Paper 1 Insert

Read Text A, and then answer Questions 1(a)–1(e) on the question paper.
Text A: Top tips for travel writing
This text is an online article giving advice from the editor of a website to people thinking of a
career in travel writing.
Don’t worry,’ said the stallholder. ‘The snake round your daughter’s neck is not venomous.’
That was the example my instructor used when he taught us the immense value of a good opening
to an article. My instructor is the travel editor for a national newspaper. Since 2000, he has written
about, and been hopelessly lost in, diverse destinations on six continents.
Having quit my job in software design to become a travel blogger and edit this website, I was
attending a travel writing conference he was running. I wanted to improve the writing on my blog;
my writing has improved, but I didn’t anticipate how much that conference would affect my role
as an editor. If you have sent me an article and I have rejected it, it was probably because of
something I learned at that conference.
Writers of the unsuccessful articles submitted to me seem to think that they need extra padding at
the beginning that goes something like: ‘Travel is wonderful. We should all travel.’ Get to the
point. The articles I hate the most begin: ‘Our plane landed in …’. If the most interesting portion
of your trip is the plane landing and collecting your luggage, then OK, start your story that way.
Arguably though, if this really is the most interesting portion of your trip, you’d be better off
staying at home.
Good travel writing transports people. It celebrates the differences in manners and customs around
the world, helping readers to understand other people and places. It helps readers plan their own
trips and avoid costly mistakes while travelling. Most of all, readers get to experience those far-
off destinations that they may never visit.
I should point out, while I’m encouraging others to pursue their career in travel writing, that it was
also at that conference that I decided to return to working in software design. Sitting in a room full
of travel writers who were describing how difficult it is to make a living persuaded me to keep it
strictly as a hobby.
But if you have the desire to travel, and the savings, I can recommend that annual conference
which my good friend runs every August.

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Read Text B, and then answer Question 1(f) on the question paper.
Text B: Crossing Antarctica
This text is an article about Wendy Searle who plans to break the women’s world speed record
for skiing solo to the South Pole, unassisted and unaided – a huge challenge!
Five years ago, Wendy Searle hadn’t considered crossing Antarctica. Then she organized the
media campaign of an expedition to the South Pole by a team of military personnel. It made her
wonder if she could have a go herself.
Despite the fact that she had no previous polar training and had never skied before, she successfully
skied 560 kilometres across the Greenland ice sheet last year: ‘One thing I learned is that my polar
expedition will be incredibly tough, mentally.’
Searle will need to ski 1130 kilometres across the frozen continent of Antarctica in less than 38
days, 23 hours and 5 minutes. ‘I can’t have any outside assistance and I have to take everything
with me in a special sledge called a pulk: all my food, my fuel, my supplies, everything. I can’t
have any food re-supplies or medical help. I cannot even accept a cup of tea,’ she said. ‘I’ll be
completely alone and, in all likelihood, I won’t see anybody else.’
Searle is 1.53 metres tall and weighs just over 60 kilograms; the pulk will weigh over 80 kilograms.
Training for the expedition, she needs to spend more than 10 hours a week lifting weights and
running up and down hills pulling a tyre, while also holding down a full-time job. Knowing how
difficult and dangerous the route is going to be forces Searle to prioritise training: ‘That one day
you don’t train might be the difference between success and failure.’
Her family – her husband is a soldier and they have three teenage daughters and a son – are doing
all they can to support her. ‘My children are super-independent. They even organise me. They’ll
say, “Don’t forget parents’ evening and these are the appointments I’ve got you.” They’re
amazing.’ She’s determined to inspire them. ‘I want my children to see that it’s OK to pursue
something with a white-hot passion in a single-minded way and focus on a goal.’
Searle is still raising money to fund the expedition. She feels it’s more difficult to attract
sponsorship as a female polar explorer: ‘People need to get behind female adventurers. I asked a
well-known TV agent why there aren’t more programmes about us and she said, “Honestly, there
just isn’t the audience.”’
Searle hopes her story will change perceptions.

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Read Text C, and then answer Questions 2(a)–2(d) and Question 3 on the question paper.
Text C: Lost mining city
For centuries stories had been passed down about an ancient city in a very remote part of Brazil,
the inhabitants of which mined vast quantities of gold, silver and precious stones from the
surrounding mountains. An adventurer called Raposo took a team on a long expedition across
rough terrain to find the ancient city. This is an account of the final stage of their journey.
The party was travelling again, tired of this seemingly endless wandering, and disheartened by
their failure so far to locate the lost mines or evidence of ancient civilisation. Raposo worked hard
to keep their spirits high, but many of his companions had long decided that no such places existed.
They had come through swamps and bush country, stumbling and complaining, and now a range
of jagged mountains showed up ahead, beyond a grassy plain broken by thin belts of green forest.
These were no ordinary mountains. As the party came nearer, the sides lit up in flame, for it had
been raining and the setting sun was reflected from wet rocks rich in colour and light. To the on
looking explorers they seemed to be studded with gems. Streams leaped from rock to rock and,
over the crest of the ridge, a rainbow beckoned.
‘An omen!’ cried Raposo. ‘See! Our destination is just on the other side. We will be rich!’
However, night had fallen, forcing them to camp before they could reach the foot of the immense
mountain range.
Next morning, when the sun came up from behind them, the crags appeared black and menacing.
To the eyes of many their height was vast, and when the party reached them it was to find sheer,
unscalable precipices. All day they struggled over boulders and crevices, seeking a way up those
glossy sides.
Eventually, judging that weariness was overwhelming his party, Raposo called a halt. ‘We’d better
return to our old trail and try to go northwards and around these mountains.’
‘Camp!’ was the wail. ‘Let’s camp. We’ve had enough for one day. Tomorrow we can return to
the trail.’
‘Very well,’ answered the leader, and then to two adventurers, ‘You, Jose and Manoel, off you go
to find wood for the fire!’ Jose glanced at Manoel in disbelief at their misfortune before nodding
briefly, and reluctantly followed Manoel into the darkness.
Camp was pitched and the party was resting, when confused shouting and crashing in the bush
brought them to their feet. Manoel burst into view. ‘We’ve found it!’ Manoel cried. ‘We’ve found
the way up!’ Jose appeared behind him, his face like stone.
Searching for firewood in the scrub, they had seen a dead tree at the edge of a small wooded creek.
This was the best fuel to be had, and they were making their way towards it, when a deer sprang
up on the other side of the creek and disappeared beyond a corner of the cliff. Surprised at its
agility and how quickly it had vanished, Manoel followed, and came to a deep cleft in the face of

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the precipice. He saw that it was possible to climb through it to the summit. Firewood was forgotten
in his excitement.
Raposo cajoled the weary adventurers, and soon, packs shouldered, they set off with Raposo and
Manoel leading. Jose dropped behind, muttering to others who wore similar mutinous expressions.
The group entered the crevice in single file to find that it widened inside. Raposo exclaimed in
wonder at traces of old man-made paving. In places, the sheer walls of the cleft seemed to bear the
almost obliterated marks of tools. Clusters of rock crystals and frothy masses of quartz gave the
wide-eyed leader the feeling of having entered a fairyland, and, in the dim light filtering down
through the tangled mass of creepers overhead, his anticipation of a wondrous citadel on the other
side was palpable.
The climb was so difficult that three hours passed before the group emerged breathless on a ledge
above the surrounding plain. There, Raposo picked up an abandoned axe head and gazed outwards,
as if he was lost in a dream. Ahead of them lay the broken remains of a human settlement.
Raposo spun round on his feet and stared in disbelief at the other men.

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Read Text A, Top tips for travel writing, in the insert and then answer Questions 1(a)–1(e) on
this question paper.
Question 1
(a). Give the example used by the instructor to teach the value of a good opening to an article,
according to the text.
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(b). Using your own words, explain what the text means by:
(i) ‘immense value’ (line 2):
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(ii) ‘diverse destinations’ (line 4):
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(c). Re-read paragraph 3 (‘Having quit …… that conference.’).
Give two ways in which attending the conference changed the writer.
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(d). Re-read paragraphs 4 and 5 (‘Writers of . . . never visit.’).
(i). Identify two mistakes made by writers of unsuccessful articles.
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(ii). Explain why people like to read good travel writing, according to the text.
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(e). Re-read paragraphs 6 and 7 (‘I should point out . . . every August.’).
Using your own words, explain why people might not accept the writer’s advice about being a
travel writer.
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Read Text B, Crossing Antarctica, in the insert and then answer Question 1(f) on this question
paper.
(f). According to Text B, what challenges does Searle face to achieve her goal?
You must use continuous writing (not note form) and use your own words as far as possible.
.Your summary should not be more than 120 words.
Up to 10 marks are available for the content of your answer and up to 5 marks for the quality
of your writing.
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Read Text C, Lost mining city, in the insert and then answer Questions 2(a)–(d) on this question
paper.
Question 2
(a). Identify a word or phrase from the text which suggests the same idea as the words underlined:
(i). The adventurers were fed up of constantly roaming around.
................................................................................................................................ [1]
(ii). Jose unwillingly trailed Manoel.
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(iii). Manoel had not expected the deer to have such speed and sprightliness.
................................................................................................................................ [1]
(iv). Raposo tried to encourage and sweet-talk the men.
…………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
(b). Using your own words, explain what the writer means by each of the words underlined:
Camp was pitched and the party was resting, when confused shouting and crashing in the bush
brought them to their feet. Manoel burst into view. ‘We’ve found it!’ Manoel cried. ‘We’ve found
the way up!’
(i) resting .................................................................................................................... [1]
(ii) confused ................................................................................................................ [1]
(iii) burst ...................................................................................................................... [1]
(c). Use one example from the text below to explain how the writer suggests the feelings of the
leader, Raposo, when the adventurers enter the cleft.
Use your own words in your explanation.
Clusters of rock crystals and frothy masses of quartz gave the wide-eyed leader the feeling of
having entered a fairyland, and, in the dim light filtering down through the tangled mass of creepers
overhead, his anticipation of a wondrous citadel on the other side was palpable.
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(d). Re-read paragraphs 2 and 4.(d)

• Paragraph 2 begins ‘These were no ordinary mountains . . . ’ and is about the sight of the
mountains to the weary adventurers.
• Paragraph 4 begins ‘Next morning . . . ’ and is about how the adventurers try to ascend the
mountain by daylight.
Explain how the writer uses language to convey meaning and to create effect in these paragraphs.
Choose three examples of words or phrases from each paragraph to support your answer. Your
choices should include the use of imagery.
Write about 200 to 300 words.
Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer.
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[15]

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Re-read Text C, Lost mining city, in the insert and then answer Question 3 on this question paper.
Question 3
You are Jose. A day later you write an entry in your journal, in which you:
• describe where you have been and what you have seen in the final stages of your adventure
• explain how you have felt during the recent days about the expedition and your leader, Raposo
• describe what has happened since you saw the broken remains of the human settlement.
Write the words of your journal.
Base your journal entry on what you have read in Text C, but be careful to use your own words.
Address
Write about 250 to 350 words.
Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer and up to 10 marks for the
quality of your writing.
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