question 1 info and ideas higher

Higher Tier: Reading

In June 2011 (when you last took this exam) the writing marks were SIGNIFICANTLY higher than the reading.

In the Higher tier the average mark on the reading paper was 28% compared to 60% on the writing.

So we have work to do...!

Summary Question (Question 1)

• Read the first text – answer Q1 & 2 • Read the second text - answer Question 3 • This will ensure you don’t get muddled with

the texts and give your hand a rest!

Question 1 – Outline concisely = Summary

In Question 1 you will be asked to outline an element of the text.(for example: outline concisely what makes the experience of flying in a Pitts Special so exciting)

There can sometimes be MORE than one strand(in which case you will need to make sure you address them all.)

This is not asking you to explore or explain what the writer has written, just ‘WHAT’ the text says about the points in the question.

Imagine it like this: you are an editor and have been asked to rewrite the text without all the excess.

Question 1 – The rules...– Your summary should be in your own words – of

course you will need to use some of the same words as the original text but avoid lifting whole phrases, particularly more literary ones like similes or strings of adjectives.

– Never quote or mention the writer – you are the writer.

– Cut out all examples and stick to the basic facts.– Remember this is a summary and should be

shorter than the original text. But not too short. About ¾ of a page is about right – over that and it is probably too long , shorter than ½ a side and it is probably too short.

– Do not include your own OPINION.

Step 1...

Stuff the tiger – long live extinction

Referring closely to the article, outline concisely why extinctions of tigers is not necessarily a bad thing.

Note how many strands there are to the question – what points have you been asked to outline?

one strand

Step 2...



Take the first strand and looking through the text highlight the points that help address that. You should aim to highlight as few words as possible – remember this is a summary.

Step 3...



Now put these into a BRIEF bullet point list. Are there any similar points that can be combined into one or points that would go nicely together in a sentence? Draw lines to link these.

Key points:

Step 4...



Now you are ready to write you answer. This should be in paragraphs – not note form (remember: imagine you are asked to rewrite this...). Take your bullet points and turn them into sentences.

TRY NOT TO LOOK BACK AT THE TEXT at this point – it will only encourage you to use the phrases of the original text.

Before we tackle the summary, let’s look at the mark scheme...

Question 1 Mark Scheme

What’s wrong...?

Jeremy Clarkson claims that he is not particularly bothered if his children never get to see a tiger.

What’s wrong...?

Scientists in the South American rainforest discovered 24 new species. This is amazing that as well some species becoming extinct, new ones are always being found.

What’s wrong...?

Some species have already become extinct this century. This has been blamed on various big companies who are trying to “turn all of the world into money and carbon dioxide.”

How would you summarise...?

As the population of China becomes more wealthy, demand for illegal tiger parts is booming. Up to 600m Chinese people believe that tiger, claws and even penises will cure any number of ailments, including arthritis and impotency. And as a result, we’ve just been told, for about the hundredth time, that if nothing is done extinction looms.


There’s an awful lot of sentimentality around the concept of extinction. We have a sense that when a species dies out we should all fall to our knees and spend some time wailing. But why? Apart from for a few impotent middle-class Chinamen, or if you want a nice rug, it makes not the slightest bit of difference if Johnny tiger dies out. It won’t upset out power supplies or heal the rift with Russia. It is as irrelevant as the death of a faraway star.


Between 1900 and 1919 eco-mentalists ignore the fact that we lost most of the young men in Europe and prattle on about the passing of the passenger pigeon, the Carolina parakeet, and the Tasmanian wolf.

question 1 info and ideas higher

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