Bury Church of England

High School

GCSE English Language

OCR Revision Guide
Section A – Reading
Higher Tier

Mrs Brannon-Barnett 2015

 Select an article (from a suitably challenging source – not a
tabloid newspaper) and summarise it. Remember to use your
own words and draw similar points together.
 Go through your mock papers and any feedback on exam
questions, and use the skills audit sheet to help you target your
revision on the right questions. Your RAG analysis should help
with this too.
 Look carefully at the sample answers to the Grizzly Bears exam
paper. Compare them to your answers in the mock exams.
 Annotate a magazine advert, exploring the use of
presentational devices to help sell the product.
 Look carefully at the past papers you have been provided with.
Use them as revision aids.
 Collect together all the information you have on question one
and create a single flash card of advice/ top tips to revise how
to tackle it.
 Look carefully at all the examples of qu2 you can find from your
mock and classwork you have been doing. Create a single flash
card.
 Repeat for question 3.
 Select two texts which share a common theme and see if you
can create your own exam paper – we tried this in class back in
November however you will be much better at this now that
you are more familiar with the style of exam questions.
Use this sheet to audit
your skills for the
reading section of the
Information and Ideas
paper.
 The Grizzly Bears Paper

Over the next pages you will find the texts which go with this paper. Have a
go at the paper under timed conditions: give yourself 10 minutes reading
time plus 60 minutes to write up your answers, referring back to the text as
and when you need to. Once finished, you can compare your results to the
sample answers in this pack which follow and have been marked by real OCR
examiners. Read their comments carefully and see if they would apply to
your answers. What have you missed? What would you do differently?
Sample Answer: Question One

Black bears are not lumbering, clumsy and cuddly animals as is often suggested by
children’s cuddly toys, or the popular notion that bears are slow and lazy. In fact, they
can move very quickly with great agility, at speeds up to 35 miles per hour. Bears are
very powerful, they weigh up to 70 stone and use their weight to produce explosive speed.
Black bears are dominant predators which use their good sense of smell to track down
prey, and use the landscape to pursue and trap their target. Bears can move stealthily
and quietly through their habitat to ambush prey, and intelligently calculate the way
in which to capture their prey.

Guy Grieve was terrified by the encounter which left him feeling lucky to be alive as he
was pursued by a huge bear. His fear of the bear was so intense the other challenges he
faced whilst living in the Alaskan wilderness such as lack of food and plummeting
temperatures did not compare. He encountered bears on numerous occasions, they are a
constant threat. He was so scared by his first encounter he felt he must use his weapons,
and his body reacted to his fear in his increased heart rate and shaking hands. His bear
encounter was an experience he will never forget for the rest of his life as he was so
afraid and affected by the bear.

Clear overview

A680 Script Commentaries (The examiner says. . . )

Q1. This shows very secure understanding of the text by giving a very good (but not full)
range of points covering both parts of the question. Understanding of the task is less
secure. There is a stretch of excess material in the second section where focus is lost and
the candidate digresses to other challenges faced by Grieve and other brief encounters.
Point 6 is repeated (‘terrified’ and ‘so scared’).

This answer got 9 out of 12 marks.

Sample Answer: Question Two

Guy Grieve lived in the Alaskan wilderness for a year for a period of writing, during
which time he encountered a number of bears, his first encounter with a black bear is
described as by far his “most frightening” experience and he goes on to emphasise this.

The opening line “you never forget a close encounter with a bear” is attention grabbing
and suggests to the reader the enormity of the situation, that this was an experience he
could not forget. His use of alliterative tricolon “slowly, sedately, stealthily” in his
description of the approach of the bear makes them seem dangerous, whilst the sibilance
of the words portrays them as sinister. He further uses their movement to evoke fear in
the reader in his reference to the speed of the bear as “devastating… wouldn’t have out
run it”, whilst his use of statistic “easily reach 35 miles an hour” provides hard evidence
to support his claim.

Grieves’ description of the appearance of the bear “nostrils flared and teeth bare” present
an intimidating and frightening image for the reader. His contrast of “cuddly
creature” and “70 stone killing machine” highlights the misconception many have of a
slow, lumbering animal. Rather than the frightening, powerful predator it is.

Moreover, Grieve suggests his experience with the bear was more frightening than his
near death experiences from “starvation to excruciating cold”, emphasising how
terrifying it was. He names the bears “undoubted masters of the dark”, this dominant ,
predatory imagery highlights the danger to the reader. Grieve describes the bear as
seemingly intelligent as it adapts its pursuit of him as Grieve tried to escape “trying to
outflank me… sizing me up”, this adds to the dramatic impact of the account, the bear
is not only extremely powerful physically, but has some thought process in its method
of attack

Grieve uses the description of the response of his body to emphasise the terrifying
nature of the encounter: “my heart jumped into my mouth… shivering… light headed
with relief”, whilst his movement to retrieve a weapon suggests how close and real the
danger was.
Grieve suggests he will never forget the sight of the bear “as long as I live”, as if the
image of the bear is haunting him, highlighting his fear. His concluding line “most
fortunate man alive” suggests how close to death he felt he was, emphasising to the
reader the dangerous situation.

In conclusion, Grieve uses the movement and appearance of the “huge killer” bear to
evoke fear in the reader, whilst his own reaction to the bear, and the impact it has had on
the rest of his life suggests it was a life-changing experience , and an unforgettable,
“terrifying” encounter.

Wide range of points and judgements supported convincingly.

A680 Script Commentaries (The examiner says. . . . )

Q2. The response offers a wide range of points and demonstrates thoughtful appreciation
of the piece. Use of reference is particularly effective: quotation is appropriate and well-
integrated. Comment is firmly linked to the question and demonstrates understanding of
the writer’s purpose. The candidate considers how the writer uses information and
analyses in some detail how the use of language shapes reader response. There is less
attention to structure. Although there is some discussion of the opening and the ending
there is little sense of how the extract is shaped by the build-up of tension (drama
followed by relief).

His answer was awarded 12 out of 14 marks.

Sample Answer: Question Three
“A Walk in the Woods” tells the story of Bill Bryson, the author, and his friend
Stephen Katz as they attempted at 2000 mile train through North America. Bryson is
a famous author, his comedic book is popular and he uses his writing prowess to
entertain the reader.

The contrast in the mean’s reaction to the unexpected noises outside the tent highlights
the normal relationship they have, this is relatable to readers. Bryson is more concerned,
his reaction is considered hyperbolic by Katz “you’re hysterical enough for the both of
us”. Katz appears to be more interested I going to sleep, dismissing the activity as that
of a skunk or a deer, rather than a bear as suggested by Bryson.

The event is presented in a comical way, this entertains readers and keeps the extract
light and funny rather than portraying the fear of Bryson. The amusing imagery of
Bryson approaching “400 pounds of ravenous fur” with a “wimpy” knife used for
buttering pancakes entertains readers. The ineptitude of their equipment to face the bear
produces further amusement, a torch “which cast a distressingly feeble beam” and the
only sharp object in their possession, nail clippers produces imagery of a huge bear
being quashed by the two inexperienced men with a pocket torch and nail clippers, an
unlikely and amusing scenario.

Katz’s mocking of Bryson’s reaction to the animal adds further amusement “oh you
brute, go away do!”, his tone is a “merciless imitation”. This, and the dialogue between
the men, adds personality to the piece and is amusing and entertaining “what are you
going to do, give it a pedicure?”

Bryson uses hyperbole to add effect to the scene, describing a skunk as sounding “like
a stegosaurus” whilst his assumption that the animal was a bear, and that it would kill
them “waiting to be dead” is hyperbolic in itself. Bryson appears genuinely concerned,
trying to determine what the animal as and trying to deter it, all whilst in his
underwear, a further more amusing image.

Bryson personalises his account, small references to occurrences such as “Katz’s

snoring” is easily relatable to by readers, adding to its entertaining effect. Bryson’s
use of personal pronoun “sleep in your underwear” and his
informal “snooze” includes the reader in his experience, presenting him as personable,
relatable and therefore more entertaining. His initial panic “my brain was awake and
dashing around frantically like ants when you disturb their nest” is relatable, and his
almost childlike description “it sounded big” is amusing to readers.

In conclusion, Bryson uses the comedic imagery of the situation and dialogue between
the men to amuse the readers. His personable, relatable account appeals to readers, and
makes the extract more entertaining to read.

Very effective use of appropriate supportive references.

A680 Script Commentaries (The examiner says . . .)

Q3. The candidate shows very clear understanding how Bryson’s use of language shapes
our response to the situation. Understanding of the relationship between Bryson and Katz
and the humour that comes from their contrasting reactions is perceptive. Not all points
are firmly delivered and this does keep the answer below the top mark. The candidate’s
sense that ‘it’s relatable’ (used four times) is a weakness.

This response was awarded 13 marks out of 14.