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Exercise 1
Read the article about Jenny Talbot, a young mountain bike rider, and then answer the following
questions.
Jenny Talbot: mountain bike rider
Mountain bike rider Jenny Talbot recently won her first mountain bike race, and is planning to
become a professional rider soon. She and her brother enjoyed exercising from a young age with
their parents, and the family often went cycling at weekends, but it was hearing a teacher at school
talking about the sport that made Jenny want to try mountain biking herself. She persuaded her
parents to get her a suitable bike. There were fields at the back of her house where she could
have gone riding. However, they were too flat to be worth considering, so instead, every weekend
she went to a valley popular with local riders. Its steep sides took an hour to walk up, but only
10 minutes to come down! Whenever she felt tired, the other riders would tell her to never give up.
Later on, she discovered various tracks with different conditions, including a 15-kilometre forest
track with jumps and tight turns.
Jenny enjoyed various sports, including playing football for the school. She swam regularly at a
local pool and was asked to join her regional swimming team, which she seriously thought about.
She wasn’t completely sure as it would take up lots of time, and she was really into her mountain
biking. As her parents always said you should choose what makes you happy, she turned down the
offer and continued riding whenever she could.
She used her bike a lot over the next couple of years and eventually needed an upgrade. She
spent eight months doing jobs for her family to get enough money for a proper downhill bike. She
was then able to buy the expensive bike and kit that she needed to take her riding to another level.
Shortly after getting her new bike, she heard about a race taking place nearby. Although she was
worried that she might be the youngest competitor there, she still entered. A few days before the
race, she received a letter with race information, including a list of the other riders. She recognised
one of the names – top mountain biker Helen Foxton, who Jenny had read about in a magazine.
Jenny found her details online and emailed her to see if she had any tips for the race. Helen
replied, explaining how it was important to enjoy every race, and said she would look out for Jenny
on the day.
On the race morning, Jenny arrived early with her parents. It had been very rainy over the previous
few days, which made the route muddy, but this wasn’t a problem, and the spectators enjoyed
watching the race in sunny conditions. Jenny was amazed to come 17th out of 30 riders. All the
finishers were given a certificate, and the first 10 received helmets and sunglasses. Helen, who
came first, won a cash prize. Jenny was also presented with a medal for being the youngest rider.
Jenny met up with Helen, who explained how useful it was to vary the places where you practise.
Jenny also picked up a leaflet about a training weekend that, by chance, Helen was involved in,
called ‘Biking for All’. Helen was running a popular session called ‘Competitive Skills’, and another
top rider was leading one called ‘Safe Mountain Biking’, aimed at new riders, so Jenny decided to
go to the former. She went on the course and really enjoyed it. She says the things she was taught,
such as how important it is to learn from mistakes, have played a big part in getting her to her
current position, and will support her in her future career.
© UCLES 2020 0510/12/F/M/20
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1 Who introduced Jenny to mountain biking?
.................................................................................................................................................... [1]
2 Where did Jenny prefer to practise mountain biking at first?
.................................................................................................................................................... [1]
3 Which team was Jenny a member of at school?
.................................................................................................................................................... [1]
4 How long did it take Jenny to save up money for a better bike?
.................................................................................................................................................... [1]
5 Where did Jenny get the information she needed to contact Helen Foxton?
.................................................................................................................................................... [1]
6 What was the weather like when Jenny was competing in the race?
.................................................................................................................................................... [1]
7 What things did Jenny get to take home with her after the race? Give two details.
..........................................................................................................................................................
.................................................................................................................................................... [2]
8 Which part of the cycling training course did Helen teach?
.................................................................................................................................................... [1]
[Total: 9]
© UCLES 2020 0510/12/F/M/20 [Turn over
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Exercise 2
Read the article about three people (A–C) who have reached the final of the Young Musician competition.
Then answer Question 9(a)–(h).
Young Musician Competition
Find out more about this year’s finalists in their own words
A Max: cellist
I honestly can’t remember the exact age I started playing, but I guess I was about three or four.
I begged my parents to let me play the violin, which I did for a year. Then I was invited to a cello
concert, where to my surprise, I fell in love with the instrument – it has the perfect balance of
sounds. When I was eight, I got into a music school on the other side of the country. This meant
moving away from my parents’ home and living at school during the week. At first, it was difficult
only seeing my parents at weekends. It was a long drive and we spent hours in the car. But it’s
been worth it – studying there has really helped me mature as a musician, as well as make some
great friends in my class. I’m busy preparing for the Young Musician competition now, as well as
for school exams. I have to say there’s been more music practice than revision, but the competition
will be over soon and I can focus more on studying.
B Louis: pianist
Well, the Young Musician competition is taking place in my hometown, and I’ve actually performed
in the place where the competition is happening, so that’s making me feel less nervous! I was born
in the US, but came to the UK while my parents were working at City University. During this time, I
got the chance to have private lessons with one of the best teachers in the country, and although
we’d decided to return to the US, I was making such good progress with my piano that we stayed in
the UK! As well as playing the piano, I love reading, and I’ve taken up the violin because I needed
to do something more social like joining an orchestra, although I haven’t had time to actually do
that yet! For the competition I’ll be playing a piece that I hope the audience will like – it has a good
balance of exciting fast bits and some beautiful slower sections too, which are full of emotion.
C Rob: clarinettist
I was amazed when I found out I was in the final. I didn’t think I’d get that far so I didn’t start
practising the piece I’ll be performing until I got the news. Most of the other competitors have been
rehearsing for much longer! I’m the oldest competitor, and I’ve been playing for a long time. I only
started playing music at primary school because that was just what everyone else did. Lots of us
played a simple wind instrument, called a recorder, at an after-school club. Then, as my friends
started to give up, I kept going. I only stopped when my teacher suggested I moved on to the
clarinet. After a few years, I got a place at the Royal Music School. I have a clarinet lesson every
day, and I spend four hours playing and preparing for it. It’s hard to fit that in around my studies, but
I manage. One of the best things about being at the school is that I get the chance to listen to other
performers.
© UCLES 2020 0510/12/F/M/20
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9 For each question, write the correct letter A, B or C on the line.
Which young musician …
(a) says that he decided to start playing because of his classmates? .......... [1]
(b) suggests that he needs to spend more time on his schoolwork? .......... [1]
(c) describes how his family changed a decision to help support his music? .......... [1]
(d) mentions the amount of preparation he’s done compared to other people? .......... [1]
(e) explains that his choice of instrument was unexpected? .......... [1]
(f) gives a reason why he also plays an additional instrument? .......... [1]
(g) describes the way in which being at his music school has changed him? .......... [1]
(h) mentions a past event he thinks will help his confidence? .......... [1]
[Total: 8]
© UCLES 2020 0510/12/F/M/20 [Turn over