International GCSE

English Language (Specification A) (4EA0)

Teacher’s guide

Issue 2

First examination 2012

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This teacher’s guide is Issue 2. We will inform centres of any changes to this issue.
The latest issue can be found on the Edexcel website: www.edexcel.com

Acknowledgements
This guide has been produced by Edexcel on the basis of consultation with teachers,
examiners, consultants and other interested parties. Edexcel would like to thank all
those who contributed their time and expertise to its development.

References to third-party material made in this document are made in good faith.
We do not endorse, approve or accept responsibility for the content of materials,
which may be subject to change, or any opinions expressed therein. (Material may
include textbooks, journals, magazines and other publications and websites.)

Authorised by Martin Stretton

Prepared by Lucy Stewart
Publications code UG027072
All the material in this publication is copyright
© Pearson Education Limited 2012
Introduction
The Edexcel International General Certificate of Secondary Education (International
GCSE) in English Language (Specification A) is designed for schools and colleges. It
is part of a suite of International GCSE qualifications offered by Edexcel.

About this Teacher’s guide

This Teacher’s guide is for teachers who are delivering, or planning to deliver,
the Edexcel International GCSE in English Language (Specification A) qualification.
The guide supports you in delivering the course content and explains how to raise
the achievement of your students; it should be looked at in conjunction with the
following publications:
 International GCSE English Language (Specification A) (4EA0) specification
 International GCSE English Language (Specification A) (4EA0) sample
assessment materials (SAMs) (which includes the mark schemes)
 The Edexcel Anthology for International GCSE and Certificate qualifications in
English Language and Literature (available on our website).

The aims of this guide are to:

 expand on the information about course requirements contained within the
specification
 explain assessment procedures
 suggest teaching approaches to some of the anthology pieces
 provide examples of course planning.
Contents
Why choose this qualification? 1
Support and training 2
Edexcel support services 2
Training 2

Section A: Qualification content 3

Introduction 3

Section B: Assessment 5
Assessment overview 5
Assessment Objectives and weightings 7
Assessment summary 9
Examination questions 13
Using the mark scheme 24

Section C: Planning and teaching 25

Course planner 25
Teaching ideas 31
Section A of the anthology 31
Section B of the anthology 37
Coursework 45
Resources 59
Why choose this qualification?
Edexcel International GCSE English Language (Specification A) qualification enables
students to:
 develop their understanding of the spoken word and the capacity to participate
effectively in a variety of speaking and listening activities
 develop the ability to read, understand and respond to material from a variety
of sources, and to recognise and appreciate themes and attitudes and the ways
in which writers achieve their effects
 develop the ability to construct and convey meaning in written language,
matching style to audience and purpose.

Key features and benefits of the qualification

 Free anthology of reading material available to download at the beginning of the
course contains a range of reading material.
 The anthology contents and the examination questions are designed with the
needs of an international entry in mind.
 A wide range of reading and writing tasks.
 Two routes for assessment: 100% examination, or 70% examination and 30%
coursework (Edexcel-approved teaching institutions only).
 Assessment opportunity in January and June examination series.
 Coursework option includes assessment of Speaking and Listening.
 Gives progression to AS and Advanced GCE in English Language, English
Literature or English Language and Literature, or equivalent qualifications.

Go to www.edexcel.com for more information about this International GCSE and

related sources.

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Support and training

Edexcel support services

Edexcel has a wide range of support services to help you implement this
qualification successfully.
ResultsPlus – ResultsPlus is an application launched by Edexcel to help subject
teachers, senior management teams, and students by providing detailed analysis
of examination performance. Reports that compare performance between subjects,
classes, your centre and similar centres can be generated in ‘one-click’. Skills maps
that show performance according to the specification topic being tested are
available for some subjects. For further information about which subjects will be
analysed through ResultsPlus, and for information on how to access and use the
service, please visit www.edexcel.com/resultsplus
Ask the Expert – To make it easier for you to raise a query with us online,
we have merged our Ask Edexcel and Ask the Expert services.
There is now one easy-to-use web query form that will allow you to ask any
question about the delivery or teaching of Edexcel qualifications. You’ll get a
personal response, from one of our administrative or teaching experts, sent to the
email address you provide.
We’ll also be doing lots of work to improve the quantity and quality of information
in our FAQ database, so you’ll be able to find answers to many questions you might
have by searching before you submit the question to us.
Examzone – The Examzone site is aimed at students sitting external examinations
and gives information on revision, advice from examiners and guidance on results,
including re-marking, re-sitting and progression opportunities. Further services for
students – many of which will also be of interest to parents – will be available in the
near future. Links to this site can be found on the main homepage at
www.examzone.co.uk.

Training
A programme of professional development and training courses, covering various
aspects of the specification and examination, will be arranged by Edexcel. Full
details can be obtained from our website: www.edexcel.com

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Section A: Qualification content

Introduction
 The International GCSE in English Language (Specification A) (4EA0) is based
on the legacy Edexcel International GCSE in English Language (4355) which has
proved to be an attractive and flexible course.
 The International GCSE in English Language (Specification A) (4EA0) is
essentially the same as the legacy Edexcel International GCSE in English
Language (4355) in terms of its overall structure, apart from some
modifications within the content of the Edexcel Anthology for International GCSE
English Language (Specification A) and International GCSE English Literature.
 These changes have been introduced in order to give some new set texts, which
have been chosen to add interest and variety for students and centres.
 Due to the introduction of the downloadable anthology, free of charge, centres
will have immediate access to the new texts.
 Tiering has been removed from Paper 1. All students will now sit the same
examination, removing the need to select a tier of entry some months in
advance.
 The International GCSE in English Language (Specification A) (4EA0) comprises
two assessment routes:
o route one – 100% written examination paper (Paper 1 and Paper 2)
o route two – 70% written examination paper and 30% internally assessed
coursework (Paper 1, Paper 3 and Paper 4).
 Paper 1 – is taken by all students, and makes up 70% of the total qualification.
The paper is divided into three sections. In Section A students will answer all
questions on an unprepared non-fiction reading passage. In Section B students
will answer two compulsory questions based on a passage from Section A of the
anthology. In Section C one question will be set to test students’ ability in
writing to inform, explain, describe. The anthology must not be taken into
the examination.
 Paper 2 – is the examination alternative to coursework. Students answer two
questions – testing reading and writing. One compulsory reading question will
be set on a piece from Section B of the anthology and one writing question from
a choice of tasks which focus on the ability to explore, imagine, entertain
and argue, persuade, advise. The anthology must not be taken into the
examination.
 Paper 3 (Reading and Writing) – is one part of the coursework alternative to
100% examination route of study and must be taken with Paper 4. Paper 3
requires students to complete two assignments (one reading, one writing).
The reading assignment must be based on Section B of the anthology. The
writing assignment must be a piece of personal and imaginative writing.
 Paper 4 (Speaking and Listening) – taken with Paper 3 completes the
coursework alternative to 100% examination route of study. Students complete
three assignments (one individual talk, one pair work and one group work).

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Section B: Assessment
This section summarises the alternative routes which can be taken: Paper 1 is the
compulsory unit; Paper 2 is taken by those opting for the 100% examination route.
Those who opt for coursework take Papers 3 and 4 instead of Paper 2.
Two possible assessment routes
Route one – 100% written examination paper (Paper 1 and Paper 2)
 Paper 1 is externally assessed through an examination paper of 2 hours and
15 minutes
AND
 Paper 2 is externally assessed through an examination paper of 1 hour
30 minutes.
Route two – 70% written examination paper and 30% internally assessed
coursework (Paper 1, Paper 3 and Paper 4).

Assessment overview
The table below gives a simple overview of the assessment for this course.
We recommend that you make this information available to students to help ensure
they are fully prepared and know exactly what to expect in each part of the
assessment.

Route One
Paper 1 Percentage Marks Time Availability
English Language 70% 60 marks Two hours January and June
(Specification A): 15 minutes examination series
Paper code: First assessment
4EA0/01 June 2012
Set and marked
by Edexcel
Single tier of
entry
Paper 2 Percentage Marks Time Availability
English Language 30% 30 marks One hour January and June
(Specification A): 30 minutes examination series
Paper code: First assessment
4EA0/02 June 2012
Set and marked
by Edexcel
Single tier of
entry

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Route Two
Paper 1 Percentage Marks Time Availability
English Language 70% 60 marks Two hours January and June
(Specification A): 15 minutes examination series
Paper code: First assessment
4EA0/01 June 2012
Set and marked
by Edexcel
Single tier of
entry
Paper 3 Percentage Marks Time Availability
English Language 20% 80 marks n/a June examination
(Specification A): series
(40 marks
Paper code: for each First assessment
4EA0/03 assignment) June 2012
Reading and
Writing
Coursework
Two coursework
assignments,
internally set and
assessed and
externally
moderated by
Edexcel
Paper 4 Percentage Marks Time Availability
English Language 10% 120 marks n/a June examination
(Specification A): series
(40 marks
Paper code: for each First assessment
4EA0/04 assignment) June 2012
Speaking and
Listening
Coursework
Three coursework
assignments,
internally set and
assessed and
externally
moderated by
Edexcel.

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Assessment Objectives and weightings

Route one
Assessment Objective (AO) % in
International
GCSE
AO2: Reading
All students will be required to demonstrate an ability to:
(i) read and understand texts with insight and engagement
50%
(ii) develop and sustain interpretations of writers’ ideas and
perspectives
(iii) understand and make some evaluation of how writers use
linguistic and structural devices to achieve their effects.
AO3: Writing
All students will be required to demonstrate an ability to:
(i) communicate clearly and appropriately, using and adapting
forms for different readers and purposes
50%
(ii) organise ideas into sentences, paragraphs and whole texts
using a variety of linguistic and structural features
(iii) use a range of sentence structures effectively, with accurate
punctuation and spelling.
TOTAL 100%

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Route two
Assessment Objective (AO) % in
International
GCSE
AO1: Speaking and listening
All students will be required to demonstrate the ability to:
(i) communicate clearly and imaginatively
(ii) use standard English appropriately 10%
(iii) listen to and understand varied speech
(iv)participate in discussion, by both speaking and listening,
judging the nature and purposes of contributions and the role
of participants.
AO2: Reading
All students will be required to demonstrate an ability to:
(i) read and understand texts with insight and engagement
45%
(ii) develop and sustain interpretations of writers’ ideas and
perspectives
(iii) understand and make some evaluation of how writers use
linguistic and structural devices to achieve their effects.
AO3: Writing
All students will be required to demonstrate an ability to:
(i) communicate clearly and appropriately, using and adapting
forms for different readers and purposes
45%
(ii) organise ideas into sentences, paragraphs and whole texts
using a variety of linguistic and structural features
(iii) use a range of sentence structures effectively, with accurate
punctuation and spelling.
TOTAL 100%

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Assessment summary

Route One
Paper 1 Description Knowledge
and skills
English Language Structure The assessment
(Specification A): objectives
Students must answer ALL of the questions
covered in this
Paper 1 in Section A, the TWO compulsory questions
assessment are:
from Section B and a question from Section
Paper code: AO2: 35%
C
4EA0/01 AO3: 35%
Section A (Reading)
Two hours,
15 minutes Questions on an unprepared non-fiction
passage
Section B (Reading and Writing)
Reading question
Based on a passage from Section A of the
anthology
Writing question
A topic based on the passage from Section A
of the anthology which was used in the
previous question
Section C (Writing)
A writing question (no choice) to: inform,
explain and describe.
This is a single tier paper and all questions
cover the full range of grades.
60 marks overall, 20 for each section.
No anthologies or dictionaries are to be
taken into the examination

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Paper 2 Description Knowledge
and skills
English Language Reading The assessment
(Specification A): objectives
Question 1: This is on one piece taken from
covered in this
Paper 2 Section B of the anthology
assessment are:
Paper code: Writing AO2: 15%
4EA0/02 AO3: 15%
Question 2: ONE question from a choice of
One hour, THREE covering
30 minutes
to explore, imagine and entertain
to argue, persuade and advise
This is a single tier paper and all questions
cover the full range of grades
30 marks overall, 15 for each question
No anthologies or dictionaries are to be
taken into the examination

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Route Two
Paper 1 Description Knowledge
and skills
English Language Structure The assessment
(Specification A): objectives
Students must answer ALL of the questions
covered in this
Paper 1 in Section A, the TWO compulsory questions
assessment are:
from Section B and the question from
Paper code: AO2: 35%
Section C
4EA0/01 AO3: 35%
Section A (Reading)
Two hours,
15 minutes Questions on an unprepared non-fiction
passage
Section B (Reading and Writing)
Reading question
Based on a passage from Section A of the
anthology
Writing question
A topic based on the passage from Section A
of the anthology which was used in the
previous question
Section C (Writing)
A writing question (no choice) to: inform,
explain and describe.
This is a single tier paper and all questions
cover the full range of grades. 60 marks
overall, 20 for each section.
No anthologies or dictionaries are to be
taken into the examination
Paper 3 Description Knowledge
and skills
English Language Two coursework assignments: The assessment
(Specification A): objectives
Unit 1 – a piece of writing responding to
covered in this
Reading and Section B of the anthology
assessment are:
Writing
Unit 2 – a piece of personal and imaginative AO2: 10%
Coursework
writing to explore, imagine, entertain or to AO3: 10%
Paper code: argue, persuade, advise
4EA0/03
Internally set and assessed and externally
moderated by Edexcel
80 marks overall, 40 marks for each
assignment.

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Paper 4 Description Knowledge
and skills
English Language Three coursework assignments: The assessment
(Specification A): objectives
An individual talk
covered in this
Speaking and
A pair work assignment assessment are:
Listening
One group work assignment AO1: 10%
Coursework
Paper code: Internally set and assessed and externally
4EA0/04 moderated by Edexcel
120 marks overall, 40 marks for each
assignment.

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Examination questions
The following section is intended to give not only a clear indication of what the
examination papers will look like, but also to offer practical assistance for preparing
students for the demands of the questions. Since the form of the examination is
essentially unchanged from the legacy Edexcel International GCSE in English
Language (4355), teachers and students will be able to find much relevant material
by studying past papers and examiners’ reports. There are some new examples
which reflect the changes in the anthology selection, as well as examples from the
material which was used in the previous specification.
Exemplar examination questions can be seen in the sample assessment materials
for Paper 1 and Paper 2; some are quoted in this section. More examples of reading
questions are given in this guide on the anthology pieces.
You will note that the quality of the student responses included is often very high
(grade A). We recognise that this does not reflect the full range of students’
responses. Nevertheless, the reason for including scripts of this quality is to give as
clear an idea as possible of what constitutes a really effective answer, which can be
of particular value for teaching and discussion. Some grade C responses are also
included – with areas that could be improved.

Paper 1

Section A (Reading)
The compulsory questions which assess AO2 Reading are designed to test students’
response to an unprepared non-fiction passage. The passage will be drawn from a
range of contemporary non-fiction, including autobiography, travel writing,
reportage, media articles, letters, diaries and writing which expresses a personal
opinion, and the questions will reflect the nature of the passage. The material will
be chosen with regard to what is accessible and appropriate for students. The
pattern of questioning is short, specific questions followed by a more sustained
question drawing on the passage as a whole.
All the Reading objectives will be addressed in the questions in this section.
Students will be expected to read the passage carefully and show ability in their
answers to respond to the writer’s choice of detail, approach to the subject matter
and use of techniques. They will also need to be able to interpret the meaning of
the passage, including its implications, and be able to quote and make textual
references to support their points.
Questions will be phrased to be student-friendly and clear. The shorter questions
will be more factually based and the phrasing more structured, straightforward and
direct, for example ‘What similarities and differences … does the writer notice?’
’Find four examples of…’ The final question in this section will require an overall
interpretation, for example: ‘Show how the writer is successful in using language to
make the situation real to the reader.’, ‘What indications are there that this is an
eyewitness account?’
An example of a passage and accompanying questions can be found in the sample
assessment materials.

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Section B (Reading question)
This question, which assesses AO2 Reading, is based on students’ reading of the
selected prose passages from the anthology. Students must answer ONE question
on the passage which is specified. Students will be expected to show ‘insight and
engagement’ and to ‘develop and sustain interpretation’. Students may be asked
explanatory questions, such as: ‘Explain how the events were a turning point.’
They may also be asked to evaluate character, for example: ‘What personal
qualities does Karen show in overcoming her difficulties?’
Two typical questions from passages are given below, and indicate the kind of
question which may be found in the full range of passages. See the sample
assessment materials for a sample passage and accompanying questions. A further
example for one of the new pieces, with a student response and examiner
comments, is also given.

Explorers, or boys messing about?

How does the writer try to persuade the reader towards his point of view, that the
men were irresponsible and immature?

Chinese Cinderella

How does Adeline Yen Mah present her relationship with her family?

A Passage to Africa – George Alagiah

Example question
In this passage, how does George Alagiah present his views about his experiences
as a television reporter in Somalia?
You may include brief quotations from the text to support your answer.
(10 marks)

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Student answer
Grade A
George Alagiah has clearly been struck in a powerful way by what he encountered in
Somalia. He wants to make his readers see what terrible conditions existed there and how
fortunate we are to live in such a different world. He also shows that journalists often
just start out by looking for the best stories they can find. But in this case, the stories
really got to him on a deeply emotional level.
The most powerful effect of Alagiah’s writing is the way he focuses on particular
individuals and their tragedies. He describes the death of the ten year-old Habiba in a
graphic way: ‘No rage, no whimpering, just a passing away’. He is also skilled at creating not
only images of the terrible sights he saw but also uses the other senses to convey the
horror, as when he writes: ‘the smell of decaying flesh’.
One of the striking ways he presents his experiences is by drawing attention to a
particular moment or sight. He does this especially when writing about the smile of the
unknown man. His translator’s explanation that he was ‘embarrassed to be found in this
condition’ disturbed him and he could not get it out of his mind. He also realises that he
never even found the man’s name, and feels guilty about that, too. He almost seems
ashamed of his life as a journalist and the way in which he was normally able to report on
such events in a detached way.
Overall, then, Alagiah brings across to the reader the way in which people in that situation
lack basic necessities and human respect. However, he also reflects on how he felt to be
witnessing and reporting on these events.

Examiner’s comments
This is a well-focused response which makes very thoughtful points about the
writer’s views and experiences. There are relevant examples focusing on the detail
of Alagiah’s language. The writing is accurate, with only a few minor errors.

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Section B (Writing question)
This question, which assesses AO3 Writing, is based on a topic related to the
specified passage from the anthology which has been used for the Section B
Reading question. Although it is connected to the previous question in subject-
matter, it will be assessed for Writing only. Because of the diversity of the material
in the anthology, and the variety of ways in which it could provide stimuli for
writing, none of the writing triplets is specified for this question. Any one of them
could be targeted, but the aim will be to choose a topic that will relate to all
students, and the form and audience required will be similar to those in other
writing questions. Forms might include diary entries, letters (formal and informal),
feature articles for magazines and so on. A variety of audience is also possible,
ranging from the general (‘Give your views on a controversial subject relating to
the passage.’) to the specific (‘Write an article for a school magazine on …’). The
readership could also be defined by the given context (‘Write a review of a film, or
book or television programme, suitable for posting on a website, which dealt with a
similar theme to that of the passage.’) Note that the purpose and the audience will
define the style; if the student is asked to write a letter to a headteacher, then the
choice of ‘street language’ and other slang would clearly be very inappropriate.
Similarly, a letter to a friend would not be convincing if it did not include some
conversational phrasing.
See the sample assessment materials for an example.

Section C (Writing question)

This question, which assesses AO3 Writing, is a ‘freestanding’ question, relating to
inform, explain and describe, such as:
Your best friend has just received some very bad news and their reaction was,
‘There’s no point fighting it. Just give up.’
Write a letter to your friend explaining why they should adopt a positive approach
to the news.
Some example questions, with students’ responses and examiners’ comments,
are shown below.

Example question 1
Your school is to have a new building and your headteacher has decided it would be
a good idea to bury a time capsule in the foundations, containing information about
the school which future generations might find interesting. Write a lively account
of your school in the form of a letter to pupils of the future, to be placed in the
capsule. You should include information about the curriculum, sports and school
rules.

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Student answer
Grade A
Dear student of the future,
If you are reading this, you have obviously been digging up a school from the past, and
have come across our message. I am sure things have changed a great deal from our time
in the early twenty-first century. Who knows, perhaps you do not even go to school (some
hopes!). You will undoubtedly use technological aids far more sophisticated than anything
known to us. I can hardly begin to imagine just how much things will have changed. Anyway,
just in case they have altered beyond all recognition, here is a snapshot of our school life.
First, the curriculum. Basically, the curriculum is a collection of subjects of all kinds. We
have a thing called the National Curriculum, so people all over England (do you still have
England, I wonder, or are you part of some great new European state?) all take the same
subjects. It starts with English and mathematics and science, which everybody has to take
right through to the age of 16. Lucky us – I love English, and mathematics is not too bad,
but I could do with some rather more exciting science. Somehow we hardly ever seem to
get to do real experiments.
We also do history, geography, religious studies and languages, as well as technology,
art and music. There is really quite a lot to take in, I suppose, and we still have some
old-fashioned things called examinations to see how much we have learnt. I hope for
your sakes that these are now obsolete.
One of the best things about school is sport, though. We now have a fantastic range of
possibilities on offer. In our parents’ days, all they did was rugby and cricket, but we have
a really good range of team and individual sports, and our school has a great sports hall and
large playing fields. You may have seen these when you came to dig up the school. They
placed the capsule right underneath the sports hall, which is where we play badminton and
tennis and do gymnastics, weight-training and climbing. Sport is the best part of the week.
My favourite is golf, since I think I am more of an individualist than team player, and
rugby has a habit of giving you nasty injuries, whereas the chance of being struck on the
head by a golf ball is quite remote. Do you know about golf? If not, the idea of whacking a
small white ball all over the countryside and trying to get it into a tiny hole may seem
slightly bizarre. But I love it. It’s great being out in the open. Come to think of it, we even
have electronic games where you can play golf without ever having to leave the house. But
what’s the point of that? Sport should be a real challenge, not a virtual waste of time.
Now for the very difficult subject of school rules. Of course, everyone likes to hate rules,
and to protest that they are just a violation of our freedom. But I am rather old-
fashioned about this, and reckon that if everyone thinks they can do whatever they like, in
the end nobody can do what they want. The worst rules are about what we wear. For some
weird reason, it has been decided that everyone has to look like everyone else – like
‘clones’. We have only just started cloning animals. Who knows, by your time you may all be
clones of some idealized brainy and super-fit person. I do hope not, because, like I said,
I am a bit of an individualist. I don’t see why anybody should make me wear a bright green
blazer and a horrible stripy tie, so that I can look like everyone else in my class. Uniform,
I hate it.
There are some sensible rules though, and the best one is that the most important thing is
respect and tolerance, and treating everyone else like we would wish to be treated. I can’t
see how anyone can object to these rules, and I hope that your society still believes in
them

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So that’s just a little glimpse into our school life. You probably wonder what I think about
school. We have a saying that ‘school days are the happiest days of your life’. Of course,
I can’t really comment on that, since school days are all I can remember! But I guess on
balance it is not so bad, and no two days are exactly the same.
I hope that this has made you think about what life at school was like for the students of
my generation and that my letter has reached out to you across the years.
Your friend from the past,
Joe

Examiner’s comments
This is a lively and interesting letter, written in an appropriate style. The
suggestions in the question have been have been included and the answer is
sustained and well structured. The writing is accurate and the sentence structure
varied.

Example question 2
‘My room.’
Write a letter to a friend who has never visited you, giving information about the
room you spend most time in.
You should:
 describe what this room is like
 explain what you think of it
 say how you would like to improve it.

Student answer
Grade C
Dear Bethany.
How are things going? It seems ages since we saw or spoke to each other! What you been
up to? Anyway, I just wanted to write you this letter about the room I spend most of my
time in. It’s the best yet. But enough of me just telling you. Let me explain….
This room is one of a kind. It’s not too big nor too small. Quite frankly, it’s actually a
reasonable size. It’s quite dark but that’s only because when I have one of those days at
school or have a fall out with my parents, I just need space and time to myself, you know
what I mean.
There’s a huge window on the right next to the door which is directly facing the moon at
precisely twelve o’clock. This room isn’t really the most comforting place but it sure is the
most relaxing. Not too long ago I brought a close friend over, not as close as you, but
brought one over and left him alone while he slept at my house. He told me it was like a
stress relief room.

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I wanted to make this room a room like no other. The floor is a blue, soft, squeezy kind
of carpet, so when you step on it, it leaves your footprints on it, then rises up very slowly
when you step off. Also I put a two thousand pound sofa in as well. I haven’t the slightest
idea why I decided to get that, I just thought it matched the carpet. I’ll tell you now,
though, that sofa was worth every penny.
You would think I would put a television in it, but guess what?..… I didn’t. I decided that
television is not really stress relief equipment, is it? Also I must not forget the one thing
that livens up this room the most…. the light switch… Ha, ha, I’m only joking. It’s really my
dog, called Sweet. Well, I couldn’t think of any other name, OK?
At the moment I’m saving up for the last thing that this room needs, of course I have to
say it’s going to be the most expensive thing in the world, but I know in the end I’m going
to get it. I spose your scratching your head thinking of what it could be? Well.… it’s you.
I need you in this room with me at all times so we can relieve our stress together. Step on
the carpet and leave footprints all over the place, and I need you with me at all times.
When you get the chance please reply and come down and visit me as soon as possible
because I really think it’s time you saw my room.
Love you loads
James

Examiner’s comments
This is a low grade C essay. It is lively and personal, has a clear register and tone
and has an appropriate structure for a letter to a friend. The writing informs,
explains and describes details of the room in an appropriate way. To achieve a
higher mark, the student should aim for more ambitious and expressive vocabulary,
with greater variety in sentence structure. The colloquialism is not inappropriate in
terms of register, but the writing comes across as rather lacking in ambition.

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Example question 3
‘Entertaining relatives: heaven or hell?’ Write a magazine article, drawing on your
own or your friends’ experiences, explaining how to make things go as well as
possible and pointing out what should be avoided.

Student answer
Grade A*
We can all sympathise when it comes to entertaining the family. And just this once, it
would be so good to ensure the whole event runs successfully and smoothly, whether you’re
entertaining four or forty. First of all, a truly happy family is a well-fed family; keep them
quiet for as long as possible by cooking and presenting an enormous and magnificent meal
and insisting no-one leaves the table until every last tasty dish of food is gone. This may
also provide an excellent chance to catch up with those whom we don’t get to see so often
(out of choice or chance). Conversely, it’s best not to end up sitting next to the aged
relative who will bore the life out of you by droning on about the weather or an excellent
shot they made in golf that morning. It may be wise to have some sort of elaborate seating
plan; that way, any potential arguments between certain relatives who nearly came to blows
at the last family gathering can be avoided for as long as possible.
Secondly, ensure some form of entertainment is provided. Bored relatives are even less
fun than unfed relatives, and again, all dull conversations can be kept to a minimum. Board
games work fine, but any team games are fantastic at bringing the different age groups of
the family together. Warning: some relatives (Uncle George) may get over-competitive;
avoid this by making regular offenders the judge or host of the game.
And finally, always make sure your relatives know when to call it a day – it is possible to
have too much of a good thing! Subtle hinting on your part may be necessary, my personal
favourites including, ‘Gosh, isn’t it getting late?’, accompanied by looking at your watch
every five minutes. Be warned. This does only work at night – I would suggest the former
at two-thirty in the afternoon.
But I reckon the main thing to remember, however your day pans out, is that you should
just make the most of your family’s company – blood is thicker than water, so make the
most of your relatives while you can – and perhaps keep Auntie Dorothy away from the
wine. Again.

Examiner’s comments
This is a good grade A* essay because it is a lively, well-expressed and amusing
article. It has confident and effective stylistic flourishes, and the reader is engaged
and entertained with witty information and anecdotes. The register and vocabulary
are fit for purpose and the writing is technically assured, making its points concisely
and effectively.

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Paper 2

Question 1 (Reading)
This question, which assesses AO2 Reading, is based on students’ reading of the
selected poems from the anthology. Students must answer ONE question on the
poem which is specified. Below is an example of a question with a student answer
and examiner comment.

Example question
Look again at the poem ‘Electricity Comes to Cocoa Bottom’ and show how the poet
presents the relationship between the physical environment and the events and
feelings portrayed.
In your answer you should make close reference to the language of the poem.

Student answer
Grade A
The poem ‘Electricity Comes to Cocoa Bottom’ has very strong links to nature and the
physical surroundings of the setting are all interlinked to the main series of events. This is
a way of seeking to place more importance on the occurrences in the poem. It gives a sense
of nature being replaced by human creations and of expectation.
‘Electricity Comes to Cocoa Bottom’ uses a lot of natural imagery to describe the small
village of Cocoa Bottom. It also uses the reactions of the people in the village to enhance
the importance of the occurrences.
All the children and Grannie Patterson had gone to see Mr Samuel’s lights. This gives
examples of the oldest and youngest of the populus, thus suggesting that people young and
old went to witness the glorious event. There is a sense of dramatic irony in the way the
children ‘waited’ for sunset so they could see the lights while, in the meantime, they used
oil lamps to light the dark around them.
A significant image is ‘The cable was drawn like a pencil line across the sun. This shows two
things. Firstly it symbolises how the arrival of electricity is crossing out the old natural
light as if it had become obsolete. But it also shows that the sun is low in the sky now as if
the sun is preparing for this event.
Animal imagery is introduced through the fireflies and ‘kling-klings’ (birds). The way that
the fireflies ‘waited in the shadows/Their lanterns off shows that they were respecting
and anticipating the arrival of electrical light. The birds also seem to be creeping in to
view the event.
The breeze and bamboo seem to stop their swaying in anticipation of the event and the
stanza finishes with the words ‘Closing, Closing’ which builds anticipation.
‘Light!’ begins the next stanza of ‘Electricity comes to Cocoa Bottom. This short,
monosyllabic word grabs the attention. Assured technical knowledge is shown here.
Mr Samuel is then deified through the description that follows. The silhouette that is
Mr Samuel, the gasps and ‘fluttering of wings’ all seem to show the power that Mr Samuel
now has over the environment.

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‘Such a swaying, swaying’ and ‘tweet-a-whit’ shows how, now this has happened, the bamboo
and birds resume their natural exploits. The wind blows the grass, bending it into a bow as
if nature is bowing to the one in control of the light.
The final stanza creates a cyclical structure with the lighting of the oil lamps and suggests
that although this momentous occasion has taken place, not everything has changed.
The poem therefore relies heavily on the surroundings to increase the importance of the
events occurring. Nature holds its breath to the new era of man-made light and then
continues its workings afterwards.

Examiner’s comments
This is a grade A essay because it presents a strongly reasoned argument in a clear
structure and contains a variety of perceptive points on language. It also uses a
wide range of relevant examples.

Question 2 (Writing)
This question, which assesses AO3 Writing, is a freestanding question, relating to
one or other of the triplets: explore, imagine and entertain; and argue,
persuade and advise.

Question – Advise

You have been asked to give a talk to students who are new to your school or
college, giving advice on how to approach study and lessons, and on the school
rules.
Write the script for the talk that you intend to give.

Question – Argue

Write an article for a magazine arguing for more expenditure of money on

educational resources for your school.

Student answer
Grade A
Computers are essential. Editor, I agree and communicate my support for a campaign.
We should not be reduced to scrounging for money off parents and pupils. Today, I ask
you to rise up and take interest in information and communication technology.
It is the narrowminded and negative bureaucrats that dictate the measly money given to
schools and colleges for technology. I believe, and I am certain, that nobody could deny
this as a falsehood, that children have the right to an excellent education and it is time
that our expectations of our Government are matched by spending on technology.
In my own school, we are reduced to the level of a ‘Third-World’ education. In many a case,
I am forced to share a single computer with a collection of classmates. We are forbidden
to print in colour and the size of our text is the smallest imaginable; the school simply
cannot afford the ink or paper to allow us the ability to express ourselves creatively and
explore our imaginations.

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Meanwhile, in the private sector, pupils perfect their coursework with professional
documents. Learning is interactive, it is a joy to teach and a pleasure to gain knowledge.
How can even the brightest of state school pupils hope to compete? This is an issue that
cannot be ignored as places at university become harder and harder to earn. It is those
that are successfully stimulated that can expect to win.
There has also been a scandalous drop in spending for physical education. This is senseless,
from a Government that alleges its support for education and improvement. Whilst money
is whittled away on footballs and hockey boots, we as a country are allowing the minds of
the next generation to deteriorate. This waste of funding prevents the academics of the
future from development of their learning. Computers are a gateway to a world of
information and opinion. The student can be introduced to an involving array of data,
images and graphics that show life and intellect as entertaining and enjoyable.
Henceforth, every man, woman and child must confront this scandal. Technology is our only
hope, and so I place my hope in you, the public. We must not allow this neglect to continue,
it is only through unity that we can overthrow the tyrannical principles of the Government
that prevents teachers and pupils from the right to learn.

Examiner’s comments
This is a very effective answer, with good use of rhetoric, vocabulary and sentence
structure. There is a strong sense of the student’s beliefs on the subject, and the
writing uses ambitious phrases, mostly successfully.

Question – Explore

In a magazine article, explore what you see as the most important challenges
facing teenagers in today’s world and how they try to deal with them.
Student answer
Grade A
On considering this question I begin to feel my own emotions take over; no longer am I
calm, reserved and un-biased but my true opinionated self has burst out of its shell.
There are so many challenges to teenagers in today’s world that it is virtually impossible
to decide at which point to start; in my honest opinion the greatest and most important
challenges of today come in avoiding several things. Fashion, drugs and falseness.
To start with the former. I do not mind admitting it but I am what many magazine
columnists or clothes analysts call a ‘fashion victim’, not, I hope, because I look bad in what
I wear, but because I care far too much about it. In this sense I have failed miserably in
the challenge to avoid fashion awareness. Walking down the street in any town or city
teenagers are rife, the several different ‘latest styles’ are flaunted endlessly on body-
beautiful superstar look-alikes. Anyone wearing last months fashion is ensured a wide
berth when making her way down the road; the slogan ‘life is a catwalk’ flashing up
tirelessly on bilboards boring into the minds of the teenagers. You may well ask ‘what is
wrong with this? People grow out of it.’ This may well be true, but the competition between
rival teenagers is a horrible thing. I do not know whether you have visited a girls school
recently, but I have. Let me tell you it is not pleasant. Rival gangs patrol the corridors,
each with their own trade mark fashion statement, such as pink socks or hair tie. The
‘sad’, ‘uncool’ group is instantly recognisable, their trademark is having no ‘fashion sense’
whatsoever. No one speaks to them or even acknowledges their presence.

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A perhaps more serious issue is drugs: I say perhaps because in my experience it is much
easier to avoid taking drugs than nearly everything else. However I gather that, in this
case, I am an exception; for the entirety of my school life I have been warned of ‘peer
pressure’ and how ‘not to give in’. Again, I have no recollection of having to make an effort
to avoid taking drugs, but on every street corner it is plain that it is occuring all the time.
It is incredible how many groups of six to seven teenagers sit around smoking or taking
drugs, in full daylight, despite being underage. It is, I’m sure you’ll agree, very sad to
see, as you know that in taking drugs they are effectively ruining their lives, their job
prospects and their quality of life in the future. In this case I do not believe that the
challenge is so hard to take on, but it is the recognition of the challenge which poses the
primary problem.
In answer to this there are not a huge number of solutions, perhaps the main one is to
get schools around the country to provide more talks on the harmfulness of drug-taking.
Certainly the many lectures I’ve attended on this subject, have been amusing but not very
persuasive. The use of shocking statistics or pictures could help the dilemma.
I move on to my final point: to be yourself. There is nothing worse, I believe, than really
liking someone and then finding out they were just pretending to like you. Alternatively it
is awful when you become amiable with someone, but they think you are someone whom you
are not. I believe that it is better to be yourself and to show your own feelings towards a
person or something rather than keep up a pretentious attitude in front of them
A music teacher invites you to sing in a school concert, needless to say you don’t want to,
but instead of voicing your inner feelings you lie and inform him you have an extra English
lesson. To cut a long story short a very embarrassing conversation ensues, before which
the teacher has already worked out the original motive behind the falsity.
I have just failed the challenge, I have succumbed to lying and producing a false excuse.
As I have just proved there is absolutely no point at all in lying, other than to preserve the
feelings of the person in question, who ultimately is going to end up more offended than he
previously would have been. Therefore I would argue that maintaining and telling the truth
is a crucial part to the life of a teenager in today’s world, and a huge challenge to keep up.
Without doubt there are more harmful things which a teenager must avoid, and more
positive things he or she must do, such as concentrate on schoolwork and not be distracted
by items such as television. A teenager, I believe, should also maintain a healthy lifestyle.
However the three challenges I wrote on, I believe provide a balanced and more
economical view on life. Rather than spend money on fashion items or take drugs or lie
there are many more important things to spend your life doing.

Examiner’s comments
This is a very thoughtful and maturely written approach to the subject. The
examples are appropriately chosen, and the argument is constructed to make clear
and effective points. Writing has a good command of vocabulary, despite the
occasional slip in spelling and punctuation.

Using the mark scheme

The mark scheme gives the responses we expect from students. Indicative answers
are given but during the standardisation of examiners process the mark scheme is
updated and expanded to cover unexpected, but correct student responses.

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Section C: Planning and teaching

Course planner
The course is designed to be taught over two years, or five terms, but it is possible
to reduce this time to one year. Much will depend on the amount of teaching time
available for teaching English, and on the ability of the students. It should be
possible to cover the course in one year or, given that there are two series of
examinations, one in June and one in January, for a period between one and two
years, depending on when the course starts. The exemplar plan that follows could
be compressed by combining two terms’ work into one. Centres are, however,
reminded that English skills are cumulative, and the more time students are given
to cover the course, the more likely they are to succeed.

An example of course planning

There are many valid ways of organising the course. Teachers will have their
preferred order for dealing with the materials. However, many find it useful to
group the passages and poems studied into a small number of key themes. The
table on the following pages shows a possible five-term course plan with such a
thematic approach, although other titles or links can be made.

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Term 1 of 5 – Exploration and self-discovery
Theme/focus of study Outcomes
Anthology, Section A: Non-fiction Reading AO2
From Touching the Void (Use work sheets in the subject-specific
section of this guide for these texts)
From Taking on the World
Anthology Section A: students study and
From A Game of Polo with a Headless
discuss personal narratives, including
Goat
features such as style, structure,
Anthology, Section B: Literature viewpoint, creating a sense of place and
An Unknown Girl atmosphere, building tension.
Anthology Section B: students study and
A Hero
discuss the two texts; focus on use of
metaphor in the poem, treatment of
theme of courage in the story.
Writing AO3
Students practise skills studied above,
by writing one or two pieces:
 autobiographical writing, eg a
challenge overcome (inform, explain,
describe)
 story illustrating courage, moral or
physical (explore, imagine,
entertain).
Theme/focus of study Outcomes
Coursework option
Written
Unit 2: Writing AO3
The topics already given for the
examination route (above) could be
used to produce a coursework unit.
Speaking and Listening AO1
Individual talk.
A talk to the class on an individual
interest or experience (explore, imagine,
entertain).

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Term 2 of 5 – The female perspective
Theme/focus of study Outcomes
Anthology, Section A Reading AO2
From The Explorer’s Daughter Section A: students study and discuss
biographical and autobiographical
From Chinese Cinderella
writing, including features such as style,
Anthology, Section B structure, viewpoint, selection of detail,
presentation of fact/opinion.
King Schahriar and His Brother (from
The Arabian Nights) Section B: students study and discuss
The Necklace techniques and features of short-story
narrative, including style, plot,
Veronica character, theme, viewpoint,
tone/mood.
Coursework task (below) could also be
used as a written outcome.
Writing AO3
Students practise skills studied above,
by writing one or two pieces:
 A short story on a title chosen by
themselves or teacher (explore,
imagine, entertain)
 A discursive essay on a gender
theme, such as equality (argue,
persuade, advise).
Coursework option
Written
Unit 1: Reading AO2
Essay on the short stories, eg compare
and contrast the roles of the major
female characters in TWO of the
following stories: King Schahriar, The
Necklace and Veronica.
Speaking and Listening AO1
Group work.
Class discussion/debate on a gender
issue, eg co-education, women’s role in
society (inform, explain, describe).

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Term 3 of 5 – Dilemmas and dramas
Theme/focus of study Outcomes
Dilemmas and dramas Reading AO2
Anthology, Section A Section A: students study and discuss
reportage and media, especially the use
Your Guide To Beach Safety
of language to interest the reader and to
Climate Change: The Facts convey information; use of direct
speech; structure; headlines.
Explorers, or Boys Messing About?
Anthology, Section B Section B: study of poems, looking at
subject matter and theme, purpose,
Out, Out – form and style (including use of
Electricity Comes to Cocoa Bottom figurative language).
Writing AO3
Students practise skills studied above,
by writing one or more pieces:
 a feature article for a magazine, with
a specific readership, on a topic
chosen by student/teacher (explore,
imagine, entertain)
 a letter to a newspaper arguing the
case for or against a controversial
opinion (argue, persuade, advise)
 a critique of one (or both) of the
poems studied, exploring a personal
response.
Coursework option
Written
Unit 1: Reading AO2
Topic (c) (above) could be developed for
a coursework task
Unit 2: Writing AO3
Write a feature article for a magazine,
with a specific readership, either (a)
arguing the case for a controversial
opinion (argue, persuade, advise), or (b)
on an entertaining topic (explore,
imagine, entertain).
Speaking and Listening: AO1
Pair work
Pair work on theme/s raised by poems
(inform, explain, describe)
Group work
Small group problem-solving task

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Term 4 of 5 – War and conflict
Theme/focus of study Outcomes
War and conflict Reading AO2
Anthology, Section A Section A: students study and discuss
the writer’s presentation of a war-torn
From A Passage to Africa
country in the autobiographical account,
Anthology, Section B considering how information is
conveyed; structure; viewpoint and
Disabled
tone.
Refugee Blues
Section B: students study and discuss
The Last Night the writers’ presentation of war in
literary texts, including the use of
language (especially figures of speech),
rhythm and rhyme in the poetry.
Writing AO3
Students write imaginative and/or
critical responses to the above texts.
Contrasting letters/diary entries of a
soldier in the front line (explore,
imagine, entertain).
Write a critique of either of the poems or
of ‘The Last Night’, exploring a personal
response to them (argue, persuade,
advise).
Coursework option only Coursework option
Assemble coursework folders and award Written
marks
Unit 1: Reading AO2
Finalise Speaking and listening marks
Compare and contrast the presentations
Internal standardisation procedure of the lot of soldiers and civilians in a
time of conflict in ‘Disabled ’ and
‘Refugee Blues’.
Unit 2: Writing AO3
Topic in the examination route could be
developed to produce a coursework unit.
Speaking and Listening AO1
Individual talk
Present a TV journalist’s videophone
report, from the front line of war, for a
national/international audience (explore,
imagine, entertain)
Mock examination

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Term 5 of 5 – Preparing for the examinations
Theme/focus of study Outcomes
Cover any remaining subject content
Final revision
Practice questions
Coursework option
Ensure deadlines are met for submitting
marks and sample folders.

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Teaching ideas
Approaches to teaching the anthology
The following notes are intended to provide some support and framework for the
teaching of the Edexcel Anthology for International GCSE and Certificate
qualifications in English Language and Literature. They are not definitive. They
should be developed and tailored by teachers to suit their own purposes. They are
not intended to be copied and distributed to students.

Section A of the anthology

The following examples are taken from the two extracts: From Taking on the World
– Ellen MacArthur and From Touching the Void – Joe Simpson. These two pieces
lend themselves naturally to being linked together in a teaching unit, for example
under a thematic heading such as ‘Exploration and Self-Discovery’.

Taking on the World – Ellen MacArthur

Context
This is an extract from Ellen MacArthur’s autobiography. It deals with an emergency
she faced on the 44th day of the Vendée Globe yacht race when she had to replace
an essential sail. The passage highlights the enormous physical and psychological
challenges in sailing alone in heavy seas near Antarctica. The facts that it is
Christmas and that she is female and small – most competitors were large, male
and physically strong – make it even more extraordinary. The ‘Mark’ referred to
in the last paragraph is Mark Turner, a close friend and sailing expert. Note that
though MacArthur faces the physical challenge alone, she has the means, by
communication technology, to keep in close contact with the rest of the world.

Structure and form

This is prose autobiography, with a strong narrative element. It is structured in
paragraphs following the sequence of time.

Language
Ellen MacArthur, not very surprisingly, considering the nature of her achievements,
insisted on writing the book herself, so, unlike many sporting autobiographies, the
words are her own and not a ‘ghostwriter’s’. The style is unaffected and frank and
perhaps all the more powerful for being very personal. The challenge may be a
superhuman one, but the human being involved seems subject to the same feelings
as the rest of us, so much so that you wonder what the motivation is, unless it is
the challenge itself.
There is much use of the first person pronoun. Other features of style include:
 use of technical language (not overdone) giving a sense of the reality of the
situation
 straightforward, direct language; active verbs (climbed, worked, agonised,
streamed), limited and precise use of adjectives and adverbs; repetitively
structured sentences often using a first person construction

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 use of words/phrases/clauses that suggest struggle, effort or challenge –
the hardest climb to date; there would be no second climb on this one
 many conversational features – for example contractions (I’d), fillers (odd
massive wave), use of the verb to get and words like thing, repetition of words
within a sentence for emphasis – add immediacy to the writing, though there is
some loss of refinement
 syntax begins to break down as the passage reaches its climax; she even
breaks into direct speech, as though talking to herself – not far now, kiddo,
come on – again adding to the sense of urgency and drama; it makes the
reader feel present
 occasionally more elaborate phrasing, including comparisons, is used – as if I
was stepping out on to the moon; This is what it must look like to the albatross;
I felt like a million dollars – but most of the writing is uncompromisingly literal –
I couldn’t feel my fingers
 strong focus on words that convey detail – of features and equipment of the
boat, including the height of the mast, the weather, the waves – again giving a
strong sense of actuality
 similarly direct language is used to detail her feelings – agonised, exhausted,
rallied – and to convey the physical and psychological effort required – This was
by far the most dangerous part
 the strongest phrasing, reflected in the use of more complex words, is often
linked to moments of potential danger, sometimes suggestive of near panic –
a world over which I had no control; you are a passive observer; the frustration
was unreal; no time for complacency now
 humorous lightening of tone at the end with the reference to Santa.

Questions for students

1. Describe the climb briefly in your own words, making clear what the purpose
and problems were.
2. Choose three words or phrases which you found effective and vivid in the
passage in bringing out Ellen MacArthur’s thoughts and feelings, and carefully
explain your reasons for choosing each one.
3. Choose three words or phrases which you found effective and vivid in the
passage in bringing out the dangers and difficulties she faced, and carefully
explain your reasons for choosing each one.
4. Basing your ideas on the passage, what would you need to be a successful
competitor in a round-the-world solo race? Think about personal fitness,
qualities of character and equipment.
5. Is there anything in the passage that explains why Ellen MacArthur took part
in this dangerous race?

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Example examination questions
Paper 1, Section B
From Taking on the World
 Reading: How does this passage bring out the thoughts and feelings of Ellen
MacArthur as she sails alone in a race around the world?
 Writing: Write about an occasion when you were in a difficult situation.
Explain how you overcame the problems.

Example coursework activities

Paper 3, Reading and Writing
 Writing: Write a short story involving a challenge, an unexpected hero and a
surprising outcome.

Paper 4, Speaking and Listening

There are various possible outcomes. For group work, a small- or large-group
discussion on what makes people (especially young people) take risks might be
productive. For the individual talk, students might be asked to give a talk on a
challenging or adventurous activity or decision, in which they were involved. The
questions above could be used for paired discussion or small group discussion. A
representative who reports the group’s findings back to the class could also be
assessed for his/her individual talk. Another possibility is for a student to emulate
Ellen MacArthur by presenting a monologue, based on character in a film, or book,
or in a real-life situation. The monologue should reveal the character’s thoughts and
feelings in a challenging situation.

Follow-up activity
Visit Ellen MacArthur’s website for further background material –
www.ellenmacarthur.com – or read her book Taking on the World.

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From Touching the Void – Joe Simpson
Context
Joe and his climbing partner, Simon Yates, were nearing the end of a climb in the
Peruvian Andes when this terrible accident occurred.
The passage provides a focus on an extreme sport at a life or death moment. It
raises many issues. What makes people participate in activities like this? What
should one do when faced with a moral dilemma like Simon’s? Is self-preservation
more important than friendship? Note that, unlike MacArthur, these two are
completely on their own.

Structure and form

This extract consists of two pieces of autobiographical prose narrative (perhaps
better described as monologues), giving different perspectives on the same event.
Relatively short paragraphs follow a sequence of time, but the real demarcations
are provided by crucial developments in thought.

Language
Though both accounts are very similar in style, there are significant differences.
Both accounts:
 use of first person narrative
 narrative structure, but evaluation and analysis of the significance of what is
happening are integrated into the storytelling
 use of direct speech to convey the immediacy of thought – You’re dead – and to
bring in other perspectives – I’m dead. Everyone said it … if there’s just two of
you a broken ankle could turn into a death sentence.

Joe’s account
 Conveys pain (and other feelings) by powerful metaphors – pain flooded;
a fierce burning fire.
 Varied sentence structure, varying the pace and reflecting the impact of the
moment. Minor sentences used at particularly dramatic moments – My leg!
My leg!
 Strong, direct words, often verbs, used to convey movement, pain, etc –
catapulted; screamed; raced; ripped off.
 Sometimes uncompromisingly direct to intensify sense of reality – the impact
had driven my lower leg up through the knee joint; we were above 19000 feet...
and very much alone.
 Words and images that convey thoughts and feelings vividly and frankly,
sometimes in a sequence that conveys dramatic changes of mood and thought
(paragraph 4 A wave of nausea … I’m dead); phrasing becomes abstract and
almost vague at times, suggesting trauma: something terrible, something dark
with dread; teetering on the edge of (panic).

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Simon’s account
 More straightforward language, at least initially, conveying a sequence of
mundane events and feelings largely through the verbs/adjectives – glad, tired,
grateful, rested, moved again.
 Sudden change in pace/urgency in paragraph three with injection of dynamic
words – sharp tug; the rope lashed me.
 Words that relate to logic, contrast with Joe’s pained and emotional response –
totally rational, dispassionately; in a way I hoped he would fall.

Questions for students

1. Summarise briefly in your own words (a) what happened to Joe and (b) what
choices face Simon.
2. What words or phrases in Joe’s account bring out most vividly (a) the pain he
suffers as a result of his injuries and (b) his thoughts and feelings?
In each case choose three examples and give reasons for your choice.
3. What words or phrases in Simon’s account show most clearly the difficult
decision he faces? Explain carefully the reasons for your choices.
4. Compare and contrast the two accounts in:
(a) use of language
(b) perspective and viewpoint
(c) attitudes to what has happened.
5. What do you think Simon should do in this situation? Give him your advice.

Example examination questions

Paper 1, Section B
From Touching the Void
 Reading: Compare and contrast the presentation of the events in the two
accounts.
You should comment on the following
o similarities and differences in attitude and viewpoint
o similarities and differences in use of language.
 Writing: Imagine you have a friend who is interested in taking up
mountaineering as a sport.
Write a letter to him either encouraging him to continue or persuading him
to stop.

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Example coursework activities
Paper 3, Reading and Writing
 Writing: Think about a real situation, or imagine a fictional one, involving two
people who had very different experiences. Write two contrasting first-hand
accounts, giving their thoughts and perspectives and, as far as possible,
differing in the way they are expressed.

Paper 4, Speaking and Listening

The passage is similar to the Ellen MacArthur one, and the same tasks could be
used. There are links also with the ‘Explorers, or Boys Messing About?’ newspaper
article. A debate on the topic of whether the taxpayer should fund rescues is
feasible, as is a small or large group discussion of why young people are attracted
to extreme sports. Students could also research extreme sports (there are many
websites devoted to them) and give individual presentations on them.

Follow-up activity
The extraordinary sequel to the events in the passage is recounted in Simpson’s
book Touching the Void. Students might also like to read a follow-up book written
by Simpson called ‘The Beckoning Silence’, in which he provides further insights
into the world of the mountaineer. This book concludes with a spellbinding account
of an attempt on the North Face of the Eiger.

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Section B of the anthology

Out, Out – Robert Frost

Context
Robert Frost (1874-1963) was one of the major American poets of the 20th
century. His poetry is based mainly on the life and scenery of rural New England.
‘Out, Out–’ was published in the collection ‘Mountain Interval’ in 1916. The setting
of this poem is a farm and, although the scenery around the farm is beautiful, life is
too hard for it to be enjoyed fully by the family, even by the young son, who has to
work all day cutting up wood with a buzz-saw.
Frost wrote this poem after he read the following newspaper article.

Lancaster, Nov 18th – John M. Adams, son of Mr. and Mrs. James Adams, Route 3,
Riverton, died last Saturday evening as a result of injuries he received while
operating a power saw on his parents’ farm.
The accident happened late Saturday afternoon while young Adams, his brother
Stephen, 12, and his father were sawing logs. Apparently, the boy was momentarily
distracted while feeding a piece of wood into the blade, which caught his hand and
amputated it.
The youth’s sister, Maude, 17, was witness to the accident. She said that her
mother had sent her to call her father and brother to supper. The accident
occurred, she said, just as she called to them.
Mr. Adams immediately drove to nearby Riverton for a doctor. He finally located Dr.
E. L. White and drove him back to the farm.
Dr. White said that when he arrived the boy was already in shock from loss of
blood, and that it was impossible to save him. The cause of death was listed by the
coroner as accidental.
Funeral services on Tuesday were held in Riverton Congregational Church, and
interment was in Good Hope Cemetery.

Structure and form

The poem consists of a single stanza. It is written in ‘blank verse’, with five stresses
to a line (the ‘iambic pentameter) and a lack of formal rhyme scheme. This form is
one which suits the conversational tone. The poem can be seen as realistic,
shocking and dramatic. Students should consider how the construction of the poem
helps to achieve these effects.
The importance of the unusual title is something to be discussed. Particularly
because of the dash after the repeated word Out; this indicates an unfinished
statement.
This is a quotation from near the end of Shakespeare’s play, ‘Macbeth’. Macbeth
has just learned of the death of his wife:
‘Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow; a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more.’ Act 5, scene 5 lines 23-26

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Why has Frost chosen to use it?
Frost has used the detached account in the newspaper obituary and given it life,
drama and sympathy for the waste of a young life.
How is imagery used? Look at ‘leaped out at the boy’s hand’.
How does Frost focus on small details to make this scene powerful?

Language/comments
 The language the poet uses is simple and everyday. Study the use of direct
speech.
 The poet’s language raises a number of topics for exploration, such as:
o What use is made of sound, especially at the start of the poem?
o How effective is the use of repetition?
o How much do we learn about the situation and character of the boy?
o What do we learn of the sister, the relationships and the reactions to the
boy’s tragic early death?
o What are the central themes?
o What meaning or message do you take from the poem?

Follow-up activity
There are other poems by Robert Frost that could be looked up, for example
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, Mending Wall, Meeting and Passing.
You can hear Robert Frost reading this poem (it helps to grasp the rhythm) on
www.poets.org, the website of The Academy of American Poets.

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Electricity Comes to Cocoa Bottom – Marcia Douglas
Context
Marcia Douglas was born in England and grew up in Jamaica. She has given talks
on the history and culture of the Caribbean, as well as her development there as a
woman and writer. She is particularly interested in making cross-cultural
comparisons which explore people’s attitudes.

Summary
This poem conveys the phenomenon of electricity coming to a house in a village
in the Caribbean. Both the humans, especially children, and the animals are drawn
to witness the experience, pulled towards it like magnets. The poem is clearly
intended as one that celebrates progress and development, but it does so with a
particularly Caribbean flavour.

Ways into the poem

Imagine life as previous generations experienced it, without the domestic luxuries
we enjoy, such as electric lights, running tap water, central heating, electric/gas
fires and cookers. Carry out a role play of a domestic scene where one of these
amenities happens for the first time.
 Stimulus material: Imtiaz Dharker’s poem ‘Blessing’ which describes a burst
water pipe in a developing country and the importance of water to the
community.

Structure and form

The first two stanzas of free verse are of similar length (detailing the audience
settling and then reacting to this event), whilst the third is noticeably shorter
(commiserating with their failure to record it). The line lengths also vary which is
particularly significant between stanzas one and two, since the poem appears to
come to a close as the natural light fades: ‘Closing. Closing’, then bursts into life
as the electricity is switched on ‘Light!’

Language/comments
Much of the language used is familiar, yet poetic and descriptive with rhythmic
variations. It is a nostalgic and celebratory poem.
 This poem uses a fictional style, as if telling a children’s story and begins
mid-tale Then all the children … The proper nouns sound fictional Cocoa
Bottom…Grannie Patterson which draws us into the magical moment which is
described. We sense a young audience for this poem and can imagine it being
read in an excited and dramatic voice, brought to life via the many verbs of
movement swooped…fluttering…swaying.
 The event is clearly an important one since the children ‘camped’ and the lamps
are filled with oil – expectation is high. Tension and suspense are created:
waiting…watching…waited, reinforced by the alliteration.

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 Descriptions are vividly colourful: yellow, orange, and there are many
references to light, natural or man-made lamps…sunset…sun…fireflies…lanterns.
The fact that one of the older generation, Grannie Patterson, tries to view the
event surreptitiously enhances its importance, since it unites all ages.
 It is ironic that the fireflies’ lanterns are off since they already demonstrate
the power the humans aspire to and a further irony comes from the fact that
everyone is waiting for the dark to come so they can see light! Yet the fireflies,
like the birds, the breeze and the bamboo lining also anticipate this minor
miracle. The personification is especially powerful here: a breeze…held its
breath…bamboo lining…stopped its swaying, as nature too heralds this new
dawn and almost seems in a state of worship and thanks: bowed heads. The
use of onomatopoeia livens the scene – tweet-a-whit – as this poem appeals to
several of our senses, heightening the experience.
 Language is exotic: kling-klings…orange trees…bamboo lining…mongoose ferns.
 The rhythm of the lines and pace slow down at the end of stanza one almost to
a standstill, but then increase as soon as the electricity comes on: Light! Mr.
Samuel smiling on the verandah as the line lengths begin to build again, thus
raising their momentum to match the excitement and enthusiasm felt by the
crowd.
 Douglas successfully uses a pattern of three: such a gasp, such a fluttering of
wings…such a swaying, as if, like humans, nature too celebrates this moment by
its own natural movements.
 The poem ends, however, on a regretful note that not one who witnessed the
event could record it (possibly because of lack of literacy or equipment to do so)
and thus a sad element is introduced to this joyous occasion. There is a great
sense of disappointment and loss: the moment had passed.

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Veronica by Adewale Maja-Pearce
Context
Adewale Maja-Pearce lives in Lagos, Nigeria, where he runs Yemaja, an editorial
services agency. His latest book is Remembering Ken Saro-Wiwa and Other Essays.
He is well-known as someone who documents the problems and struggles of the
Nigerian people.

Summary
The focus of the short story is the contrasting experiences of young Africans, one
male and one female, in the second half of the twentieth century in African society.
The story focuses especially on the constraints that confine Veronica to a life of
poverty surrounded by violence and brutality, comparing her lot (to an extent self-
appointed, since she declines invitations to escape from the village’s squalor) to the
life of opportunity accessible to Okeke through education, travel and a taste of city
life and luxury.

Language and ideas

The story is rich in imagery which explores both the contrasting lifestyles of city
and countryside and the imprisonment and resignation of Veronica’s existence.
Okeke is an intelligent and sympathetic observer, drawn powerfully back, on an
emotional level, to the society he has left for better things, and aware that there
is an eternal current flowing through the villagers’ lives.
The story benefits from an approach which draws students into its fabric through a
focus on detail.

A suggested approach is:

1. Read the opening paragraph only (lines 1-10)
 What clues and hints are there about how the story will develop? Underline
or highlight the key words and phrases. Compare your
underlined/highlighted version with another person’s. Discuss the similarities
and differences between the two versions.
2. Read the second paragraph (lines 11-16)
 What do the following words (lines 13-16) suggest about Veronica: ‘…she
asked me endless questions about my school and the town and what I was
going to be when I grew up’?
 What can you predict about how the lives of Veronica and the narrator might
unfold from what we read in lines 1-16?
3. Read the rest of the story
 How accurate were your predictions, based on the first two paragraphs,
about Veronica and the narrator?

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4. Re-read closely paragraphs 2-4 (lines 11-26)
 How does Adewale Maja-Pearce build up an impression of:
o Veronica
o Okeke
o the relationship between them?
 Highlight, in three different colours, words and phrases that relate to
Veronica, Okeke and their relationship.
5. Look again at the next section of the story (lines 27-51)
 How does the writer use dialogue and her own narrative comments to add to
the reader’s understanding of Veronica and Okeke?
6. Re-read lines 52-64
 These 13 lines span a period of 10 years. Why does the writer pass over
them so rapidly? What are the most important things she tells us in this
section?
7. Re-read lines 65-112
 Line 65 begins: ‘I was shocked …’ What shocked Okeke about the village and
about Veronica and her situation?
 What do we learn about the causes of the troubles?
8. Re-read the final section of the story (lines 113-142)
 What are your thoughts about Veronica and Okeke in these concluding lines?
 Compare the last line of the story with lines 42-43: ‘I snapped a twig and
threw it into the water. It bobbed on the current and then vanished from
sight.’ In what ways could these words be seen as symbolic?
9. Write a single sentence which sums up the moral of the story, or the ‘message’
the writer seems to convey.
10. Select an alternative title for Veronica by choosing a word or a group of words
used in the story. Explain and justify your choice.
11. Okeke says (line 139): ‘I cried that night for the terrible waste.’ Who or what
do you think was responsible for that terrible waste?
12. What does Veronica suggest to the reader about gender roles, the effects of
education and the differences between urban and rural life in this society?

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A Hero – R K Narayan
Context
Rasipuram Krishnaswamy Narayan (1906-2001) was an Indian novelist, who wrote
in English. His novels and short stories are largely based on his experiences as a
teacher in India and are set in the imaginary Southern Indian town of Malgudi.
They depict daily life in the town in rich and often comic detail. ‘A Hero’ is a typical
example of his style of writing.

General
The story is very economically and dynamically told. Ironic humour is central to its
impact. It is important for students to think about this, and about how R K Narayan
engages our interest and shapes our response to the story, through use of
language (including dialogue), the structure of the story and so on. There are many
examples of stylistic features, but it is less important for students to show
knowledge of technical terms than to show how these work to further the writer’s
purposes. A good understanding of the central characters is also essential, and of
the themes, which include family relationships, growing up and differing concepts
of courage.

Questions for students

1. Read the opening sentence: For Swami events took an unexpected turn. What is
the impact of this sentence on you? How do you think the story will develop?
2. In the argument between Swami and Father (lines 7 to 18), with whom do you
agree more? Which words or phrases in this extract are the most important in
shaping your response to it?
3. Why does Swami think that the idea that he should sleep in his father’s office
room is ‘a frightful proposition’? How does he try to change the subject? Why
does he fail?
4. Swami knows his father’s tenacity (line 27). What does this phrase mean?
5. What does the section from line 29 to 51 tell you about the relationships and
tensions in the family? Comment on how Father, Mother, Granny and Swami
react to each other in these lines. How does R K Narayan make this section
humorous?
6. Considering what you have learnt so far in the story, what is your view of
Swami’s character?
7. The reader is told that Swami didn’t like the strain of cruelty he saw in his
father’s nature. Looking specifically at the section between lines 50 and 66,
do you think his father is presented as cruel or caring?
8. The plot develops to a climax between lines 71 and 100. How does the writer
hold the reader’s interest in this section? In particular, think about his use of
words and sentences; how suspense is sustained; how Swami’s fears are
brought out; and the use of humour.
9. What do lines 96 to 106 tell us about Swami, his father and the burglar?

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10. How does Swami react to the praise he receives? What is your opinion of him
and what he did? Which words or phrases in this extract are the most important
in shaping your response to him?
11. How does the last section (lines 110 to the end) add to your understanding of
Swami and his father and the relationship between the two?
12. Looking back again at the first sentence, and your answer to question 1, how
have events and developments turned out to be unexpected for (a) Swami,
(b) Father and (c) you, as reader?

Sample examination question

Paper 2
How does R K Narayan bring out the tensions in the relationship between Father
and Swami and to what extent have these been resolved by the end of the story?
You should consider the following points
 their differing views on the newspaper article
 their disagreement about where Swami should sleep
 the influence of Granny
 the impact on the relationship of the incident with the burglar in the office
 the writer’s use of language.

Sample coursework activities

Paper 3, Reading and Writing
 Reading: How does R K Narayan make ‘A Hero’ interesting and amusing for the
reader?
 Writing: Write an account of the incident that might have appeared in the local
newspaper.
 Writing: Write a short story, which develops in an unexpected way, from the
viewpoint of a child.

Paper 4, Speaking and Listening

The questions above could be used for group discussion with formal reporting back
of the group’s findings to the rest of the class. Characters in the story could be ‘hot
seated’ to answer questions related to the text, or questions such as ‘What makes a
good parent?’ ‘How do you teach a child to be self-reliant?’ This approach would
provide opportunities for individual talk (explain, describe, narrate).

Follow-up activity
Research could be undertaken into R K Narayan and his novels, especially ‘Swami
and Friends’. Alternatively, some time could be spent looking at other stories which
are written from a child’s perspective. Graham Greene, who was an influential
friend of R K Narayan, wrote several, including ‘The Destructors’. Saki’s ‘The
Lumber Room’ and/or ‘Sredni Vashtar’ have central boy characters who are
comparable to Swami.

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Coursework
This optional component is available only to centres specifically approved by
Edexcel International to offer coursework.
The guidance below should be read in conjunction with pages 9-29 of the
International GCSE English Language (Specification A) (4EA0) specification.

General comments
Coursework provides opportunities for more student-centred work. The best results
occur when students have been encouraged to express themselves in ways which
reflect their own interests and aptitudes. Ideally, there should be some negotiation
between teacher and student about the choice of topic, so that work is tailored to
the individual. This is particularly desirable in writing tasks; the best work usually
comes from something which relates closely to the student, a memorable personal
experience or strongly-held views. It is possible to set a common task for a whole
class, but it should be framed in such a way that a variety of approaches is
possible. A centre whose students write very similar essays, making identical points
and using the same quotations, creates difficulties for the moderator. Students will
be disadvantaged by such an approach. More successful centres give their students
a choice of tasks of different levels of difficulty, reflecting the ability range in the
centre.
There is no prescribed word length for coursework units; the nature of the task will
often define its length.
Written coursework pieces may be either handwritten or wordprocessed.
Students can draft and re-draft work, but whilst this can be productive, it can also
be a waste of time in a hectic schedule. Written coursework constitutes just 20 per
cent of the whole course and it is important that the amount of time spent on it
reflects this. The teacher may check drafts and give advice to the student, but
drafts should not have every error scored, nor should they be re-phrased in the
teacher’s words. The student is responsible for his/her own work; it is the teacher’s
responsibility to ensure that the work is the student’s own and to authenticate this
by signing the declaration on the coursework frontsheet. Plagiarism is a growing
concern amongst moderators. Usually it is obvious when work derives from a
secondary source. Students who cheat in this way will be severely penalised.
The best approach to both written and oral coursework is one which incorporates
them into a programme of work for the whole subject, providing back-up for
examination preparation, as well as allowing students some degree of control
over their achievements and giving opportunities for self expression.

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Paper 3: Written coursework
This section should be read in conjunction with the information on pages 9-12 and
the assessment criteria for Reading on page 25 and Writing on pages 27-29 of the
International GCSE English Language (Specification A) (4EA0) specification.

Reading

Writing must be based on a piece or pieces from Section B of the Edexcel Anthology
for International GCSE English Language (Specification A) and International GCSE
English Literature. AO2 must be addressed to provide an opportunity for students
to:
‘read with insight and engagement….sustain interpretations….understand and make
some evaluation of how writers use linguistic and structural devices to achieve their
effects.’
Bearing this in mind, any assignment will need to be analytical and, at least partly,
concerned with language. Empathetic approaches (diaries of characters, extension
pieces, etc) would not allow for all these requirements, but they could be used for
the Writing assignment. Essays should be fully developed not necessarily in terms
of length but in ideas. The key word in writing about ‘linguistic and structural
devices’ is ‘evaluation’. Simply feature spotting is not enough, for instance pointing
out a simile or an example of alliteration. Students need to think and write about
the effect of the use of distinctive features.
Task setting is critical. The topic needs to encourage the student’s personal reading
of the text, and to create the potential for detailed study and for discussion of
language.
A task which is phrased ‘Write about the character of Swami in ‘A Hero’ is likely to
produce some very boring, formulaic essays and it is not clear where discussion of
language would fit in.
With a little rephrasing the question could be made both personal and include an
opportunity for some consideration of the way the story is written. For example:
‘Write about what you have found interesting about R K Narayan’s presentation of
Swami in ‘A Hero’. Now the key words are ‘you’, ‘interesting’ and ‘presentation’.
Teacher guidance could be given about aspects of the story to be considered in the
essay, and there is also potential for small or large group discussion about it, but
the topic now crucially requires a personal response and some interpretative
thinking on presentation. This should naturally include the writer’s use of language.
The quality of the resultant essay will largely depend on the degree to which the
student is able to develop (and of course sustain) an individual approach to the
topic. Another good example of a task on this story is given in the specification
‘How is suspense created in ‘A Hero’?’

Further examples of tasks

 The central female characters in ‘King Schahriar and his Brother’ and ‘The
Necklace’ are both faced with situations of their own making which threaten
to engulf them. Compare and contrast the strengths and weaknesses of their
characters as they are presented in the stories.
 Wilfred Owen aimed to convey ‘the pity of war’ in his poetry. How does he try to
do this in ‘Disabled’?

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Writing

The second assignment requires a piece of personal/imaginative writing. This

assignment will be assessed solely by the writing criteria. The work must address
all the writing Assessment Objectives, but the alternatives ‘explore, imagine,
entertain’ and ‘argue, persuade, advise’ are specified.
It is enough for a task to focus on one of the verbs within a triplet, though this
would not necessarily be exclusive. For instance, a piece which addresses ‘imagine’
is likely also to ‘entertain’, and as already indicated, ‘argue’ and ‘persuade’ are
often closely linked.
This is the specification component where students have most freedom. As far as
‘explore, imagine, entertain’ are concerned, any form of creative writing is possible:
narrative, description, media scripts, diaries, travel writing – the possibilities are
infinite. The task may be individual and original, or it may be an imaginative
extension or empathetic response to one of the texts in the English Language
anthology. Often, the best work has been based on the student’s own experiences,
particularly those tasks which deal with a crisis of some kind, whether light-hearted
or deeply serious. Task setting needs to bear this in mind. It is possible to approach
it on a class basis, but potential should be built into the topic to allow for individual
approaches.
‘Argue, persuade, advise’ invite a similarly wide range of possibilities, including
discursive essays, scripts for speeches, advertisement copy, pamphlets,
magazine/newspaper feature articles on a controversial topic and so on.
Analytical essays on anthology pieces would not be acceptable for the writing
assignment.

Examples of tasks
 Write an original story of the kind that Scheherazade might have told to
entertain her husband and delay her execution. (Entertain, imagine)
 Write about a time when you were under pressure and had to make a difficult
choice. Make clear exactly what your thoughts and feelings were at the time
and how you felt about the results of your decision. (Explore, entertain)
 ‘If I ruled the world, I would ….’ Write a feature magazine with a family
readership beginning with these words. (Argue, entertain)
 Write the script for a speech to be delivered to your class with the aim of
persuading them to your point of view on a controversial topic. (Persuade)

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Paper 4: Speaking and Listening
The questions above could be used for pair or group discussion with formal
reporting back of the pair’s or group’s findings to the rest of the class. Characters in
the story could be ‘hot seated’ to answer questions related to the text, or questions
such as ‘What makes a good parent?’ ‘How do you teach a child to be self-reliant?’
This approach would provide opportunities for individual talk (explain, describe,
narrate).

Follow-up activity
Research could be undertaken into R K Narayan and his novels, especially ‘Swami
and Friends’. Alternatively, some time could be spent looking at other stories which
are written from a child’s perspective. Graham Greene, who was an influential
friend of R K Narayan, wrote several, including ‘The Destructors’. Saki’s ‘The
Lumber Room’ and/or ‘Sredni Vashtar’ have central boy characters who are
comparable to Swami.
This section should be read in conjunction with the information on pages 13-17 and
the assessment criteria for Speaking and Listening on pages 19-24 of the
International GCSE English Language (Specification A) (4EA0) specification.

Assessment Objective – AO1

The Assessment Objectives are straightforward but AO1(ii) requires students to
‘use Standard English appropriately’. The following definition should provide
some help in clarifying this area.
Standard English is the variety of the English language normally used in writing,
especially printing. It is associated with the education system in all the English-
speaking countries of the world, and is taught to learners for whom English is not
the first language. It can be distinguished from other varieties of English, principally
in terms of grammar and vocabulary, but not in terms of pronunciation, since
Standard English is spoken in many different accents around the world. It is by no
means identical with ‘formal’ English, since colloquialisms and slang are part of it.
For examination purposes, students will be expected to use Standard English – local
dialect and idioms will be unacceptable if the communication of clear meaning to
other (ie outside) speakers of English is impeded – and students will need to speak
it with an accent that also does not impede communication with other speakers of
English, whether as a first or an additional language.

Formal and informal contexts

‘Informal contexts’ include tasks and situations where students are talking to each
other, for instance in small or large group-discussion work, or pair work, where two
students may be analysing a poem together. Conversational and colloquial
expression is naturally acceptable here.
‘Formal contexts’ usually require more careful consideration of register, reflecting
the purpose and audience. A speech in a debate, for instance, will benefit from
attention to rhetoric; a talk to the class and teacher on a hobby will need to take
into account the public context and appropriate terminology.

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The Speaking and Listening ‘triplets’
All tasks will need to target one set of the triplet verbs.

Triplet 1
Explain, describe, narrate mainly provide opportunities for individual talk, as
follows:
Explain
 Make something comprehensible by giving a clear and detailed account of a
situation, problem or sequence of events or actions.
 Give a justification or rationale for one's own actions and words, or those of
another person.
Examples
o Give a talk to the class explaining either (i) the rules of a game or (ii) the
technicalities of a hobby or (iii) how a new piece of computer equipment
works.
o Role play: Firstly, a student who is justifying his behaviour in a situation
where he or she has broken the rules and secondly, a teacher who is
explaining the actions he or she intends to take in response to this.

Describe
 Give the listener(s) an account or representation of a place, a person or an
event.
Examples
o Give a description of a memorable event as though you were reporting it
for a radio station.
o Describe to a group of tourists or travellers, who are in your area for a
day, a number of places they could visit, so that they can make an
informed choice of itinerary.

Narrate
 Tell the story of an actual event, experience or incident.
 Tell a fictional story, as a narrator or as a character in it.
Examples
o Give an account to a friend of a memorable episode from childhood.
o Take the role of a character in a short story and recount what happens
from your point of view (for example, the father in R K Narayan's short
story 'A Hero'), or create your own character and give a monologue
telling your story.

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Triplet 2
Discuss, argue, persuade are mainly associated with pair or group work, as follows.
Discuss
 Speak together purposefully about something which may, for example,
involve making a decision or clarifying an approach or viewpoint or
preparing for a specified outcome.
 Exchange ideas and opinions.

Argue
 Present reasons in support of, or opposition to a course of action or an
opinion.
 Attempt to prove or disprove that an assertion is true.
 Express, develop and justify a point of view about issues, events, behaviour,
attitudes, values, etc by the use of logical or rational exposition.

Persuade
 Influence listener(s) to accept a point of view on a given topic or argument,
or engage in particular practical actions, by the use of emotive and/or logical
appeal.
 Influence a person to behave in a certain way or accept particular beliefs.
Examples
o Discuss the pros and cons of various charities before deciding which one
to make a contribution to.
o Exchange views, in a small group of four or five, on a controversial
question, for example ‘Should the production of genetically modified
crops be stopped?’
o In a role-play exercise, represent a body of opinion within a committee
of students, which should have representatives of other points of view on
it, arguing the case for a particular line of action and persuading others
to agree. Possible topics might be school uniform or a proposal to change
the school rules on mobile phones.

Assessment opportunities
As always with oral work, there is a need for a flexible approach to assessment
opportunities and teachers should use their own judgement as to how best to allow
their students to succeed. The information below relates to interpreting the
assessment criteria grids (on pages 19-24) of the International GCSE English
Language (Specification A) (4EA0) specification.

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Individual talk
‘Individual’ implies a solo effort of some kind, a contribution in which the listeners’
attention is centred on the student and in which the work is personally created.
However, it does not necessarily mean that the material is entirely self-generated,
provided that the contribution itself is self-contained. For instance, it might be an
outcome from group work, typically when a student is given the role of
representative, with the task of reporting back the findings of a smaller group
discussion to a larger group. This would entail not just reading notes out but
structure, development and attention to appropriate register for task and audience.
For any talk to merit inclusion in this category it would need to be sustained and a
contribution of some significance. This should not necessarily be defined by time
but by key features like the depth of detail or the extent to which ideas are
expanded. A task should have a natural end rather than an arbitrary time limit.
It need not be uninterrupted, but could be facilitated by questions or by comments.
It does not need to be a set piece; it could be a developed personal contribution to
group work. The individual student, however, must for a period of time be the
centre of the listeners’ attention.
The second paragraph in the ‘general criteria’ column (assessment criteria)
provides the key descriptor for this; a hierarchy of skills is presented from merely
showing ‘a limited awareness of the listeners’ for the lower bands, through to
‘managing listeners’ attention through sophisticated styles of delivery’ for the
highest bands. Also, the nature of the audience is important, for example the need
‘to adapt to different audiences’; thus a mix of formal and informal contexts for a
talk might provide opportunities for students to enhance attainment.
With regards to the ‘specific criteria’, an individual talk should be used to fulfil the
first column of triplets, headed ‘explain, describe, narrate’. The first bullet point in
each band of this column refers to the quality of the language used. An ability to
deal with questions and/or interruptions could be a key discriminator, so the final
bullet point, which relates to this, might be especially helpful. The nature of the
subject matter will also help to define achievement, especially to access band 7 –
which requires ‘challenging subject matter’ – and higher bands.
Typical tasks might include some of the following:
 A talk on an area of interest – the more challenging the topic, the more likely
the student is to access the higher grades. So a talk on a personal hobby might
be less demanding than developing an idea. This might involve an informal
context, for example explaining to a friend the pros and cons of a new mobile
phone, or a formal context, for example explaining the benefits of an
International GCSE type course to prospective students and their parents at an
open evening.
This could be extended to very demanding contexts, for instance giving a
presentation as part of a school assembly or delivering a speech for a public
speaking competition.
 Group representative roles in group work, which require reporting back to the
class. This might involve presenting the views of the group after a discussion,
possibly involving problem solving or summarising the ideas of the group.

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 Main speeches in debates. These might be relatively brief in terms of time – a
matter of a few minutes – but such speeches are very significant in the context
of the task.
Examples of possible debating motions:
o this house believes that living in the country is better than living in town
o this house believes that mobile phones should be banned from schools.
The most successful topics are often those linked to issues of current interest.
 An individual presentation, for example giving a review (of a film, book, sporting
event or musical event, etc) to the rest of the class or as part of a simulated
radio/TV programme.
 Explanations of a specific process – for instance the rules of a game, or the
route of a journey. These more concrete tasks may be helpful for students who
lack confidence or specific interests.
 A talk based on a controversial subject would allow more able students to
explain and present a strong point of view, thus providing access to the higher
grades, whereas explaining the pros and cons of some aspect of life near to
their own experience would benefit weaker students.

Pair work
Pair work may have similarities to small group work, but has the distinctive
characteristic of providing direct alternation between two participants, who must
therefore focus directly on listening and speaking to a single partner in order to
complete a specified task. Use of pairs lends itself to a variety of possible
interactions, of which the following are suggestions for possible activities, although
they are not intended to be comprehensive or exhaustive. Pair work may be set up
either as a formal activity, in which the pair has to prepare something for
presentation (eg, to the teacher or the rest of the class), or it may be more
informal, with the two working together as a preliminary to an activity involving a
larger number of students.

Typical tasks:
These may include
 Working through the medium of a worksheet on a poem (eg, from the
Anthology) to discuss its meaning, purpose, style or effects or a prose text,
looking at theme, plot or character. This may include use of highlighting , colour
coding or other annotation carried out normally by one of the pair but using the
suggestions of both.
 A persuasive exercise in which one of the pair is attempting to persuade the
other of a point of view or an action to take
 An instructional exercise in which one partner has to explain to the other how
to carry out a task – for example, giving directions or assembling/using a
product
 Planning and delivering a joint presentation to discuss or explain a topic,
which might include preparation of a PowerPoint

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 Comparing and discussing each other’s thoughts about a topic – for example,
early childhood recollections, or tastes in music or fashion
 One partner conducting an interview with the other, to discuss his or her views
on a subject.

Group work
Group work shifts the focus of assessment from the solo performance to group
interaction. Whilst the expression of a personal viewpoint is important in group
work, its effectiveness will need to be gauged in the context of its impact and
influence on the group and on the development of the discussion, or the task's
purpose. Thus many skills are involved, including the ability to discuss, debate,
argue a case, negotiate and work for a consensus view or solution. Being given a
role as coordinator or chair for the group may stretch able students, but it is also
possible to attain high marks without taking on a supervisory role.
The word ‘group’ should be interpreted broadly; its size could range from three
to any number of students. The larger the group becomes, the more difficult it
becomes to structure or manage the task, and the easier it is for less confident
students to contribute little or nothing. Whilst there is no ideal number, groups of
four or five students provide a good opportunity for everyone to contribute. The
composition of the group is also vital; teachers will need to take into account social
and academic factors to ensure that each group gels, and also to maximise the
opportunities for all group members to make a contribution and provide genuine
assessment opportunities.
For assessment purposes, the third paragraph of the ‘general criteria’ provides the
key descriptor, and (as with individual contributions) there is a hierarchy of skills,
relating to the ability to engage both with the purpose of the task and with other
members of the group. At the lowest bands, students ‘listen and make some
contribution to discussion’; for mid-range bands, fuller participation is expected and
more ‘significant contributions’, whilst at the highest bands students are expected
to show an ability to ‘use different ways to initiate, develop and shape discussion’.
The second of the ‘specific criteria’ columns, headed ‘discuss, argue, persuade’,
provides the key definers for this kind of work. In the second column, there are
three bullet points in the box for each grade, the first providing gradations in levels
of contribution, ranging from the ‘occasional’ (Band 2) to the ‘dynamic and
influential’ (Band 9). The Band 7 descriptor's reference to the management of
collaborative tasks provides a useful benchmark; an ability to do this competently is
a good indicator of higher-order skills. Similarly a Band 8 student should be able to
both ‘initiate’ and ‘sustain’ discussion.
The second bullet point relates to the degree and effectiveness of the student's
engagement with what is being discussed. At the lower bands the student merely
responds generally, whilst at the mid-range bands they engage ‘with others’ ideas,
recognising obvious assumptions and biases’. At the higher bands the response is
required to be even more pro-active in its persuasiveness.
The third bullet point relates in the main to the quality and forcefulness of the
expression. A key distinction in this respect is made at the Band 5/Band 6
borderline; a Band 5 student should be able to use language ‘effectively to convey
opinion’, whereas the Band 6 student’s command will give them the confidence to
‘promote’ a point of view.

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Typical tasks might include some of the following.
 Problem-solving activities which encourage the group to explore different
options and negotiate an outcome. This might involve work based on
brainstorming ideas on a character or a theme in a literature text, or tasks
which require a definite outcome and decision. For instance, what should be
done with a sum of money raised for charity, or to resolve a school-based
problem (What practical steps can be taken to improve the litter situation in the
school?) This activity also provides an opportunity for individual reporting back
to the class or teacher by the group spokesperson. An example is given at the
end of this section.
 Discussions which require a group to prepare a presentation or report back
to a third party may also be suitable, as they involve negotiation to achieve
a specific outcome. For instance, a group might be asked to look at the
presentation of a character or theme in an anthology text and report back the
findings to the whole class. Or a group might be asked to draw up a programme
of advice for new members of the school. Topics for consideration might include,
tips for time management and dealing with homework; school rules and
uniform; extra-curricular activities; coping with examination pressures;
balancing academic work and leisure.
 Small-group discussions can be effective but require careful management.
Ideally you need four or five students to a group to ensure the flow of
discussion. The aim is that the discussion should be as spontaneous as possible.
The topic needs to be fairly controversial and one to which teenagers can relate.
Stimulus material is needed to provide a basis for ideas and a framework of
questions to structure the discussion. One of the group needs to act as a chair
or enabler; this student should be issued with the question sheet and asked to
try to keep the discussion going by using the question sheet and their own
ideas. Members of the group should ideally all face each other so that they
interact with each other and not the assessor. The stimulus material should be
removed so that the discussion is spontaneous. A target time of 12 minutes is
about right, though this could be extended. Further outcomes could be a report
by the chair of the group's ideas, or a formal classroom debate on the subject.
An example is given at the end of this section.
 Class discussion, perhaps following a formal classroom debate. A debate will
provide obvious opportunities for addressing the individual talk requirement, but
sometimes this will develop into a spontaneous discussion where there will be
opportunities for students to make ‘useful contributions’ (Band 4) and ‘make an
impact... through sensitive listening and by challenging and constructive
contributions’ (Band 7).

It is important, when assessing tasks with a component which requires

reporting back, to distinguish between the discussion, which is group
work, and the presentation by the group's representative, which should be
considered as an individual talk.

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Example tasks
Task 1: Small-group problem solving
The following is an example of a task that could provide opportunities for
assessment of both group work and individual talk.
You will need groups of five students, one of whom will act as the chair.

The situation
The class has raised a small but significant amount of money to give to one charity.
The group's task is to decide which one it should be.
The chair's task is to steer the group to a consensus view (if this is possible) and
make the final decision. The four other members of the group should each choose a
different charity to represent; the role of each is to argue the case to the others for
giving the money to their charity.

Structure it like this:

1. The chair asks each committee member in turn to present the case for their
choice of charity. This activity could be preceded by some research into the
chosen charity.
2. Each member should speak for about two minutes, arguing the case for his or
her choice of charity.
3. When the chair has listened to all the arguments, they should make a
preliminary choice of charity, giving reasons (again about two minutes).
4. The chair will then ask, ‘Do you agree?’
5. Presuming that not all members of the group accept this decision, a discussion
follows, in which each member comments on the chair’s decision, and the group
considers the options fully, before (hopefully) coming to agreement. (Allow 10
minutes for this.)
6. The chair brings the discussion to an end. If a consensus has been arrived at,
they should summarise the reasons for the choice. If consensus is impossible
(it usually is!) the chair will need to stop the argument, make a decision and
explain clearly to the group the reasons for the decision.
7. Allowing the chair to present the committee’s findings and decision to the rest of
the class could extend the task.

The discussion component (5) constitutes group work; assess each

student’s contribution using the specific criteria in the ‘discuss, argue,
persuade’ (column 2). The presentations (2,3,6,7) may be assessed as
individual talk; both columns of triplets may be needed in arriving at a
mark.

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Task 2: Pair work discussion and whole-class debate
Introductory stimulus sheet
Clones
Twenty years ago, a famous BBC children's television programme called ‘Dr. Who’
showed the intrepid Doctor being cloned. What happened was that the Doctor was
put into a cabinet with a glass door, some buttons were pushed, and seconds later
there was a duplicate Doctor in the adjacent cabinet. The Doctor had been cloned.
It’s a classic piece of science fiction – but the science fiction is rapidly becoming
science fact.
Of course, instant duplicate copies of people is still fantasy, but the technique of
producing biological copies of people that are younger than the original is a real
possibility. The first breakthrough in cloning came in 1997 when a team of Scottish
scientists astonished the world by announcing that they had successfully cloned an
adult sheep. This was the first time that a mammal had been cloned.
In a process called ‘nuclear transplantation’ the scientist took an udder cell of a
six-year-old ewe and transplanted the nucleus into an unfertilised egg of a second
sheep, from which the original nucleus had been removed. This egg and the new
cell were fused with electric pulses and the egg began to divide normally and
developed into an embryo. Then it was implanted into a third sheep which gave
birth to a lamb that was the genetically identical twin of the sheep from which the
mammary cells were taken. Thus Dolly was born and the only physical difference
between her and the first sheep was that Dolly was younger.
A similar method could be used to clone humans, but the process is not as easy as
it sounds. It took nearly 300 sheep to produce Dolly. Scientists began by trying to
fuse 277 adult cells with an equal number of eggs: this yielded only 29 embryos,
which resulted in just 10 pregnant sheep, only one of which successfully gave birth,
bringing Dolly into the world. Given these odds, it would take dozens of surrogate
mothers just to give birth to one human clone.
Subsequent animal cloning attempts have had mixed results. A kitten has been
cloned, but an attempt to clone an Indian bison – an endangered species – by
inserting DNA from an adult bison's skin cells failed when the baby calf died after
only two days. Also nobody knows how a clone will age. Dolly was cloned from a
six-year-old clone and so the nucleus of all her cells was already six years old when
she was born. How this will affect how long she lives is an unanswered question,
but it has been reported that she is already suffering from arthritis.
People don’t know what to think about cloning. Some take it lightly – one American
website gathered names for a petition to clone Elvis Presley – whilst others take it
very seriously. Overall opinions are deeply divided on whether human cloning
should go ahead. Some scientists say that cloning offers many benefits, for
instance by getting rid of hereditary diseases or helping infertile couples have
babies, whilst others think that it should be banned and point to the dangers of
creating ‘designer babies’ or a ‘genetic underclass’.
Since the possible developments in cloning raises such questions, it’s urgently
important that they should be considered now. Already an American sect has
claimed it cloned two babies, but produced no scientific proof. More seriously, a
team led by an Italian doctor has announced its readiness and keenness to start
cloning humans.
Acknowledgements to NFER and the Learning Network. Clones.

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Questions for discussion
1. Would you like a clone made of you?
Give your reasons.
2. How do you think cloned children would think about themselves?
3. Do you think human cloning, or research into it, should be forbidden?
Give your reasons.
4. What are the arguments, if any, in favour of human cloning?
5. Do you think animal cloning should be allowed to continue?
Give your reasons.

Discussion and debate topic

‘Human cloning, and research into it, should be banned.’
 This may be approached as a pair work task, in which two students discuss the
topic and then present their views to a formal discussion.
 Alternatively, it may be treated as a formal debate topic. In this case, you will
need two teams of three speakers, a proposer (or opposer), a seconder and a
third speaker, each to speak in turn. The first two speakers should present the
case for or against the motion. The next two speakers should develop their
side’s argument and should aim to deal with points raised by the previous
speeches of the other team. These speeches should be significant enough to
allow for assessment as individual talks. Then an opportunity should be given to
the rest of the class to make a contribution to the debate before a vote is taken.

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Task 3: Group work and individual talk assessment
This provides a relatively formal context in which students may be assessed for
both individual talk and group work.
Groups of five or six are needed. One member of the group will also need to act as
chairperson, or this role can be rotated through the group.
Each student should deliver a talk, lasting three to four minutes, on a topic of their
own choice. Each talk is followed by a discussion (about three minutes) by the
whole group of the issues raised by it.
Individual talk assessments will be based on the student’s presentation of their
topic, whilst the group work assessment will be based on each student’s
contribution to all the discussions.
Whilst this is a very efficient way of addressing the specification requirements,
there are some dangers. A strict control of time will probably be necessary; the
target should be to assess a group of six, in 45 minutes.
Topics will need to be chosen and presented to stimulate discussion, not questions
and answers. Factual talks may constrict the opportunities for discussion and hence
for assessment. Also (as in all oral work) students must be discouraged from
reading their speeches. Brief notes are acceptable, but a talk which is basically an
essay read aloud cannot be assessed for Speaking and Listening.
An advantage of this structure is that it allows students to demonstrate higher
skills, like taking on the role of chair (the first bullet point of the Band 7 assessment
criteria refers to the management of collaborative tasks), but a disadvantage is that
it can be very time consuming.

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Resources
Please note that while resources are correct at the time of publication, they may be
updated or withdrawn from circulation. Website addresses may change at any time.

Anthology
Students will be given the Edexcel Anthology for International GCSE and Certificate
qualifications in English Language and Literature which will be available to download
free of charge from the Edexcel website.

Textbooks
There is useful support material for some aspects of the course in:
Addison R, Foster D, Taylor P – Edexcel IGCSE English Language A and B Student
Book Published 2011 ISBN 9780435991265
Textbooks which provide practise in reading and writing skills – comprehension;
writing in different forms – will also be suitable for this qualification.

Websites
The following websites provide useful teaching ideas on writing for different
purposes.

www.bbc.co.uk/education/gcsebitesize GCSE revision site including resources

for English
www.englishresources.org Free teaching and revision sources
www.teachit.co.uk Teaching and revision resources for
teachers

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