IGCSE – Question 1 English Language Exam Prep

Question 1 – What is expected? The aim of the question is to adapt material from a passage into something of your own Notes from the examiner – What do they want? ‘Answer in your own words and adapt material from the passage to the form and viewpoint of the response’ - What are the main points? Consider them before you start writing ‘Use all the main ideas in the passage and use detail to support them’ - Make sure you use the main points when writing your answer ‘Develop and extent some of the ideas relevantly’ - Identify some points that you could take further, then do it Create a suitable voice, tone and style for the persona of the response - When you are writing it will not be as yourself, you must consider this!

The Passage... Conor was a university student at Nottingham University, studying Journalism amongst other things. Although Conor considered himself to be a calm, patient and flexible boy, the reality was very different. He had a very short temper and usually took to writing articles when he felt particularly stressed. Having managed to secure a position in the journalism society, the articles were known to end up in the School paper. His articles weren’t proving very popular because of the way he attacked his fellow students and the University in general. Originally from Southampton, Conor was forced to relocate closer to the University, which, as is usually the case for University students, means living in College Halls. Halls at Nottingham have been described as enormous and intimidating containers that will spit you up and chew you out if you aren’t careful. Imagine if you will a hospital with no medical equipment and no doctors. Instead, what fills the corridors and rooms of these buildings is human clutter and human waste. Hundreds of students in tightly packed sub-sectors, most of them drunk and the rest asleep. The floors were lined with chewing gum, beer bottles and drops of UV body paint that had fallen from the faces of adolescent females choosing to dress as glow in the dark Tigers before heading into one of the local student bars. The cleaners showed up every couple of weeks and were famous for leaving with more than they came in with. On more than one occasion the cleaners had been seen carrying laptops out of the front doors. He thought of home regularly. He reminisced of the days when his mother would bring the ironing up, neatly pressed and folded, whilst the scent of fresh homemade pizza crept up the stairs. He longed for those days spent with his feet up on his parents soft leather sofa, burying himself in the mountain of pillows, each of them with a distinct pattern seemingly chosen by his mother to create the perfect amount of support for every joint in his aching body. Life was simpler in those times. For Conor, this place was hell. Conor was at University to study and would find the veins in his forehead bursting with anxiety when he would walk into the kitchen to find the football team throwing his milk and cereal at one another whilst chanting in a cult-like manner. He would go to his room looking for refuge. To his dismay, his neighbour to the left was a drum & bass DJ who went by the name DJ LOUD, or Martin, and Martin had plugged in his new super hi-fi sound system which a bass that shook the plasterboard walls. When Conor would eventually call security, they would come to investigate briefly before either becoming involved in the madness or moving swiftly on, back to there TV and Coffee. Conor was a long way from home, and it felt just like that.

The Task – As it would appear in the exam... You are Conor, the student and blogger. Write a newspaper article for the school paper based on the experience of moving into University Halls. The heading will be ‘From the sanctuary to the zoo’ In your article you should comment on: - The difficulties of living amongst other students - Your opinion on the work ethic of some students at the University - Your memories of living at home 20 Marks

Things to consider... What is needed for a newspaper article? _________________________________________ What might a school newspaper look like? _________________________________________ How does Conor feel about moving to University? ______________________________________________

Another Task - As it would appear.... You are Conor. Write a letter to the Halls of Residency manager outlining your concerns. In your letter you should comment on: - How the living conditions are effecting your studies - How you feel about the performance of staff in the building - Any suggestions you have for improvements 20 Marks

Things to consider... What might be included in a complaint letter? _____________________________________ What tone will the letter take? _____________________________________ What is Conor most annoyed about? (What should you include) __________________________________________________

Time to have a go! __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________