2. English Language Exam
(Higher)
Each of the 4 READING questions tests a different skill:
• Questions 1 & 3 focus on the candidate’s ability to
read between the lines
• Questions 2 & 4 focus on the candidate’s ability to
explore language/image choices and their effects
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3. You will need:
• The accompanying Word document entitled:
How to Answer Question 1 - Lesson Materials
• To follow the instructions in green
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4. Q1: Read Source 1, Will turning
vegetarian save the planet? by Alex
Renton.
What do you understand about the issues of
vegetarianism and eating meat from the article?
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•
5. What will the examiners be
looking for?
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The examiners will be looking to see that you demonstrate
the following skills in your response to Question 1:
• The ability to summarise and retrieve specific
information from the text and then put it into your own
words
• The ability to embed small quotations into your
response
• The ability to interpret what the writer says by exploring
what they might actually mean
• The ability to engage with the text by personally
reacting to the issues raised.
6. So what exactly do I need to do?
SEIE.
Make up your own silly mnemonic to remember
SEIE (e.g. Snails Eat Icy Eggs). This will ensure you
demonstrate the following skills in your response
to Question 1:
• Summarise
• Embed quotations
• Interpret
• Engage
Look at the
accompanying Word
document as a
detailed guide.
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7. Summarise
Find the relevant information from the text and
put it into your own words. You may include
phrases like:
• In this article…
• I now understand…
• From this article I have understood…
• This article has also revealed to me…
• I have also learnt…
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8. Embed Quotations
Embed small quotations from the article into your
response like in the example below:
From this article I understand that the livestock reared
for humans to eat such as “sheep and pigs” surprisingly
produce even more greenhouse gases than the sources
of transport like “cars and aeroplanes” that we usually
associate with greenhouse gases, so maybe eating meat
is harming the planet more than was first thought.
As you can see, the quotations flow into the candidates
response as though they are their own words.
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9. Interpret
Read beyond what is actually said to interpret the
writer’s hidden meanings/suggested meanings.
Include phrases like:
• This suggests…
• So maybe…
• This makes me wonder…
• …meaning that…
• This indicates…
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10. Engage
Have a personal reaction to the issue you have
been asked to focus on and express this discretely
in your response by including adverbs and
adjectives. See below:
From this article I understand that the livestock
reared for humans to eat such as “sheep and pigs”
surprisingly produce even more greenhouse gases
than the sources of transport like “cars and
aeroplanes”…
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11. SEIE
If you remember to summarise, embed
quotations, interpret the information you have
selected and you show that you engage with
the text, you will achieve a Band 4 mark.
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12. How much should I write?
Look at Candidate A’s response as a guide for
how much to write.
They have written 4 detailed paragraphs which
cover 4 main issues from the text, in detail, and
each paragraph demonstrates the SEIE skills.
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13. Your turn
Have a go at writing a response to Question 1
yourselves, making sure that you cover all four
SEIE skills.
Make sure you do not copy Candidate A’s
response. You will not learn anything by doing
this.
You have 12 minutes.
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14. Peer/Self Assessment
Go through your own/your partner’s response
and give a mark /2 for each of the skills then a
total /8
Summarise /2
Embed quotations /2
Interpret /2
Engage /2
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15. Practice really does make perfect
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Practice writing responses to each of the
questions until you feel confident that you
know exactly what you need to cover in each
response.
