English B: Standard Level

1. 1.

   Read the text “Why I volunteer at the food bank”. [1] Every Saturday morning I sort tins at the town food bank. I started because my school requires community service, but I stayed for different reasons. [2] The first surprise was who comes in. I expected only people without jobs, but many visitors work full-time and still cannot cover rent and food. [3] The second surprise was the atmosphere. It is not sad; it is busy, noisy and often funny. The manager, Mr Osei, knows every regular visitor by name. [4] I have learned to check dates on packets, to load a van in ten minutes, and, more importantly, not to judge people by the queue they are standing in. (a) Why did the writer first start volunteering? (b) What was the writer’s first surprise? (c) Find a phrase in paragraph 3 that shows the atmosphere is not sad. (d) Give two practical skills the writer has learned. (e) What is the most important lesson the writer has learned?

   [5 marks] · no calculator

   Syllabus placement evidence: Language B guide: Paper 2 receptive skills (reading). Social organization: comprehension of an original theme-related text.

   Worked explanation

   1. Read each question, then scan the matching paragraph for the exact detail; keep answers short and use the text's words where a quotation is requested.
   2. Model answers: (a) The school requires community service. (b) Many visitors work full-time but still cannot cover rent and food. (c) “busy, noisy and often funny” (or “knows every regular visitor by name”). (d) Any two of: checking dates on packets; loading a van in ten minutes; (sorting tins). (e) Not to judge people by the queue they are standing in.

   Common mistake: Copying a long section of the text or answering from general knowledge instead of giving the precise detail, word or short quotation the question targets.

   Marking points

   • (a) The school requires community service.
   • (b) Many visitors work full-time but still cannot cover rent and food.
   • (c) “busy, noisy and often funny” (or “knows every regular visitor by name”).
   • (d) Any two of: checking dates on packets; loading a van in ten minutes; (sorting tins).
   • (e) Not to judge people by the queue they are standing in.

   Examiner tip: Questions often follow the order of the text; use paragraph numbers to find the right section quickly.

2. 2.

   Marking analysis: A learner attempts the following task: “Read the text “Why I volunteer at the food bank”. [1] Every Saturday morning I sort tins at the town food bank. I started because my school requires community service, but I stayed for different reasons. [2] The first surprise was who comes in. I expected only people without jobs, but many visitors work full-time and still cannot cover rent and food. [3] The second surprise was the atmosphere. It is not sad; it is busy, noisy and often funny. The manager, Mr Osei, knows every regular visitor by name. [4] I have learned to check dates on packets, to load a van in ten minutes, and, more importantly, not to judge people by the queue they are standing in. (a) Why did the writer first start volunteering? (b) What was the writer’s first surprise? (c) Find a phrase in paragraph 3 that shows the atmosphere is not sad. (d) Give two practical skills the writer has learned. (e) What is the most important lesson the writer has learned?” Their response addresses only this point: “(a) The school requires community service.” 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

   Marking points

   • Recognises credit for the stated point: (a) The school requires community service.
   • Checks this criterion, crediting equivalent work already shown or identifying what is missing: (b) Many visitors work full-time but still cannot cover rent and food.
   • Checks this criterion, crediting equivalent work already shown or identifying what is missing: (c) “busy, noisy and often funny” (or “knows every regular visitor by name”).
   • Checks this criterion, crediting equivalent work already shown or identifying what is missing: (d) Any two of: checking dates on packets; loading a van in ten minutes; (sorting tins).
   • Checks this criterion, crediting equivalent work already shown or identifying what is missing: (e) Not to judge people by the queue they are standing in.

   Examiner tip: Check each criterion, including equivalent work already shown. Do not demand an extra step merely to rewrite an equivalent answer. Do not award the same idea twice or infer work the learner did not show.

3. 3.

   Read the text “Summer jobs: what employers want”. A careers advice page: Each year our local businesses offer around two hundred summer jobs for students aged sixteen and over. We asked twenty managers what they look for. Experience came surprisingly low on the list. Instead, reliability was mentioned most often: arriving on time and doing what you said you would do. Communication came second, especially the confidence to ask questions when you are unsure. Several managers said a short, polite email after an interview made a candidate stand out. Applications close on 30 April. Students under sixteen can still join our job-shadowing days, which run during the spring holiday. (a) What is the minimum age for the summer jobs? (b) Which quality did managers mention most often? (c) What does the text say about experience? (d) What can make a candidate stand out after an interview? (e) What can students under sixteen do?

   [5 marks] · no calculator

   Syllabus placement evidence: Language B guide: Paper 2 receptive skills (reading). Social organization: comprehension of an original theme-related text.

   Worked explanation

   1. Read each question, then scan the matching paragraph for the exact detail; keep answers short and use the text's words where a quotation is requested.
   2. Model answers: (a) Sixteen. (b) Reliability (arriving on time and doing what you said you would do). (c) It came surprisingly low on the list. (d) A short, polite email after the interview. (e) Join the job-shadowing days during the spring holiday.

   Common mistake: Copying a long section of the text or answering from general knowledge instead of giving the precise detail, word or short quotation the question targets.

   Marking points

   • (a) Sixteen.
   • (b) Reliability (arriving on time and doing what you said you would do).
   • (c) It came surprisingly low on the list.
   • (d) A short, polite email after the interview.
   • (e) Join the job-shadowing days during the spring holiday.

   Examiner tip: Watch for words like “surprisingly” and “instead”: they often signal the answer to a question about the writer’s main point.

4. 4.

   Marking analysis: A learner attempts the following task: “Read the text “Summer jobs: what employers want”. A careers advice page: Each year our local businesses offer around two hundred summer jobs for students aged sixteen and over. We asked twenty managers what they look for. Experience came surprisingly low on the list. Instead, reliability was mentioned most often: arriving on time and doing what you said you would do. Communication came second, especially the confidence to ask questions when you are unsure. Several managers said a short, polite email after an interview made a candidate stand out. Applications close on 30 April. Students under sixteen can still join our job-shadowing days, which run during the spring holiday. (a) What is the minimum age for the summer jobs? (b) Which quality did managers mention most often? (c) What does the text say about experience? (d) What can make a candidate stand out after an interview? (e) What can students under sixteen do?” Their response addresses only this point: “(a) Sixteen.” 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

   Marking points

   • Recognises credit for the stated point: (a) Sixteen.
   • Checks this criterion, crediting equivalent work already shown or identifying what is missing: (b) Reliability (arriving on time and doing what you said you would do).
   • Checks this criterion, crediting equivalent work already shown or identifying what is missing: (c) It came surprisingly low on the list.
   • Checks this criterion, crediting equivalent work already shown or identifying what is missing: (d) A short, polite email after the interview.
   • Checks this criterion, crediting equivalent work already shown or identifying what is missing: (e) Join the job-shadowing days during the spring holiday.

   Examiner tip: Check each criterion, including equivalent work already shown. Do not demand an extra step merely to rewrite an equivalent answer. Do not award the same idea twice or infer work the learner did not show.

5. 5.

   You want to start a peer-tutoring scheme in which older students help younger ones with homework. Write a text to the appropriate audience proposing the scheme and explaining how it would work. Choose one of these text types: proposal, formal email, school-website announcement. Write 250–400 words.

   [6 marks] · no calculator

   Syllabus placement evidence: Language B guide: Paper 1 productive skills (writing), criteria A–C. Social organization: SL writing task on a prescribed-theme context.

   Worked explanation

   1. Decide the text type first, then list what the task requires: the audience, the purpose and every content point. Plan one paragraph for each main idea and aim for 250–400 words. For this task: explains the problem or need the scheme addresses and its benefits for both age groups. gives practical details of how it would work (when, where, who, how pairs are formed).
   2. Check each line of the self-check list against your draft: two content points (criterion B), clear linked paragraphs (B), the conventions of your chosen type and a consistent register (C), and accurate, varied language (A).

   Common mistake: Writing a generic essay that ignores the stated audience, purpose and text type, which limits criteria B and C however accurate the language is.

   Marking points

   • Content (criterion B): explains the problem or need the scheme addresses and its benefits for both age groups.
   • Content (criterion B): gives practical details of how it would work (when, where, who, how pairs are formed).
   • Message (criterion B): ideas are developed with specific details or examples and organised in clear, logically linked paragraphs.
   • Conventions (criterion C): uses features of the chosen type, e.g. a title, sections and recommendations for a proposal; a subject line, formal greeting and sign-off for an email; a headline and clear call to action for an announcement.
   • Register (criterion C): formal and persuasive for staff, or clear and welcoming for students, consistent throughout.
   • Language (criterion A): varied vocabulary and a range of accurate simple and complex structures; any errors do not obstruct meaning.

   Examiner tip: Choose the audience the task implies: a proposal needs the decision-makers, so state who it is addressed to. This checklist is a self-review aid; the real paper is marked with criteria A (12), B (12) and C (6), and a response that ignores audience, context and purpose can score zero for B and C.

6. 6.

   Marking analysis: A learner attempts the following task: “You want to start a peer-tutoring scheme in which older students help younger ones with homework. Write a text to the appropriate audience proposing the scheme and explaining how it would work. Choose one of these text types: proposal, formal email, school-website announcement. Write 250–400 words.” Their response addresses only this point: “Content (criterion B): explains the problem or need the scheme addresses and its benefits for both age groups.” 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

   Marking points

   • Recognises credit for the stated point: Content (criterion B): explains the problem or need the scheme addresses and its benefits for both age groups.
   • Checks this criterion, crediting equivalent work already shown or identifying what is missing: Content (criterion B): gives practical details of how it would work (when, where, who, how pairs are formed).
   • Checks this criterion, crediting equivalent work already shown or identifying what is missing: Message (criterion B): ideas are developed with specific details or examples and organised in clear, logically linked paragraphs.
   • Checks this criterion, crediting equivalent work already shown or identifying what is missing: Conventions (criterion C): uses features of the chosen type, e.g. a title, sections and recommendations for a proposal; a subject line, formal greeting and sign-off for an email; a headline and clear call to action for an announcement.
   • Checks this criterion, crediting equivalent work already shown or identifying what is missing: Register (criterion C): formal and persuasive for staff, or clear and welcoming for students, consistent throughout.
   • Checks this criterion, crediting equivalent work already shown or identifying what is missing: Language (criterion A): varied vocabulary and a range of accurate simple and complex structures; any errors do not obstruct meaning.

   Examiner tip: Check each criterion, including equivalent work already shown. Do not demand an extra step merely to rewrite an equivalent answer. Do not award the same idea twice or infer work the learner did not show.

7. 7.

   Rewrite each informal sentence in a formal register suitable for an email to a head teacher. (1) “Hi! Can we chat about the club thing?” (2) “Loads of students are really keen.” (3) “Let me know ASAP.”

   [3 marks] · no calculator

   Syllabus placement evidence: Language B guide: Paper 2 receptive skills (reading). Social organization: language use in a theme-related context.

   Worked explanation

   1. Read the whole sentence on both sides of each gap and decide which structure or meaning it needs before choosing.
   2. Model answers: (1) A formal equivalent such as “Dear Ms …, I would like to request a meeting to discuss the proposed club.” (2) A formal equivalent such as “A large number of students have expressed strong interest.” (3) A formal equivalent such as “I would be grateful for a reply at your earliest convenience.”

   Common mistake: Choosing an answer from the word next to the gap instead of the grammatical structure and meaning of the whole sentence.

   Marking points

   • (1) A formal equivalent such as “Dear Ms …, I would like to request a meeting to discuss the proposed club.”
   • (2) A formal equivalent such as “A large number of students have expressed strong interest.”
   • (3) A formal equivalent such as “I would be grateful for a reply at your earliest convenience.”

   Examiner tip: Formal register is more than avoiding slang: use full forms, precise vocabulary and polite indirect requests.

8. 8.

   Marking analysis: A learner attempts the following task: “Rewrite each informal sentence in a formal register suitable for an email to a head teacher. (1) “Hi! Can we chat about the club thing?” (2) “Loads of students are really keen.” (3) “Let me know ASAP.”” Their response addresses only this point: “(1) A formal equivalent such as “Dear Ms …, I would like to request a meeting to discuss the proposed club.”” 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

   Marking points

   • Recognises credit for the stated point: (1) A formal equivalent such as “Dear Ms …, I would like to request a meeting to discuss the proposed club.”
   • Checks this criterion, crediting equivalent work already shown or identifying what is missing: (2) A formal equivalent such as “A large number of students have expressed strong interest.”
   • Checks this criterion, crediting equivalent work already shown or identifying what is missing: (3) A formal equivalent such as “I would be grateful for a reply at your earliest convenience.”

   Examiner tip: Check each criterion, including equivalent work already shown. Do not demand an extra step merely to rewrite an equivalent answer. Do not award the same idea twice or infer work the learner did not show.

9. 9.

   Read the short text “Club survey”. “Robotics Club Feedback: 1. How often do you attend? □ Every week □ Sometimes □ Rarely 2. What do you enjoy most? ________ 3. On a scale of 1–5, how challenging are the projects? 4. Any suggestions? ________ Thank you for taking two minutes to help us improve!” (a) Identify the text type. (b) Give two conventions of this text type shown in the sample. (c) Why does the final line mention “two minutes”?

   [3 marks] · no calculator

   Syllabus placement evidence: Language B guide: text types and conceptual understanding (criterion C). Social organization: identifies text type, audience and register in an original sample.

   Worked explanation

   1. Decide the text type, audience and purpose from the layout and wording, then quote the features that prove each point.
   2. Model answers: (a) A questionnaire / survey. (b) Any two of: a title; numbered questions; tick boxes; a rating scale; open lines for answers; a thank-you line. (c) To encourage people to complete it by showing it is quick.

   Common mistake: Naming a feature ("it is informal") without quoting it or linking it to the audience and purpose of the text.

   Marking points

   • (a) A questionnaire / survey.
   • (b) Any two of: a title; numbered questions; tick boxes; a rating scale; open lines for answers; a thank-you line.
   • (c) To encourage people to complete it by showing it is quick.

   Examiner tip: Professional text types such as surveys and reports are judged on layout conventions as much as wording.

10. 10.

    Marking analysis: A learner attempts the following task: “Read the short text “Club survey”. “Robotics Club Feedback: 1. How often do you attend? □ Every week □ Sometimes □ Rarely 2. What do you enjoy most? ________ 3. On a scale of 1–5, how challenging are the projects? 4. Any suggestions? ________ Thank you for taking two minutes to help us improve!” (a) Identify the text type. (b) Give two conventions of this text type shown in the sample. (c) Why does the final line mention “two minutes”?” Their response addresses only this point: “(a) A questionnaire / survey.” 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

    Marking points

    • Recognises credit for the stated point: (a) A questionnaire / survey.
    • Checks this criterion, crediting equivalent work already shown or identifying what is missing: (b) Any two of: a title; numbered questions; tick boxes; a rating scale; open lines for answers; a thank-you line.
    • Checks this criterion, crediting equivalent work already shown or identifying what is missing: (c) To encourage people to complete it by showing it is quick.

    Examiner tip: Check each criterion, including equivalent work already shown. Do not demand an extra step merely to rewrite an equivalent answer. Do not award the same idea twice or infer work the learner did not show.

Original, unofficial practice questions from SubjectScout — not official past-paper questions or complete syllabus coverage.