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SecondaryNational Strategy

bits of an autobiography I may not writeYear 7 reading task

Teacher pack

Guidance

Curriculum andStandards

English subjectleaders and teachers of EnglishStatus: Recommended

Date of issue: 01-2006

Ref: DfES 1789-2005 CDO-EN

Assessing pupils’ progress in English at Key Stage 3

bits of an autobiography I may not write

Year 7 reading task

Framework objectivesReading 7Identify the main points, processes or ideas in a text and how they aresequenced and developed by the writer.

Reading 8Infer and deduce meanings using evidence in the text, identifying where andhow meanings are implied.

Assessment focusesAF2 Understand, describe, select or retrieve information, events or ideas

from texts and use quotation and reference to text.AF3 Deduce, infer or interpret information, events or ideas from texts.AF4 Identify and comment on the structure and organisation of texts,

including grammatical and presentational features at text level.AF5 Explain and comment on writers’ use of language, including

grammatical and literary features at word and sentence level.AF6 Identify and comment on writers’ purposes and viewpoints, and the

overall effect of the text on the reader.

Time neededTwo, consecutive one-hour lessons. Timings will need to be adapted if lessonsare longer or shorter than 60 minutes.

These timings are estimates for guidance rather than obligatory timings. The most important consideration is that pupils should have sufficient time to complete the task, working independently. Unfinished tasks are unlikely to produce evidence on all the assessment focuses.

Teachers may adjust the timings for the task to take account of their particularcircumstances, but should bear in mind that spending overmuch time on anysection may disadvantage pupils.

2 Secondary National Strategy | Assessing pupils’ progress in © Crown copyright 2006English at Key Stage 3 DfES 1789-2005 CDO-EN

Pack includesTeacher notesOHT 1 – first sentence from Text 1OHT 2 – first section from Text 1Teacher sheet 1 – annotations for OHT 2OHT 3 – exemplar AF3 questionText 1OHT 4 – structure sheet (blank for modelling)OHT 5 – structure sheet (completed version)Pages 3–5 of reading bookletPages from answer bookletMarking guidelinesExemplar responses

Task outlineThis task requires puils to read and respond to three short extracts from bitsof an autobiography I may not write by Morris Gleitzman. The task focuses on the writer’s portrayal of himself as a writer who experiences a series ofproblems. Support is provided through the use of a modelled answer and anactivity which focuses on text structure.

3© Crown copyright 2006 Secondary National Strategy | Assessing pupils’ progress in DfES 1789-2005 CDO-EN English at Key Stage 3

Teacher notes

Teaching sequence

LESSON 1� Share the learning objectives with the class, rephrasing as appropriate for

the group.

Introduction (35 minutes)� Display OHT 1 (It was a proud moment. I’d just...) and ask pupils, in

pairs, to think of possible proud moments this text could be about. This isintended to be a quick activity to encourage pupils to engage with the textthrough prediction and speculation. Take brief feedback.

� Display OHT 2 (page 2 of the reading booklet) and share the reading of thetext. Check any vocabulary that pupils may not understand, e.g.upholstery, logo. Check also that they understand the basic dilemma, i.e. that the text opens with a problem: the writer is unable to put togethersome pieces of DIY furniture and his pride has been dented.

� Using Teacher sheet 1 as a prompt, draw out, through a shared read, the following:– Use of the first person: what kind of text is this? Autobiography?

Narrative?– The characterisation, especially the relationship between the writer and

his children– The informal tone created through vocabulary choices and sentence

structure– The humour.Record these points on the flipchart or whiteboard for later use.

Humour is always a potentially difficult area to explore with pupils. The intention here is to help them to identify the intended humour and light-hearted style of the writing. It is important since (a) the humour is an essentialpart of this text and (b) this is AF6 territory (writer’s purpose, viewpoint andeffect on the reader), which needs to be explored with pupils.

� Display OHT 3 (exemplar AF3 question):How do we know that the children don’t want to hurt their father’sfeelings?

� Show pupils how to underline key words in a question. Remind them that:– a question which uses the word “how” usually requires an explanation– it is always a good idea to refer to the text in an answer– where possible in an answer, they should develop their ideas.

� Then model a suggested answer, as follows:The children clearly don’t want to hurt their father’s feelings because theyspeak “gently” to him. It seems as though the kids are used to their father’sstrange behaviour because they “sighed” as if this isn’t the first time he hasdone something silly.


Development (20 minutes)� Ask pupils to turn to the complete Text 1 (page 3 of the reading booklet)

and ask them to read it. Ask them to work in pairs to annotate the text,looking for further examples of the points drawn out during the sharedreading (use of first person, characterisation, informal tone, humour). Ask them also to focus on the following:– How the writer attempts to solve his problem– The way the writer’s problem is resolved in an amusing and unexpected

way at the end. Pupils may need to be guided if they do not immediately recognise/acknowledge the humour in the text.

� Show OHT 4 and take feedback from selected pairs on what they havediscovered in their discussions. Use the OHT to clarify the way the writerstructures the text. Complete the table on the OHT, or show the completedversion, OHT 5.

This is an important activity since one of the questions in the task will askpupils to complete a similar chart for the other two texts. This activity providessome scaffolding for pupils on how to apply the chart to the shared textwithout invalidating the independence of their response in the assessment.

Plenary (5 minutes)� Tell them that the text they have read in this lesson is written by Morris

Gleitzman and that it is taken from a text called bits of an autobiography I may not write. Tell them that they will read two more “bits” from this textin the next lesson.


LESSON 2� Remind pupils of the learning objectives for these two lessons.

Introduction (20 minutes)� Remind pupils about the text they read last lesson and display the points

(on Teacher sheet 1) used to support the shared reading as follows:– Use of the first person: what kind of text is this? Autobiography?

Narrative?– The characterisation, especially the relationship between the writer

and his children– The informal tone created through vocabulary choices and sentence

structure– The humour.

� Remind them also of OHT 5, which scaffolded the structure of Text 1. It would be appropriate at this point to display an annotated OHT and/orcompleted grid from the previous lesson if possible.

� Give pupils the reading booklet. In pairs, ask one pupil to read Text 2 and one pupil to read Text 3.

It is important that pupils read these texts independently since they will formthe basis of the assessment task. This activity is designed to support theindependent reading of the texts without invalidating the independence of the assessment.

� Give them five minutes to read their text and then ask them to composeone sentence which sums up what the text is about. Ask them to sharetheir sentence with their partner. Ask one or two pairs to share theirsentences with the whole class.

� As a class, draw out any obvious similarities between these two texts and Text 1.


Development (40 minutes)� Briefly show them how to use the answer booklet, and advise them to

attempt all the questions. Explain that the questions are not necessarily inascending order of difficulty.

� Tell pupils to read all three texts again before tackling any of the questions.� Do not read the text aloud to the class.� Tell them that they have the rest of the lesson to complete the task.

These are not test conditions, so prompt pupils if necessary (e.g. to writemore, to explain themselves more clearly). Do not, however, provide supportthat means that the pupils are no longer responding to the text independently.If this kind of support is necessary for an individual pupil in the context of thelesson, you will need to take the degree of support into account when makingthe assessment judgement.

It is good practice to:� tell pupils if they have not written enough or are writing too much;� prompt them to explain their answer more clearly;� generally encourage them through praise;� clarify a question for the whole class if there seems to be a fairly general

misunderstanding;� remind pupils how much time they have to complete the task.

Assessment� Use the assessment guidelines to judge pupils’ overall levels on the

specified assessment focuses. Highlight, then tick, the sections of themarking guidelines according to the features you find and then considerwhether the weight of evidence is at secure or low level 3, 4 or 5.

� Exemplar responses for each question at every level are also included forreference and to give guidance on how the criteria are to be applied.



OHT 1First sentence from Text 1

It was a proud moment. I’d just…


OHT 2/Page 2 of reading booklet

It was a proud moment. I’d just built my first piece of

furniture and I could feel my chest swelling almost as

much as the finger I’d hit with the hammer.

“Well,” I said to the kids, “what do you think?”

I held my breath as they ran their hands over the

four sturdy legs, the finely stitched upholstery and the

skilfully hung mirrored door.

“Funny looking bookshelves, Dad,” they said. My

chest deflated. They were right. Who was I trying to

kid? I was a writer, not a handyman.

“Do-it-yourself furniture,” I said bitterly. “If there’s

anyone who can build this stuff themselves I’d like to

know their secret.”

The kids looked at the empty boxes strewn around

the room. “Perhaps,” they said gently, “it involves

assembling the bookcase, the settee, the coffee table

and the bathroom cabinet as four separate items.”

“It was the instructions,” I said. “They were

impossible to understand. Look at that diagram. I broke

three screwdrivers trying to follow that.”

The kids sighed. “It’s the furniture-shop logo,”

they said.

Teacher sheet 1Annotations for OHT2

It was a proud moment. I’d just built my first

piece of furniture and I could feel my chest swelling

almost as much as the finger I’d hit with the hammer.

“Well,” I said to the kids, “what do you think?”

I held my breath as they ran their hands over

the four sturdy legs, the finely stitched upholstery and

the skilfully hung mirrored door.

“Funny looking bookshelves, Dad,” they said.

My chest deflated. They were right. Who was I trying

to kid? I was a writer, not a handyman.

“Do-it-yourself furniture,” I said bitterly. “If

there’s anyone who can build this stuff themselves I’d

like to know their secret.”

The kids looked at the empty boxes strewn

around the room. “Perhaps,” they said gently, “it

involves assembling the bookcase, the settee, the

coffee table and the bathroom cabinet as four separate

items.”

“It was the instructions,” I said. “They were

impossible to understand. Look at that diagram. I

broke three screwdrivers trying to follow that.”

The kids sighed. “It’s the furniture-shop logo,”

they said.

First person I and pasttense suggestsautobiographicalwriting?

Use of humour comparing his swellingchest (a metaphorical indication of pride)with his injured finger (an indication ofhis ineptitude)

Colloquialvocabularykids andellipsis [theyare] funnylookingbookshelvescreate aninformaltone

Use ofdialoguebrings thecharacters tolife. Adverbs,such asbitterly andgently, showthe reversalof rolesbetweenparent andchild

Sighedsuggests thatthey are usedto this typeof behaviourfrom theirfather

The humour lies in the unexpected statements of the obvious,which contrast Dad’s misunderstanding with the common senseof his children/the picture created for the reader (e.g. skilfullyhung mirrored door) with the reality of his mistakes. This isamusing in itself since the reader might expect a parent tounderstand more than the kids

Series ofshortsentencescreates fastpace



OHT 3Exemplar AF3 question

How do we know that the children don’twant to hurt their father’s feelings?

MORRIS GLEITZMAN

bits of an autobiography I may not write

Text 1

It was a proud moment. I’d just built my first piece of furniture and I couldfeel my chest swelling almost as much as the finger I’d hit with the hammer.

“Well,” I said to the kids, “what do you think?”I held my breath as they ran their hands over the four sturdy legs, the finely

stitched upholstery and the skilfully hung mirrored door.“Funny looking bookshelves, Dad,” they said. My chest deflated. They were

right. Who was I trying to kid? I was a writer, not a handyman.“Do-it-yourself furniture,” I said bitterly. “If there’s anyone who can build this

stuff themselves I’d like to know their secret.”The kids looked at the empty boxes strewn around the room. “Perhaps,” they

said gently, “it involves assembling the bookcase, the settee, the coffee table andthe bathroom cabinet as four separate items.”

“It was the instructions,” I said. “They were impossible to understand. Look atthat diagram. I broke three screwdrivers trying to follow that.”

The kids sighed. “It’s the furniture-shop logo,” they said.I realised my problem was that I didn’t speak the language of do-it-yourself.

I started at language school the following week. The other students were doingFrench, Spanish and Japanese. I enrolled in Furniture Assembly.

The instructor tried hard, but by the ninth week I still couldn’t translate ‘slotbase support bracket A into side panel rib B’. I couldn’t even say it.

“I’m sorry”, said the instructor, “I can’t do any more for you.”I looked at him pleadingly. “Not even put my bookshelves together?”He shook his head.At home I stared gloomily at the bookshelf assembly instructions. Why could

I construct a story but not a piece of furniture? Then I noticed the instructions werelooking different. They were in the kids’ handwriting. ‘One fine day,’ I readexcitedly, ‘a base support bracket named A met a side panel rib called B…’

Drop in and see my new bookshelves some time. They look great.

Page 3 of reading bookletText 1



OHT 4 (blank for modelling)Structure sheet

The writer has a problem

His kids try to help

The problem is sorted out

OHT 5 (completed version)Structure sheet

The writer has a problem

He is having difficultyputting togethersome do-it-yourselffurniture

His kids try to help

They tell him hedoesn’t understandthe diagram so hegoes to school tolearn

The problem is sorted out

He fails hopelessly atschool so his kidswrite the instructionsas a story. He is ableto follow them andbuilds his furniture



Text 2

Two weeks of thinking, and still no idea for my next book. I’d tried everything.Meditation. Self-hypnosis. Vacuuming my scalp to stimulate my brain.

Then a letter arrived from a kid in Western Australia. ‘Your books are prettygood,’ she wrote, ‘except for the total lack of motorbikes.’

I fell to my knees, partly in gratitude and partly because the vacuum cleanerwas still on my head. At last, a story idea. A kid travelling across the Great SandyDesert on a motorbike. Not bad.

I’d just finished chapter one when the letter came.‘Reasonably OK books,’ wrote a kid in Adelaide, ‘but why so few exotic fish?’Good point. I rewrote chapter one. It ended up longer, mostly because the

bike couldn’t travel so fast with the aquarium on the back.‘Your stories would be more interesting,’ said a letter from Bristol, ‘if they

included more elderly people.’I had to agree. I rewrote chapter one and it certainly was more interesting.

Particularly when one of the kid’s grandparents, parched from running to keep upwith the bike, drank the aquarium and swallowed a coral trout.

It looked like she was a goner until the letter from Philadelphia arrived. ‘Moresports,’ it said. Which is how, in the next draft, the kid came to have a table-tennisbat handy to whack Gran on the back.

“Shouldn’t you be thinking up your own ideas, Dad?” asked the kids.“Why?” I replied.“Oh, no reason,” they shrugged, handing me six letters.‘Water-skiing,’ said one. ‘Clydesdale horses,’ said another. ‘Self-reticulating

irrigation systems,’ said the other four.This morning when the postman came I hid under my desk. He found me. I

was sobbing.“Must be tough being a writer,” he said, bending down and handing me a

bundle of letters. “I wouldn’t know where to get the ideas from.”

Page 4 of reading booklet

Text 3

The kids stared at the peanut butter, beetroot, sardine and pineapplesandwich.

“Dad,” they pleaded, “couldn’t you make plain old cheese and tomato?”I put the sandwich into the lunchbox and explained that I’d decided to make

something special for the first day.“But this isn’t our first day,” said the kids. “We’ve been going to school for

years.”I added kiwi fruit, two gherkins and some kangaroo salami to the lunch box.

“It’s my new book’s first day,” I said, voice trembling. “At the publisher’s.”The kids stared at the manuscript. They stared at the woolly scarf tied round it

and the knitted hat pulled down snugly over the title page. Then they stared at me.“You’re making your new book a packed lunch?” they croaked.

“Please,” I said. “It isn’t easy, saying goodbye to a manuscript. Sending it offto that scary building. It’s almost as upsetting as your first day at school and youremember how upsetting that was.”

The kids said they did, particularly the sandwiches.My eyes misted over. “It’s only a ninety-six page kids’ book,” I sobbed as I

filled its plastic drink bottle. ‘What if it gets bullied by a 600-page truck repairmanual?”

The kids took me to one side. “Dad,” they said quietly, “remember how youwere a bit over-protective when we started school? Getting your helicopter licenceand joining the traffic police so you could hover over the playground at lunchtime?”

I pulled myself together. “It’s OK,” I said. “I’m not going to embarrass my newbook like that.”

And I meant it. Which is why I got the job as a window cleaner. Far lessnoticeable and I was still able to keep an eye on my baby from the extension ladder.

That’s how I was the first to know about the tragedy. The publishers decidedto delay publication of my new manuscript. First they made me write them asandwich recipe book.

©2003 Morris Gleitzmanbits of an autobiography I may not write by Morris Gleitzman from Kids’ Night In

Reproduced by kind permission of Penguin Group (Australia)

Page 5 of reading booklet



Answer all questions in the spaces provided.

Questions 1 and 2 are about Text 2, in which the writer can’t think of an idea for hisnext book.

1. List four ideas that different readers suggest for the writer’s next book (AF2).

Find and copy a quotation that shows how the writer tries to use one of these ideasin his book (AF2).

2. Explain why the writer hides under his desk and cries at the end (AF3).

�

�

�

�

Questions 3 and 4 are about Text 3, in which the writer is worried about sending hisnew book to the publisher.

3. The writer chooses words and phrases to show how he feels about his new book.Complete the table to show how he does this. One example has been done tohelp you (AF5).

4. How do the kids react to their father’s strange behaviour; explain how we know?Answer as fully as you can (AF3).

Words and phrases usedby the writer

“It’s my new book’s firstday,” I said, voicetrembling

“Trembling” shows that his voice sounds as if he isgoing to cry because he is upset about sending his book away

I was still able to keep an eye on my baby

Sending it off to that big scary building

My eyes misted over

What they show about his feelings for his book



Questions 5 and 6 are about both texts.

5. Each text is organised in a similar way, for example:• the writer has a problem• his kids try to help• the problem is sorted out

Complete the grid to show how Texts 2 and 3 are organised in this way (AF4).

In each text, the problem is sorted out at the end. Why do you think all three textsend this way?

Text 1 Text 2 Text 3

The writerhas aproblem

He can’t build thefurniture

They tell him hedoesn’t understandthe diagram so hegoes to school to learn

They suggest that heshould think of hisown ideas for his next book

They suggest that he is being over-protective

The kids write theinstructions as a storyso that he can followthem in order to buildthe furniture

His kids tryto help

The problemis sorted out

6. Why do you think the writer has chosen the title bits of an autobiography I maynot write (AF6)?

7. What is the writer trying to do in bits of an autobiography I may not write?

Here are three statements. Tick the one you agree with most and explain why youchose it (AF6).

a) He is trying to show how difficult it is to be a writer

b) He is trying to make fun of himself and amuse the reader

c) He is trying to show that his children are really clever

I chose this statement because…



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is

pro

vid

ed

, w

hic

h m

ay b

e u

nse

lective

or

lack f

ocus,

e.g

. ta

ble

-tennis

bat

handy.

In Q

2, answ

ers

show

infe

rence b

ased o

n

evid

ence f

rom

the te

xt.

Answ

ers

ma

y n

ot

be d

eve

loped o

r com

men

ts m

ay r

epeat th

e

na

rra

tive

, e

.g.

becau

se

he

do

esn

’t w

ant

an

y m

ore

lett

ers

, he h

id u

nd

er

his

de

sk

wh

en

the

postm

an

ca

me

.

In Q

4, answ

ers

dra

w infe

rences a

bout th

e

kid

s’ re

actio

ns,

e.g

. sh

ock/s

urp

rise

/ em

ba

rrassm

ent/re

sig

nation a

nd p

rovid

e a

n

exp

lanation,

wh

ich m

ay r

epeat th

e c

onte

nt

or

na

rrative,

e.g

. th

ey a

sk h

im if

they c

an

have p

lain

cheese a

nd tom

ato

sandw

iches.

In Q

5, answ

ers

identify

the p

roble

ms a

nd

so

lutions a

cro

ss b

oth

te

xts

.

Som

e s

tra

igh

tforw

ard

co

mm

ents

on the

text

end

ings a

re p

rovid

ed, e.g

. his

pro

ble

m

ge

ts s

ort

ed

ou

t a

nd it

all

en

ds h

ap

pily

.

In Q

3,answ

ers

com

men

t on t

wo o

r th

ree

exam

ple

s. S

tra

ightfo

rwa

rd c

om

ments

on

the

lan

gua

ge c

ho

ices a

re m

ade, e

.g.

“big

,scary

bu

ildin

g”

ma

ke

s it sou

nd

lik

e a

rea

lly

frig

hte

nin

g p

lace

.

In Q

6, str

aig

htf

orw

ard

co

mm

ents

sho

w

som

e a

wa

reness t

hat th

e w

rite

r is

writin

g

about h

is life (

auto

bio

gra

ph

y)

and that th

ey

are

sho

rt p

ieces (

bits),

e.g

. th

ese a

re s

hort

pie

ces fro

m h

is a

uto

bio

gra

phy.

In Q

7,pup

ils c

hoose (

a)

or

(b)

(althou

gh

(b)

is m

ore

lik

ely

) and p

rovid

e s

om

e s

imp

le

com

ments

, e.g

. he m

akes h

imself s

eem

re

ally

stu

pid

.

IE

Ove

rall

asse

ssm

ent

(tic

k o

ne b

ox o

nly

) S

ecu

re 5

Lo

w 5

S

ecu

re 4

Lo

w 4

Secondary

Nat

iona

l Str

ateg

yfo

r sc

hool

imp

rove

men

t

Ma

rkin

g g

uid

eli

ne

s –

Ye

ar

7 t

as

k –

bit

s o

f a

n a

uto

bio

gra

ph

y I

ma

y n

ot

wri

te

Asse

ssin

g p

up

ils’ p

rog

ress in

En

glis

h a

t K

ey S

tag

e 3

Pupil

nam

e..............................................................................

Form

.................................

Date

...............................

A

F2 –

un

ders

tan

d,

descri

be,

sele

ct

or

retr

ieve

in

form

ati

on

, e

ve

nts

or

ide

as

fro

m t

exts

an

d u

se q

uo

tati

on

an

d

refe

ren

ce

to

te

xt.

AF

3 –

de

du

ce

, in

fer

or

inte

rpre

t in

form

ati

on

, e

ve

nts

or

ide

as f

rom

tex

ts.

AF

4 –

id

en

tify

an

d c

om

men

t o

n t

he

str

uctu

re a

nd

org

an

isati

on

of

texts

, in

clu

din

g g

ram

mati

cal

an

d

pre

se

nta

tio

nal

featu

res

at

text

leve

l.

AF

5 –

exp

lain

an

d c

om

men

t o

n w

rite

rs'

use o

f la

ng

uag

e,

inclu

din

g g

ram

mati

cal

an

d l

ite

rary

fe

atu

res

at

wo

rd a

nd

s

en

ten

ce

le

ve

l.

AF

6 –

id

en

tify

an

d c

om

me

nt

on

wri

ters

' p

urp

oses a

nd

vie

wp

oin

ts,

an

d t

he

ove

rall

eff

ec

t o

f th

e t

ex

t o

n t

he

re

ad

er.

L4

In

Q1

, th

ree o

r fo

ur

po

ints

identified fro

m

the

follo

win

g:

moto

rbik

es, e

xo

tic f

ish,

eld

erly p

eo

ple

, sp

ort

s,

wa

ter-

skiin

g,

Cly

de

sdale

hors

es,

se

lf-r

eticu

latin

g

irri

ga

tio

n s

yste

ms.

Som

e g

ene

rally

re

levant te

xtu

al re

fere

nce

is

pro

vid

ed

, w

hic

h m

ay b

e u

nse

lective

or

lack f

ocus,

e.g

. ta

ble

-tennis

bat

handy.

In Q

2, answ

ers

show

infe

rence b

ased o

n

evid

ence f

rom

the te

xt.

Answ

ers

ma

y n

ot

be d

eve

loped o

r com

men

ts m

ay r

epeat th

e

na

rra

tive

, e

.g.

becau

se

he

do

esn

’t w

ant

an

y m

ore

lett

ers

, he h

id u

nd

er

his

de

sk

wh

en

the

postm

an

ca

me

.

In Q

4, answ

ers

dra

w infe

rences a

bout th

e

kid

s’ re

actio

ns,

e.g

. sh

ock/s

urp

rise

/ em

ba

rrassm

ent/re

sig

nation a

nd p

rovid

e a

n

exp

lanation,

wh

ich m

ay r

epeat th

e c

onte

nt

or

na

rrative, e

g t

hey a

sk h

im if th

ey c

an

have p

lain

cheese a

nd tom

ato

sandw

iches.

In Q

5, answ

ers

identify

the p

roble

ms a

nd

so

lutions a

cro

ss b

oth

te

xts

.

Som

e s

tra

igh

tforw

ard

co

mm

ents

on the

text

end

ings a

re p

rovid

ed, e.g

. his

pro

ble

m

ge

ts s

ort

ed

ou

t a

nd it

all

en

ds h

ap

pily

.

In Q

3,answ

ers

com

men

t on t

wo o

r th

ree

exam

ple

s. S

tra

ightfo

rwa

rd c

om

ments

on

the

lan

gua

ge c

ho

ices a

re m

ade, e

.g.

“big

,scary

bu

ildin

g”

ma

ke

s it sou

nd

lik

e a

rea

lly

frig

hte

nin

g p

lace

.

In Q

6, str

aig

htf

orw

ard

co

mm

ents

sho

w

som

e a

wa

reness t

hat th

e w

rite

r is

writin

g

about h

is life (

auto

bio

gra

ph

y)

and that th

ey

are

sho

rt p

ieces (

bits),

e.g

. th

ese a

re s

hort

pie

ces fro

m h

is a

uto

bio

gra

phy.

In Q

7,pup

ils c

hoose (

a)

or

(b)

(althou

gh

(b)

is m

ore

lik

ely

) and p

rovid

e s

om

e s

imp

le

com

ments

, e.g

. he m

akes h

imself s

eem

re

ally

stu

pid

.

L3

In

Q1

, tw

o o

r th

ree

po

int id

entified fro

m the

follo

win

g: m

oto

rbik

es, e

xo

tic f

ish,

eld

erly

people

, spo

rts, w

ate

r-skiin

g, C

lydesda

le

ho

rses, se

lf-r

eticu

latin

g irr

igation s

yste

ms,

but oth

er,

inapp

ropriate

, po

ints

ma

y a

lso

be

inclu

de

d.

Qu

ota

tio

n o

r re

fere

nce

ma

y b

e m

issin

g o

r it

ma

y p

ara

ph

rase t

he t

ext,

e.g

. h

e inclu

de

s

som

e o

ld p

eople

in h

is s

tory

.

In Q

2, pup

ils r

espond a

t a m

ore

litera

l le

ve

l o

r answ

er

ma

y b

e b

ased o

n p

ers

ona

l specu

lation

, e.g

. h

e m

ust

be

upset

be

ca

use h

e is h

idin

g u

nd

er

his

de

sk a

nd

cry

ing

.

In Q

4, pup

ils m

ay r

espond m

ore

litera

lly t

o

wh

at th

e k

ids s

aid

or

did

or

answ

ers

ma

y

be b

ased o

n p

ers

ona

l spe

cula

tion, e.g

. it

wo

uld

be r

ea

lly e

mb

arr

assin

g. A

n

exp

lanation m

ay n

ot be p

rovid

ed.

In Q

5, so

me o

f th

e p

roble

ms a

nd/o

r so

lutions a

re identified.

There

ma

y b

e little o

r no c

om

ment. P

up

ils

ma

y r

espond a

t th

e le

ve

l of chara

cte

r ra

the

r th

an s

tructu

re, e.g

. because h

e d

oes

sill

y th

ings a

t th

e e

nd

.

In Q

3,

there

ma

y b

e little o

r no c

om

ment.

Answ

ers

ma

y r

ely

on p

ara

phra

se o

r specu

lation

, e.g

. h

is e

yes w

ere

mis

ting

o

ve

r o

r h

e is v

ery

worr

ied

ab

ou

t h

is b

oo

k.

In Q

6,

responses identify

the m

ain

pu

rpose, e

.g.

because it’s h

is

auto

bio

gra

phy, but m

ay a

lso r

ely

on a

m

ore

pe

rsona

l re

sponse, e.g

. it’s

a c

leve

r th

ing t

o d

o.

In Q

7, pup

ils m

ay m

ake

an inappro

priate

cho

ice

, e.g

. (c

). C

om

men

ts m

ay e

xp

ress a

pe

rsona

l vie

wpo

int, e

.g.

it w

as fu

nny to

rea

d.

B3

IE

Ove

rall

asse

ssm

ent

(tic

k o

ne b

ox o

nly

) S

ecu

re 4

Lo

w 4

Secu

re 3

Lo

w 3

B

elo

w 3


Secondary

Nat

iona

l Str

ateg

yfo

r sc

hool

imp

rove

men

t


Question 1

1. List four ideas that different readers suggest for the writer’s next book (AF2).

Find and copy a quotation that shows how the writer tries to use one of these ideas in hisbook (AF2).

Level 3: Response and commentary

Three correct ideas are listed, even if not in the exact terms of the text – “travelling… ona motobike”; “with an acweriam” (aquarium), implying a reference to exotic fish; “granon the back”, implying a reference to elderly people. No quotation is given in answer tothe second part of the question.

Exemplar responses


Four correct ideas are listed, together with an imprecise but generally appropriatequotation in answer to the second part of the question.




Four correct ideas are listed, together with an appropriate quotation covering two of thechosen ideas, in answer to the second part of the question.

2. Explain why the writer hides under his desk and cries at the end (AF3).


Comment is largely at the literal level of explaining that the postman “is bringing abundle of letters”, but there is implicit recognition that this is related to the problem ofgathering ideas.


This answer is not very fully developed, but does make the obvious inference that “he’shad enough idea’s” and that so many ideas are themselves now causing problems.


Inference is used to develop an explanation of the textual evidence, explaining that thearrival of another bundle of letters involved a re-writing of the story and the writer wasnow suffering from an excess of ideas – “didn’t want to know more”.



3. The writer chooses words and phrases to show how he feels about his new book.Complete the table to show how he does this. One example has been done to help you (AF5).


There is little comment and this answer largely relies on recycling of the given quotationsto “clarify” their meaning.

Words and phrases usedby the writer

“It’s my new book’s firstday,” I said, voicetrembling

“Trembling” shows that his voice sounds as if he isgoing to cry because he is upset about sending his book away

What they show about his feelings for his book


Comment is made on all three quotations, with the first precisely explaining how the useof “baby” emphasises the writer’s feelings towards his new book – “he loves his newbook” – with the further amplification “how precious it is to him”. Comment on theother two quotations relates them to the writer’s feelings only in a generalised way.


Appropriate comment is made on all three quotations to show how they emphasise thewriter’s feelings towards his new book. The first explains how the use of “baby” stressesthe writer’s feelings towards his new book – “he really cares” – the second comments on“scary” in a more generalised way, noting simply that “it (his book) will be scared”, andthe third makes the inference that “misted over” indicates “he is crying”, which furtherunderlines the point that he “is really upset”.



4. How do the kids react to their father’s strange behaviour; explain how we know?Answer as fully as you can (AF3).


This answer gives a literal account of what the kids said and how they explained that hehad been overprotective when they started school.


The comment that “The kids react by telling him what is wrong” implies an awareness oftheir shock and surprise by the use of supporting quotations that refer to some aspects ofthe father’s unusual behaviour.


Some understanding is shown of the ambivalent reaction of the kids. On the one handthere is resignation – “it’s all been done before” – but on the other they are “alsoembarressed”. In addition, there is an implicit appreciation of how the kids’ situation has,if anything, grown slightly more ludicrous in that before “they were at school but now it’sa publishing buiding” and furthermore it’s “lunch and a drink for a manuscipt”.



5. Each text is organised in a similar way, for example:• the writer has a problem• his kids try to help• the problem is sorted out

Complete the grid to show how Texts 2 and 3 are organised in this way (AF4).


Points identified in the two boxes related to Text 2 show some awareness in a generalway of the writer’s problem – that he’s worried about ideas for his book – and a moreprecise understanding of the resolution. Only a generic comment is made about thenature of the endings.


Points identified in all four boxes are appropriate, showing an understanding of thewriter’s problems and how these are resolved, supported by a straightforward, butrelevant, comment on the endings.




Points identified in all four boxes are appropriate, showing an understanding of thewriter’s problems and how these are resolved. Comment draws attention to the fact thatthe ending of each text “pulls everything together”, but that this is done in a “humourusway” implying that such a conclusion rounds off matters in a way that would satisfy the reader.

6. Why do you think the writer has chosen the title bits of an autobiography I may notwrite (AF6)?


This comment shows some awareness that the reference in the title to “bits… I may notwrite” implies that the writer feels his work has weaknesses/limitations – “he doesn’tthink the book is satisfactery to be a good book”.


There is evidence of some understanding of what an autobiography is – “written anautobiography about his day” – and an awareness that the writer feels his work haslimitations – “dos’nt know whether it will be published or not”.




This comment shows some awareness that the reference in the title to “bits... I may notwrite” implies that the writer feels his work has weaknesses/limitations – “the textembarrasses him”. There is also an understanding that in an autobiography, the writer ismaking revelations about himself – “how rubbish he is at common sense in life” – andthat therefore these should perhaps be the things he should/may “not write”.

7. What is the writer trying to do in bits of an autobiography I may not write?

Here are three statements. Tick the one you agree with most and explain why youchose it (AF6).





An appropriate statement is ticked, but the supporting comment is related to it in only avery loose and generalised sense.





An appropriate statement is ticked and the supporting comment paraphrases the point ina relevant, if generalised, way.

�

�







An appropriate statement is ticked and the supporting comment explains that the writeruses his own problems because they are “quite funny” enabling him to keep the reader“entertained” and so ensure a continuing readership for his works.

�

These materials have been developed by QCA in partnership with the Secondary National Strategy.

The help provided by the teachers and pupils who have trialled the materials as part of the Monitoring Pupils’ Progress in English project has been invaluable.

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