The critical reading paper lasts 1hr 30. There are a total of 40 marks available, 20 for the set text questions and 20 for the critical essay. This means that you have 45mins to achieve 20 marks = just over 2 mins available per mark!

You are going to answer set text questions on ‘Lucozade’ and you will only have 2mins for each mark available.

My mum is on a high bed next to sad chrysanthemums My mum is on a high bed next to sad chrysanthemums. ‘Don’t bring flowers, they only wilt and die.’ I am scared my mum is going to die on the bed next to the sad chrysanthemums. Explain how the speaker’s sense of fear is conveyed in lines 1-4. (4) 4 marks = 8 mins

‘The whole day was a blur, a swarm of eyes ‘The whole day was a blur, a swarm of eyes. Those doctors with their white lies. Did you think you could cheer me up with a Woman’s Own? Don’t bring magazines, too much about size.’ 2. What is the mother’s attitude towards being in hospital in lines 9-12? (4) 4 marks = 8 mins

My mum wakes up, groggy and low My mum wakes up, groggy and low. ‘What I want to know,’ she says,’ is this: where’s the big brandy, the generous gin, the Bloody Mary, the biscuit tin, the chocolate gingers, the dirty big meringue?’ I am sixteen; I’ve never tasted a Bloody Mary. ‘Tell your father to bring a luxury,’ says she. ‘Grapes have no imagination, they’re just green. Tell him: stop the neighbours coming.’ 3. What does the mother want to change about being in hospital in lines 13-20? (2) 2 marks = 4 mins

My mother, on her high hospital bed, waves back. Her face is light and radiant, dandelion hours. Her sheets billow and whirl. She is beautiful. Next to her the empty table is divine.   I carry the orange nostalgia home singing an old song. Show how the mother is made to seem liberated in the final stanza. (2) 2 marks = 4 mins

5. In this poem, Kay takes an everyday, ordinary situation and transforms it into something special and thought-provoking. Choose at least one other poem by her in which she does the same thing and explain how she adds significance to an ordinary event. OR This poem explores the relationship between relatives of two different generations. Examine the differences and similarities between this relationship and the relationship(s) in another poem or poems by Kay. You may refer to ideas and/or language. 8 marks = 16 minutes