Look at paragraph 1 of Text 1. Where is Amara at the start of the extract, and what is she doing?
(Total for Question 1 is 1 mark)
2
Find and copy one word from paragraph 1 that suggests the wind is behaving like a living creature.
(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)'alcove' (paragraph 3)(1)
(b)'frayed' (paragraph 3)(1)
(c)'brittle' (paragraph 7)(1)
(d)'unmistakably' (paragraph 7)(1)
(Total for Question 3 is 4 marks)
4
In paragraph 1, the writer describes the sound of the wind as rising and falling 'like breathing'. Explain the effect of this simile on the reader.
(Total for Question 4 is 2 marks)
5
What does the fact that the door is described as 'smaller than the others' and 'set into an alcove' suggest about the room behind it?
(Total for Question 5 is 2 marks)
6
The writer describes the lock turning 'as though woken from a long sleep'. Explain the effect of this description.
(Total for Question 6 is 3 marks)
7
According to paragraph 4, how long had Amara's grandfather lived in the lighthouse?
(Total for Question 7 is 1 mark)
8
How does the writer use sentence length to build tension across the extract? Refer to at least two examples in your answer.
(Total for Question 8 is 3 marks)
9
Evaluate how effectively the writer creates a sense of mystery in the final two paragraphs of the extract (from 'Amara stepped closer' to the end). You should comment on: the writer's word choices; the effect of the quoted line; how the extract ends.
(Total for Question 9 is 4 marks)
10
According to Text 2, in what year did conservationists begin releasing red kites into the Chiltern Hills?
(Total for Question 10 is 1 mark)
11
Find and copy the phrase that explains why kites were valued in medieval London.
(Total for Question 11 is 1 mark)
12
Give the meaning of each of the following words as they are used in Text 2.
(a)'carrion' (paragraph 1)(1)
(b)'persecuted' (paragraph 2)(1)
(c)'reintroduction' (paragraph 3)(1)
(Total for Question 12 is 3 marks)
13
Name the two countries the young red kites released into the Chiltern Hills were brought from.
(Total for Question 13 is 2 marks)
14
Why, according to the article, were the Chiltern Hills chosen as the release site for the kites?
(Total for Question 14 is 2 marks)
15
According to Dr Priya Nair, roughly how many breeding pairs of kites were there when the project began, and roughly how many were there within twenty years?
(Total for Question 15 is 2 marks)
16
Explain the effect of the writer including a direct quotation from Dr Priya Nair in paragraph 4.
(Total for Question 16 is 3 marks)
17
How does the writer structure the final paragraph of Text 2 to present a balanced view of the red kites' return? Refer to the order of ideas in your answer.
(Total for Question 17 is 3 marks)
18
What is the writer's main purpose in this article, and how do the facts and statistics used throughout help to achieve it?
(Total for Question 18 is 4 marks)
19
Both texts describe something that was once hidden or kept out of sight. Find one phrase from Text 1 and one phrase from Text 2 that show this idea.
(Total for Question 19 is 2 marks)
20
Text 1 is fiction and Text 2 is non-fiction. Give one feature of Text 1 that shows it is fiction, and one feature of Text 2 that shows it is a non-fiction, informative text.
(Total for Question 20 is 2 marks)
21
Compare the purposes of the two texts. What is Source A trying to do, and what is Source B trying to do?
(Total for Question 21 is 3 marks)
22
Text 1 ends with the description 'the whole tower seemed to hold its breath, waiting'. Text 2 states that the population went 'from six breeding pairs to several thousand'. 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 the idea of something hidden being revealed is handled differently in Text 1 and Text 2.
(Total for Question 23 is 4 marks)
24
Which text do you think is more effective at engaging its reader, 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.E72 Comprehension: Mixed-Genre Set 2
Question 1
B1 Identifies that Amara is inside the lighthouse (near the lantern room), listening to / pressing her hand against the stone wall
Answer: Amara is inside the lighthouse, standing with her palm against the cold stone wall, listening to the wind.
Question 2
B1 worrying (accept 'breathing', as the sound is compared to breathing)
Answer: worrying
Question 3
(a) B1 Meaning close to 'a small recess or hollow set into a wall'
(a) Answer: a small recess or hollow set into a wall
(b) B1 Meaning close to 'worn, unravelling at the edges through age or use'
(b) Answer: worn and unravelling at the edges, through age or use
(c) B1 Meaning close to 'hard but easily broken or crumbled, especially with age'
(c) Answer: hard but easily broken, especially through age
(d) B1 Meaning close to 'in a way that is impossible to mistake for anything/anyone else; clearly'
(d) Answer: clearly and without any doubt; impossible to mistake for anyone else's
Question 4
B1 Identifies that the simile makes the wind/lighthouse seem alive, or personifies it
B1 Explains the effect, e.g. creates an eerie, unsettling atmosphere from the opening line, or hints that something unusual is about to happen
Answer: The simile makes the wind sound as though the lighthouse itself is alive and breathing, creating an eerie, unsettling atmosphere right from the opening line.
Question 5
B1 Suggests the room/door is easy to overlook or miss
B1 Suggests the room was deliberately tucked away or meant to be kept hidden
Answer: It suggests the door is easy to overlook and may have been deliberately tucked away, hinting that whatever is behind it was meant to stay hidden.
Question 6
B1 Identifies this as personification, giving the lock human/living qualities
B1 Explains that it suggests the door has been unused/undisturbed for a very long time
B1 Comments on the wider effect, e.g. adds a slightly otherworldly or mysterious feel, building suspense as the door is about to be opened
Answer: The personification suggests the lock has been undisturbed for a very long time, as though it were sleeping. This gives the moment a slightly otherworldly, mysterious feel and builds suspense just before the door opens.
Question 7
B1 Forty years
Answer: Forty years.
Question 8
B1 Identifies a long, multi-clause sentence (e.g. paragraph 4) that delays action and builds detail, creating anticipation
B1 Identifies the short final sentence (paragraph 8) used for impact, slowing the pace at a key moment
B1 Explains the overall effect, e.g. the contrast in sentence length mirrors Amara's growing suspense and leaves the reader in suspense too
Answer: The writer uses long, layered sentences (e.g. paragraph 4) to delay the moment of discovery and build anticipation, then switches to a short sentence at the very end to create a pause, leaving the reader in suspense.
Question 9
Level 1 (1-2): Simple comment(s) on word choice or content, with little or no reference to the effect on the reader.
Level 2 (3): Clear explanation of how language and structure create mystery, supported by relevant evidence.
Level 3 (4): Detailed, well-evidenced evaluation of how the writer's choices combine to build mystery, including the effect of the unresolved final line.
Indicative content:
Descriptive detail ('brittle' pages, ink 'the colour of weak tea') suggests age and secrecy
The direct quotation 'Tell her when she is old enough to understand' withholds information, creating intrigue about who 'her' is
Personification in the final line ('the whole tower seemed to hold its breath, waiting') mirrors the reader's own suspense
The extract ends on an unresolved cliffhanger rather than an answer, deliberately withholding information from the reader
Question 10
B1 1989
Answer: 1989.
Question 11
B1 valued kites for clearing rubbish from the streets
Answer: valued kites for clearing rubbish from the streets
Question 12
(a) B1 Meaning close to 'the dead, decaying flesh of animals'
(a) Answer: the dead, decaying flesh of animals
(b) B1 Meaning close to 'deliberately and repeatedly hunted, harmed or treated with hostility'
(b) Answer: deliberately and repeatedly hunted or treated with hostility
(c) B1 Meaning close to 'bringing a species back to an area where it had died out or disappeared'
(c) Answer: bringing a species back to an area where it had died out
Question 13
B1 Spain
B1 Sweden
Answer: Spain and Sweden.
Question 14
B1 The rolling farmland offered ideal hunting conditions
B1 The mixed woodland offered ideal nesting conditions
Answer: Because the rolling farmland offered ideal hunting conditions and the mixed woodland offered ideal nesting conditions.
Question 15
B1 Six breeding pairs at the start
B1 Several thousand within twenty years
Answer: There were six breeding pairs at the start, rising to several thousand within twenty years.
Question 16
B1 Adds authority/credibility, since she is an expert (a raptor ecologist) who has studied the project first-hand
B1 Makes the information feel more personal and engaging for the reader than a plain statement of fact
B1 The specific statistic within the quotation (six pairs to several thousand) emphasises the scale of the recovery, making the claim feel more vivid and convincing
Answer: Including an expert's direct words makes the information more credible, since Dr Nair speaks from first-hand experience of the project; her specific statistic also makes the scale of the recovery feel more vivid and convincing to the reader.
Question 17
B1 Identifies that the paragraph opens with a counterpoint or negative viewpoint (farmers' losses, startled picnickers)
B1 Identifies that this is followed by the connective 'Even so' and a return to a positive conclusion
B1 Explains the effect, e.g. acknowledging opposing views before reinforcing the main argument leaves the reader with a favourable final impression
Answer: The paragraph opens by acknowledging a counter-argument (farmers' losses, startled picnickers), then uses the connective 'Even so' to pivot back to a positive conclusion. Placing the criticism first and the positive view last means the article ends on a favourable impression despite presenting both sides.
Question 18
Level 1 (1): Basic identification of purpose (e.g. to inform), with little or no use of evidence.
Level 2 (2-3): Clear identification of purpose with relevant supporting evidence from the text.
Level 3 (4): Well-evidenced explanation of purpose, showing how specific facts and statistics build the writer's case across the whole article.
Indicative content:
Purpose is to inform readers about the red kite's recovery, and to persuade them that conservation can succeed
Statistics (six pairs to several thousand; around ten per cent of the world's population) provide measurable evidence of success
The historical detail (medieval protection, near-extinction by 1930) creates contrast that makes the recovery seem more impressive
The expert quotation adds authority to the persuasive purpose
Question 19
B1 Valid phrase from Text 1, e.g. 'he had never once mentioned a locked room'
B1 Valid phrase from Text 2, e.g. 'hidden away in the remote valleys of central Wales'
Answer: Text 1: 'he had never once mentioned a locked room'. Text 2: 'hidden away in the remote valleys of central Wales'.
Question 20
B1 Valid fiction feature of Text 1, e.g. a named character (Amara), descriptive narrative language, or a quoted line of writing within the story
B1 Valid non-fiction feature of Text 2, e.g. specific dates/statistics (1989, ten per cent), a named expert (Dr Priya Nair), or an explanatory, factual tone
Answer: Text 1 (fiction): has a named character, Amara, and uses descriptive narrative language. Text 2 (non-fiction): uses specific dates and statistics (e.g. 1989, ten per cent) and quotes a named expert, Dr Priya Nair.
Question 21
B1 Identifies that Text 1's purpose is to entertain and build a sense of mystery/suspense through narrative
B1 Identifies that Text 2's purpose is to inform the reader and to show/persuade that conservation can succeed, using facts
B1 Makes a valid comparative point, e.g. both aim to engage the reader's interest, but through different techniques - narrative tension versus factual evidence
Answer: Text 1's purpose is to entertain and build a sense of mystery through narrative and suspense. Text 2's purpose is to inform the reader about the red kite's recovery and to persuade them that conservation works, using facts and expert opinion rather than storytelling. Both aim to engage the reader, but through very different techniques.
Question 22
B1 Explains the effect of the personification in Text 1, e.g. it creates a tense, suspenseful pause that mirrors the reader's own anticipation
B1 Explains the effect of the statistic in Text 2, e.g. the precise numbers make the scale of the recovery feel striking and convincing
B1 Makes a valid comparative/overall point, e.g. both descriptions create impact at a key moment, but Text 1 does so emotionally/imaginatively while Text 2 does so factually
Answer: The personification in Text 1 creates a tense, suspenseful pause that mirrors the reader's own anticipation, while the precise statistic in Text 2 makes the scale of the recovery feel striking and convincing. Both create impact at a key moment, but Text 1 does so emotionally and Text 2 does so factually.
Question 23
B1 Identifies that in Text 1 the locked room and logbook are revealed to Amara, but the reason for the secrecy is left unresolved at the end
B1 Develops this point with reference, e.g. the final quoted line ('Tell her when she is old enough to understand') raises a question that is not answered
B1 Identifies that in Text 2 the red kite's near-disappearance is fully explained, and its 'reintroduction' is openly described and celebrated
B1 Develops this point with reference, e.g. facts and statistics are used to explain exactly how and why the population recovered, leaving no mystery
Answer: In Text 1, the locked room and logbook are revealed to Amara, but why they were kept secret is left unresolved, ending on the unanswered quoted line 'Tell her when she is old enough to understand.' In Text 2, by contrast, the red kite's near-disappearance and later reintroduction are fully explained using facts and statistics, so nothing is left mysterious by the end.
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.
Indicative content:
Text 1: suspense, sensory imagery, personification, an unresolved ending, e.g. 'the whole tower seemed to hold its breath, waiting'
Text 2: precise statistics, expert quotation, balanced argument, e.g. 'from six breeding pairs to several thousand', real-world relevance
Either viewpoint is acceptable if well supported by precise textual evidence
Credit comparative analysis of how narrative technique (Text 1: imagery, suspense, character) versus factual exposition (Text 2: statistics, expert opinion, balanced structure) engages the reader differently
Reward a genuine personal response with clear textual justification and understanding of the writer's craft