Pearson Edexcel International GCSE

Time 2 hours Paper

PAPER 1: Reading and Writing

Insert Booklet
For Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 6
Do not return this Booklet with the question paper.

Turn over

P69685A
©2023 Pearson Education Ltd.
J:1/1
*P69685A*
 Part 1
10 Interesting Places to Stay
A Brown Cottage
Just seven people and hundreds of sheep live on the island. This cottage is very
popular. A teacher normally lives in the cottage but it is rented out over the summer.
The island is reached by boat and with no shops, you should bring what you need.
B Gladstone’s Library
This residential library is the first of its kind in Britain. It has 26 rooms, more than
250000 books, and no mobile phone signal. It’s perfect for writers and serious readers
who do not want to be distracted. Guests can take library books to their rooms.
C Still Waters
This is a comfortable houseboat, ideal for a small family. You don’t need a licence to
drive a houseboat. Simply work out how far you want to take the boat based on the
length of your stay. Enjoy visiting new places and experiencing a slower pace of life.
D Christopher’s Inn
This hostel is the only one in Britain that offers sleeping pods, such as those found in
East Asia. Aimed at young travellers on a budget, it’s a lively place to stay. The sleeping
capsules have plug sockets, USB ports and a light. There is just enough room to sit up.
E Lighthouse Life
This lighthouse stands alone on its own small island and is a perfect getaway for up
to four people. There are two beaches that are ideal for swimming and good spots
for dolphin watching. Supplies must be bought on the mainland, which is 45 minutes
away by boat.
F Cottage Retreat
Seven luxurious cottages are situated in a meadow beside a small lake. This is a
peaceful adults-only retreat, where you can relax and appreciate the sights of
wildflowers and the sounds of birdsong. In a nearby studio, you can enjoy yoga
sessions or take a photography course.
G Cliff House
This house is located on a spectacular cliff above a quiet beach. It’s very modern,
sleeps up to six people and has a beautiful garden and fantastic views of the ocean.
The steep path to the beach will test your fitness, but it is truly worth the effort.
H Lion Lodge
It is now possible to spend the night at London Zoo and sleep in a wooden lodge
next to the lion enclosure. You are free to explore the zoo at night after it is closed to
visitors. There is a private tour of the grounds to make your stay more memorable.

2 P69685A

I Appleton Water Tower
This very tall structure has been converted to accommodate four people. There’s a
viewing room on the second floor that looks out onto the beautiful surroundings, and
the rooftop is perfect for stargazing and watching the sun rise. It is a comfortable nest
above the treetops.
J Chewton Glen
This is a traditional country house hotel with three modern treehouses in its grounds
where guests can also stay. The hotel is home to a world-class spa and a popular
Italian restaurant serving a range of dishes. It is only a short walk through the gardens
to the sandy beach and sea.

P69685A 3
 Turn over
 Part 2
Is Snacking Good or Bad?
Many years ago, when I completed my first course in food nutrition, the idea was that
having three meals a day and snacks in between was the best approach to eating.
However, our understanding of eating habits has developed since then. Research into
fasting has shown how going for periods of time without food can be beneficial for
health when done in the right way. I now believe that the ‘little and often’ approach to
eating is unhealthy.
When there is a long time between two meals and you are genuinely hungry, having
a healthy snack is a good idea. For example, if your lunch break is at 1 pm but you won’t
get home in time to have dinner before 8 pm, consider a healthy snack around 4 or 5 pm.
Also, if you have planned a late meal with friends in a restaurant, have a small healthy
snack beforehand to manage your appetite. Otherwise, due to a delayed mealtime, you
may be likely to overeat once you get there – something I am always guilty of. A recovery
snack after a workout or run is a good idea too.
Snack culture is a relatively recent phenomenon. One explanation for this is that
protein-based breakfasts have been widely replaced with carbohydrate-based breakfast
foods like cereals or toast. These don’t tend to keep us full until lunch, leading to
the increased likelihood of hunger around mid-morning. Another explanation is the
explosion of snack foods on the market and our more active, work-focused lifestyles that
lack set mealtimes and often require quick and easy on-the-go refuelling options.
Knowing when and how to snack healthily is important. Every time you reach for a
snack ask yourself whether or not you are actually hungry. There are many triggers for
snacking that have nothing to do with hunger. For example, snacking out of boredom is
common. If you’re opening the fridge and looking for food just for something to do, think
about how you could change this unhealthy habit. Consider taking a quick walk or read
a magazine article. Find an activity that works for you and next time you’re tempted, do
that instead.
Constant snacking can become a habit, so keep snacks out of sight in a kitchen
cupboard. If you have unhealthy snacks lying around, such as a large bag of crisps open
and in front of you, you’re likely to keep eating them until they’re finished. Alternatively,
do a little research and investigate which healthy snacks you could buy instead. I did,
and it’s simple. Then, if you really do need to eat because you’re hungry, you’ll have only
healthy snacks to choose from.
A snack is designed to be a small refuel between meals, not a meal in itself. Even when
you’re snacking on something healthy, this is something to keep in mind. It’s easy to
forget this when snacking on foods like nuts, eating handfuls at a time. By doing this,
you can quickly end up getting through a meal’s worth of calories. Portion sizes still need
monitoring so take the amount you need and put them in a bowl, rather than eating
directly from a big packet.
When shopping for healthy snacks, you need to be aware that a lot of food labels use
descriptions like ‘natural’ or ‘whole food’ to make us think that they’re healthy options.
Some actually contain a surprisingly high amount of sugar. I am truly shocked that some
food producers would do this. For example, fruit bars might simply list fruits as their
ingredients, but their sugar content can be incredibly high.

4 P69685A

If you want to eat healthily, I advise you to plan each meal with the aim that it keeps you
full until your next mealtime. You can then have your snacks as a back-up if you really
need to – this is what I do anyway. Ensuring you have a healthy protein source as the
base of each meal and plenty of fibre-rich vegetables is a good start. Being tired can be
a trigger for snacking, so work on getting enough quality sleep so that you’re not
snacking from tiredness.

P69685A 5
 Turn over
 Part 3
A New Weather Station
The Himalayan Mountains are considered an important source of water for the planet
and up to a quarter of the world’s population is reliant on this resource. This area is one
of many in the world that is quickly becoming warmer due to climate change. However,
there is no real data on the impact of climate change on regions that are over 5000 metres
above sea level.
In 2019, an expedition led by two climate scientists, Tom Matthews and Baker Perry, set
out to install a new weather station on Mount Everest that would be the highest weather
station on Earth. The aim was to improve understanding of climate change.
The two scientists had worked closely with a crew of engineers to plan carefully and build
a structure that could withstand the extreme cold and hurricane-force winds it would face
on the highest point of the planet. They had tested it in America and Nepal. They then
had practised putting it up as quickly and efficiently as possible with the team going on
the expedition with them. In my opinion, the team could not have been better prepared.
They all knew that the lack of oxygen on Mount Everest, and the resulting effects of
exhaustion, would give them a maximum of four hours to get the weather station up and
working before they had to make their way down the mountain.
Just after dawn on 23 May 2019, the team stood on the Southeast Ridge of Mount Everest
at over 8000 metres above sea level, at the point of making history. They had spent
months preparing for this moment: the installation of the highest weather station in the
world. With the sun beginning to rise, everything seemed to be working well. Even the
weather, which can be unpredictable at this time of year, was thankfully, calm. However, as
the team unpacked their gear, a terrible truth began to sink in: a key piece of the weather
station was missing.
Transporting the weather station to the top of the world had required sharing the many
pieces out between the members of the expedition. Among the coils of wire, aluminium
poles, and various scientific instruments, there was supposed to have been a metal tube
that was vital to the mission. The men, amazingly, without any sign of panic, searched
and searched for it again, but it was nowhere to be found.
The reason any of this was worth the effort, risk and cost is because only Mount Everest,
and a few of the other mountains in the Himalayas, are tall enough to reliably pierce the
subtropical jet stream—one of the narrow bands of powerful winds that circle the globe
at high altitudes. These winds influence everything from storm tracks to agricultural
growing seasons. I cannot stress enough how essential it is for climate scientists to
understand the jet stream. The weather station would provide scientists with an
important new tool to gather data about it.
Yet, there they were, on the roof of the world, with no way to attach the wind sensors
that were the most important part of the weather station. They could not go down
without doing this, and they were not prepared to send someone down the mountain to
get the missing part, so they had to find a solution.

6 P69685A

The team realised that the handle to a tool they had brought with them was roughly the
same size as the missing piece. However, there was one issue: the tool handle was oval,
while the attachments on the weather station needed circular tubing. One of the team
grabbed a hammer and began to shape the handle into a circle. They then wrapped
strips of tape around the handle to increase the size of it, making the fit tighter. In this
way, the weather station was completed and the team was able to begin the lengthy
walk back to base camp. It is a super-modern, fully-operational weather station, but if you
look closely you will see the tape and the tool handle.
As we begin to develop a better insight into what the future will be like, understanding
what is happening in areas that lie between 5000 to 8800 metres above sea level
will become extremely important. Virtually all the glaciers in the Himalayas originate
in the zones above 5000 metres. This means that scientists cannot put together an
accurate picture of how quickly they are melting, until they venture above this height to
understand the environment where they are formed. By installing the weather station,
scientists will have a better understanding of how the hydrosphere, the water system,
will react to increased temperatures and how the winds will change. This information is
critical for predicting the future of the northern hemisphere and of its residents.

P69685A 7
 Turn over
 Part 6
The Impact of Technology on Shopping
Easy in-store shopping
We may soon see hi-tech checkout-free stores in the UK. In such stores, an app will track
customers as they walk about, recording the items they pick up and take away. The cost
of purchases will be automatically billed to people’s accounts. This is claimed to be the
world’s most advanced shopping technology, but other businesses are also trialling
shop-assistant-free concepts. One store in Sweden, for example, relies on a mobile app
that lets residents into the store day or night, scans their shopping and then they pay via
a monthly invoice. There are many new technologies, such as these, which could further
change the way we shop.
A virtual you
For many shoppers, buying clothes online is not always successful. Sizes vary between
outlets and getting the right fit means many clothing items are returned. This is bad
for both the shopper and the company. This could change thanks to new software that
creates an accurate 3D model of the shopper, meaning it is possible to ‘try on’ clothes.
There is technology that can be used with retailers’ websites so customers can create
what it calls ‘Me Models’ as well as 3D images of the products on sale. Shoppers can then
see what they would look like in different outfits. In addition, retailers can use customer
data to suggest and display outfits to their customers, boosting their sales.
Robot shop assistants
Retailers are definitely moving on, with a view to replacing staff with sophisticated
‘intelligent’ software. In America, one company is testing a customer service robot that
speaks several languages, helps shoppers find items and provides information to them.
In some home appliance stores in Japan, a humanoid robot called Pepper is being
used to sell coffee machines. The robot can explain products and services and have
conversations with customers, reading and responding to their emotions.
Digital help in the home
Nearly all major technology firms are developing small devices for the home. These act
as digital home assistants that respond to voice commands. These devices are designed
in such a way that they can help you with your shopping. Useful apps let you call out
shopping lists and allow you to add items to your virtual trolley as you walk around the
house.
Eventually these assistants should learn what you want and when you want it without
commands. However, these devices may be very short-lived because ‘smart’ home
appliances, like fridges, coffee machines and printers, that can automatically reorder
stock without any interaction with their owner, have already been developed. They are all
linked to the internet.

8 P69685A

Drone deliveries
As retail sales increasingly transfer from the high street to the internet, one of the biggest
problems for companies is making deliveries. In busy cities where traffic congestion
is a problem, one solution already being tested is using drones. One online retailer
has started working with the UK Government to test the possibility of delivering small
parcels, which make up 90% of the company sales, by drone.
So, how will you shop in the future?

P69685A 9
