Unfamiliar Text Student Exemplar
QUESTION ONE: FICTION
Refer to Text A, The Moment before Light Disappears, on page 2 of the resource booklet
to answer this question.
(a) (i) Identify ONE language feature the writer uses to describe the flame or
the fire.
Simile
(ii) Provide an example of this language feature from the text.
“the flame delicate as bone china” (line 8)
(b)
Insightful response
on a personal level
which shows clear
understanding of
the function and
effect of a simile
Explain how this language feature shows what the flame or fire is like.
The simile, comparing the flame to bone china, shows that the flame ought to be
handled very carefully. Like bone china breaks when control is lost, the simile
gives the impression that the flame too will explode if any control is lost. It can be
dangerous if not controlled, like shards of china. The use of parallel structure in
the phrase “switches the flame high and low, low and high” (line 8) also shows
how the flame must be controlled in the same way, just like the ‘low and high’
is repeated. One gets the impression that one must not differentiate from the
normal pattern of dealing with a flame for the flame is dangerous.
Thoughtful
analysis shows
clear
understanding
(c)
Explain how the writer shows what the experience of the fire is like
for Federico. Support your answer with examples from the text.
Shows insightful
understanding of
the way
personification is
used in poetry and
its effects
Links ideas
convincingly with
relevant supporting
detail.
You could use one or more of the following ideas as a starting point for your
answer:
 the techniques, including language features, that the writer uses to show
Federico’s experience
 the importance of the title
 the contrast between Sylvia and Federico.
The writer uses personification of the fire to show what the fire is like for Federico.
An example of this is “flames…dance under the plastic light-shade” (line 19) where
the flame is personified to have the ability to dance. This personification shows
that he experience of the fire is very real for Federico, and seems much more potent
than just a fire; it has a mind of its own, hence why it is personified as human.
The writer also uses onomatopoeia to describe the experience of the fire. An
example of this is “the bulb shifts and cracks” (line 20), where “cracks” is
onomatopoeia, it sounds, when said, like cracking. This onomatopoeia shows that
the experience of the fire is very overwhelming for Federico, and seems very scary,
due to the way “cracks” sound.
The writer also uses emotive language to show what the fire is like for
Federico. An example of this is the phrase “an explosion of gas”, where “explosion”
is a very vivid and emotional word. “Explosion” connotates an action film, with lots
of loud noises and terrifying scenes, and the reader gets the impression from this
language that the experience of the fire is very busy and frightening for Federico.
Perceptive
analysis and
convincing
understanding
shown.
The title is also very important in the description of the fire experience for
Federico. The title “The Moment before Light Disappears” connotates the belief in
society that one sees a light as one dies, which disappears as they actually die. This
connotation reflects that Federico feels as if the fire is his death; the fire is a gravely
dangerous experience for him.
QUESTION TWO: POETRY
Refer to Text B, Winter Round, on page 3 of the resource booklet to answer this
question.
(a)
(i) Identify ONE language feature the writer uses to describe the
paper boy’s experience.
Metaphor
(ii) Provide an example of this language feature from the text.
“tumbleweed hair”
(b)
Explain how this language feature affects the way you feel about
the paper boy.
Clear understanding
expressed coherently
with relevant links to
candidate’s own
experience.
The metaphor “tumbleweed hair”, comparing the boy’s hair to tumbleweed makes
the reader pity the boy, for the way he is associated with tumbleweed. The
comparison with tumbleweed makes the reader feel that the boy is pushed from
place to place by his newspaper duties, like tumbleweed is by the wind, and this
makes the reader feel sorry for the boy and his situation.
(c)
Explain how the writer shows what the experience of delivering
newspapers is like for the boy. Support your answer with examples from the text.
You could use one or more of the following ideas as a starting point for your
answer:
 the techniques, including language features, that the writer uses to show the
boy’s experience
 the writer’s opinion of the boy’s situation
 the writer’s view society.
The writer uses emotive language to describe the experience of delivering
newspaper for the boy. An example of this is “ghost dog to ghost dog” (line 6). The
emotive language makes the reader feel how lonely the boy feels when he is
delivering newspapers; that not even a dog greets him and the experience of
delivering newspapers is very solitary for the boy.
Insightful
understandin
g shown of
how the listed
techniques
function
within the
text, using
relevant
supporting
evidence
given.
The writer also uses assonance to show what the newspaper delivery
experience is like for the boy. An example of this is “winter skin”, where the short
“i” vowel sound is repeated. The assonance shows the repetitiveness of the
experience of delivering newspapers for the boy; how he completes the same
routine every day, and he always has the same outcome such as cold, winter skin.
The writer also uses adjectives with connotations to show how the experience
of newspaper delivery is for the boy. An example of this is “his thin grey cords”
(line 15) where more specifically the word “grey” has a connotation of being
miserable and generally unpleasant or boring. Thus the writer shows that the
experience of delivering newspapers is boring and miserable for the boy.
QUESTION THREE: NON-FICTION
Refer to Text C, Where there is Smoke there is Fire, on page 4 of the resource booklet to
answer this question.
(a) (i) Identify ONE language feature the writer uses to show you that tobacco
is harmful to young people.
Nouns with connotations
(ii) “young people at risk of falling victim”
(b) Explain how this language feature shows that tobacco is harmful to young
people.
Insightful
understanding of
the connotations
associated with
particular
words.
Nouns with connotations, such as “victims” are used to show that tobacco is
harmful to young people. The noun “victim” has a very negative connotation of
being helpless and harmed; subjected to violence but utterly vulnerable and
unarmed against it. Thus this connotation of victim applies to tobacco harming
young people; tobacco is subjecting young people, who are vulnerable and
unguarded to violence and harm.
(c)
Explain how the writer tries to persuade you that the tobacco industry
takes advantage of young people. Support your answer with examples from the
text.
Shows perceptive
understanding of
the intended
impact of
language on the
target audience,
with relevant
supporting
details.
You could use one or more of the following ideas as a starting point for your
answer:
 the techniques, including language features, that the writer uses to show
her views
 the writer’s opinion of the way young people are exploited
 the way the tobacco industry is presented.
The writer uses the technique of listing to persuade the reader that the tobacco
industry takes advantage of young people. An example of a list is “they experience
nausea, headaches, stomach pain, and breathlessness”. This list persuades the
reader that the tobacco industry takes advantage of young people by showing the
excessive amount of hardships the young people suffer. There are so many that a
list is needed and the listing makes the way in which the tobacco industry takes
advantage of young people excessive too.
Candidate shows
clear
understanding of
the way specific
language features
function in a text
and is able to
clearly and
concisely link to
wider society
using prior
knowledge.
The writer also uses colloquial language to persuade the reader of how the
tobacco industry takes advantage of young people. An example of colloquial
language in the text is “Big Tobacco” (line 25) in reference to the tobacco industry.
This colloquial language shows how the industry makes itself appealing to young
people since colloquial language is commonly associated with young people. The
way the industry tries to appeal to young people and bring them into smoking
because they think it is socially acceptable and viewed as cool among their young
society, like colloquial language is, shows how the writer persuades us that the
tobacco industry takes advantage of young people.
The writer also uses a hyperbole to show how young people are taken
advantage of by the industry. An example of this is “smoking is killing him” (line 7),
where the writer exaggerates, since it is not smoking killing him but actually the
chemicals he is inhaling. This hyperbole demands the attention and anxiety of the
reader, and the evil connotation of “killing” makes the tobacco industry seem like a
complete villain, who takes advantage of young people by murdering them.