Look at paragraph 1 of Text 1. What does Ellie notice about the tide at the start of the extract?
(Total for Question 1 is 1 mark)
2
Find and copy the phrase from paragraph 1 that describes the sunlight reflecting off something in the sand.
(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)'exposed' (paragraph 1)(1)
(b)'crumbled' (paragraph 3)(1)
(c)'cradled' (paragraph 5)(1)
(d)'delicate' (paragraph 6)(1)
(Total for Question 3 is 4 marks)
4
Look at paragraph 5 of Text 1: Ellie carries the bottle home 'careful as though it might shatter with every step'. Explain the effect of this simile.
(Total for Question 4 is 2 marks)
5
Look at paragraph 4 of Text 1: breaking the bottle would feel 'like breaking a promise she had not been asked to keep'. Explain the effect of this simile.
(Total for Question 5 is 2 marks)
6
According to paragraph 2 of Text 1, what does Ellie find half buried in the sand?
(Total for Question 6 is 1 mark)
7
Look at paragraph 3 of Text 1. Why does Ellie first think that someone is playing a trick on her?
(Total for Question 7 is 1 mark)
8
According to paragraph 5 of Text 1, how does Ellie's grandad finally get the cork out of the bottle?
(Total for Question 8 is 1 mark)
9
Explain the effect of the comparison in paragraph 5 of Text 1: grandad works the cork loose 'with the patience of a man who had spent forty years mending clocks'.
(Total for Question 9 is 3 marks)
10
According to paragraph 7 of Text 1, what date is written at the top of the letter?
(Total for Question 10 is 1 mark)
11
Look at the final paragraph of Text 1: grandad 'went very still... as though he, too, had been carried a great distance by the tide'. What does this suggest about grandad's reaction to the letter?
(Total for Question 11 is 3 marks)
12
Which word class best describes 'looping' as it is used in the phrase 'looping handwriting' (paragraph 4 of Text 1)?
(a)Choose the correct word class.(1)
A) Noun
B) Verb
C) Adjective
D) Preposition
(Total for Question 12 is 1 mark)
13
According to paragraph 2 of Text 2, in what year did the cargo ship lose its containers?
(Total for Question 13 is 1 mark)
14
Find and copy the phrase from paragraph 2 of Text 2 that describes what one of the lost containers was carrying, and name two of the places mentioned where the toys washed ashore.
(Total for Question 14 is 3 marks)
15
Give the meaning of each of the following words as they are used in Text 2.
(a)'oceanographers' (paragraph 3)(1)
(b)'debris' (paragraph 4)(1)
(c)'artefact' (paragraph 6)(1)
(Total for Question 15 is 3 marks)
16
Explain why, according to paragraph 3 of Text 2, scientists found the toy spill a useful opportunity.
(Total for Question 16 is 2 marks)
17
Explain the effect of the writer including a direct quotation from Professor Daniel Okafor in paragraph 4 of Text 2.
(Total for Question 17 is 3 marks)
18
According to paragraph 5 of Text 2, in what year was the drift bottle dropped from a German research ship, and in what year was it found?
(Total for Question 18 is 2 marks)
19
How does the writer structure the final paragraph of Text 2 to present a balanced view of what the ocean's currents carry? Refer to the order of ideas in your answer.
(Total for Question 19 is 3 marks)
20
Look at paragraph 5 of Text 2: "Some of these deliberately released 'drift bottles' have travelled for over a century before being discovered; one bottle, dropped from a German research ship in 1906, was not found until 2018." Explain the function of the semicolon in this sentence.
(Total for Question 20 is 2 marks)
21
Both texts describe something that travelled for a very long time before being found. Find one phrase from Text 1 and one phrase from Text 2 that show this idea.
(Total for Question 21 is 2 marks)
22
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 22 is 2 marks)
23
Compare the purposes of the two texts. What is Text 1 trying to do, and what is Text 2 trying to do?
(Total for Question 23 is 3 marks)
24
Text 1 ends with grandad going still 'as though he, too, had been carried a great distance by the tide'. Text 2 states that a bottle 'was not found until 2018, having drifted for more than a hundred years'. Explain the effect of each of these descriptions.
(Total for Question 24 is 3 marks)
25
Using details from both texts, explain two ways in which the passing of time is handled differently in Text 1 and Text 2.
(Total for Question 25 is 4 marks)
26
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 26 is 6 marks)
Mark scheme · EP.E82 Comprehension: Mixed-Genre Set 3
Question 1
B1 It has pulled back further than she has ever seen it
Answer: The tide has pulled back further than Ellie has ever seen it before.
Question 2
B1 caught the low winter sun and threw a flash of light
Answer: caught the low winter sun and threw a flash of light
Question 3
(a) B1 Meaning close to 'uncovered, no longer hidden or protected'
(a) Answer: uncovered, no longer hidden by the water
(b) B1 Meaning close to 'broken down into small pieces or dust'
(b) Answer: broken down into small pieces or dust
(c) B1 Meaning close to 'held gently and protectively, as if precious or fragile'
(c) Answer: held gently and protectively, as if precious or fragile
(d) B1 Meaning close to 'easily damaged, fragile'
(d) Answer: easily damaged, fragile
Question 4
B1 Identifies that the simile emphasises how fragile Ellie believes the bottle to be
B1 Explains the effect, e.g. shows how much care and importance Ellie now places on the bottle, suggesting she already senses it is special
Answer: The simile emphasises how fragile Ellie believes the bottle to be, showing how carefully and seriously she now treats it, as though she already senses it is something special.
Question 5
B1 Identifies that the simile compares breaking the bottle to breaking an unspoken promise
B1 Explains the effect, e.g. suggests Ellie feels an instinctive sense of responsibility or respect towards the bottle and its unknown owner, even though nobody has asked this of her
Answer: The simile compares breaking the bottle to breaking an unspoken promise, suggesting Ellie feels an instinctive sense of responsibility towards it and its unknown owner, even though nobody has actually asked this of her.
Question 6
B1 A bottle (made of deep green glass)
Answer: A bottle, made of deep green glass.
Question 7
B1 Because it is the kind of thing her older brother sometimes does to tease/wind her up (accept similar valid inference about her brother's character)
Answer: Because it is the kind of thing her older brother sometimes does to tease her.
Question 8
B1 He eases it out patiently (accept: with the patience of a man who has spent forty years mending clocks)
Answer: He eases it out slowly and patiently.
Question 9
B1 Identifies that this compares grandad's careful handling of the cork to the skilled patience of a clockmender
B1 Explains that it suggests grandad has great skill, care and steady hands
B1 Explains the wider effect, e.g. it hints at grandad's long experience and calm character, and quietly builds the reader's trust that he will handle the fragile bottle correctly
Answer: Comparing grandad's careful handling of the cork to the patience of a clockmender suggests he has great skill and steady hands, hinting at his long experience and calm character and building the reader's trust that he will handle the fragile bottle correctly.
Question 10
B1 Nineteen sixty-three (1963)
Answer: Nineteen sixty-three (1963).
Question 11
B1 Suggests grandad is shocked or deeply moved by the letter, perhaps recognising it
B1 The comparison to being 'carried a great distance by the tide' suggests he feels suddenly transported back to the past, perhaps to a memory linked to 1963
B1 Suggests the letter has some personal significance to him that has not yet been explained, creating mystery for the reader
Answer: It suggests grandad is shocked or deeply moved, perhaps recognising the letter. The comparison to being 'carried a great distance by the tide' suggests he feels suddenly transported back to the past, hinting that the letter has some personal significance that has not yet been explained, creating mystery for the reader.
Question 12
(a) B1 C
(a) Answer: C) Adjective
Question 13
B1 1992
Answer: 1992.
Question 14
B1 nearly thirty thousand plastic bath toys
B1 Alaska
B1 Hawaii
Answer: 'nearly thirty thousand plastic bath toys'; the toys washed ashore in Alaska and Hawaii, among other places.
Question 15
(a) B1 Meaning close to 'scientists who study the ocean'
(a) Answer: scientists who study the ocean
(b) B1 Meaning close to 'scattered pieces of wreckage or rubbish'
(b) Answer: scattered pieces of wreckage or rubbish
(c) B1 Meaning close to 'an object of historical or scientific interest, often old or made by people'
(c) Answer: an object of historical or scientific interest
Question 16
B1 By tracking where and when the toys were found, they could map ocean currents far more accurately than before
B1 This data would otherwise have cost millions of pounds to collect using specialist equipment
Answer: By tracking where and when the toys were found, scientists could map ocean currents far more accurately than before, using data that would otherwise have cost millions of pounds to collect with specialist equipment.
Question 17
B1 Adds authority/credibility, since he is an expert (an oceanographer) with over twenty years of study
B1 Makes the information feel more personal and engaging than a plain statement of fact
B1 His explanation of why drifting objects are 'remarkably difficult to simulate' gives a clear, expert reason that supports the article's point about the value of drift experiments
Answer: Including an expert's direct words makes the information more credible, since Professor Okafor speaks from over twenty years of study; his explanation of why drifting objects are 'remarkably difficult to simulate' gives a clear, expert reason that supports the article's point about the value of drift experiments.
Question 18
B1 Dropped in 1906
B1 Found in 2018
Answer: It was dropped in 1906 and found in 2018.
Question 19
B1 Identifies that the paragraph opens with a negative/concerning point (most washed-up material is plastic waste, not scientific treasure)
B1 Identifies that this is followed by the connective 'Even so' and a return to a positive, wonder-filled conclusion about rare finds
B1 Explains the effect, e.g. acknowledging the serious problem of ocean pollution before ending on a hopeful note leaves the reader with a more balanced, thoughtful final impression
Answer: The paragraph opens by acknowledging the serious problem of plastic waste in the ocean, then uses the connective 'Even so' to pivot back to a hopeful, wonder-filled conclusion about rare discoveries like drift bottles. Placing the concern first and the positive note last gives the article a balanced, thoughtful final impression.
Question 20
B1 Identifies that the semicolon links two closely related independent clauses (each of which could stand alone as a sentence)
B1 Explains that the second clause gives a specific real example that supports the general claim made in the first clause
Answer: The semicolon links two closely related independent clauses; the second clause gives a specific real example (the 1906 bottle) that supports the general claim made in the first clause.
Question 21
B1 Valid phrase from Text 1, e.g. 'carried a great distance by the tide'
B1 Valid phrase from Text 2, e.g. 'having drifted for more than a hundred years'
Answer: Text 1: 'carried a great distance by the tide'. Text 2: 'having drifted for more than a hundred years'.
Question 22
B1 Valid fiction feature of Text 1, e.g. a named character (Ellie), descriptive narrative language, or dialogue between characters
B1 Valid non-fiction feature of Text 2, e.g. specific dates/statistics (1992, thirty thousand toys), a named expert (Professor Daniel Okafor), or an explanatory, factual tone
Answer: Text 1 (fiction): has a named character, Ellie, and uses descriptive narrative language and dialogue. Text 2 (non-fiction): uses specific dates and statistics (e.g. 1992, thirty thousand toys) and quotes a named expert, Professor Daniel Okafor.
Question 23
B1 Identifies that Text 1's purpose is to entertain and build a sense of mystery through narrative
B1 Identifies that Text 2's purpose is to inform the reader about ocean currents and drift experiments, using facts and expert opinion
B1 Makes a valid comparative point, e.g. both texts engage the reader's curiosity about the sea, but through very different techniques: narrative mystery versus factual explanation
Answer: Text 1's purpose is to entertain and build mystery through narrative, leaving Ellie's grandad's reaction unexplained. Text 2's purpose is to inform the reader about ocean currents and drift experiments using facts, dates and expert opinion. Both engage the reader's curiosity about the sea, but through very different techniques.
Question 24
B1 Explains the effect of the simile in Text 1, e.g. it creates a moment of quiet mystery, suggesting a personal, unexplained connection to the past
B1 Explains the effect of the precise detail in Text 2, e.g. the exact dates make the length of the bottle's journey feel striking and almost unbelievable
B1 Makes a valid comparative/overall point, e.g. both descriptions create a sense of wonder about time and distance, but Text 1 does so emotionally/imaginatively while Text 2 does so factually
Answer: The description in Text 1 creates a moment of quiet mystery, hinting at a personal, unexplained connection to grandad's past, while the precise dates in Text 2 make the length of the bottle's real journey feel striking and almost unbelievable. Both create a sense of wonder about time and distance, but Text 1 does so emotionally and Text 2 does so factually.
Question 25
B1 Identifies that in Text 1 the letter's age (from 1963) is revealed but its full meaning/significance is left unresolved at the end
B1 Develops this point with reference, e.g. grandad's silent, still reaction raises a question that the extract does not answer
B1 Identifies that in Text 2 the passage of time (1906 to 2018, or 1992 onwards) is fully explained using precise dates and scientific reasoning
B1 Develops this point with reference, e.g. facts and expert testimony are used to explain exactly how and why objects travel for so long, leaving no mystery
Answer: In Text 1, the letter's age is revealed, but why it affects grandad so deeply is left unresolved, ending on his silent, unexplained reaction. In Text 2, by contrast, the passage of time (such as the bottle drifting from 1906 to 2018) is fully explained using precise dates and expert reasoning, so nothing about the process is left mysterious.
Question 26
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: mystery, sensory imagery, dialogue, an unresolved ending, e.g. 'as though he, too, had been carried a great distance by the tide'
Text 2: precise dates and statistics, expert quotation, balanced argument, e.g. 'having drifted for more than a hundred years', real-world relevance
Either viewpoint is acceptable if well supported by precise textual evidence
Credit comparative analysis of how narrative technique (Text 1: imagery, mystery, 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