the pen.
Anyway, I can’t wait to tell you what happened last evening. I felt at a loose end and
was waiting for Jenny, the new student who joined our school last month, to go out
fishing. I just looked out of the window for I’d see from there if Jenny came. Then, I
saw someone moving near the window of the flat opposite to mine. I wanted to play
Nancy Drew when I saw the man jumping in through the window.
A shock went through my spine and I felt I should do something. Out of the blue, I
got an opportunity to get noticed in my new place. At the flash of a second, I rang the
police and told them a thief has entered flat no.5. Nancy, as you can imagine, how
proud I felt and I ran across to the opposite flat and knocked on the door.
After what seemed like ages, I heard footsteps from inside and the door was opened.
The man who jumped in through the window was standing in front of me. He was a
tall, stout man with broad shoulders. I told him not to try to run as I’ve called the
police. He started laughing and said he lives there. He locked himself out of his flat
and it was Hobson’s choice for him to try the window. I saw the police car stopping
and cops coming out! I wanted to flee but my feet would not move! Somehow, I
apologised and saved my skin but was all the more embarrassed when I saw Jenny
in the front of the crowd that gathered!
Now, I can hear my younger brother coming and let me stop. I’m dying to hear from
you soon.
Love from
………….
Writing 21 - Received a ticket for free entrance to an event
You recently received a ticket for free entrance to an event in your city. You went to
the event.
Write a letter to a friend about the event.
In your letter you should:
• say how you got the ticket
• describe where you went and what happened at the event
• explain your feelings afterwards.
Dear Yang,
It’s been a long time since we last exchanged words. How’s everything at Signal
High School? It’s kind of boring here at Beacon Academy since you left. Anyway,
you won’t believe what happened four days back!
I woke up when mom called me downstairs and told me I’ve got a letter from
someone. It turned out to be a letter from Roosterteeth! Apparently, I’ve won a ticket
for free entrance to the premiere of their movie RWBY. I was so excited that I almost
didn’t see the note that came along with it. It said I had got the ticket because I won
a lucky draw by watching the movie trailer.
The movie was scheduled for next day. I was so happy that I couldn’t sit still at
school! After school, I got ready to go as I would have to take two trains and a taxi
ride to get to the cinema. After I got in, I discovered my delight that it was in 3D!
Well, I’m not going to spoil the movie for you but it was awesome! At the middle
somebody actually fell asleep because apparently she had been awake for 2 days
just to get into the cinema.
Overall, it was the best movie I’ve seen in a long time. After it was finished I was
feeling rather frustrated that I’d have to wait 2 more months till it’ll be actually
released so that I’d see the movie again.
Well, I hope to hear from you soon. My regards to all. Let’s meet up again sometime.
Your friend
Writing 22 - Advertisements rob us
Advertisements are everywhere around us. Are they a benefit or not?
Advertisements rob us
Nowadays, advertisements are getting more and more frequent in our daily lives.
They show us products which are overpriced but somehow use the skill of
persuasion to subconsciously make us crave for something we don not even need.
In my opinion, advertisements are bad for us.
In modern advertisements, we see all these fancy, advanced technology with
colourful graphical presentations and deceptive words which hold subliminal
messages rather than a form of informing us the use and purpose of a product. It is
used as marketing sham to make us buy something we are not even clear about.
Advertisements only make the rich, richer.
On the other hand, a handful of advertisements do actually inform us the use and
benefits of a product which is really worth our time and money. Advertisements are
also one of the only ways which we can actually find out about a new product without
checking in the aisle of your nearby shop every few hours.
Bottom line is, the advertisements used are not fulfilling their purpose of informing
us, but rather demanding us to buy an overpriced product because we ought to have
it. Therefore, in my opinion advertisements are bad for us.
Writing 23 - Organised an event to raise money for a
charity
You recently organised an event to raise money for a local charity.
Write a letter to a friend, explaining:
• why you chose your particular charity
• how you planned the event
• whether or not you felt the event was successful.
Dear Khan,
I’m sorry I wasn’t able to write to you sooner as I was busy with football.
As you know the mid-term break holidays just passed by and what I did was
something I call “being useful” in this society. I organized a charity event to raise
money to donate to all the homeless orphans in Gaza. I call it “Save a few, don’t be a
Jew.” You may ask why I chose this particular charity so I’ll phrase it in a way you’ll
understand; Ladies love it.
Planning this event wasn’t a walk in the park but eventually I pulled it off remarkably.
The events were creative and the entry pass was acceptable. There were stalls set
in the Hall of Ghaazee School with an entry pass of 10Rf. There were many stalls
contributed by students and some by myself such as the “shoot a Netanyahu”, it’s a
game where you have to throw a ball at a distance towards a doll, then there’s
“Bomb Israel” where you have to throw a bomb shaped dart onto Israel on the world
map from a distance.
Overall the event hit over MVR100000 and it gained a huge applause. But I still felt it
needed more feel into the event, nevertheless it was successful. Just wished you
were here to see it.
Awaiting a reply soon.
Your friend,
Writing 24 - Advantages and disadvantages of the car
Your school year group is doing a project on the advantages and disadvantages of
the car as a means of transport.
Experiencing life on the fast lane, with everything going by so fast we hardly catch a
glimpse of it. But, in this world we have to accept that it is the way it has to be. Rare
chances and special moments come and go, they pass and are lost forever in the
blink of an eye. Hence, the importance of being fast by riding a car particularly come
in handy.
Unlike public transport like buses and trains, cars offer much more reliable services,
that save more time and money if you look at it as part of the long run. For instance,
they would deliver us to the right place without any unnecessary stops along the way
and the fuel bills would be much cheaper than bus or train fares. It would be a small
price to pay considering all the time we could save without the burden of waiting for
the bus to come by.
I am not denying the fact that cars do cause more pollution and traffic than any other
man made contraption. But I don’t think that anyone would dare to oppose that cars
are a blessing in however horrible disguise that pollution and congestion is. It can be
argued that electricity and solar powered cars are solutions to these concerns. And if
that is too much of a change there is always carpooling. Sharing rides with people
going to the same area. It would be much cheaper, more efficient…if not more fun.
Taking everything into consideration, cars are indispensable to our day today life
compared to any other mode of transportation.
Writing 25 – Building highways
Highways- are they necessary for our country today?
Countries these days are leaping as high as they could to get a firm grasp on the
highly sophisticated developments of science through technology. The building of
highways is one such development which as I believe, is very useful for the people. I
believe that like this project, similar ones should be introduced and carried out. This
is all with good reason.
Firstly, highways help to clear out problems regarding crowded roads. Traffic jams
caused by too many vehicles on the road at the same time can be cleared with ease
if there is an alternate spacious road to the same destination.
It is said that it is easier and cheaper for people to travel to faraway places in their
own vehicles. For instance, the cost of taking public transport is more than the
amount to be paid as the highway toll, collected in order to maintain the roads,
before taking that certain route.
On the other hand, the building and maintenance of such structures are costly. The
space taken up for the building of the highways could be fertile lands which could be
used for farming or for other more suitable purposes. It is a great loss for nature,
welcoming more pollution than it can already tolerate.
Taking highways as the solution to the crowded roads and for the comfort of the
people into account, I believe that highways are indeed to be considered by the
governments of countries around the world.
Writing 26 - Met a person who is famous in your country
You recently met and talked to a person who is famous in your country.
Write a letter to a relative, describing what happened.
In your letter you should:
• give details of the famous person and where you met
• explain what you talked about
• describe how you felt afterwards.
Dear Caroline,
I haven’t heard from you for a long time now. That’s understandable with the IGCSE
exams coming up. For sure I’ve been studying day in and day out. Anyways you
won’t believe whom I met when I decided to take a short study break and went to
super market!
You know how crazy I am about the Korean band Shinee. I happened to meet one of
them in the super market. It was morning so it was pin drop silence in the market. I
was going through a bunch of cereal boxes when a man with dark shades and a
Yankee baseball hat walked over and pointed out a good cereal.
I was shocked first and looked at him. Then, he removed his disguises making me
weak in the knees! It was the lead vocalist Jonghyun! Our conversation started off
with the cereal then we talked about singing. He said I just might have a chance to
become a star!
So now I’m under supervised training in the SM town which is the birth factory of
super stars. I was truly lucky to meet him in the supermarket or else I wouldn’t have
won this rare opportunity to become a star. It’s like finding a four leafed clover. I
hope to see you soon to tell you everything in detail!
Lots of love, Alex
Writing 27 - Received a ticket for free entrance to an event
You recently received a ticket for free entrance to an event in your city. You went to
the event.
Write a letter to a friend about the event.
In your letter you should:
• say how you got the ticket
• describe where you went and what happened at the event
• explain your feelings afterwards.
Dear Suwun,
I’m sorry for not replying to your last letter as fast as I could ,since I had a lot of deeds that made me busy .However,I was so happy that I heard about you .
Before you misjudge me ,let me tell you .Do you remember my aunt that was always sending us presents ?I think you certainly remember.As was her habit ,she put her hand on some ticket for visiting some place for a circus show.
There was only one ticket so, obviously I had to go alone but I met some buddies
from summer camp,you remember Angie and Stella, don’t you?, and we managed
to grab some seats from the second row.
The show started after a while and there were a lot of amazing acts: clowns,
acrobats and even a baby elephant! I’m sure you would have loved it! The thing that
captured my attention the most was the boneless man. He didn’t look like he was
boneless when he entered the ring at first but then, he started slithering like a snake
and it was like he was made of jelly! And while doing all that, he started juggling! My
eyes nearly popped out of head.
I felt kind of disappointment at the end because of the fact that the show is over but, I
also felt happy to go back home with some boasting stories to tell to my little brother!
Hope you come and visit soon! Love.
Examiner’s Comment
General comments
An increasing number of candidates used black ink. This is the preferred colour
at Cambridge International Examinations and teachers should encourage all
candidates to use this in future sessions. Overall, the standard of handwriting
was good this session. Centres are reminded that candidates should not make
pencil notes in the answer space and then write over these in ink. This often
makes the script difficult to read.
Candidates should be discouraged from writing in other areas, especially in the
column ‘For Examiner’s Use Only’, and on pages 12 and 14, which contain the rubric
and the prompts for Exercises 6 and 7. Candidates should use the blank page at the
end of the booklet as a continuation of their answers, especially for Exercises 6 and
7, but they need to indicate clearly where extra work has been added.
Generally, candidates should be advised that throughout the paper the spaces and
number of lines are arranged to guide them as to the length of answer required
and they should not consistently exceed this.
Advice for Centres
In order to improve the quality of response in the first two exercises, candidates
should be encouraged to read both the text and the questions at least twice.
Thereafter they should seek to answer using precise but brief answers. No
response should need to go beyond the one or two line space on the Question
Paper.
Candidates should ensure that handwriting is clearly legible in terms of size and
formation. In cases where letters or whole words are difficult to decipher, it may not
be possible to achieve a mark. The blank final page of the question paper or
additional sheets of paper are available for candidates’ use, so handwriting does not
need to be uncomfortably small in order for candidates to complete their responses.
Candidates should take great care not to misspell words taken from the texts. In
Exercises 1, 2 and 4, incorrect spelling is only tolerated when it does not create a
new word and change the meaning, or make meaning unclear. In Exercise 3,
correct spelling throughout is essential. In Exercises 5, 6 and 7 frequent incorrect
spelling may affect the overall mark awarded.
In Exercises 1 and 2 each question must be read carefully for the requirements to be
understood. Responses must connect to the question and candidates should also
note the question word and whether it is ‘how’, ‘what’ ‘which’, ‘who’, ‘when’,
‘why’ or ‘where’ to guide them to the correct response. Answers should be concise,
containing all the appropriate information. Responses need not be given in the form
of a sentence and it is not necessary for candidates to use synonyms of words in the
text for key information required in responses. Synonyms for words in the rubric
should be sought in the text and recognised to enable candidates to locate
appropriate responses. When required to make comparisons, candidates should
ensure that they focus on the key aspect in the question, not what this is being
compared to.
In Exercise 3, candidates need to allow time to check through their form once they
have completed it to see if, for example, they have used the correct annotation (tick,
circle delete or underline) and to be sure that they have correctly transcribed names
and addresses. They need to make the capital letters on all proper nouns stand out
clearly, particularly the letters ‘m’, ‘s’ and ‘k’.
Strategies should be taught to assist candidates to cope more confidently with
Exercise 5, such as the appropriate use of linking words to pull the summary
together and to give it organisation.
In Exercises 6 and 7, when writing a story or describing a past event, candidates
need to know how to use the range of past tenses correctly, for example to be
able to use the simple past, past perfect and past continuous without mixing them
up.
In Exercise 6, candidates need to keep in mind to whom the letter is being written. If,
as in this paper, it was to a friend, then the vocabulary and the style of the letter
should reflect this. A similar consideration needs to be kept in mind when writing the
article for the school magazine. There should be a clear difference in the style
between the two pieces.
Examiner’s Key notes on Ex 6
A number of candidates used formal discursive devices, such as ‘moreover, to sum
up’, which detracted from an otherwise a satisfactory response. There is still a
tendency on the part of some candidates to over-use idioms and flowery
language in their writing. The correct use of idioms should enhance the writing, but
all too often candidates used unnatural language, such as ‘I decided to make this
letter come into being’; inappropriate language, such as ‘to feed my charity bug’, or
unsuccessful collocations, such as ‘excruciatingly beautiful’ or ‘a menacing amount
of money’. Centres should be aware that this type of language can obscure
what the candidate is trying to say, and so lose marks.
Candidates should be encouraged to
• adopt a natural conversational tone and avoid the use of ‘moreover’ and ‘to
sum up’
• avoid the use of spoken colloquialisms, such as ‘stuff’, ‘soo’ ,’wanna’ and
‘gonna’
• avoid the use of out-of-context idiomatic phrases
• practise grammar exercises using verbs in the past. Correct grammar leads
to more efficient communication and higher marks.
• be aware of and interact with the reader, ‘You remember I told you about...’,
‘You’ll never guess how much we raised
Exercise 6 – General comments
There are three prompts in Exercise 6 and candidates are advised to use a
paragraph for each prompt. More able candidates used paragraphs to good
purpose and they provided an effective division between the different ideas that the
candidates needed to address. There was often a good attempt to supply a suitably
brief introduction and concluding statement, in an informal register.
It should be noted that prolonged greetings and conclusions, which are often prelearnt
set expressions and not always relevant, can be counter-productive. It is
recommended that candidates restrict these to about three lines only. In the worst
cases, candidates use an inordinate number of words at the start and finish of the
letter which would be better employed developing the requirements of the bullet
points.
In addition to the bullet prompts, there is a visual guide to help candidates when
selecting content for their writing. It must be emphasised that candidates should try
to develop their own ideas and those that do often produce pieces which have
greater originality and ambition.
Candidates must, of course, address and develop the three bullet prompts to
achieve the higher bands on the grade criteria for Content. Centres should remind
candidates that all three bullet points should be covered in some depth and that
detail should be more evenly distributed across each. In addition, candidates should
convey a good sense of purpose and engage the reader’s interest. The highest
marks are awarded to those candidates who can demonstrate a more vibrant
style and provide some innovative detail.
Candidates need to be aware that pre-learnt phrases and expressions do not
always work in certain contexts. Some candidates fill their writing with a wide
array of inappropriate and poorly chosen idioms. Individually these idioms can
be very effective but a succession of these in an essay is unnatural and counterproductive,
and proverbs should not be included for their own sake.
Colloquialisms need to fit the situation and should be chosen with care and not used
excessively. In an attempt to use extravagant language, meaning is sometimes
obscured and the language mark may be adversely affected.
Examiner’s Key notes on Ex 7
Centres are reminded that responses are considered to be more effective and will
gain higher marks if candidates can understand and interpret the prompts,
but then go beyond those limits to provide their own individual thoughts and
opinions.
Candidates should be encouraged to
• organise their writing into paragraphs and include paragraph starters such
as, ‘On the other hand’, ‘Similarly...’, ‘All in all...’
• avoid simply repeating the ideas in the question
• avoid a conversational tone and adopt a more formal register
• remember to include their own opinion
• practise language exercises:
(a) to distinguish between ‘there is...’ and ‘it has...’
(b) to consolidate agreement between subject and verb in the
sentence.
Exercise 7 General comments
There was a selection of four prompts - two for and two against the proposal in the
title - to guide candidates. Less able candidates tended to stay very close to these
cues, at worst copying them directly with little or no development or personal
contribution. In similar fashion, some candidates often used the prompts as
‘quotes’ from ‘other candidates’. For example, “One of my friends said ‘There is
no doubt that travel broadens the mind’ and another candidate said, ‘Each country
is losing its identity with so many tourists... etc’”. If candidates simply copy or
make little attempt to change the wording of the prompts, it severely reduces
the amount of language that can be credited.
It is recommended that candidates are selective in their choice of prompts,
perhaps one for and one against, and attempt to develop those in some depth
rather than giving superficial coverage to all four. There needs to be evidence
that candidates can develop arguments and persuade the reader of their
convictions in order to gain access to the higher mark bands.
Word limits were well-observed and it appears as though time constraints at this
stage of the paper were not a problem for the majority of candidates. There were
some candidates who had obviously left themselves short of time and resorted to
copying the prompts with little or no individual comment. It is recommended that
Centres work with their candidates on time management for this paper so that
they have an idea as to how many minutes should be spent on individual exercises.
The final two exercises carry more than 40 percent of the total marks and
candidates should leave themselves enough time to complete them fully.
Candidates are not penalised for exceeding the number of words
recommended and indeed may provide more fully developed pieces of
writing, whereas significantly short answers are unlikely to be satisfactory in terms
of content, and the language mark can also be affected since the range of language
will be limited.
There were some examples of abbreviated ‘text’ language, particularly with the
use of ‘u’ for ‘you’ and lower case ‘i’. This is the accepted norm for writing
SMS messages, but is not appropriate in the format and context here and should
be discouraged.
Key messages by the Examiner on Paper 32 and 42
Candidates need to be reminded to provide clear and legible responses. The
formation of individual letters must be clear. Where handwriting cannot be read, no
marks can be awarded.
In responses where one idea or detail is required, candidates are advised just to put
one response. Where two items are required, candidates should write only two.
When making phonetic attempts, it is recommended that candidates try to mimic the
number of syllables in the word that has been heard, and also to try to re-create the
main consonant sounds, and also the stressed vowel sounds.
Try to predict the answers in the gap-filling exercises based on an accurate
grammatical fit.
Candidates often lose marks when what has been placed in the gap causes the
meaning to become unclear. This is a key feature of Questions 7 and 8 on this Paper
and candidates should check their responses carefully.
Candidates should try to establish what a longer question is asking for, by
highlighting the question words, e.g. how, why, when, and/or the key words in the
question. Establishing what the question requires gives a strong indication of the
type of answer that is likely to be successful. In most cases, a short, direct response
is most successful.
More pronunciation awareness activities, particularly of connected speech, would be
beneficial to learners. Candidates should use a pen, not a pencil, and simply cross
out responses which need to be
Exercise 3
Two months ago, Isabel Polo Gomez was asked by her headteacher to attend a course on first aid. The
reason that he asked her to attend was to learn about how to help other students if they are injured or
have an accident at school.
Isabel had just recently had her 17th birthday and so was old enough to take the course. It took place
at the Chamberi Hospital in her home city of Barcelona. It was possible to attend the course either on
a Wednesday or a Friday. Isabel played for the school sports team on Wednesday afternoons and so
could not attend on Wednesday 26th March, but she was able to go on Friday 28th March 2014. There
were 30 students there from different schools in the region.
The hospital offers a wide range of courses at different times and levels. Isabel’s course was called
‘Essential First Aid’ and was for beginners. It started promptly and Isabel thought that the two trainers
who led the course were very good and communicated the information well. The trainers also provided
an excellent booklet, which students could take with them at the end of the course and which contained
a summary of all the main details. Isabel’s impression was that the course was a success.
The only problem was that the room at the Chamberi Hospital was too small, especially when the
students had to do practical work in pairs. Apart from that, there was plenty of light and the temperature
was perfect for the activities.
Isabel was very pleased to have had the chance to learn about first aid skills because she had once
helped a student who had fallen over in the garden of the school and cut his head. She had bandaged
the wound before calling the emergency services.
Isabel intends to meet the headteacher very soon to see if she can possibly attend the next level of the
first aid programme later in the year.
At the end of the course, the hospital asked all the students to complete a feedback form about the
course.
Imagine you are Isabel. Fill in the feedback form on the opposite page, using the information
above.
First Aid Course Feedback form
Section A Personal details
Full name Isabel Polo Gomez [1]
Age 17 [1]
Gender CIRCLE FEMALE [1]
Section B Course details
Title of course Essential First Aid [1]
Date of course (Friday) 28 March (2014) [1]
Venue of course Chamberi Hospital (Barcelona) [1]
How would you rate the trainers? UNDERLINE very good [1]
Was there anything about the course that could have been improved?
The room was too small [1]
Section C Additional information
Have you ever given first aid? DELETE NO [1]
If ‘yes’, please give brief details I bandaged a student’s head [1]
Max total for Sections A, B and C: 10 marks
Page 6 Mark Scheme Syllabus Paper
IGCSE – May/June 2014 0510 11
© Cambridge International Examinations 2014
Section D Max. total for Section D: 4 marks
In the space below, write one sentence about your reason for attending the course, and one
sentence about your plans for future first aid training.
Example sentences:
1) I want to learn about how to help other students if they have an accident.
I was asked by my headteacher.
2) I would like to attend the next level later in the year.
Ex:4 Make Notes
BEHIND THE SCENES AT MADAME TUSSAUDS
There are only two hours to opening time at the Madame Tussauds Wax Museum in
London. The staff and the artistic team are busy examining the 200 wax models of
famous people exhibited there. One of the tasks of the team is to check each model
carefully every day for signs of damage. Most museums in the world have a strict ‘no
touch’ rule when it comes to their exhibits. At Madame Tussauds, however, visitors
don’t just stare at the lifelike figures; they are allowed to touch and even hug all the
wax celebrities on display.
“A traditional museum has ropes around the exhibits to protect what is on display, but
this is not our policy,” explains the general manager of Madame Tussauds. “This is the
nearest that a lot of people are going to get to a real life celebrity. We allow our visitors
to go up close as if they were personal friends.”
This policy does create problems, however, when there are
over one million visitors each year. The wax models become
scratched, dirty and sometimes worse. It is the task of the
artistic team to carry out all the necessary repairs to the
figures. This needs to be done quickly because everything must
be perfect every day at opening time. Most visitors probably
don’t know how much they are damaging the figures, each of
which can cost over £100 000.
Charles Garossi, a wax artist, is examining the head of a famous film star. There are
scratches on the face, but Charles quickly sets to work. He mixes the oil paints that
he carries on a palette and brushes paint across the face. The problem is solved in
seconds. Moments later, he inspects the back of the neck of a well-known sports star.
There are some deep marks, caused by fingernails. It is a bigger job, and so he uses a
knife-like tool and some skin-coloured wax from his pocket to repair the damage. One
of the challenges for artists like Garossi is to work with a variety of tools.
Garossi can take a lump of wax and, within minutes, shape it into a human ear. Not
just any ear, but the uniquely shaped ear of the celebrity who lost it. For more extensive
repairs, like a head that has been knocked off onto the floor, the artists work in the
laboratory. This is a massive room, filled with the smells of oil paint and hair spray.
Wooden heads are lined up along a wall, some with wigs and others waiting for the
hairdresser to arrive, to create the latest style. Workbenches are covered with a mixture
of body parts – detached legs and arms – and torn clothes.
The artists at Madame Tussauds constantly have to study gossip magazines for the
latest photos of the celebrities, so that they can keep the figures’ clothes, hair and even
tattoos up to date. Everything is carried out in a traditional manner; the museum’s
policy is not to allow digital technology. As the hairdresser says, “I grew up watching my
mother styling my aunt’s hair in the kitchen – times have changed, but the techniques
are still the same.”
Exercise 4 Madame Tussauds
Tasks of the artistic team (max 4 marks for this heading)
1. check models each day
2. carry out repairs quickly
3. work with a variety of tools
4. replace body parts / shape ear / replace head / repair scratches / paint
5. study gossip magazines / study photos / keep figures up to date
Points 1–5 need a verb to start
Details of the laboratory (max 3 marks for this heading)
6. massive
7. smells of paint / smells of hair spray
8. wooden heads along the wall / wooden heads lined up
9. workbenches with body parts / workbenches with torn clothes
Exercise 3
Vikram Nagabhushanam has lived in St George's Children's Hostel at No. l047 Poonamallee High Road, Chennai 600 030, South India, since he was only three years old. After he left school, the hostel authorities arranged for him to be apprenticed to Mr Krishna Menon, a senior electrical engineer at one of the big city hospitals. For the past five years, Vikram has worked for Mr Menon, who has been kind to him. He always allows Vikram to use his office email address krishnamenon@brindavan.vsnl.in and telephone, number 05923 76618. At the same time, Vikram has trained and studied hard, so that now, at the age of 21, he is a fully qualified electrician. He has continued to live at the hostel alongside one of the house mothers, Miss Jyoti Desai, who looked after him when he was first brought there and has become his lifelong friend. Miss Desai is a keen correspondent and uses her email address jyodes@ to keep in touch with her friends all around the world. In his spare time, Vikram makes himself useful by attending to most of the minor repairs to the hostel premises as and when they need doing. Having watched all the other craftsmen at work in the hospital, he has learned how to do a variety of small carpentry, plumbing and decoration jobs. As soon as he could afford it, Vikram bought himself a metal detector. He regularly searches the nearby Marina Beach, looking for objects that have been washed ashore. At first he only uncovered bits of worthless scrap metal, but eventually his luck changed and he has found, amongst other things, a small brass compass and a sailor's pocket knife with a sharpened steel blade. Then, just over a year ago, on 29 September 2009, he discovered a lady's gold watch buried in the sand. Vikram handed in the watch at the city police station. It was then passed to an international jewellery expert, who valued it at two thousand dollars. The police advertised for the rightful owner, but so far, more than a year later, nobody has come forward to claim it. Consequently, under local law, Vikram may now be able to keep the watch. If his claim is successful, he intends to sell the watch and use the money raised from the sale to pay for the roof of his hostel to be replaced. This work has now become urgent because the roof is just beginning to leak. Both Mr Menon and Miss Desai have agreed to provide references confirming Vikram's honesty and good character. Imagine you are Vikram Nagabhushanam. Fill in the form on the opposite page, using the information above.
SECTION A – Personal Details of Claimant
Vikram Nagabhushanam
(No.)1047 Poonamallee High Road, Chennai 600 030
05923 76618 DELETE Home
Electrician
SECTION B – Details of Claim
Lady's gold watch Estimated value: $2000
Marina Beach
TICK 12 to 18 months ago
handed it in to the (city) police (station)
(small) brass compass
(sailor's) pocket knife (with sharpened steel blade)
SECTION C – Supporting Evidence
(i) (Mr) Krishna Menon krishnamenon@brindavan.vsnl.in CIRCLE: Employer
(ii) (Miss) Jyoti Desai jyodes@ CIRCLE: Friend
SECTION D
This sentence should be in the first (not third) person.
SAMPLE SENTENCE I intend to sell the watch and have the roof of my hostel replaced because it is leaking.
Exercise 4
Spreading
Literacy
in Laos
Anna Dahl is in a race: her aim is to bring
books by boat to children in rural Laos
before the arrival of television.
A trained anthropologist, Anna developed a
specialist interest in how traditional rural
communities are affected by modern media.
She had previously worked for a couple of
years as a volunteer in Laos, and during her
time she became aware of the high rates of
illiteracy there, particularly in the
countryside, where very few people could
read or write.
The high rate of illiteracy has been caused
by local conditions. To begin with, there are
very few authors writing in the Lao
language, so books are expensive and hard
to obtain, even in schools. A second obstacle
is the practical difficulty of getting books into
people’s hands, as many villages sit on the
banks of the Mekong River and can only be
reached by boat. “In the larger towns people
can go to libraries,” says Anna. “But village
children, particularly girls, rarely have a
chance to own, or even hold, a book.”
To tackle the problem, Anna has co-founded
a charity called “River Books”. The charity’s
aim is to provide a floating mobile library, in
the form of a boat, built by local craftsmen,
which will ferry books to the villages. As part
of the fundraising programme, Anna and her
partner are undertaking a series of
challenges. These began with a sponsored
500-kilometre bike ride across Laos, which
took place last February. This was followed
by a solo attempt by Anna to sail along the
length of the river Thames in England in only
a small boat. She plans also to run in next
year’s London Marathon. By these means
she hopes to earn enough money to start
the work of delivering books to the
remotest parts of Laos.
What encourages her is the knowledge that
once television becomes available in the
countryside, getting people to read will
become much harder. This is starting to
happen with the arrival of electricity, which is
gradually spreading throughout the country.
“It’s difficult to convince people of the value
of reading when they have a screen that
provides entertainment continuously,” she
says. “But if you can’t read and write, it
prevents you from doing a lot of things.”
“In the modern world, illiteracy is one of the
greatest disadvantages that people have to
face. If you can’t read your school textbooks,
you will have many problems. You will be
unable to read the signs, notices and
instructions which you see all around you. If
you are unable even to write your own
name, how will you manage to fill in the
forms which are required these days in
order to obtain almost anything? And
although you may never need to write a
letter, with the rapid development of
technology, everybody will soon need to
know how to send an email or text
message. That’s why I have a duty to provide
books for children living in the most distant
areas of rural Laos.”
Answers ..Make Notes
Reasons for illiteracy in rural Laos (max 3 marks for this heading)
1 few authors (in Lao language)
2 books expensive / hard to obtain
3 difficult to get books into people’s hands / villages isolated / villages only reached by boat
4 no libraries (in villages) / children rarely have a chance to own a book / children rarely have a
chance to hold a book
Anna Dahl's fundraising efforts (max 3 marks for this heading)
5 charity “River Books”
6 (sponsored 500 km) bike ride across Laos
7 sail along Thames in small boat
8 London Marathon (next year)
Disadvantages of illiteracy (max 3 marks for this heading)
9 cannot read (school) textbooks
10 unable to read signs / notices / instructions
11 unable to write own name / fill in forms
12 unable to send e-mails / text messages
Exercise 3
Austin Boon, 16, attends Greenway High School in Northampton, England. Austin loves animals of
all kinds and he would like to work with animals when he leaves school. Austin knows a lot about
animals, because he has always helped look after the animals on his grandfather’s farm during the
school holidays. He particularly enjoys milking cows and grooming the horses, as well as doing other
jobs on the farm. However, Austin has a very busy schedule, preparing for exams and playing football
and basketball for the school teams. He also enjoys communicating online with his friends, and his
email address is aboo22@livewire.co.uk. His parents do not want him to look for a part-time job with
animals during term time, because he would have less time for his studies.
One break-time at school, Austin was reading the notices on the school noticeboard when he saw a
poster advertising a scholarship with ‘Animal Rescue Centre’, a well-known organisation which cares
for injured or abandoned animals. Apart from caring for small animals, it looks after retired horses and
donkeys who are too old to be ridden, and whose owners cannot afford to keep them. The Centre is
advertising a scholarship for school students who, like Austin, are interested in careers with animals.
They are offering an Animal Studies Scholarship during the summer holidays. The successful applicants
would live at the centre, free of charge. Austin is particularly keen on the scholarship because it
combines theory with practical work. If he won the scholarship, he would spend mornings in the centre,
learning the theory of animal care. The rest of the time he would be outside in the fresh air, observing
the animals, talking to staff and carrying out hands-on activities with the animals. Austin has told his
biology teacher, Mrs Redwood, and she thinks it is a brilliant idea and she will give him a reference if he
needs one. His mobile is 07850210689.
Austin has discussed this opportunity at home. He lives with his parents at 121 Abington Avenue,
Northampton, NN1 4QN England. They are happy for him to apply for the scholarship as long as it is in
August, because they are on holiday in July. Working with the animals on his grandfather’s farm means
that Austin needs regular tetanus vaccinations, and he has had one recently. Doctor Arbide, who gave
Austin the injection, told him that he does not suffer from any health problems that would make working
with animals unsuitable for him.
Imagine you are Austin Boon. Fill in the form on the opposite page, using the information above.
Section A: Personal details
Full Name: Austin Boon [1]
Address: 121 Abington Avenue, Northampton, NN1 4QN (England) [1]
Email: aboo22@livewire.co.uk [1]
Cellphone number: 07850210689 [1]
Age Group: CIRCLE 16-18 [1]
Section B: Additional details
Do you suffer from any health problems which would make contact with animals unsuitable for you?
DELETE YES [1]
We require all applicants to have a vaccination against tetanus.
TICK I am up to date with an injection against tetanus [1]
Name and occupation of person willing to provide a reference:
Mrs Redwood [1]
biology teacher [1]
Name of school: Greenway High School [1]
Max total for Sections A and B: 10 marks
SECTION C
In the space below, write one sentence describing your experience with animals and one sentence
saying why you have applied for this scholarship.
Sentences must be written from the point of view of Austin Boon.
Sample sentence 1:
I have always helped look after the animals on my grandfather’s farm during the holidays. I know how
to milk cows and groom horses.
Sample sentence 2:
I am keen on this scholarship because it combines theory with practical work. If I won the scholarship,
I could learn the theory of animal care.I could observe the animals and carry out hands-on activities
with the animals.
COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY IN AFRICA
Go Address
Back Search Favorites Media
Web Browser101– Internet
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Web Browser101
Technology started to increase the pace of development in Africa with the introduction of the Global
System for Mobile Communications (GSM) services in the late 1990s. Since then, a cellphone
revolution has made this continent the fastest growing region on Earth for the telecoms industry.
This change has caused governments and people to recognise that they have an opportunity to
improve their economic and social conditions if they can use technology to solve the challenges
facing their countries.
Two years ago, when a potato disease spread across Kenya, a farmer searched the internet for
information about the problem. He discovered that ants were eating his potato stems, and that the
cure for the disease was to sprinkle wood ash on the crop. Two months later, his potatoes were
healthy again. The farmer realised that the time had come to make greater use of the internet, and
by means of a further search he soon found a local buyer for his rescued crop. He now uses a
cellphone linked to the internet to get the latest potato prices.
Life without new communications technology is now hard to imagine in countries throughout
Africa. Whereas twenty years ago in Nigeria, a SIM card cost $100 and local calls cost 33 cents
per minute, you can now buy the card for almost nothing, and cellphone call charges have been
reduced in proportion. Billions of dollars of foreign investment have flooded in, and cellphone
subscriber numbers now already exceed 100 million.
This explosion in cellphone use has created a corresponding explosion in the number of Nigerians
using the internet as a tool to communicate and to do business. It is estimated that more than
31 million Nigerians now access the internet, with 30% or more doing so on their cellphones. Cheap
and instant text messaging services have removed the previously high cost of communicating
with customers. Quick and easy access via the internet has presented many Nigerians with
opportunities to start new businesses.
New technology has the power to influence economic development in many ways. In Ethiopia,
a website has been designed to provide the latest information about global food prices to the
country’s smallholding farmers. Before this, although farmers represented 80% of the country’s
population, they only had information about the value of their produce at local markets. An
automated free telephone service now provides details of updated worldwide prices every minute.
At the same time, cellphone technology is also enabling ordinary people to voice their concerns.
One initiative allows citizens in Mozambique to report local issues via the internet. Problems
reported include broken water pipes in villages, inefficiencies in the legal system and transport
delays. Similarly, in Uganda, university students are able to use their cellphones to register their
complaints by reporting any incidents of poor teaching.
Technology also serves to improve people’s knowledge of the world. Social networks such as
Twitter play a major role in spreading information about important global events. Technology
enables African people to gain a greater share of news coverage and create a worldwide
awareness of what is happening on their continent.
Answers –Note Making
Exercise 4 – Communications Technology in Africa
How technology helped a farmer in Kenya (max 3 marks for this heading)
1. discovered ants were eating his potato stems / discovered cause of problem with potatoes /
searched internet for information about potato disease
2. found cure for disease / sprinkle wood ash on crop / got healthy potatoes
3. found local buyer for his rescued crop
4. gets latest potato prices
Financial benefits of new technology to Nigerians (max 4 marks for this heading)
5. cost of sim cards
6. cellphone calls now cheaper
7. huge foreign investments
8. cheap text messaging service
9. new businesses started
TAKE THE TRAIN
Welcome on board your train today. Travelling with us means
that you’re in for a real treat. Our trains are some of the
most technically advanced in the country. The fastest they
can travel is 200 kilometres per hour, and they are specially
designed to lean into the curves of the track. This provides
passengers with a smoother ride and gets them to their
destination faster.
We also have a great range of onboard services, all designed to make your journey as pleasant
as possible. If you have any problems or questions while travelling with us, be sure to speak to the
train manager or to any other member of our onboard crew.
First Class
Travel in first class and you can relax and enjoy free food and drink from our menu (Mondays
to Fridays only). There are reclining seats, allowing you to lie back and relax. You will also find
newspapers and electric points at every table, and you will be guaranteed personal service
throughout your journey.
The Kitchen
In Carriage K of every express train, there is a kitchen, in which we prepare all of our food for first
class passengers. Did you know that these kitchens are actually bigger than those on any other
trains in Europe?
Bicycles
Bicycles are welcome on all our trains. Just make sure you book a space for your bike in advance.
Taking your bike costs nothing, and this can be booked at any station, on the internet or by phone.
When you arrive at the station, look for the blue sign at the end of the platform. You can take your
bike onto the train from this point.
Mobile Phones
We have a guaranteed mobile phone signal on our trains, so you can chat to your friends at any
time. However, if you don’t want to use your phone or be disturbed by others who do, make yourself
comfortable in the quiet carriage for a peaceful journey.
Wi-Fi Internet
Fast and reliable Wi-Fi internet is available at your seat. The service is free for first class passengers.
In standard class, simply log on to our Wi-Fi network, choose how you want to pay, then go online
and start surfing.
The Shop
All our express trains have a shop onboard in one of the carriages. From sandwiches and cakes to
drinks, magazines, sweets and chocolates, all are on display there and available for sale.
Safety Posters
Safety posters are located just inside the entrance doors to all the carriages. Please take a moment
to read them carefully when you get onto the train. We can promise you a safe and enjoyable
journey to your destination.
(a) What is the maximum speed of these trains?
...............................................................................................................................................[1]
(b) In case of difficulty, who can you ask for help or advice? Give two details.
...................................................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................................[1]
(c) On which days would first class passengers be unable to obtain a free meal?
...............................................................................................................................................[1]
(d) What special feature ensures that passengers can sit comfortably in first class?
...............................................................................................................................................[1]
(e) What shows you where to get on the train with your bicycle?
...............................................................................................................................................[1]
(f) Where should you go if you want to avoid the noise made by mobile phone users?
...............................................................................................................................................[1]
(g) Which train passengers have to pay to use the Wi-Fi internet?
...............................................................................................................................................[1]
Exercise 1 – Take the Train
(a) 200 kilometres per hour [1]
(b) train manager AND crew /other crew member [1]
BOTH NEEDED
(c) Saturday AND Sunday / weekends [1]
(d) reclining seats / seats that allow you to lie back [1]
(e) blue sign [1]
(f) quiet carriage [1]
(g) standard / non-first class
Get involved
... in an event
London Triathlon
WaterAid is proud to be the Official Charity for
the London Triathlon. Take part as an individual
or as part of a relay team and swim,
bike and run for WaterAid in the
largest triathlon event in the world.
Taste for Life
WaterAid’s new fundraising initiative
“Taste for Life” is easy and fun! Get
together with friends and family,
enjoy good food, and raise
funds for WaterAid. Holding a
Taste for Life event is simple:
invite your friends and
neighbours over for a feast (a
picnic, lunch or barbecue), ask them to make a
donation to WaterAid and encourage them to
join the Taste for Life group by holding their
own event.
... in your area
Put a Spring in your Step
A sponsored walk is a great way of raising funds
for our work and for creating awareness of
world water issues, so get walking for water
with your school or youth group. Please email
walkforwater@ for your free
fundraising booklet.
Sing for Water
Turn your passion for singing into clean water
for people in another country. To hold a “Sing
for Water” event in your community all you
need is a venue and willing singers. WaterAid
has a range of resources to help you,
including specially written music and words.
Please email singforwater@ to
find out more.
... at work
Give an Hour
Every day many of the world’s poorest people
are prevented from going to work to earn
money because they must spend hours
searching all over the countryside in order to
find and collect their water. Donate the pay you
receive for just one hour of work to WaterAid
on World Water Day and make a real
difference.
Play the Lottery
If you’re looking for a fun way to support
WaterAid’s vital work, why not promote the
WaterAid lottery? It’s simple to join and easy to
play – each entry costs just £1 and prizes of up
to £500 can be won. Email
fionablake@ or visit
lottery to find out more.
Turn Food into Water
There are many ways to “Turn Food into
Water”. For example, invite your
work colleagues to a celebratory
dinner party. Tell everyone to bring a
present, which will be sold to the
highest bidder in an auction. Or else,
buy a large cream cake and sell a
numbered ticket to each guest; the
lucky person with the winning
number can take the cake
home. Our free Food into
Water fundraising leaflet
contains other ideas to help
you plan a successful event.
3
© UCLES 2012 0510/02/SP/15 [Turn over
(a) Which three activities must Triathlon competitors do?
[1]
(b) How can your friends and neighbours become members of the Taste for Life group?
[1]
(c) How much does a WaterAid fundraising booklet cost?
[1]
(d) What can WaterAid give you to help run a Sing for Water event?
[1]
(e) Why are many of the world's poorest people unable to go to work?
[1]
(f) How much are you encouraged to donate on World Water Day?
[1]
(g) For what purpose are readers advised to contact Fiona Blake?
[1]
(h) How can you raise money at a WaterAid dinner party for your workmates? Give two possible
ways.
Exercise 1 WaterAid
(a) swim
cycle / bike
run
(all three required for 1 mark) [1]
(b) hold (own) Taste for Life event [1]
(c) free / nothing / no cost [1]
(d) (a range of) resources / (specially written) music and words [1]
(e) (have to) spend hours / (a) long time searching / looking for water [1]
(f) the pay you receive for one hour (of work) [1]
(g) find out about (WaterAid) lottery / promote (WaterAid) lottery / play (WaterAid) lottery /
Support WaterAid’s vital work [1]
(h) auction / sell the presents
sell numbered tickets to win a cream cake / prize
THE WORLD OF KITE FLYING
Kite flying is a popular hobby for children and adults. Kites are
named after a particular bird of prey, which is known for its graceful
movement in flight and its sudden turns and dives to change
direction. Kite flying has a long history and has been the subject of
many poems and stories for thousands of years.
SO MUCH VARIETY
Kites come in a huge variety of colours, shapes and sizes. The
shape of the kite is vital because it affects the height and speed
at which it flies. The flat kite is a traditional diamond shape and is
probably the best known type of kite. The box kite is made with
holes that trap the air, which means that it can fly at a greater
height in the sky. The top altitude records for kite flying are usually
held by large box kites. One of the newest designs, invented in
1963, is the ‘parafoil’ kite. It is shaped like a parachute, and is very
popular with sailors and canoeists because it is fast and flexible
when attached to the front of the boat.
THE FIRST KITES
No one knows exactly when the first kites were invented. It is generally thought that their origin
was in China about 2 800 years ago. However, cave paintings found on Muna Island in Indonesia
show that basic kites may have been in existence for much longer, maybe even for 30 000 years.
Early Chinese kites were used to measure distances, test the speed and direction of the wind,
and as a form of communication. The explorer, Marco Polo, probably introduced kites to Europe
around the end of the 13th century.
KITES TODAY
Today, people fly kites mostly as a hobby or for sport and aerial displays, and kite competitions are
taken very seriously by enthusiasts. Kites are also used to pull sledges across the snow and even
skaters across the ice. They do have more serious purposes: they have contributed to scientific
research into flight, and the way in which air and gravity affect planes and helicopters. They are
also useful in the world of work. In the South Sea Islands, for example, kites are important as a
fishing aid. Fishermen attach bait to the end of the kite to catch the fish.
DID YOU KNOW?
In Korea, many parents write the names and birth dates of their children on kites. In Japan, kites
are a traditional New Year’s gift for children. In Australia, in 1893, the box kite was invented by
Lawrence Hargrave. He joined several box kites together in an attempt to develop a flying machine,
and was successful in flying about 5 metres off the ground.
3
© UCLES 2014 0510/11/M/J/14 [Turn over
(a) Where do kites get their name from?
...............................................................................................................................................[1]
(b) Why is the shape of the kite so important?
...............................................................................................................................................[1]
(c) What makes the box kite fly higher?
...............................................................................................................................................[1]
(d) What discovery suggests that kites are much older than 2 800 years?
...............................................................................................................................................[1]
(e) How were kites helpful in China? Give two details.
...................................................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................................[1]
(f) In which country are kites commonly given as presents?
...............................................................................................................................................[1]
(g) How did Lawrence Hargrave manage to fly?
Exercise 1 Kite flying
(a) bird of prey [1]
(b) it affects the height and speed [1]
(c) holes that trap the air [1]
(d) cave paintings [1]
(e) measure distances/ test the wind speed and direction / communication
ANY TWO FROM THREE FOR ONE MARK [1]
(f) Japan [1]
(g) joined box kites
AIRPORT TERMINALS
There was a time, not so long ago, when terminal buildings
at airports in major international cities were very unattractive.
Fortunately, famous architects are now transforming these
terminals into works of art. Not everyone likes all the new
designs, but the five featured here have certainly been
admired, and have inspired many discussions.
INCHEON, SOUTH KOREA
The terminal building at Incheon airport shows the best of traditional Korean design, and at
the same time it is a futuristic model of efficiency. Before starting work, the architect travelled
throughout the country. He visited ancient places and studied the design of religious buildings.
The roofline of the terminal is similar to that of a Korean temple, and unusually for an airport,
there are precious objects on display inside that are thousands of years old.
JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA
Unlike the rest of the terminal buildings mentioned in this article, one of the terminals at
Jeddah airport is only in operation during Hajj, the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, which takes
place once a year. This temporary, open-air terminal is covered with 210 white fibreglass tents.
These tents help to cool the desert air by as much as 10 degrees Celsius without the need for
air conditioning.
MADRID, SPAIN
The terminal here was built to provide the 50 million passengers who pass through it each year
with a spacious, stress-free zone, where they can begin or end their journeys. Glass-panelled
walls allow in plenty of light which creates this calming effect. There is a gently rolling roofline
constructed from long beams of pale bamboo, and there are pylons that change colour as you
walk through the terminal.
SINGAPORE
Singapore’s Changi airport has a cinema and a children’s playground with a gigantic slide.
There’s no doubt that it is one of the world’s most action-packed terminals. It is also one of the
most beautiful. The ‘butterfly’ roof has 919 skylights, which adjust to allow just the right amount
of daylight inside. At night, these same skylights glow with lighting carefully hidden below the
panels. The terminal’s most dramatic feature, however, is the vertical garden, also known as
‘The Green Wall’, which has four waterfalls and spans nearly 300 metres across the main
building.
MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY
The beauty of this new terminal is its simplicity. The entire structure is under
a gently arching rooftop that sweeps 350 metres across the landscape. The
building is designed to blend in with its environment, and it offers a wideopen,
welcoming public space, which is enjoyed by passengers and the
loved ones who come to greet them. In Uruguay, it is still a tradition, and it
is still possible, to meet your family and friends as they come off the plane.
3
© UCLES 2014 0510/22/M/J/14 [Turn over
(a) What are famous architects doing?
...............................................................................................................................................[1]
(b) Where did the architect of Incheon airport go before beginning the project?
...............................................................................................................................................[1]
(c) What unexpected items can be found at the South Korean terminal?
...............................................................................................................................................[1]
(d) When is the Jeddah terminal open?
...............................................................................................................................................[1]
(e) What makes passengers feel relaxed at Madrid’s airport? Give two details.
...............................................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................................[2]
(f) Why is Singapore’s terminal called ‘action-packed’? Give two details.
...............................................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................................[1]
(g) How are the skylights at Changi effective when it is dark outside?
...............................................................................................................................................[1]
(h) What custom do Uruguayans still enjoy?
Exercise 1: Airport Terminals
(a) transforming terminals / redesigning terminals [1]
(b) through country / through Korea / ancient places / religious buildings / temples [1]
(c) objects thousands of years old / precious objects [1]
(d) Hajj / once a year / during pilgrimage to Mecca [1]
(e) glass walls OR glass panel OR light / spacious / stress-free OR calming / pylons change
colour / rolling roofline
ANY TWO [2]
(f) playground / cinema / slide
ANY TWO [1]
(g) lighting hidden / lighting below panels / glow [1]
(h) meeting family off plane / meeting friends off plane
Exercise 1
Read the following article about The Thousand Islands in Indonesia, and then answer the
questions on the opposite page.
They are called The Thousand Islands, but the actual number of islands is only around 110. They are
all situated in the area of North Jakarta – the closest is just 25 minutes from the mainland. With a
total area of 108,000 hectares, The Thousand Islands are a part of a national sea garden. In order to
ensure preservation, only 45 islands can be used for recreation and tourism.
Things to do
There are so many things to do – from diving and snorkelling to going on a banana boat and fishing.
You can also learn about mangrove trees and sea turtle conservation, watch wildlife and visit
archaeological sites.
Islands to see
Rambut Island is a bird-watchers’ paradise. It is best known as a shelter for migrating birds as they fly
from north to south, from cold to warm, in September and October. During the opposite season,
around April and May, they make the return journey.
Untung Jawa Island is the most visited by tourists. As you arrive, you are greeted by traditional music
played by boys using tambourines, and during your stay you can enjoy the fantastic seafood. Don’t
forget to try the mouth-watering coconuts!
Pramuka Island is the best place for learning about the conservation of sea
turtles. To help more of them survive, their eggs are buried 50 centimetres
deep in the sand. Within 40-60 days, the eggs hatch and two days later baby
turtles start showing up on the surface of the sand.
Tourist Information
Boats to all these islands leave from Jakarta Marina every hour between 8.00am and 4.00pm. It is
not necessary to book the boat trip but if you wish to spend the night on one of the resort islands,
then reserving a room in advance is advisable. This can be done by visiting the website
javatourism.ac.id or at the information office at Jakarta Marina.
(a) How long does it take to go from the mainland to the nearest island?
(b) Why are many of the islands closed to tourists?
(c) Which particular species of animal is being preserved on the islands?
(d) In which months are you most likely to see birds as they fly from south to north?
(e) How is the visitor welcomed to Untung Jawa Island?
(f) What happens two days before the baby turtles appear on the surface of the sand?
(g) At what time does the last boat leave the marina to visit the islands?
(h) For what reason might you need to make a reservation in advance?
Exercise 1: Indonesia – The Thousand Islands
(a) 25 minutes [1]
(b) to ensure preservation [1]
(c) sea turtle [1]
(d) April & May [1]
(e) (boys) playing tambourines/traditional music [1]
(f) the eggs hatch [1]
(g) 16.00 (hours)/4:00pm [1]
(h) to spend a night on one of the islands
[pic]
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Challenge IG
2017
Mr.Mostafa Al . k h o l y
ESL Tutor
8/25/2016
Enhance your Vocabulary
useful idioms for informal writing
Useful vocabulary
Types of friendly letters
Descriptive
Describing your house
Location
Living arrangements
Describing your family
Describing your school
Describing your teachers
Personalising phrases
Conclusion
Chapter (2) Advice letter
Chapter (2) - Narrative letter
Sample narrative letter
Discriptive narrative letters
Formal Writing
Opinion and suggestion
Viwes and arguments
Problems and solutions
Formal Letters
Letter of complaint
School Magazine Article
Book Review
Report writing
Summary writing
Summary Samples
Writing – Studesnts’ Responses
Reading Samples
Reading Guide
Form filling and Note taking Exercises
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