Look at the opening paragraph of Text 1. Where is Priya when the story begins, and who is she with?
(Total for Question 1 is 1 mark)
2
Find and copy one word from the first paragraph of Text 1 that shows the sky and marsh looked dull.
(Total for Question 2 is 1 mark)
3
Give the meaning of each of the following words as they are used in Text 1.
(a)'shuffling' (paragraph 2)(1)
(b)'smudge' (paragraph 4)(1)
(c)'wheeling' (paragraph 5)(1)
(d)'hush' (paragraph 5)(1)
(Total for Question 3 is 4 marks)
4
Devraj says, "They won't come if you keep shuffling about... Starlings don't like being watched by someone who can't sit still." Explain what this suggests about what is needed to watch a murmuration successfully.
(Total for Question 4 is 2 marks)
5
Explain what the description 'a flat grey sky sinking slowly towards a flatter grey marsh' suggests about the mood at the start of the extract, and how this mood changes once the murmuration appears.
(Total for Question 5 is 2 marks)
6
How does the writer use the description of the smudge growing and changing in paragraph 4 to build a sense of anticipation before the murmuration fully forms?
(Total for Question 6 is 3 marks)
7
According to Devraj, how do the starlings know where to go as they fly together?
(Total for Question 7 is 1 mark)
8
What does the final paragraph of Text 1 suggest Priya has learned from watching the murmuration? Explain your answer, using evidence from the text.
(Total for Question 8 is 3 marks)
9
Name one of the UK locations mentioned in Text 2 where murmurations can be seen.
(Total for Question 9 is 1 mark)
10
In which city did scientists use stereo photography to study starling flocks, and from which year were their findings published?
(Total for Question 10 is 2 marks)
11
Give the meaning of each of the following words as they are used in Text 2.
(a)'spectacle' (paragraph 1)(1)
(b)'roost' (paragraph 1)(1)
(c)'ripple' (paragraph 3)(1)
(Total for Question 11 is 3 marks)
12
Why might murmurations make it harder for a predator such as a peregrine falcon to catch a single starling? Use evidence from the text to explain your answer.
(Total for Question 12 is 2 marks)
13
Give two facts from Text 2 that explain why UK starling numbers are higher in winter.
(Total for Question 13 is 2 marks)
14
What does the final sentence of Text 2 suggest about the relationship between the dramatic winter displays and the true state of the starling population?
(Total for Question 14 is 3 marks)
15
Explain how the writer structures the final paragraph of Text 2 to build up to a surprising final point.
(Total for Question 15 is 3 marks)
16
According to Text 2, roughly how many neighbouring birds does each individual starling pay attention to when adjusting its flight?
(Total for Question 16 is 1 mark)
17
Both texts describe the murmuration as appearing to be a single connected thing, rather than many separate birds. Find one phrase from Text 1 and one phrase from Text 2 that show this idea.
(Total for Question 17 is 2 marks)
18
Text 1 is fiction and Text 2 is non-fiction. Give one feature of Text 2 that shows it is a non-fiction, informative text, and one feature of Text 1 that shows it is fiction.
(Total for Question 18 is 2 marks)
19
In Text 1, Devraj describes how starlings move together without a leader. In Text 2, scientists describe the same thing. Using evidence from both texts, explain what each suggests about how this happens.
(Total for Question 19 is 4 marks)
20
Compare how the writers of Text 1 and Text 2 each convey a sense of wonder at the scale of a starling murmuration. Refer to both texts in your answer.
(Total for Question 20 is 6 marks)
21
Text 1 ends with Priya reflecting on what she has learned, and Text 2 ends with a statistic about the decline in starling numbers. What is similar about the way both texts end on a thoughtful or surprising final point?
(Total for Question 21 is 2 marks)
22
Text 1 describes the flock as looking like 'a whale, a spinning top, a hand opening and closing'. Text 2 describes flocks 'estimated at over a million birds'. Explain the effect of each of these descriptions.
(Total for Question 22 is 3 marks)
23
Using details from both texts, explain two ways in which watching or studying a murmuration is difficult or demanding.
(Total for Question 23 is 4 marks)
24
Which text do you think gives a more powerful sense of the scale of a starling murmuration, Text 1 or Text 2? Support your answer with evidence and language analysis from at least one text.
(Total for Question 24 is 6 marks)
Mark scheme · EP.E64 Comprehension: Mixed-Genre Set 1
Question 1
B1 Identifies that Priya is inside a (bird) hide, with her uncle Devraj (accept 'by a marsh/reed bed' as additional detail)
Answer: Priya is inside a bird hide overlooking a marsh, with her uncle Devraj.
Question 2
B1 grey (accept either instance: 'flat grey sky' or 'flatter grey marsh')
Answer: grey
Question 3
(a) B1 Meaning close to 'moving restlessly with small, awkward movements'
(a) Answer: moving about restlessly with small, fidgety movements
(b) B1 Meaning close to 'a small, unclear, blurred mark or shape'
(b) Answer: a small, unclear, blurred mark or shape
(c) B1 Meaning close to 'turning or circling together in flight'
(c) Answer: turning or circling together in the air
(d) B1 Meaning close to 'a soft, hushed sound; a quiet murmuring noise'
(d) Answer: a soft, quiet, murmuring sound
Question 4
B1 Identifies that watching successfully requires stillness / patience / not fidgeting
B1 Explains that Devraj is teaching/warning Priya (as someone experienced), suggesting this is a lesson learned from past visits, and that carelessness could spoil the chance of seeing the birds
Answer: It suggests that watching a murmuration requires patience and stillness, and that Devraj, from experience, is warning Priya that restlessness could ruin her chance of seeing the birds.
Question 5
B1 Identifies that the flat, repeated 'grey' creates a dull, uneventful, slightly disappointing mood at the start
B1 Explains the contrast with the vivid, dramatic imagery once the murmuration appears (e.g. shapes, sound, colour of the darkening sky), showing a shift from dullness to wonder
Answer: The repeated word 'grey' creates a flat, dull, uneventful mood at the start, which contrasts sharply with the vivid, dramatic imagery once the murmuration appears, shifting the mood from dullness to wonder.
Question 6
B1 Identifies the gradual, repeated change of the smudge ('thickened, and thinned, and thickened again') as a technique that delays the full reveal
B1 Comments that more birds are described as continually joining ('from every direction'), building a sense of growing scale
B1 Comments on the effect of the final phrase 'something that had no name Priya knew', which builds anticipation by suggesting the shape is becoming impossible to describe, right before it is finally revealed in paragraph 5
Answer: The writer repeatedly describes the smudge changing shape and growing as more birds join, delaying the full reveal and building anticipation, culminating in the phrase 'something that had no name Priya knew' just before the murmuration is fully described.
Question 7
B1 Each bird only watches its closest neighbours (accept 'no leader, no plan')
Answer: Each bird is only watching its closest neighbours; there is no leader and no plan.
Question 8
B1 Identifies that Priya has learned the value of patience, that 'you could not rush a thing like this'
B1 Identifies that she now understands what Devraj meant earlier, connecting back to his advice about sitting still
B1 Comments on how the physical detail of her holding her breath, and her tea going cold and forgotten, shows how completely absorbed and changed by the experience she has become
Answer: Priya learns the value of patience, finally understanding what her uncle meant earlier; the detail of her holding her breath and letting her tea go cold shows how completely absorbed she became in waiting and watching.
Question 9
B1 Accept any one of: the Somerset Levels; Gretna Green (in Scotland); Brighton's West Pier
Answer: Any one of: the Somerset Levels, Gretna Green in Scotland, or Brighton's West Pier.
Question 10
B1 Rome
B1 2008 (accept 'from 2008 onwards')
Answer: Rome; the findings were published from 2008 onwards.
Question 11
(a) B1 Meaning close to 'an impressive or dramatic sight/display'
(a) Answer: an impressive or dramatic sight
(b) B1 Meaning close to 'to settle down to rest or sleep (of birds)', or as a noun, 'the place where birds rest'
(b) Answer: to settle down to rest/sleep together (as birds do), or the place where they rest
(c) B1 Meaning close to 'to spread gradually outward/through something, like a wave'
(c) Answer: to spread outward gradually, like a wave passing through something
Question 12
B1 Identifies that the flock is described as 'shifting' and 'densely packed'
B1 Explains that this makes it harder for a predator to target/focus on any single bird, compared with a bird flying alone
Answer: Because the flock is shifting and densely packed, it is much harder for a predator to target a single bird within it than it would be if that bird were flying alone.
Question 13
B1 Starlings arrive from Scandinavia and Eastern Europe (to escape harsher winters there)
B1 These migrating birds join the resident UK population at shared roosting sites
Answer: Starlings arrive from Scandinavia and Eastern Europe to escape harsher winters, and these migrating birds join the resident UK population at shared roosting sites.
Question 14
B1 Identifies the contrast between the flock's 'apparent abundance' and the reality that starlings are 'in fact, a species in trouble'
B1 Explains that the huge, impressive winter displays can be misleading, making it look as though starlings are thriving
B1 Comments that the sentence works as an ironic or surprising twist, undercutting the sense of wonder built up earlier in the text
Answer: The sentence suggests that the huge, impressive winter displays can be misleading, since despite this apparent abundance the species is actually declining severely - an ironic twist that undercuts the earlier sense of wonder.
Question 15
B1 Identifies that the paragraph opens with a positive point (murmurations protecting starlings from predators)
B1 Identifies the shift signalled by 'Despite these dramatic winter displays, however' into a statistic about decline (more than 80 per cent since the 1970s)
B1 Comments on the effect of ending on the phrase 'a species in trouble', which delivers a surprising, sobering final point after the earlier positive and impressive information
Answer: The paragraph opens positively, discussing how murmurations protect starlings, before the word 'however' signals a shift into a startling decline statistic, ending on the sobering final phrase 'a species in trouble'.
Question 16
B1 Roughly seven (its closest neighbours)
Answer: Roughly seven of its closest neighbours.
Question 17
B1 Valid phrase from Text 1, e.g. 'not one of them seemed to be flying alone'
B1 Valid phrase from Text 2, e.g. 'move as a single shifting shape'
Answer: Text 1: 'not one of them seemed to be flying alone'. Text 2: 'move as a single shifting shape'.
Question 18
B1 Valid non-fiction feature of Text 2, e.g. specific dates/statistics (2008, more than 80 per cent), named real places (Somerset Levels, Rome), an explanatory tone
B1 Valid fiction feature of Text 1, e.g. named characters (Priya, Devraj), dialogue in speech marks, descriptive narrative language
Answer: Text 2 (non-fiction): uses specific dates and statistics (e.g. 2008, more than 80 per cent) and names real places such as the Somerset Levels and Rome. Text 1 (fiction): has named characters, Priya and Devraj, and includes dialogue and descriptive narrative language.
Question 19
B1 Identifies Devraj's explanation in Text 1, with reference (e.g. 'Each bird is only watching its closest neighbours... No leader. No plan.')
B1 Develops/explains this point (e.g. thousands of small decisions made so fast they look like one big one)
B1 Identifies the scientists' explanation in Text 2, with reference (e.g. each starling pays attention to roughly its seven closest neighbours)
B1 Develops/explains this point (e.g. a single small movement can ripple through the entire flock within seconds)
Answer: Devraj explains that each bird only watches its closest neighbours, with no leader and no plan, just thousands of fast decisions. Text 2 confirms this scientifically: each starling pays attention to roughly its seven closest neighbours, so that a small movement ripples through the whole flock within seconds.
Question 20
Level 1 (1-2): Simple, general comment(s) about wonder or scale in one or both texts, with little or no textual reference; limited or no comparison.
Level 2 (3-4): Clear explanation with relevant reference or quotation from at least one text; some attempt to compare the two texts' approaches, though this may be one-sided or underdeveloped.
Level 3 (5-6): Detailed, well-supported comparison using precise references or quotations from both texts; clearly explains how each writer's methods convey the sense of wonder, with insightful comparative comment.
Indicative content:
Text 1 conveys wonder through imaginative imagery, e.g. 'It poured itself into shapes: a whale, a spinning top, a hand opening and closing', and the simile 'like the sea folding over itself'
Text 1 also conveys wonder through Priya's personal, physical reaction, e.g. 'Priya realised she had been holding her breath the whole time'
Text 2 conveys wonder through precise statistics and formal descriptive vocabulary, e.g. 'an extraordinary spectacle' and 'flocks estimated at over a million birds'
Comparative point: Text 1 conveys wonder through figurative language and a character's emotional response, while Text 2 conveys wonder through factual scale and exact numbers, appealing to the reader's sense of scale differently
Any other valid, well-supported comparative point using precise textual evidence
Question 21
B1 Identifies that both endings shift from the dramatic spectacle just described to a quieter, more reflective or serious final idea
B1 Identifies that both endings create a contrast between the impressive display and a deeper truth (Text 1: the lesson of patience; Text 2: the species being 'in trouble')
Answer: Both endings move from the dramatic spectacle just described to a quieter, more thoughtful final idea, contrasting the impressive display with a deeper truth: patience in Text 1, and the species' decline in Text 2.
Question 22
B1 Identifies the list of varied images in Text 1 and explains its effect, e.g. suggests the flock's shape is constantly shifting and hard to pin down to just one comparison, mirroring its unpredictable real movement
B1 Explains the effect of the precise statistic in Text 2, e.g. the huge, exact-sounding number emphasises the sheer scale of the phenomenon in a striking, factual way
B1 Makes a valid comparative/overall point, e.g. both descriptions help the reader appreciate the scale and strangeness of a murmuration, one imaginatively, one factually
Answer: The varied images in Text 1 suggest the flock's shape is constantly changing and hard to describe with just one comparison, while the precise statistic in Text 2 emphasises its huge scale in a striking, factual way. Both help the reader appreciate the scale of a murmuration, one imaginatively and one factually.
Question 23
B1 Identifies a valid difficulty with reference to Text 1, e.g. the cold, damp waiting with no guarantee of seeing anything ('so far all she had seen... was a flat grey sky')
B1 Explains/develops this first difficulty (e.g. it requires sitting still and being patient for an uncertain length of time)
B1 Identifies a valid difficulty with reference to Text 2, e.g. scientists could not explain the behaviour for a long time and needed specialised technology (stereo photography) and years of study (from 2008 onwards)
B1 Explains/develops this second difficulty (e.g. understanding the science required careful, patient research rather than simple observation)
Answer: In Text 1, watching requires enduring cold, damp waiting with no guarantee of seeing anything, needing patience and stillness. In Text 2, studying murmurations was difficult because scientists could not explain the behaviour for a long time and needed specialised technology and years of research to understand it.
Question 24
Level 1 (1-2): States a preference with little or no justification; minimal or no textual reference.
Level 2 (3-4): Gives a clear opinion supported by relevant reference or quotation from at least one text, with some comment on effect.
Level 3 (5-6): Gives a well-reasoned, developed opinion supported by precise, well-chosen references from at least one text (ideally both), with perceptive analysis of language or structure and its effect on the reader's sense of scale.
Indicative content:
Text 1: imaginative imagery and character response, e.g. 'the smudge became a cloud, and the cloud became something that had no name Priya knew', 'thousands of starlings, tens of thousands, wheeling together', and Priya holding her breath
Text 2: precise statistics and factual detail, e.g. 'flocks estimated at over a million birds', 'roughly its seven closest neighbours', 'fallen by more than 80 per cent', and named real locations
Either viewpoint is acceptable if well supported by precise textual evidence
Credit comparative analysis of how narrative technique (Text 1: imagery, character, emotion) versus factual exposition (Text 2: statistics, direct statement) creates a sense of scale differently
Reward a genuine personal response with clear textual justification and understanding of the writer's craft