This document provides guidance and information about an exam assessing reading skills. It outlines 4 exam questions that will test different reading abilities. Question 1 focuses on retrieving explicit information from a source text. Question 2 examines understanding presentational features like headlines and pictures. Question 3 evaluates interpreting parts of a story and linking them to thoughts/feelings. Question 4 requires comparing the language used for effect between two source texts by giving examples and analyzing the impacts. The document advises including a range of sentences, punctuation, discourse markers, paragraphs, and rhetorical devices in answers. It emphasizes writing responses appropriate for the purpose and intended audience of the exam.

1. Final Countdown
What’s required....

2. Learning Objectives
We are learning to...
• Understand the skills required in the exam

3. Section A: Reading
Read Source 1, the online travel article called
Rafting on the Grand Canyon by Elisabeth
Hyde.
1 - What do you learn from Elisabeth Hyde’s
article about where she has been and what she
has been doing? (8 marks)

4. Q1 – 8 marks
Question 1 refers to the first source, called Item
1, and will test the candidates’ ability to
retrieve information and ideas from the
source text.
What the examiners are looking for:
“Information/understanding/inference”
Reading Skill Select appropriate information and show
1 understanding

6. Now read Source 2, the article and the picture
which goes with it called Fearsome
Tyrannosaurus Rex Sue may have died of a
sore throat by Ian Sample.
2. Explain how the headline, sub-headline and
picture are effective and how they link with
the text. (8 marks)

7. Q2 - 8 marks
Question 2 refers to the second of the
sources, called Item 2, and will test candidates’
ability to understand and interpret
presentational features such as
headline, sub-headline, pictures and captions
from the source text. (AO2iii)

8. Q2 - 8 marks
When thinking about the uses of
presentational and linguistic devices, you
should have in mind the following:
- the need to make a direct reference or
quotation to illustrate the device
- the need to explain why they think the writer
has used the device (purpose)
- the need to explain or analyse the effect that
the use of the device has on the reader
(audience)
PEE+

9. Q2
What the examiners say:
“Q2 is about linking presentational aspects
to the texts so do some work on pictures
and headlines and captions”
Reading Skill
2
Understand and interpret (PEE+)

11. Now read Source 3, Everest The Hard
Way, which is an extract from a non-fiction
book.
3. Explain which parts of Pete Boardman’s story
of the return to Camp 6 you find tense and
exciting. (8 marks)

12. Q3 – 8 marks
Question 3 refers to the third source, called Item
3, and will test the candidates’ ability to
understand and interpret meaning in
the source text.

13. Q3
What the examiners say you’ll be asked about:
“Thought/feelings usually linked to
literary non-fiction text”
Reading Skill
2
Understand and interpret (PEE+)

15. Now you need to refer to Source 3, Everest The
Hard Way and either Source 1 or Source 2.
You are going to compare the two texts, one of
which you have chosen.
4. Compare the different ways in which language
is used for effect in the two texts.
Give some examples and analyse what the effects
are. (16 marks)

16. Q4 – 16 marks
Question 4 refers to the third source together with
one of the other sources chosen by the candidate.
This tests the candidates’ ability to compare
the effectiveness of language used by the
writers in the source texts.

17. Q4
What the examiners say:
“Q4 is the comparative element and
here the comparison is between the
language features of two of the
sources”
Reading Skill
3
Understand, interpret and compare

18. Q4 - 16 marks (like Q2)
When thinking about the uses of
presentational and linguistic devices, you
should have in mind the following:
- the need to make a direct reference or
quotation to illustrate the device
- the need to explain why they think the writer
has used the device (purpose)
- the need to explain or analyse the effect that
the use of the device has on the reader
(audience)

21. What you must have in Section B
Must use a range of sentences (write down all the
punctuation you know and use it!)
Must use discourse markers
Must be appropriate for purpose
Must be appropriate for audience
Must use rhetorical devices for last question
Must use paragraphs
Must have a links through the text (opening and
end)