fact sheet: about bumblebeesfluencycontent2-schoolwebsite.netdna-ssl.com/filecluster/deneholm... ·...

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Task 1

Fact Sheet: About Bumblebees

At the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, we are passionate about saving bees. Here is why.

Save our bees Bumblebees are among the most loved and familiar of garden insects. The sight and sound of them buzzing from flower to flower is an essential part of summertime, but sadly these fat, furry little creatures are struggling to survive.

At the time of writing, 24 bumblebee species are found in the UK, but unfortunately, in the last 80 years, two UK species have become extinct and others have declined sharply. In our modern world of paved gardens and intensive farming, our bumblebees find themselves hungry and homeless. The reason for this is simple and clearly visible: there are now far fewer flowers to provide bees with the pollen and nectar that they need to survive. But all is not lost – you can take action today to help save these hardworking pollinators. This fact sheet explains how.

What’s so different about the bumblebee? To most people, bees are instantly recognisable but there are distinct differences between the appearance and lives of bumblebees and honeybees. Bumblebees are larger and hairier than their cousins which makes them perfectly suited for colder climates. Bumblebee nests are small and they do not store large quantities of honey, so their extra furry coat allows them to venture out on cold days to collect pollen and nectar when honeybees stay inside.

Don’t 'bee' confused Don’t confuse bumblebees with wasps. Bumblebees do not swarm and are not aggressive. Only female bumblebees can sting and they will only do so if they feel very threatened. Bumblebees will never interrupt your picnic or steal your sandwiches!

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Buzz pollination Only bumblebees are capable of buzz pollination. This is when the bee grabs the flower and produces a high-pitched buzz. This releases pollen that would otherwise stay trapped inside. Key ingredients in our diet such as tomatoes are pollinated in this way. Many other common foods such as beans and peas would also be harder to produce and much more expensive without British bumblebees.

Did you know that bumblebees have smelly feet? Well they do and they're quite useful! After feeding, they leave a scent on the flower which lets other bumblebees know to avoid wasting energy landing – the flower will contain very little nectar or pollen.

Things you can do to help Bumblebees help pollinate plants in more than one million acres of British gardens and the flowers they find can be a lifeline for them. No matter how small your garden, you can help to save the sound of summer by providing lots of bee-friendly flowers throughout the year. By 'bee-friendly' we mean flowers that are rich in pollen and nectar. Many ornamental plants that are commonly found in British gardens, such as pansies and begonias, are of no value to wildlife. These decorative and colourful flowers often produce little pollen or nectar. However, there are hundreds of beautiful flowers that do offer these rewards, including foxgloves, lavender, geraniums, herbs and wild roses that you can add to your garden.

Why not try planting these?

Energy drink for bees If you find a stranded or sleepy bumblebee, you can help to boost its energy levels with a simple sugar and water mix. Mix equal parts white sugar and warm water then pour into a small container or sponge. Place both the bee and the artificial nectar near to some flowers.

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Act now

You can also help by supporting our work to conserve bumblebee habitats and raise public awareness. There are various ways to show your support including volunteering, fundraising and becoming a member of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust. For more information on all of the above, including access to our Bee Kind gardening web page, visit: www.bumblebeeconservation.org

Factsheet: About Bumblebees questions

1. What is the name of the organisation that produced this fact sheet about

bumblebees?

______________________________________________________________ 1 mark

2. Look at the section headed: Save our bees.

Complete the table below with one piece of evidence from the leaflet to support each statement.

Evidence

The Bumblebee Conservation Trust is worried about bees.

The leaflet makes readers feel hopeful for bumblebees.

2 marks

3. In our modern world of paved gardens and intensive farming, our bumblebees find themselves hungry and homeless.

This suggests that…

Tick one.

farming has helped bees.

paved gardens are attractive.

bees are good at finding their way.

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bees have only started struggling recently.

1 mark

4. Look at the section headed: What’s so different about the bumblebee?

The text refers to the bumblebees’ cousins.

Who are their cousins?

____________________________________ 1 mark

5. Which section of the leaflet is written to inform readers that they are unlikely to be stung by bumblebees?

Write the name of the section:

______________________________________________________________ 1 mark

6. In what way is buzz pollination more useful than other forms of pollination?

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________ 1 mark

7. Look at page 2.

Why is it important for bumblebees to leave a smelly scent on some flowers?

Tick one.

so that others avoid it

because it smells better than nectar

so others know it has pollen

because bees give flowers their scent

1 mark

8. Look at the section headed: Things you can do to help.

Find and copy one word that shows how essential flowers are to bees.

____________________________________ 1 mark

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9. Look at page 2.

(a) Tick one box in each row to show whether each of the following flowers is bee-friendly or not bee-friendly.

Bee-friendly Not bee-friendly

lavender

pansy

herbs

wild rose

1 mark

(b) Explain why the flowers that are not bee-friendly do not attract bees.

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________ 1 mark

10. Look at the section headed: Energy drink for bees.

These instructions suggest that the reader…

Tick one.

enjoys preparing food.

has lots of energy.

is willing to handle bees.

is skilled at gardening.

1 mark

11. Using information from the text, tick one box in each row to show whether each statement is true or false.

True False

Wasps can be aggressive.

Male bumblebees sometimes sting.

Bumblebees only go outside when it is warm.

You need a big garden to help bumblebees.

2 marks

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12. Look at the whole text.

Complete the table below to show what the text says you can do to help bumblebees.

Help for all bumblebees Help for a weak bumblebee

1. ________________________

________________________

2. ________________________

________________________

1. ________________________

________________________

2 marks

13. Give one example of the use of humour in the fact sheet.

______________________________________________________________ 1 mark

14. Bumblebees are very important to the human race.

Give two ways they are important.

1. ____________________________________________________________

2. ____________________________________________________________ 2 marks

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Task 2

This is an extract from an adventure story set in a different world. Micah, who earns money by finding things and selling them, goes to visit his 13-year-old friend, Piper.

Music Box Micah brought the music box to her on the night of the meteor storm. Piper never slept on these nights, when debris from other worlds fell from the sky. Restlessness kept her awake in bed, staring at the slanted ceiling of her house. She counted the widening cracks in the grey scrub-pine planks and then counted the seconds as they ticked by on the tarnished silver watch she wore around her neck. Beneath her cotton nightdress, the metal lay warm and comfortable against her skin. Micah’s knock made her lose count, but the watch ticked on steadily.

She pulled on a pair of her father’s old boots, slung his brown coat over her nightdress, and opened the door. Wind blew a harsh breath of snow and ice crystals into her face. Piper wiped her eyes and fixed a look of annoyance on the boy huddled in the doorway.

‘I must be seeing things,’ Piper said. ‘This can’t be Micah Howell standing at my door, dragging me out of bed in the drop dead of night. Look at me – I’m stunned stiff. I’m speechless.’

Micah snorted. ‘That’ll be the day, then. Let me in, Piper, will ya?’ He stomped snow off his boots. ‘Stinks out here, and it’s so cold my teeth are cracking together.’

‘That’s your own fault for being out on a storm night. Most scrappers have the sense to stay inside.’ He was right, though. The air already reeked of brimstone. The storm was coming. Piper moved to let him in, then shut the door behind him. He immediately ran to the cast-iron stove to warm his hands. Piper nudged him aside and adjusted the controls. ‘Hand me a log before you make yourself at home,’ she said. It was her habit to pretend to be bothered by her friend, even though she was happy to see him.

Micah handed her a piece of wood from the basket near the stove and reached into the bulky sack he had slung over his shoulder. ‘I brought it, just like I said I would.’

‘That’s great, kid, but I thought you were going to bring it a few hours ago – you know, before I made a comfortable nest in the middle of my bed.’ Piper tended the stove, and then she went to the window and looked out at the sky, which had begun to lighten, though it was still several hours until dawn. The moon was a sickly greenish colour, as it always was before the meteors fell, making the clouds around it look like swelling bruises on the sky.

Piper’s skin itched. She had the urge to go outside and watch the fields, to see the first of the meteors streak from the sky, but it was too cold, too dangerous. And

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besides, she’d promised to fix Micah’s toy. A musical box – Piper rolled her eyes. Machines couldn’t make proper music. You needed a person for that.

She lit an extra kerosene lamp and placed it on the small kitchen table. Piston rings, bolts, and cylinders littered its surface. Piper shifted these aside, wishing she had a bigger work space, one she didn’t also have to eat at. ‘Let’s see it, then.’

Micah set the music box between them. ‘Isn’t she beautiful?’ he said, his fingers lingering on the lid. It was decorated with a painted figure of a woman in a white silk robe. She reclined on a strip of grass, her long black hair falling around her waist. At her back grew a tree full to bursting with pink blossoms that hung over her like a veil.

Whoever had made the music box was a skilled artist. Piper could practically smell the flowers, each one hand-painted in white, coral, and cerise. In a few places, the paint had cracked and faded, but those were hardly noticeable. Overall, it was an incredible piece. Micah had been lucky to find it.

‘But she won’t sing?’ Piper lifted the lid to get a look at the musical components. She’d seen contraptions like these before. A series of pins arranged on a metal cylinder struck the teeth of a steel comb while the cylinder turned, making the tinkling notes of a song. She’d heard this type of music and had always thought the sound was a little annoying. ‘Did you clean the inside after you dug it out of the crater?’

‘Course I did.’ The boy was indignant. ‘You think I’m stupid?’

Piper glanced up from the box and raised an eyebrow.

‘Ha-ha. You watch – the coin I get from that thing will feed my family and me for a month. She’ll look smart in one of those fancy mansions in Ardra. Don’t you think she will, Piper?’ His excitement faltered, and he looked at her anxiously.

‘Yeah, it’ll look smart. Just make sure you find a buyer with a stiff hip at the market,’ Piper said. ‘They’re the ones who’ll be looking for these kinds of pretties.’ She felt the cylinder and its tiny pins. Micah had done a decent job cleaning it, but flecks of dirt still caked the comb, and something was keeping the cylinder from turning. She heard the soft, strangled notes of a song trying to play.

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Music Box questions

1. What has Piper been counting in the first paragraph?

1. ____________________________________________________________

2. ____________________________________________________________ 1 mark

2. She pulled on a pair of her father’s old boots, slung his brown coat over her nightdress, and opened the door.

The word slung suggests that Piper put on the brown coat…

Tick one.

carelessly.

slowly.

tidily

thoughtfully.

1 mark

3. Look at page 1.

Why is the boy huddled in the doorway while he waits for Piper to open the door?

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________ 1 mark

4. Look at page 2.

Why has Micah come to Piper’s house on the night of the storm?

______________________________________________________________ 1 mark

5. What impressions do you get of Piper’s house?

Give two impressions, using evidence from the text to support your answer.

Impression Evidence

__________________________ __________________________

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__________________________

__________________________

__________________________

__________________________

__________________________

__________________________

3 marks

6. Piper has mixed feelings about music boxes.

Complete the table below to show her thoughts.

What Piper likes about the music box ______________________________

What Piper dislikes about music boxes ______________________________

2 marks

7. Look at page 2.

‘But she won’t sing?’

What does Piper mean when she says this?

______________________________________________________________ 1 mark

8. Look at page 2.

Where did Micah find the music box?

______________________________________________________________ 1 mark

9. What work has Micah done to the music box before showing it to Piper?

______________________________________________________________ 1 mark

10. Piper thinks Micah has done a decent job.

She thinks his work has been...

Tick one.

excellent.

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careful.

sloppy.

reasonable.

1 mark

11. Look at the last paragraph, beginning: ‘Yeah, it’ll look smart.’

Find and copy one word that suggests that the sound coming from Micah’s music box is unpleasant.

____________________________________ 1 mark

12. What impressions do you get of the relationship between Piper and Micah?

Give two impressions, supporting your answer with evidence from the text.

1. ____________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

2. ____________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________ 3 marks

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Task 3

Swimming the English Channel from Dover in England to Calais in France

The first Channel swimmer On a foggy August afternoon in 1875, a lone swimmer dived from Admiralty Pier in Dover into the cold waters of the English Channel. Nearly twenty-two hours later, the exhausted man staggered onto French soil at Calais and became an instant hero. Captain Matthew Webb had become the first person to swim across the English Channel. Twenty-seven-year-old Webb was a merchant seaman from Shropshire. He had always been a powerful swimmer and, hearing of J.B. Thompson’s failed attempt to swim the Channel in 1872, he was inspired to give up his job and train as a long-distance swimmer. Webb’s first attempt had to be abandoned due to bad weather, but he returned to the icy Channel waters two weeks later.

Captain Matthew Webb

Many of the hardships that Matthew Webb had to deal with during his pioneering swim are still faced by modern-day Channel swimmers. In fact, some of his methods for dealing with these hardships are still used today. Webb coated himself in oil for protection against the cold and jellyfish stings. He was also accompanied by boats so his friends could protect and feed him. It must be said, however, that the ale, brandy and beef tea they supplied are not standard for today’s cross-Channel swimmers!

Frequently asked questions

Q: How cold is the water?

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A: The water temperature can range from 12°C to 18°C. Most people would consider water below 20°C too cold for swimming.

Q: How far is it from England to France?

A: The direct distance from Dover to Cape Gris Nez near Calais is approximately 21 miles, but a swimmer always swims further than that due to the movement of tides.

Q: How long does it take to swim across the Channel?

A: How fast do you swim? The faster you are, the more direct your swim will be. A slower swimmer will not only take longer but will have to swim further because of the tides and currents. Swimmers also have to plan stops for feeding. The fastest recorded crossing is 7 hours; the slowest is nearly 29 hours. An average swimmer doing two miles per hour would be in the water for up to 16 hours, but a stronger swimmer may take only 10 hours.

Q: Will you succeed if you train hard?

A: Preparation for a Channel swim involves months of training in very cold ocean water. But even this does not guarantee success. Fewer people have swum the English Channel than have climbed Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain! Some hazards of the swim include hypothermia (dangerous loss of body heat), seasickness and jellyfish. Unforeseen obstacles like rubbish floating in the sea can also cause problems no matter how hard you train.

Q: Why do people swim the English Channel?

A: That isn’t a question with a single answer! The motivations for such a venture are as varied as the swimmers. Some people do it for glory, some to raise money for charity, but most do it to challenge themselves and for the satisfaction of being one of a select few to achieve this feat.

Safe to swim? The French and UK coastguards are responsible for search and rescue operations in the English Channel. The French authorities outlawed swimming from France to England in 1993 for safety reasons. Then in 2010 the deputy director of the French coastguard, Jean-Christophe Burvingt, said he was in favour of a

Celebrity swimmer

The author, comedian and actor, David Walliams, says that he was never sporty at school but he did enjoy swimming.

While preparing for his Channel swim, Walliams didn’t miss a single training session in nine months. He

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complete ban on swimming in either direction. He pointed out that the swim uses the same stretch of water as 500 vessels each day. Critics compare the swim to crossing a motorway on foot; supporters say the swim is well regulated and comparatively safe.

knew that more than 90 per cent of people who attempt the swim fail. Walliams took 10 hours and 34 minutes to cross the Channel. His swim raised more than £1 million in donations for the charity Sport Relief.

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Swimming in the English Channel questions

1. Nearly twenty-two hours later, the exhausted man staggered onto French soil at Calais and became an instant hero.

Find and copy two different words from the sentence above that show how tired Matthew Webb was.

1. ____________________________________________________________

2. ____________________________________________________________ 1 mark

2. What event made Matthew Webb want to swim the English Channel?

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________ 1 mark

3. Look at the paragraph beginning: Twenty-seven-year-old Webb...

Find and copy one word from this paragraph that is closest in meaning to ‘motivated’.

____________________________________ 1 mark

4. Using information from the text, put a tick in the correct box to show whether each statement is true or false.

True False

Matthew Webb’s first attempt to swim the English Channel was not successful.

The first successful swim of the English Channel was in 1872.

J.B. Thompson and Matthew Webb swam the English Channel in 1875.

Matthew Webb took twenty hours to swim the English Channel.

2 marks

5. Name two of the hardships that Matthew Webb faced in swimming the English Channel and explain how he dealt with them.

1. Hardship: _________________________________________________

How he dealt with it: _________________________________________

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2. Hardship: _________________________________________________

How he dealt with it: _________________________________________ 2 marks

6. Find and copy a group of words that tells you that the drinks of ale, brandy and beef tea given to Matthew Webb would be considered unusual today.

____________________________________ 1 mark

7. Why do slow Channel swimmers swim further than faster swimmers?

______________________________________________________________ 1 mark

8. Look at the section headed: Frequently asked questions.

How long did the fastest swim across the Channel take?

______________________________________________________________ 1 mark

9. Look at the section headed: Frequently asked questions.

Put a tick in the correct box to show whether each of the following statements is a fact or an opinion.

Fact Opinion

The temperature of the water in the Channel can range from 12°C to 18°C.

Water with a temperature of 18°C is too cold to swim in.

The direct distance across the Channel is approximately 21 miles.

Faster swimmers do not swim as many miles across the Channel.

2 marks

10. In what year did the French authorities make it illegal for people to swim from France to England?

____________________________________ 1 mark

11. Look at the section headed: Safe to swim?

Find and copy one word which shows that swimming the Channel is illegal in France.

____________________________________ 1 mark

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12. David Walliams was determined to be successful in his attempt to swim the English Channel.

Give one piece of evidence from the text which shows this.

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________ 1 mark

13. Which of the following would be the most suitable summary of the whole text?

Tick one.

The Life of David Walliams

A Sporting Challenge

Sailing the Channel

Training for Survival

1 mark

14. Draw lines to match each section to its main content.

One has been done for you.

1 mark

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Task 4

The Lost Queen

Maria and Oliver are attending a party in the garden of a house

that used to belong to Maria's family. They sneak away to explore

the grounds.

Maria and Oliver were quite a distance from the party when they

found the little rowing boat in the grassy shallows of a small lake

beyond the garden.

Glancing nervously behind her, Maria suggested that they row out

to the island in the middle of the lake. Oliver looked at her

questioningly. Maria explained that there was a secret monument on

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the island to one of her ancestors. This was a woman who had

married a prince at the time when there was a struggle for the

throne. The struggle had been between two rival families – one had

a lion as its symbol, the winner had a bear.

“Come on,” Maria said impatiently.

Oliver rowed while Maria stood barefoot in the boat, staring straight

ahead. The oars made a click-clack sound in the hush and haze of

the summer afternoon. Ripples of water fanned out behind them as

they crossed the glassy surface of the lake.

The tiny island, thick with creeping vines and roots, looked as if it

floated. At its centre, an ancient oak tree towered over it. The tree's

branches were like bent fingers, twisting and stretching outwards,

until the tips of its leaves touched the still water. Oliver carefully

steered the boat through a narrow opening in the branches. Then

they stepped out of the boat, and into a murky green space under an

umbrella of leaves. The air was cool and damp.

Maria led Oliver across the tangled ground to the hidden monument.

It was a column of marble, weathered and mossy with age. A

delicate crown sat at the top, and an inscription was carved into a

flat slab at the base. Oliver used his thumbnail to scrape out the

letters that were cut into it.

It was a name.

Maria's family name.

“You could have been a queen?” said Oliver, whispering.

Maria laughed gently in the gloom.

“We were the family of the lion,” she said.

Oliver could still hear the shouts and laughter of the party, up on the

sunny lawn near the big house. But now the noise seemed to be

getting further and further away.

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The Lost Queen questions

1. Look at the paragraph beginning: Glancing nervously...

Find and copy one word meaning relatives from long ago.

____________________________________ 1 mark

2. The struggle had been between two rival families...

Which word most closely matches the meaning of the word rival?

Tick one.

equal

neighbouring

important

competing

1 mark

3. Look at page 2.

How can you tell that Maria was very keen to get to the island?

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________ 1 mark

4. Look at the paragraph beginning: Oliver rowed...

Find and copy one word that suggests that the summer afternoon was quiet.

____________________________________ 1 mark

5. ...they crossed the glassy surface of the lake.

Give two impressions this gives you of the water.

1. ____________________________________________________________

2. ____________________________________________________________ 2 marks

6. Look at the paragraph beginning: The tiny island... to the paragraph ending: ...were cut into it.

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What impressions of the island do you get from these two paragraphs?

Give two.

1. ____________________________________________________________

2. ____________________________________________________________ 2 marks

7. Write down three things that you are told about the oak tree on the island.

1. ____________________________________________________________

2. ____________________________________________________________

3. ____________________________________________________________ 3 marks

8. Which of these drawings best represents the monument?

Tick one.

1 mark

9. Look at the paragraph beginning: Maria led Oliver...

(a) Why did Oliver find it difficult to read the inscription on the monument?

_________________________________________________________ 1 mark

(b) What did he have to do in order to read the inscription?

_________________________________________________________ 1 mark

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10. What was revealed at the end of the story?

Tick one.

Oliver was keeping a secret.

The monument was damaged.

The two families were still enemies.

Maria's family did not win the throne.

1 mark

11. Using information from the text, tick one box in each row to show whether each statement is true or false.

True False

Two families fought for the throne.

Maria’s family symbol was the lion.

The monument was for a prince.

It was hot on the island.

1 mark

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Task 5

Michael is a young fisherman. He often takes out his boat, the ‘Louisa May’, for a day of fishing.

An Encounter at Sea It was hot. Really hot. There wasn’t the slightest breeze to cool the skin or

make even a baby-finger crease on the surface of the sea. The Louisa May

floated like a toy sitting on a glass table.

For the first time in over a week, Michael hadn’t seen a dolphin all day. He

was two miles offshore now, motoring along his daily survey course. The

Louisa May pulled the reflection of the sky and the island into pleats behind

her, and the putt-putt of her engine was lost in the big, quiet stillness of the

afternoon.

Michael shut off the outboard motor and stopped. He leaned over the side to

scoop up a bucket of seawater to cool himself, and looked down. Long fingers

of sunlight slanted into the clear water, shifting slightly in arcs of radiating

lines, and were swallowed up at last into the perfect blueness of the depths.

He poured the water over himself, savouring the delicious coolness.

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Pppfffffwwwwraa! The sound came from close behind him, and made him spin round

so fast he lost his balance and fell into the bottom of the boat.

Pppfffff – shorter and louder, even closer.

Michael picked himself up and looked over the side.

A black shape, much, much bigger than the biggest dolphin, showed about

five metres from the boat. It was like a polished rock. On its rounded side was

a slit like a flattened S, bigger than a man’s two clenched fists, with a raised

lip around it. As Michael watched, astonished, not understanding what he was

seeing, the lips pinched together, the hole closed, and the black shape sank

rapidly beneath the sluicing water.

A whale! Its dark head and blowhole! That’s what he had seen.

Pppfffffwwwwraa!

Now it had surfaced on the other side of the boat. This second surfacing was

hardly less shocking than the first, although Michael just managed to stay on

his feet and cross the boat this time.

Carefully, Michael leaned over to look: on one side of the boat lay the

whale’s tapering tail; on the other side, the head with its scarred lines lay like

a piece of huge, dark wreckage. This close, Michael could see that big

sections of skin had peeled off in straight lines, giving the whale’s head a

patchwork look in greys and blacks. Closest of all to the boat, only just

submerged, was the whale’s eye. Michael looked right into it, and the whale

looked back. It was so very, very close. He leaned out further and further,

stretching his hand slowly towards it. The whale didn’t draw away.

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He reached down, until his fingertips touched the crease of skin that gave the

whale a kind of eyebrow. It was cool and smooth, like a carved stone covered

in a finely stretched coat of rubber.

And as his fingertips touched the whale, he looked into its eye. It was

impossible to say what colour it was: dark but with rays of brightness. It was

like a window into a whole galaxy, with stars and planets, comets and

supernovae moving inside.

Effortlessly, as if movement and thought were the same thing, the whale

submerged out of reach of Michael’s hand. There was a last shushing sigh as

the flipper caressed the boat one more time, and then they were separate

again.

The setting sun made a path over the sea, bathing Michael in golden light. He

felt as if he were lit up inside too. He had touched a whale and looked into its

eye! Like a sleeper waking from a dream, he looked around, dazed.

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An Encounter at Sea questions

1. ...like a toy sitting on a glass table.

What does this description suggest about the boat?

______________________________________________________________ 1 mark

2. Look at page 1.

What was unusual for Michael about this day?

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________ 1 mark

3. ...the ‘putt-putt’ of her engine was lost in the big, quiet stillness of the afternoon.

Choose the best words to match the description above. Circle both of your choices.

1 mark

1 mark

4. Look at page 1.

Find and copy two different words that show Michael enjoyed the feeling of the cool water.

1. ____________________________________

2. ____________________________________ 1 mark

5. Look at page 2.

How is the whale made to seem mysterious?

Explain two ways, giving evidence from the text to support your answer.

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

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______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________ 3 marks

6. When Michael touched the whale it felt smooth.

(a) According to the text on page 2, why might he have expected it to feel smooth?

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________ 1 mark

(b) According to the text on page 3, why might he not have expected it to feel smooth?

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________ 1 mark

7. Look at the paragraph beginning: Carefully, Michael leaned...

Where was the whale?

Tick one.

in front of the boat

at the side of the boat

under the boat

five metres from the boat

1 mark

8. Look at the paragraph beginning: Carefully, Michael leaned...

What does this paragraph tell you about Michael’s character?

Explain two features of his character, using evidence from the text to support your answer.

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

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______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________ 3 marks

9. The whale did not seem to be alarmed by meeting Michael. How can you tell this from its actions?

Give two ways.

1. ____________________________________________________________

2. ____________________________________________________________ 2 marks

10. Like a sleeper waking from a dream, he looked around, dazed.

This tells us that at the end of the story Michael felt that...

Tick one.

he wanted the experience to continue.

he had experienced something similar before.

the experience was unreal.

the experience was worrying.

1 mark

11. Tick one box in each row to show whether each statement is true or false.

True False

Michael was in an unfamiliar area of sea when he saw the whale.

The boat was still motoring forwards when the whale appeared.

The whale felt warm and soft when Michael touched it.

Michael could not name the colour of the whale’s eye.

1 mark

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Mark Schemes

Task 1

1. Content domain: 2b − retrieve and record information / identify key details from fiction and non-fiction

Award 1 mark for:

• Bumblebee Conservation Trust.

Do not accept responses which give part of the name only, e.g.

• Bumblebee Trust

• Conservation Trust

• www.bumblebeeconservation.org.

1 mark

2. Content domain: 2d − make inferences from the text / explain and justify inferences with evidence from the text

Award 1 mark for reference to any of the following, up to a maximum of 2 marks:

Evidence

The Bumblebee Conservation Trust is worried about bees.

1. bumblebees are struggling to survive, e.g.

• bumblebees are endangered

• there are now far fewer flowers to provide bees with the pollen and nectar.

2. bumblebees are finding themselves hungry and homeless, e.g.

• because they don’t have a home and they are going hungry.

3. two UK species having become extinct, e.g.

• bees are slowly going extinct.

4. bumblebee numbers having declined sharply, e.g.

• population of bees is declining

• there is less and less of them.

Do not accept reference to the Bumblebee Conservation Trust asking for our help.

The leaflet makes readers feel hopeful for bumblebees.

5. all not being lost

6. we can take action today to help save them, e.g.

• you can take action today

• we can help to save these hardworking pollinators.

Do not accept general comments about help, e.g.

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• you can help.

3. Content domain: 2b − make inferences from the text / explain and justify inferences with evidence from the text

Award 1 mark for:

farming has helped bees. paved gardens are attractive. bees are good at finding their way. bees have only started struggling recently.

1 mark

4. Content domain: 2a − give / explain the meaning of words in context

Award 1 mark for reference to honeybees, e.g.

• the honeybee.

1 mark

5. Content domain: 2c − summarise main ideas from more than one paragraph

Award 1 mark for:

• Don’t ‘bee’ confused.

1 mark


Award 1 mark for reference to either of the following:

1. it releases pollen that would otherwise stay inside the flower, e.g.

• because it releases trapped pollen that they wouldn’t have been able to get out

• it makes a buzz that gets more pollen than other bees do

• it helps release more pollen.

2. key produce is more expensive / harder to get without it, e.g.

• it makes some vegetables we eat easier to produce and sell a lot cheaper

• it means we can buy more common foods cheaper

• it would be harder to grow beans.

1 mark


Award 1 mark for:

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so that others avoid it because it smells better than nectar so others know it has pollen because bees give flowers their scent

1 mark

8. Content domain: 2a − give the meanings of words in context

Award 1 mark for:

• lifeline.

1 mark

9. (a) Content domain: 2b − retrieve and record information / identify key details from fiction and non-fiction

Award 1 mark for all four correct:

Bee-friendly Not bee-friendly

lavender ✓

pansy ✓

herbs ✓

wild rose ✓

(b) Content domain: 2b − retrieve and record information / identify key details from fiction and non-fiction

Award 1 mark for reference to insufficient production of pollen / nectar / food, e.g.

• it is because they don’t have much pollen

• they don’t have as much pollen and nectar as they need

• they are not rich in pollen.

Also accept reference to flowers that are not bee-friendly having no / little value, e.g.

• because they are no value to the wildlife.

1 mark


Award 1 mark for:

enjoys preparing food . has lots of energy. is willing to handle bees. is skilled at gardening.

1 mark

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Award 1 mark for three correct or 2 marks for all four correct:

True False

Wasps can be aggressive. ✓

Male bumblebees sometimes sting. ✓

Bumblebees only go outside when it is warm.

✓

You need a big garden to help bumblebees.

✓

Up to 2 marks


Award 1 mark for reference to any two acceptable points from Help for all bumblebees, or for one acceptable point from Help for all bumblebees and one acceptable point from Help for a weak bumblebee.

Award 2 marks for reference to any two acceptable points from Help for all bumblebees and any one acceptable point from Help for a weak bumblebee.

Please note that there are two ways to achieve the award of 1 mark for this question.

Help for all bumblebees

Acceptable points:

1. plant bee-friendly flowers

2. support the work of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust

3. raise public awareness

4. conserve bumblebee habitats

5. replace flowers which are not bee-friendly

6. remove paved gardens

7. stop intensive farming

Do not accept reference to bee-friendly flowers with no reference to human action.

Help for a weak bumblebee

8. give it a sugar and water mix

9. move it close to flowers

Do not accept reference to a sugar and water mix with no reference to human action.

Up to 2 marks

13. Content domain: 2g − identify / explain how meaning is enhanced through choice of words and phrases

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Award 1 mark for reference to any of the following:

1. either of the ‘bee’ puns in the factsheet, e.g.

• Don’t ‘bee’ confused

• bee kind.

2. interrupt your picnic or steal your sandwiches, e.g.

• bumblebees will never interrupt your picnic and steal your sandwiches!

• bumblebees stealing sandwiches are funny.

3. smelly feet, e.g.

• it says that bumblebees having smelly feet is useful.

4. energy drink, e.g.

• energy drink for bees.

5. fat, furry (little creatures), e.g.

• these fat furry creatures.

1 mark



1. pollination / buzz pollination / support plant reproduction, e.g.

• pollinate our flowers

• only they can use buzz pollination

• they help regenerate plants.

2. they support the production of food, e.g.

• make producing food easier

• peas and beans would be more expensive

• they help us grow food.

3. survival of plant species, e.g.

• without them all plants would die

• they keep plants alive

• they help flowers survive.

4. bees supporting farmers / gardeners, e.g.

• they help out farmers.

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5. bees being much loved, e.g.

• they are an essential part of summertime.

Do not accept reference to honey alone.

Task 2

Award 1 mark for reference to both of the following:

1. the cracks (in the ceiling), e.g.

• cracks in the boards

• widening cracks.

2. seconds / time, e.g.

• the watch ticks

• seconds.

1 mark


Award 1 mark for:

carelessly. slowly. tidily. thoughtfully.

1 mark



1. the weather / the effect of the weather on Micah, e.g.

• he was really cold so was trying to keep warm

• because it is snowy and windy outside.

2. the smell, e.g.

• it smells bad outside.

Do not accept answers about Micah being scared, e.g.

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• he was probably frightened of the storm.

1 mark


Award 1 mark for reference to bringing the music box to Piper / getting the music box repaired, e.g.

• he wanted her to see the music box he had found

• because she promised to fix Micah’s toy

• so Piper can mend a music box.

1 mark


Acceptable points (impressions)

Likely evidence

1. it is rickety / old • there are widening cracks in the planks in the ceiling

2. it is small / tiny • she wishes she had a bigger work space • she has to eat at the same table that she works at

3. it is warm / cosy • there is a fire / stove • comfortable nest

4. it is untidy / cluttered • Piston rings, bolts, and cylinders littered its surface

5. it is old fashioned • no electricity / kerosene lamps / cast-iron stove

6. it is isolated • is situated among fields • to go outside and watch the fields

7. it is safe • the storm coming outside is dangerous

Award 3 marks for two acceptable points, at least one with evidence.

Award 2 marks for either two acceptable points, or one acceptable point with evidence.

Award 1 mark for one acceptable point.

Up to 3 marks


Award 1 mark for reference to any of the following in the appropriate box, up to a maximum of 2 marks:

What Piper likes about the music box

1. the (skilful) painting / painter, e.g.

• it is beautifully decorated

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• the art on it

• she likes the flowers on it.

Do not accept general references to the appearance of the box without reference to the painting / painter, e.g.

• it looks nice

• the box is pretty

• it’s beautiful.

What Piper dislikes about music boxes

2. the sound they make, e.g.

• the music was annoying

• the songs it plays.

3. machines don’t make proper music / only people make proper music, e.g.

• only a person could make good music.

4. she considers them toys / contraptions.

Do not accept reference to the music box being broken, e.g.

• that it won’t sing

• not playing music.

Up to 2 marks


Award 1 mark for reference to the music box not working correctly, e.g.

• the music box’s song isn’t playing properly

• there is no music coming out of the box

• the toy doesn’t play.

1 mark


Award 1 mark for reference to him finding it inside a crater / where a meteor landed, e.g.

• in a crater

• he dug it out of a crater

• in a hole.

1 mark


Award 1 mark for reference to him cleaning it, e.g.

• he had cleaned it

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• cleaned the inside.

1 mark

10. Content domain: 2a − give / explain the meaning of words in context

Award 1 mark for:

excellent. careful. sloppy. reasonable.

1 mark


Award 1 mark for:

• strangled.

1 mark


Acceptable points:

1. they know each other well / like each other

2. they pretend to be rude to each other

3. they work together

4. they trust each other

5. Piper is in charge

Award 3 marks for two acceptable points, at least one with evidence, e.g.

• 1. They were best buddies because it says she was pretending to be bothered by him though she was happy to see him. [AP1 + evidence]

2. They like to tease each other. [AP2]

• 1. They care about each other. [AP1] 2. They work together because he finds stuff and she fixes the stuff he

finds. [AP3 + evidence]

• 1. They are good friends who like to banter with each other, she says at the beginning she’s ‘stunned stiff.’ [AP2 + evidence]

2. Piper seems to be the mature one. [AP5]

Award 2 marks for either two acceptable points, or one acceptable point with evidence, e.g.

• 1. You get the impression they are very close friends. [AP1] 2. Piper acts like she’s the boss. [AP5]

• 1. They trust each other because he asked for her opinion about how his music box will sell at the market. [AP4 + evidence]

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Award 1 mark for one acceptable point, e.g.

• 1. Piper and Micah work together to fix the music box. [AP3]

Up to 3 marks

Task 3

1. Content domain: 2a – give / explain the meaning of words in context

Award 1 mark for both of the following:

1. exhausted (man)

2. staggered (onto).

1 mark

2. Content domain: 2b – retrieve and record information / identify key details from fiction and non-fiction

Award 1 mark for reference to the (unsuccessful) attempt, e.g.

• J.B. Thompson failed to swim it in 1872 which inspired him to swim it

• someone failed in 1872

• J.B. Thompson’s attempt.

Do not accept reference to J.B. Thompson alone, e.g.

• he was inspired by J.B. Thompson.

1 mark


Award 1 mark for:

■ inspired.

1 mark



True False

Matthew Webb’s first attempt to swim the English Channel was not successful.

✔

The first successful swim of the English Channel was in 1872.

✔

J.B. Thompson and Matthew Webb swam the English Channel in 1875.

✔

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Matthew Webb took twenty hours to swim the English Channel.

✔

Up to 2 marks


Award 1 mark for any of the following combinations of hardship and action up to a maximum of 2 marks:

Hardship How he dealt with it

■ cold / hypothermia ■ coated himself in oil

■ jellyfish / stings ■ coated himself in oil

■ limited access to food / drink ■ accompanied by friends / boats ■ food from his friends / boats

■ danger / need for protection ■ accompanied by friends / boats ■ protection by his friends / boats

Up to 2 marks


Award 1 mark for:

■ (are) not standard (for today’s cross-Channel swimmers)

1 mark



1. faster swimmers are more direct, e.g.

• The faster you are, the more direct your swim will be.

2. tides and / or currents, e.g.

• because of the tides and currents.

Also accept references to being pushed / pulled off course, e.g.

• waves take them off course.

1 mark


Award 1 mark for:

■ 7 hours.

Do not accept 7 without ‘hours’.

1 mark

9. Content domain: 2d – make inferences from the text / explain and justify inferences with evidence from the text


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Fact Opinion

The temperature of the water in the Channel can range from 12°C to 18°C.

✔

Water with a temperature of 18°C is too cold to swim in.

✔

The direct distance across the Channel is approximately 21 miles.

✔

Faster swimmers do not swim as many miles across the Channel.

✔

Up to 2 marks


Award 1 mark for:

■ 1993.

1 mark


Award 1 mark for:

■ outlawed.

Also accept ban.

1 mark



1. he did not miss a training session, e.g.

• David showed up to all the training sessions.

2. he trained for nine months.

1 mark

13. Content domain: 2c – summarise main idea from more than one paragraph

Award 1 mark for:

The Life of David Walliams

A Sporting Challenge Sailing the Channel Training for Survival

1 mark

14. Content domain: 2f – identify / explain how information / narrative content is related and contributes to meaning as a whole

Award 1 mark for all correctly matched:

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1 mark

Task 4 1. Content domain: 2a – give / explain the meaning of words in context

Award 1 mark for:

• ancestors.

1 mark


Award 1 mark for:

equal neighbouring important competing

1 mark


Award 1 mark for answers referring to any of the following:

1. recognition that Maria speaks or behaves impatiently, e.g.

• "Come on," Maria said

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• she was being impatient.

2. recognition that she is rushing Oliver, e.g.

• she was telling him to hurry up.

Also accept reference to Maria giving an order.

1 mark


Award 1 mark for:

• hush.

1 mark

5. Content domain: 2g – identify / explain how meaning is enhanced through choice of words and phrases


1. reflective / shiny / mirror-like, e.g.

• the water reflects the light

• shining under the sun.

2. clear / transparent, e.g.

• you could see through the water.

3. still / calm / undisturbed

4. flat / smooth.

Up to 2 marks



1. uninhabited / abandoned

2. holds secrets

3. overgrown

4. dark / shady / gloomy

5. small

6. mysterious / creepy / unsettling

7. quiet / peaceful

8. important / a special place

9. old.

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Do not accept haunted / dangerous.

Do not accept reference to what is on the island, e.g. it contains an oak tree / vines / roots / leaves / a monument.

Do not accept quotations alone.

Up to 2 marks


Award 1 mark for reference to any of the following (whether given as acceptable point or quotation), up to a maximum of 3 marks:

1. it is in the middle

2. it is very old

3. it is big / tall / dominates

4. its branches are twisted / bent

5. its branches stretch over the island / out to the water

6. the branches are close together.

Accept quotations that meet an acceptable point. Longer quotations that cover more than one acceptable point should be awarded 1 mark.

Do not accept reference to roots / vines.

Up to 3 marks


Award 1 mark for:

1 mark

9. (a) Content domain: 2d – make inferences from the text / explain and justify inferences with evidence from the text

Award 1 mark for reference to any of the following:

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1. it is mossy / dirty

2. it is covered

3. it is weathered.

Do not accept reference to it being old.

1 mark

(b) Content domain: 2b – retrieve and record information / identify key details from fiction and non-fiction

Award 1 mark for references to scraping out the letters / the moss, e.g.

• he scrapes out the stuff in the letters

• uses his thumbnail to scratch the letters out.

1 mark


Award 1 mark for:

Oliver was keeping a secret. The monument was damaged. The two families were still enemies.

Maria’s family did not win the throne.

1 mark



True False

Two families fought for the throne.

✔

Maria’s family symbol was the lion.

✔

The monument was for a prince. ✔

It was hot on the island. ✔

1 mark

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Task 5

1. Content domain: 2g – identify / explain how meaning is enhanced through choice of words and phrases


1. small / insignificant, e.g.

• it was small in a big ocean.

2. still / unmoving, e.g.

• it created no ripples.

1 mark


Award 1 mark for reference to Michael seeing no dolphins.

Do not accept references to the weather / temperature.

1 mark


Award 1 mark for:

1 mark

Content domain: 2d – make inferences from the text / explain and justify inferences with evidence from the text

Award 1 mark for:

1 mark


Award 1 mark for both of the following:

1. savouring

2. delicious (coolness).

1 mark

5. Content domain: 2d – make inferences from the text / explain and justify

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inferences with evidence from the text

Acceptable points:

1. unexpected / unidentified / unfamiliar sound it makes

2. unexpected appearance / disappearance

3. Michael’s shock / confusion

4. it describes parts of the whale / the whale is only partly visible

5. it doesn’t immediately say what it is

6. it uses familiar things to describe the unrecognisable

7. rules out what it is not rather than telling you what it is.

Award 3 marks for two acceptable points, with at least one supported with evidence, e.g.

• the whale is made mysterious because out of the blue, there is a ‘ppppfffffwwwraa’ noise. It is also mysterious as it seems to appear out of nowhere ‘A black shape much, much bigger than the biggest dolphin, showed about five metres from the boat’. [AP1 + evidence, AP2 + evidence]

• because of the unusual sound it makes and it doesn’t say it’s a whale until Michael realises – a whale! That’s what he had seen. [AP1, AP5 + evidence].

Award 2 marks for either two acceptable points, or one acceptable point supported with evidence, e.g.

• a black shape much much bigger than the biggest dolphin. It doesn’t tell you what the shape is but you know it isn’t a dophin which creates mystery. [evidence + AP7]

• something takes Michael by surprise and he keeps you in suspense by not saying what it is yet. [AP3, AP5].


• it only describes a bit of it so you don’t know what it is [AP4]

• by describing it as being like something you know to help you understand. [AP6].

Up to 3 marks

6. (a) Content domain: 2d – make inferences from the text / explain and justify inferences with evidence from the text

Award 1 mark for reference to it looking polished / like a polished rock.

Do not accept reference to it being shiny / wet.

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1 mark

(b) Content domain: 2d – make inferences from the text / explain and justify inferences with evidence from the text


1. the whale’s damaged skin / scars, e.g.

• it had bits of skin missing

• it had scars all over it.

2. the whale’s head looked like a patchwork / wreckage.

Also accept quotations which meet an acceptable point.

Do not accept reference to the crease of skin / it having creased skin.

Do not accept reference to injury without referring to scarring / skin damage.

1 mark


Award 1 mark for:

in front of the boat at the side of the boat

under the boat five metres from the boat

1 mark


Acceptable points:

1. curious / interested

2. observant

3. brave / daring

4. respectful / gentle

5. cautious / calm.

Award 3 marks for two acceptable points, at least one with evidence, e.g.

• He’s careful because instead of screaming or running to the side of the boat, he went carefully and calmly. He’s also very aware of the things around him. [AP5 + evidence, AP2]

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• Michael is daring because he tried to touch the whale not knowing what would happen. He is very interested. [AP3 + evidence, AP1].

Award 2 marks for either two acceptable points, or one acceptable point with evidence, e.g.

• It tells you he is quite curious about things as a normal person would stay away, but he leaned over the boat so he could see it better. [AP1 + evidence]

• It tells us that he is a gentle kind character and cautious. [AP4 + AP5].


• He is very inquisitive. [AP1]

• He is very brave and adventurous. [AP3].

Do not accept general responses relating to Michael liking animals.

Up to 3 marks



1. the whale stayed / left and came back

2. the whale allowed Michael to touch it, e.g.

• the whale stayed to be touched

• the whale didn’t draw away.

3. the whale looked Michael in the eye / allowed Michael to look it in the eye

4. the whale came close to Michael / close enough to touch the boat, e.g.

• the whale came near the boat.

5. the whale slowly went away / caressed the boat.

Also accept quotations which meet an acceptable point.

Do not accept answers referring to possible aggression by the whale, e.g.

• the whale didn’t attack him

• the whale didn’t swallow him / the boat.

Do not accept reference to the whale remaining calm without further explanation.

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Up to 2 marks


Award 1 mark for:

he wanted the experience to continue. he had experienced something similar before.

the experience was unreal. the experience was worrying.

1 mark



True False

Michael was in an unfamiliar area of sea when he saw the whale.

✔

The boat was still motoring forwards when the whale appeared.

✔

The whale felt warm and soft when Michael touched it.

✔

Michael could not name the colour of the whale’s eye.

✔

1 mark

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