English Unit One Exam
Section B: Writing
The mark distribution is the same for
each tier.
Question
Marks
Suggested Time (minutes)
5
16 (10 + 6)
25
6
24 (16 + 8)
35
Total
40
60
REMEMBER!
The questions ask you to use techniques you
identified in Section A of your exam! They may
ask you to inform or persuade; just think of the
relevant language features to meet the
PURPOSE and appeal to the AUDIENCE of the
writing you’ve been asked to produce. Read
the question carefully!
These numbers show
the marks for your
content and writing
style, and then your
spelling, punctuation
and grammar.
General Tips for Writing
• To achieve the high bands, you must make your writing ‘convincing
and compelling’. This means engage your reader, and use as many
techniques as you can to explain your points. Make sure it grabs
their attention and doesn’t let go!
• Always use paragraphs! If you don’t, you will not get above a band
one!
• Try to vary your sentence structure, use language devices, and be
careful of your spelling, punctuation, and grammar.
• Leave yourself time to check your work. Look for errors in capital
letters, common spelling mistakes such as missing letters, and
ensure the basics are correct. Full stops, capital letters, commas etc.
• Spend two or three minutes planning your work. A spider diagram
with five points will give you plenty to write about, and also remind
you of how to structure your work.
Question 6: 16 marks.
• This is the shorter of the two questions, and
so should not take as much time as question
seven.
Example question 6…
What problems do you have with pets or wild
animals where you live?
Write a letter to your local council explaining
what the problems are, how they’re affecting
your life and how they could improve the
situation.
Paragraph Plan for Question 6:
1. Intro. Look at the Question
It’s a formal letter; lay it out
appropriately.
Dear Sir / Madam, I am writing to
you to explain…
This word was used in
the question, make sure
you use it!
5. Finish it in the appropriate
way.
Give a short closing
paragraph, and finish your
letter in a formal style.
2. Explain the problems.
• Too much dog mess
• Scavenging animals in bins
• Howling keeping people awake.
Wild animal and
pet problems
Make sure you use
details; you’re trying
to explain to them.
Make it clear!
3. How they are affecting you.
• Can’t take children to the park
• Bins get knocked over
• Can’t sleep at night; more
grumpy.
Each of these points develops one of
the bullet points in your previous
paragraph. You’re showing cohesion in
your work.
You’ve
suggested
three
solutions to
your three
problems.
4. What the council could do.
• Employ ‘poopscoop’ people
• High fines for owners
• Give people secure lids for bins.
This is the mark
scheme for the
content. Look at
the expectations
for band 3. You
can do all of this!
These are
other six
marks. Look
at how you
can achieve
them.
Sample answer: See if you can see how it links to the plan
and where the marks would be awarded.
Noadswood School,
North Road,
Dibden Purlieu,
Southampton
SO45 4ZF
17/04/12
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing to inform and explain to you the problems with wild animals in my local area. Vicious animals,
such as crazy cats and dangerous dogs are terrorising my neighbourhood, causing many problems for people in the local
community. I hope this letter will force you into taking some action.
There are three main problems with the animals. Firstly, there are issues with dog and cat mess all around the
streets and parks. Our parks used to be safe and clean, now they are absolutely disgusting! The areas are littered with
muck, and this is a severe risk to health and safety. Secondly, cats and dogs are scavenging in uncovered bins for leftover
food. This makes the place untidy, as bins are knocked over and their contents become scattered across the paths and
streets. We have to stand on tip toes to avoid standing in the rubbish. Thirdly, they howl loudly at night, keeping people
awake making them more tired for school and work the next day. It also affects the sleeping of young children.
They are affecting because I cannot now take my children to the park through fear of them getting covered in
dog dirt. If a child was to get the mess in their eyes, it could cause blindness and this is extremely dangerous. Also, it is
frustrating having a park for children which isn’t suitable for them! The bins keep getting knocked over, spreading rubbish
everywhere. This is unhygienic, and I witnessed a friend of mine slide on a banana skin into a pile of dog muck. This clearly
shows how much of a problem these animals are! There are too many stray cats and dogs, and so they howl, keeping people
awake. This makes people angry in the mornings, putting them in a bad mood which could increase violence. Only this
morning I punched a horse to death because I was so tired and angry.
I have some suggestions for you to fix these problems. Firstly, you should employ ‘poopscoop’ people to ensure
that the streets are clear of animal mess. There should be high fines for owners that do not clear up after their pets. Stray
animals should be rounded up and kept in kennels, so they are not a nuisance. You should also provide covers for the bins,
to prevent animals scavenging and spreading litter and diseases everywhere.
Thank you for taking the time to read my letter.
Yours faithfully,
Mr. P. Oop.
Question 7 examples:
• Write an argument either for or against keeping
a pet.
• Write an article for your school newspaper
persuading your readers that we should buy less
and value what we have more.
• Write a magazine article describing the most
interesting journey you have made. Explain what
made the journey interesting.
• Write a speech explaining the benefits and
drawbacks of trying new experiences.
Question 7…
• You need to look at the key words in bold.
These show you what the question is asking.
• The mark scheme is the same, only there are
more marks available (16 for content, 8 for
accuracy.
• Practice planning and answering the
questions on the previous slide…it’s excellent
training for the exam!