English B: Higher Level
Experiences (HL) — Theme: Experiences
- 1.
Read the text “The suitcase”. An extract from an original novel: The suitcase had been packed for three weeks. It stood by the door like a patient dog, and every time Nadia passed it she felt it watching her. Her mother had folded everything twice: winter coats for a country where, she had been told, it rained sideways; a jar of za’atar wrapped in a school jumper; a photograph of the olive tree, face down, as if it might be less painful that way. On the last night Nadia opened the case and turned the photograph over. She did not cry. She simply looked at the tree until the light changed, and then she closed the lid, more gently than she had closed anything in her life. (a) Identify the simile in the second sentence and explain what it suggests about Nadia’s feelings. (b) What does the detail of the za’atar wrapped in a school jumper suggest? (c) Why might the photograph have been placed “face down”? (d) What is the significance of Nadia turning the photograph over? (e) Explain how the final sentence conveys emotion without stating it directly.
[5 marks] · no calculator - 2.
Marking analysis: A learner attempts the following task: “Read the text “The suitcase”. An extract from an original novel: The suitcase had been packed for three weeks. It stood by the door like a patient dog, and every time Nadia passed it she felt it watching her. Her mother had folded everything twice: winter coats for a country where, she had been told, it rained sideways; a jar of za’atar wrapped in a school jumper; a photograph of the olive tree, face down, as if it might be less painful that way. On the last night Nadia opened the case and turned the photograph over. She did not cry. She simply looked at the tree until the light changed, and then she closed the lid, more gently than she had closed anything in her life. (a) Identify the simile in the second sentence and explain what it suggests about Nadia’s feelings. (b) What does the detail of the za’atar wrapped in a school jumper suggest? (c) Why might the photograph have been placed “face down”? (d) What is the significance of Nadia turning the photograph over? (e) Explain how the final sentence conveys emotion without stating it directly.” Their response addresses only this point: “(a) “like a patient dog”: the suitcase seems to wait and watch her, suggesting the departure is unavoidable and constantly on her mind.” Evaluate the response against the complete 5-mark task. Identify what earns credit and state every additional requirement needed for full marks.
[5 marks] · no calculator - 3.
Read the text “Gap years: privilege or preparation?”. A feature article: [1] Supporters of the gap year describe it as a pause that makes students more independent and more certain of what they want to study. Critics reply that the classic gap year (volunteering abroad, backpacking across a continent) is a luxury available mainly to families who can afford it. [2] Both sides have a point. Research on student outcomes is mixed: some studies link a structured year out to higher motivation at university, but the benefits seem to depend on what students actually do. [3] A growing number of young people are redefining the idea altogether. They stay at home, work part-time, and use the time to learn a skill or care for relatives. These “quiet gap years” rarely appear on social media, yet they may develop exactly the maturity that universities say they value. (a) What two benefits do supporters claim? (b) Explain the critics’ objection. (c) According to paragraph 2, what do the benefits depend on? (d) What is a “quiet gap year”? (e) What is the writer implying in the final sentence?
[5 marks] · no calculator - 4.
Marking analysis: A learner attempts the following task: “Read the text “Gap years: privilege or preparation?”. A feature article: [1] Supporters of the gap year describe it as a pause that makes students more independent and more certain of what they want to study. Critics reply that the classic gap year (volunteering abroad, backpacking across a continent) is a luxury available mainly to families who can afford it. [2] Both sides have a point. Research on student outcomes is mixed: some studies link a structured year out to higher motivation at university, but the benefits seem to depend on what students actually do. [3] A growing number of young people are redefining the idea altogether. They stay at home, work part-time, and use the time to learn a skill or care for relatives. These “quiet gap years” rarely appear on social media, yet they may develop exactly the maturity that universities say they value. (a) What two benefits do supporters claim? (b) Explain the critics’ objection. (c) According to paragraph 2, what do the benefits depend on? (d) What is a “quiet gap year”? (e) What is the writer implying in the final sentence?” Their response addresses only this point: “(a) More independence and more certainty about what to study.” Evaluate the response against the complete 5-mark task. Identify what earns credit and state every additional requirement needed for full marks.
[5 marks] · no calculator - 5.
You spent time living with a family in another country as part of an exchange. Write a text reflecting on how the experience changed your view of your own culture. Choose one of these text types: diary entry, blog post, speech to students considering an exchange. Write 450–600 words.
[6 marks] · no calculator - 6.
Marking analysis: A learner attempts the following task: “You spent time living with a family in another country as part of an exchange. Write a text reflecting on how the experience changed your view of your own culture. Choose one of these text types: diary entry, blog post, speech to students considering an exchange. Write 450–600 words.” Their response addresses only this point: “Content (criterion B): describes specific moments from the exchange that challenged the writer’s assumptions.” Evaluate the response against the complete 6-mark task. Identify what earns credit and state every additional requirement needed for full marks.
[6 marks] · no calculator - 7.
Complete each sentence with a suitable conditional form of the verb in brackets. (1) If I (know) how hard the first month would be, I would have prepared better. (2) If she hadn’t missed the train, she (never / meet) her future business partner. (3) Unless the visa (arrive) by Friday, we will have to cancel the trip.
[3 marks] · no calculator - 8.
Marking analysis: A learner attempts the following task: “Complete each sentence with a suitable conditional form of the verb in brackets. (1) If I (know) how hard the first month would be, I would have prepared better. (2) If she hadn’t missed the train, she (never / meet) her future business partner. (3) Unless the visa (arrive) by Friday, we will have to cancel the trip.” Their response addresses only this point: “(1) had known.” Evaluate the response against the complete 3-mark task. Identify what earns credit and state every additional requirement needed for full marks.
[3 marks] · no calculator - 9.
Read the text “The first shave”. An extract from an original memoir: My uncle insisted on teaching me, though I could have learned from a video in three minutes. He laid out the brush, the bowl and the razor as if setting a table for an important guest. “Short strokes,” he said. “Never against the grain. And never in a hurry.” I cut myself twice. He did not laugh; he pressed a square of tissue to my chin and waited. Years later I understood that the lesson was not really about shaving. It was the last time he would treat me as a boy, and the first time he would treat me as someone who could be trusted with something sharp. (a) Why does the narrator mention that he “could have learned from a video in three minutes”? (b) Explain the comparison “as if setting a table for an important guest”. (c) What does the uncle’s reaction to the cuts show about him? (d) Explain the narrator’s realisation in the last two sentences. (e) Identify the rite of passage described and explain why it matters to the narrator.
[5 marks] · no calculator - 10.
Marking analysis: A learner attempts the following task: “Read the text “The first shave”. An extract from an original memoir: My uncle insisted on teaching me, though I could have learned from a video in three minutes. He laid out the brush, the bowl and the razor as if setting a table for an important guest. “Short strokes,” he said. “Never against the grain. And never in a hurry.” I cut myself twice. He did not laugh; he pressed a square of tissue to my chin and waited. Years later I understood that the lesson was not really about shaving. It was the last time he would treat me as a boy, and the first time he would treat me as someone who could be trusted with something sharp. (a) Why does the narrator mention that he “could have learned from a video in three minutes”? (b) Explain the comparison “as if setting a table for an important guest”. (c) What does the uncle’s reaction to the cuts show about him? (d) Explain the narrator’s realisation in the last two sentences. (e) Identify the rite of passage described and explain why it matters to the narrator.” Their response addresses only this point: “(a) To show that the practical skill was easy; the uncle’s insistence means the occasion had a deeper value.” Evaluate the response against the complete 5-mark task. Identify what earns credit and state every additional requirement needed for full marks.
[5 marks] · no calculator