Writer’s Effect
This question asks you to analyse the writer’s language choices.You need to select words which create images and write PEA paragraphs about them (Point, Evidence, Analyse).
1. Read the question. 2. Draw a box/circle around the relevant paragraph for question 2(a) and 2(b) 3. Underline words and phrases you will use – annotate each for any senses, emotions, atmosphere and IMAGE they create. Make sure they are relevant to the question. 4. Write your response: 5. Introduce the overall impression and write a L-ICE paragraph i. about one word/phrase. ii. Write a second L-ICE about another effect choosing a different example to comment on. iii. Write a third L-ICE about another effect choosing a different example to comment on. iv. Leave a space and start on (b) – come back at the end if you have time to write another L-ICE paragraph
6. Exactly the same as above BUT on the SECOND paragraph you have been given in the question. 7. Remember it is ESSENTIAL that you answer both parts of the question
Top Tips
- Make sure the comments on Effects link back to the passage. Think: What is the effect of that word in that passage? Do not be too general or random!
- Make sure your examples are images, i.e. create a picture in your head.
- Make sure your examples are relevant to the question.
How to Answer IGCSE English First Language
Writers Effect
Q.1. Read Passage A carefully, and then answer Questions 1 and 2 on the Question Paper. Passage A
A Trek in the Andes
The pain was worth it, I decided, as I heard my husband Alfred groan, roll out of bed, and stumble like a wooden soldier towards the bathroom. I knew that as long as I lay there, motionless, I would not suffer likewise. Our problem was that our muscles were unimaginably stiff after one of the most stimulating experiences of our lives, for we had spent the last couple of days ‘on top of the world’ – trekking in the Andes.
* * *
We had left Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, three days before, and taken an 11-hour bus journey overnight to Mérida, a university town 1,500 metres above sea level in the lower region of that great mountain range. After a day to acclimatise in this lovely old city, we organised ourselves for the object of the exercise – to take the longest and highest cable car in the world to the top of the beautiful Venezuelan Andes.
With clear skies on a crisp January morning, we were transported gently upwards for 30 minutes in four stages to almost 5,000 metres. From the base of the teleferico, each stage had taken us approximately 1,000 metres higher; by stage three, we were beginning to feel the effects of the altitude, breathing more rapidly as our bodies demanded more oxygen than our usual breaths would provide. Although we could have stopped there, we had opted for the final cable car run, an extremely steep climb. We disembarked on top of Pico Espejo (Mirror Peak), only about 70 metres below the highest peak in Venezuela, Pico Bolivar, which then faced us.
What wonderful views greeted us at that altitude! We could almost touch the snow-clad Pico Bolivar across the ravine, looking like a majestic, ancient and wise giant lording it over time and space. Below rushed the tiny, meandering river, just a moving silver thread woven into the dark fabric of the mountain. No superlative is capable of describing what we witnessed! It placed humankind firmly into insignificance as only minute specks on the landscape.
Where we were standing was sheltered, but the cold was very noticeable, even through our winter clothes. Moving into that freezing wind, with all its chill factor, brought home to us the reality and extremity of our location. When we had taken photos, we returned to the lower level. We then started out on our next objective – a trek across a mountain pass to the small village of Los Nevados (The Snowfalls). The time was 11am. We hoped to be able to spend the night at Los Nevados before returning to Mérida the following day.
The journey ahead was only 14.5 kilometres, normally well within a day’s walking distance. We set off in our stout walking boots, jeans, shirts and fleeces, carrying a pack with wind proofs, sun hats, bottles of water and basics for overnight. Although well trodden, the route was far from straightforward, with steep, snaking climbs that seemed to stretch to infinity and induced in us a feeling of being no bigger than ants, yet much more exposed to the stern sky, and more vulnerable to the whims of the elements. The way was strewn with slippery gravel, fine sand and boulders of varying sizes, so that it was like attempting an obstacle course across an ice rink. Only occasionally did we find the luxury of a grassy cushion beneath our feet. It is not a journey to be undertaken by the faint-hearted or feeble-bodied!
Four hours had passed, and all we could see were barren mountains. The route was devoid of other travellers; the only sign of human habitation was a couple of tiny, isolated dwellings. By now I was looking hopefully for our destination, aware that fatigue was making itself felt, that I had not used sufficient protection from the UV light – sunglasses, lip salve and sun cream are a must – and that we should have taken a first aid kit with us to treat the blisters on our heels. But there was no village within sight, even distantly. We had no choice but to press on.
Re-read the descriptions of:
(a) the scenery in paragraph 4, beginning ‘What wonderful views…’;
(b) the challenges of the walk in paragraph 6, beginning ‘The journey ahead…’.
Select words and phrases from these descriptions, and explain how the writer has created effects by using this language.
Write between 1 and 1½ sides, allowing for the size of your handwriting. Up to 10 marks are available for the content of your answer.
‘Greeted us’ is a phrase that is used very well to convey the writer’s musing on arrival. It indicates her belief that the scenery welcomed and invited the travelers to enjoy the beauty. ‘Majestic, ancient and wise giant’ and ‘lording it over space and time’ puts us in reverence of Pico Bolivar and the ravine, which combined with ‘minute specks on the landscape’ gives the setting a sense of massiveness. ‘Almost touch’ introduces us to the nearness of the writer and Pico Bolivar as what separates them is merely empty space. The writer has achieved vivid picturisation through ‘tiny, meandering river’ complemented by ‘moving silver thread’ and ‘dark fabric’. She has used an alliance of words and analogy as striking imagery to describe the view aptly.
‘Steep, snaking climbs’ induces fear in the readers’ minds and they sympathise with the trekkers. ‘Stretch to infinity’ displays the writer’s anxiety well and attributes homogeneity and unchangingness to the path. ‘Vulnerable’ to the ‘whims of the elements’ causes the reader to dread the fate of the trekkers as it uses an excellent personisation of the elements willing to hurt. By writing ‘obstacle course across an ice rink’, the writer is making an attempt at humour and guiding the readers to imagine the walk. ‘Luxury of a grassy cushion’ expresses the need of the trekkers and the trouble they were in. It conveys their suffering as what might be ordinary grass to others is a divine boon to them. ‘Stern sky’ employs alliteration along with attribution of cruelty and apprehension
Q.2. Read Passage A carefully, and then answer Questions 1 and 2 on the Question Paper. Passage A
A Visit to Rataia
In this story, the writer travels on foot to a small seaside town that is untouched by civilisation.
The moment I arrived in Rataia, I knew I could transform this place into a world-class tourist resort.
It was a ramshackle, run-down town with a handful of shops selling essential commodities. The biggest of these boasted the imposing title, ‘Emporium’. There was an apology for a hotel, where I was to stay in a cramped little room with a window too high for me to enjoy the sea view. The town square, with its sad, droopy trees, had an atmosphere of yesterday. In one corner, hiding behind a riot of bushes, stooda tiny church, sadly in need of restoration.
So what had made me see the potential of Rataia? The day before, when I had reached the top of the hill behind the town, I was stunned by the natural beauty that lay below. There was the bay with its magnificent stretch of golden sand and the sea glistening in the sun, reflecting the brightness like a sheet of glass. On either side, the mountains fused into a purple haze. Silence was omnipresent, broken only by bursts of magical birdsong around me.I descended to the tiny, forgotten town. I stood transfixed. Even here the sand was really pure and the water in the rock pools translucent. I gazed at myriads of fish with their dazzling colours darting, cruising or just lazing between the crevices.
As I sat alone, in the one shabby café on the front, my imagination took over. The bay was extensive enough to accommodate thousands of visitors in comparative comfort. Once electricity was brought from the neighbouring towns, there could be five or six hotels, a casino or two, a truly modern waterpark. New, superior housing for the well-to-do would spread into the foothills behind the bay.
Such was my entrepreneurial spirit! Finance was of course a major consideration, but just think of the money that my fashionable visitors would bring to my investment! In my mind’s eye, handsome people wandered along the spacious promenades, the women vying with each other to display the most charmingly casual or the finest formal clothes. Men would stroll in their smart designer items, or sport full evening dress for their visit to the Grand Theatre or the All Stars Concert Hall. Children would laugh happily as they caught sight of a special park just for them. And perhaps a very special theme park! The name ‘Everest’ crossed my mind.
The café owner approached, rubbing his hands on his faded apron. He sat down at the next table. ‘Not much of a place, is it?’ he asked. ‘We’re cut off from civilisation; there are no jobs here – you’re the first customer I’ve had this morning.’‘Ah,’ I answered, ‘but the climate … what a perfect temperature! What sunsets!’‘I suppose so,’ said the café owner, looking over the bay. ‘Though it’s always like this. The only change is every week or so when we have a thunderstorm or a tornado, and then everyone gets wet or blown away.’‘But,’ I blurted out enthusiastically, ‘I know a way to bring thousands of rich people here. Just think of that guy who takes you to the islands in his boat. He could buy a bigger boat and make his fortune.’The owner looked at me hard and long. ‘Now,’ he said, ‘we had someone like you a year back. Wanted to make the place some sort of paradise. He gave up quickly enough. You’ll never interest the people here. They prefer it the way it is. They may be poor and have no television or internet, but they like the simple life. You build a new road over the hills or tempt walkers with a chair-lift up the mountains and you don’t know what you’ll let loose. Just ask anyone here. Those islands you mentioned are real nature reserves – birds and animals few of us have ever seen. What would you do with our fish? Put them in some huge aquarium?’ He got up, wiping his hands on his apron. ‘I’m sure you’re a good man, but I wouldn’t even think of it if I were you.’
Re-read the descriptions of:
(a)the town in paragraph 2;(b) what the writer experienced from the top of the hill in paragraph 3.Select words and phrases from these descriptions, and explain how the writer has created effects by using this language.
(a) The writer gives the reader a clear image of an unpleasant location for a holiday.
The town is described as a “ramshackle, run-down town”. The word “ramshackle” not only implies poor quality but the sound of the word suggests chaos. The word “run-down” informs the reader that the town is in a state of disrepair. The alliteration exaggerates or highlights this effect.
The town is said to be lacking in shops. Its largest shop is said to “boast[ ] an imposing title”. The verb “boasted” is employed ironically here, giving the impression that if this is the best that the town can be said to offer, it can’t possibly be an impressive place. The word “imposing” adds to the sarcastic effect.
Accommodation in the town leaves a lot to be desired: “There was an apology for a hotel”. This gives the reader the sense that the hotel is so bad that it is worthless. The word “apology” suggests that the hotel itself is saying sorry for how bad it is. Its rooms are “cramped” and its windows are “too high for [the writer] to enjoy the sea view”.
The hotel’s layout has, therefore, been poorly planned – it doesn’t even make the most of its best feature: the beautiful views.The town square is described as having “sad, droopy trees, an atmosphere of yesterday”. This gives the reader a wistful, melancholic feeling: the town’s best days are clearly in the past. The word “droopy” captures the idea that the town is a listless place that has little impact on those that visit.
Even the church is in a state of disrepair (“sadly in need of restoration”). The atmosphere remains downbeat. The writer conveys very vividly the idea of a town so mired in decline that it doesn’t even look after its local church.
(b) When the writer explores the area we are given an image of the “more attractive side of Rataia. He writes that he “was stunned by the natural beauty” of the place. The word “stunned” conveys a sense of his surprise at the picturesque nature of the town. The forceful nature of the experience is suggested to the reader by the verb “stun”. The place has clearly made a huge impact on the writer. The writer describes the bay as “magnificent”, with “golden sand” and sea that “glistens in the sun”. The alliterative “golden” and “glistening” implies the area’s beauty; the adjective “magnificent” is emphatic, suggesting that Rataia is an exceptionally beautiful place. The simile “the sea…reflect[s] the brightness like a sheet of glass” provides the reader with a sense of the sea’s purity. We are given an image of the ocean as clear and sparkling.
The fact that the sun is beginning to set is implied in the description of “the mountains fused into a purple haze.”
The only sounds that can be heard in the town are “magical birdsong”. The phrase conveys the idea that the town is a kind of enchanted place, a kind of earthly paradise.
Generally, the writer gives the reader the sense that Rataia is silent, calm and beautiful - so much so that the reader wishes to see the place for themselves.
Read Passage A carefully, and then answer Questions 1 and 2. Passage A
Aunt Pegg
Our parents were over-indulgent towards us, and we were happy but not particularly well-behaved children. Maybe they felt guilty because, on one occasion, they had to leave home for two weeks on business and invited our Aunt Pegg to look after us. She accepted the challenge eagerly. Vile Aunt Pegg! Leering, sneering, peering Aunt Pegg! We would be enjoying a friendly fight or just sitting doing nothing when she would pounce on us like a cat, and savage retribution would follow. As we stood in the corner of the room with hands on heads, she would snarl, ‘How dare you! Making my tidy room messy, wasting your time. I saw you!’ Aunt Pegg had eyes on sticks. How she saw us we never knew: one moment she wasn’t there, the next she was on top of us. She was a wizened, tiny woman of great muscular strength and energy, and her mouth was like an upside-down new moon without the hint of a smile. She constantly spoke of her ‘philosophy of life’ but we only experienced the superficial features of it. She kept us occupied at all times, sweeping the yard, tidying the house and learning to cook tasteless, crumbling cakes. On the first day she blew a whistle to order us downstairs to a breakfast of chewy, sugarless oat cereal. The sugary, salty foods we loved were locked away, and eating our morning bowlful was a lonely marathon. If we didn’t eat it all up, we were given extra cleaning to do. By day two we were very mournful children. Nostalgia set in as we remembered our happier past. We went about our daily tasks like little zombies. We became uncommunicative and even forgot (to our Aunt’s extreme pleasure) to insult each other. Both of us longed for the day when our dear parents would return and unlock the barred doors of our prison. On day three we were introduced to our educational programme. She set us impossible mental arithmetic sums at tremendous speed and always finished with ‘And twenty-nine, add ’em all together and take away the number I first said’. Then there was ‘Reading Improvement’, which consisted of moral tales from the nineteenth century, and ‘Practical Farmwork’, which mostly involved the identification and eradication of weeds. We were not allowed to re-enter the house until we had successfully whispered the name of the plant into Aunt Pegg’s good ear. If we did not use the official Latin name she would snap at us. ‘You wicked child! It is certainly not Hairy Stinkweed. I’ll not have swearing in my house!’ Of course we attempted to break free. It happened on a visit to town, while we were carrying the heavy bags with Aunt Pegg marching behind, tapping her walking stick like an officer in the army. At a mutual sign we dropped the bags and ran for it. Our Aunt seemed prepared for this. She blew her whistle and shouted ‘Stop thief!’ and we were painfully restrained by several burly members of the public. When we reached home we were given a stern lecture on ‘philosophy’ and ‘morals’ and sent to bed with just a slice of bread, some cheese and a lettuce leaf. We hated lettuce. Apparently much of Aunt Pegg’s philosophy was connected with diet. She must have thought that we were lazy, naughty children who needed strong routine and discipline to prevent the rot from setting in. How we cried with joy when our smiling parents returned, bearing presents and hugging us tight.
Re-read the descriptions of:
(a) Aunt Pegg in paragraphs 2 and 3;
(b) the children in paragraph 5.
Select words and phrases from these descriptions, and explain how the writer has created effects by using this language.
For this question, 10 marks are allocated to assessment of Reading Objective R4 (see syllabus). General notes on likely content: This question is marked for the candidate's ability to select effective or unusual words and for an understanding of ways in which the language is effective. Expect candidates to select words that carry specific meaning, including implications, additional to general and to ordinary vocabulary. Alternative acceptable choices and explanations should be credited. Mark for the overall quality of the answer, not for the number of words chosen. The following notes are a guide to what good candidates might say about the words they have chosen. They are free to make any sensible comment, but only credit those that are relevant to the correct meanings of the words and that have some validity. Candidates could score full marks for excellent comments on three words from each part of the question. Mark and credit what is positive.
(a) Aunt Pegg in paragraphs 2 and 3 Most candidates should give an overview of Aunt Pegg as utterly unpleasant to the point of savagery, and the best will wonder whether the description is an exaggeration, perhaps representing the point of view of the two disaffected children. Candidates in Band 1 must make valid comments about the images, starting with the image and applying it to the meaning in the passage. The description starts with an outpouring of hatred. Candidates should pick out the strength of vile. The ugly rhyming leering, sneering, peering that follows should suggest that the list of rhymes is for unusual emphasis (like a chant) but good candidates will unravel the meanings, which are appropriate to the rest of the description. For example, peering goes with eyes on sticks. Candidates should be careful to see the strange visual image here, but also explain it as being able to see in all directions and particularly out in front, so she saw everything. Leering and sneering go with the lack of a smile and the upside-down new moon. This is a strongly visual image, the opposite of a happy smile. The third image is that of pounce like a cat. To get the strength of this they must start with the cat, consider its strength, the way it preys and the sharpness of its steel claws. In fact this is another exaggeration, as is snarl, which prolongs the cat image and the sneer. An alternative interpretation has to do with a cat that watches the children all the time. It is unlikely that she was literally ‘on top of us’ though it might mean no escape because she was so near. These words all fit together, leaving wizened and muscular strength, which can only really be explored for meaning.
(b) The children in paragraph 5 Note that there is less in (b) than in (a) so do not be strict about balance. However, there are two good images and candidates should discuss mournful and nostalgia. There is more exaggeration here, as if the children had been transformed from their former state into something lifeless. Mournful sounds as if something has died, and that ‘something’ is the happier past. So the children grieve for it. Nostalgia is another way of looking at the same thing. It is an odd word to use since you would expect it to apply to a faraway past, but perhaps a few days in Aunt Pegg’s company are like a different age. Give plenty of reward for any candidate who gets to grips with this word in any depth. Similarly, reward candidates who discuss the image little zombies with some success. Zombies are animated bodies without souls (or more popularly, undead corpses). In voodoo they cannot exist without a master – in this case, undoubtedly Aunt Pegg. So they mooch around doing their chores under control, without any reaction. A result of this is their new habit of being uncommunicative, suggesting that they were too miserable, or traumatised by the woman, even to talk to each other. Candidates should also refer to the barred doors of our prison, barred because there was no one to turn to, ironic because it was their own house, perhaps like a prison because they had a warder and were under constant surveillance.
2 (a) The description of Aunt Pegg is made very effective in several ways: ‘Vile Aunt Pegg!’ – The brevity of this sentance along with the capitalised words and the exclamation mark definately acheive a sense of how passionately the writer feels about her through added emphasis. ‘Leering, sneering, peering...’ is also powerful as the words all have the same sound, and make the sentance sound a touch poetic. The repetition of ‘Aunt Pegg!’ which follows also adds emphasis to the whole passage so far. ‘Like a cat’ is quite important as it is a similie which can represent countless adjectives; graceful, clever, charming etc., but in this context represents Aunt Pegg’s unexpected pounce, and the ability of a cat to move silently (and almost become invisible) which we are told by “one moment she wasn’t there...” in Paragraph 3. The cat-like effect is reaffirmed and emphasised towards the end of the paragraph through the use of the word ‘snarl’. The writer makes the description of Aunt Pegg complete by describing physical aspects; “wizened, tiny woman...”, “upside-down new moon” This is another similie, which allows us to more easily imagine Aunt Pegg.
(b) The children are described through another similie: “little zombies”. This gives us an impression of the monotony of their days, and the boredom. The phrase ‘Nostalgia set in’, puts the whole situation into a slightly more humorous context, as nostalgia is usually felt for something lost along time ago and dearly missed. In this case it has been two days and the things missed are luxuries such as sweets. The writer blows the whole situation out of proportion, quite cleverly as he writes exactly as a child would have seen it.
Question 2 The description of the effects is not only convincing but subtle, and includes comments on sound, sequence and punctuation as well as vocabulary. Some of the choices are linked to explain the sustained imagery of the passage. The response ends with a summary overview of the narrator having the perception of a child. Though the response is not consistently excellent (the end of part (a) does not explain the similes, and part (b) has only two choices) there is enough proof of a secure understanding of how language works for the top mark to be awarded. Mark: 10
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