By Yeats College English teacher Emily O’Flaherty
Overall, a timely and well-balanced paper, the theme of which was “Challenges”.
All three Question A tasks offered plenty of scope for student engagement and reflection. In Question B, candidates could give their views on familiar and imaginative tasks, including a school blog post recording three items representing school life; a radio commentary on an exciting sporting event, and an article documenting the challenges teenagers face today.
The Composition Section of the paper provided further scope for creativity and reflection. The personal essays, one “on the challenges of facing a typical week in your life” and the other, “…describe your own talents and consider how you have developed them” were popular among students.
There were also two feature articles, two short stories and a speech entitled “The Challenges Facing our World Today” – all of which afforded students a great opportunity to exhibit their creative skills.
Altogether, a thoughtfully composed and highly accessible English Paper 1.
