In the following text, taken from an anthology of travel writing, the author remembers joining a group of children and their uncle on a boat journey in the South Pacific. UNCLE JOE'S OUTING South Pacific, June 1995 Joining a group of children on an outing in the South Seas brought back memories of long-gone summers. It was darkening now, and a fat moon rose behind the island, showering the shallows with light. Needles of phosphorescence ignited in the wake of the boat as it moved in towards the beach. Uncle Joe had cut the engine, and one of the island boys stood on the bow, poling us into the smooth waters near the shoreline. Behind us the Calvados Islands stretched off towards New Guinea, and beyond that the great immensity of Asia. An hour earlier we crossed the last great coral reef before Neimoa, Uncle Joe steering carefully while an islander whispered directions in his ear. No matter how many times he had crossed this jagged obstacle course, he wanted the voice of an islander in his ear, whispering the turns of the wheel like a prayer. And then we were clear into the lee of the Calvados where a marlin¹ leapt across our bows and the schools of flying fish chased across the waves, while the children cheered and sang: 'Five little hungry frogs sitting on a great big log, eating all the delicious bugs, yum, yum.' Now in the shallows one of them had seen a shark. It lay straight ahead in the shaky light-beams of Uncle Joe's ancient torch, a small sandshark dozing in the white sands of the shallows. The three children were on holiday with their Uncle Joe and they had begged him to rescue them from the boredom of the summer holidays. The youngest was called Mitchey, and his two sisters began to tease him. 'That shark will eat you Mitchey,' they cried. But Mitchey wasn't bothered. He knew the sandshark only cared about fish. We made the last kilometres of the journey on a small fishing skip. The island smell, ozone, hibiscus, coconut, sweet wild grass, flowed towards us on the night breeze and Mitchey, who had spoken all the way down about leaping on to the beach, fell fast asleep, and was carried on to the sand by his eldest sister. Over the next three days, I watched the children as they followed Uncle Joe from one end of the island to the other. They teased Mitchey relentlessly and then cuddled him; they pretended to steal his food, and then fed him with toffees. In the mornings, they would run diving into the crystal waters, hooting and shrieking, splashing each other until, exhausted from the play, they would fall on the hot sand and sing of the small frogs or tunes of the South Seas unknown to me. When I left them, watching their smiling faces growing ever more distant, as the boat began its inexorable² journey out of Eden, I felt a pang for all my own summers past and gone, and for the adult life with all its trials that even now was slowly swimming towards them. ¹marlin: a large marine fish ²inexorable: impossible to stop or prevent

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2018). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. Marking for part (a) is based on the Generic Marking Principles for Commentary (maximum 15 marks):
2. [13-15] Band 1: Shows perceptive appreciation of content and ideas. Fluidly relates content to structure, form, audience, purpose, genre, style. Shows keen awareness of intentions of passage. Analyses text with sensitive and discriminating awareness of how language creates effects. Moves with ease between part and whole in discussing specific examples of language use and the effect of the whole passage. Strong structure; may be concise; quotation is used fluently, 'embedded' in the argument.
3. [10-12] Band 2: Shows consistent appreciation of content and ideas. Able to relate content to structure, form, audience, purpose, genre, style, main aims of passage. Analyses text, with awareness of the effects created. Able to relate part to whole in discussing specific examples of language use and the effect of the whole passage. Strong structure used to convey clear argument.
4. [8-9] Band 3: Shows steady engagement with content/ideas of piece. Shows general understanding of structure, form, audience, purpose, genre, style of passage. Thorough analysis of passage is made, correctly identifying a range of features of language, giving examples, and showing ability to explain how they create effects with some relation of part to whole. Clear structure, sustained focus.
5. [6-7] Band 4: Shows some engagement with content/ideas of piece. Shows general, overall understanding of structure, form, audience, purpose, genre, style of passage. Appropriate points are made, correctly identifying some features of language use, giving examples, and showing some ability to explain how they create effects. May be a fragmented approach. Clear structure; may be 'line-by-line'; essay may drift in and out of focus.
6. [3-5] Band 5: Makes some relevant points about content. Shows some understanding of some aspects of structure, audience, form, purpose, genre, style of passage, but with some failures to identify key features and or misunderstanding. Some relevant points made, identifying a restricted range of examples of language use. Some examples are not related to the effects created. Some examples may be listed without development. Much generalisation. Little structure. Points may be rather disconnected.
7. [0-2] Band 6: Comments on content of passage. May be confused. Very few, if any, points made about language of passage. May be unclear. Expression breaks down at times. Very short work. Unstructured.
8. Marking for part (b) is based on the Generic Marking Principles for Directed Writing (maximum 10 marks):
9. [8-10] A perceptive recognition of context, audience, form, and purpose supported by a good range of appropriate vocabulary and expression suitable for the task. Responses at the top of this band will be persuasive and confident, supported by a consistent, and at best personal, engagement with context and purpose, using fluent and accurate expression accompanied by a strong sense of audience.
10. [6-7] A clear and informed sense of purpose, context, form and relevance supported by a reasonable attempt to use language appropriate for the task.
11. [4-5] An adequate attempt, but marked by an inconsistent and uneven sense of purpose, form, context and style. Generally sound expression and accuracy.
12. [2-3] The beginnings of an answer, but limited by an inappropriate sense of style, form, purpose and language. Expression and accuracy may be limited.
13. [0-1] Confused and unfocused sense of purpose, form, context and audience. Wholly inappropriate language and style. Work may be brief or fragmented and expression very limited.