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INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATEBACCALAURÉAT INTERNATIONALBACHILLERATO INTERNACIONAL

Language A2 (English)Langue A2 (Anglais)Lengua A2 (Inglés)

Specimen Paper 1 and Paper 2 (HL and SL)Spécimens de l’épreuve 1 et de l’épreuve 2 (NS et NM)Exámenes de muestra - Prueba 1 y Prueba 2(NS y NM)

For first examinations in 2004 Premiers examens en 2004Primeros exámenes en 2004

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Diploma Programme / Programme du Diplôme / Programa del DiplomaLanguage A2 (English) Specimen Papers / Langue A2 (Anglais) Spécimens d’épreuve

Lengua A2 (Inglés) Exámenes de muestraSeptember 2003 / Septembre 2003 / Septiembre de 2003

The IBO is grateful for permission to reproduce the following material:L’IBO est reconnaissante d’avoir reçu l’aimable autorisation de reproduire le(s)document(s) suivant(s) :IBO agradece la autorización para reproducir el material siguiente:

“When I Grow Old” by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings in Songs ofa House Wife, edited by Roger L Tarr, 1997. Reprinted with thepermission of the University Press of Florida.

Extract adapted from “Outlook for Bears is Bleak”, article by PaulBrown, © The Guardian, 27 July 1999.

The IBO has tried to obtain all relevant permission for copyright materialreproduced in this publication but, if notified, will be pleased to rectifyany errors or omissions at the earliest opportunity.

L’IBO s’est efforcée d’obtenir l’autorisation de reproduire les documentsprotégés par des droits d’auteurs qui figurent dans cette publication.Toute erreur ou omission en la matière sera rectifiée dès que possibleaprès que l’IBO en aura été informée.

IBO ha hecho todo lo posible por obtener autorización para reproducircada uno de los materiales protegidos por derechos de autor que figuranen la presente publicación. De serle notificado, IBO enmendará cualquiererror u omisión con la mayor brevedad posible.

© International Baccalaureate Organization 2003

Organisation du Baccalauréat InternationalRoute des Morillons 15

Grand-Saconnex / GenèveCH-1218

SWITZERLAND

Contents / Table des matières / Índice

1. Notice for Teachers of Language A2Avis aux enseignants de langue A2Información para los profesores de Lengua A2

2. Higher Level Paper 1Épreuve 1 au niveau supérieurPrueba 1 de Nivel Superior

3. Higher Level Paper 2Épreuve 2 au niveau supérieurPrueba 2 de Nivel Superior

4. Standard Level Paper 1Épreuve 1 au niveau moyenPrueba 1 de Nivel Medio

5. Standard Level Paper 2Épreuve 2 au niveau moyenPrueba 2 de Nivel Medio

NOTICE FOR TEACHERS OF LANGUAGE A2This booklet contains the English version of the language A2 specimen papers for both higher level (HL)and standard level (SL). The papers illustrate:

the rubrics for the new paper 1 and paper 2the format of the new paper 1 and paper 2 (though for the examination itself HL and SL paper 1 andpaper 2 will not be provided in the same booklet)the nature of the questions to be set for each of the cultural optionsthe nature of the literary questions

It should be noted that in paper 1 a maximum of four optional guiding questions will be provided for SLstudents. If they wish, students may incorporate responses to the guiding questions into their commentary.

Teachers are asked to make clear to candidates that they will be required to answer one question only onthe written examination paper 2 (essay). Whichever question is chosen, the answer must be based on thecultural options and/or literary options studied in class. References to other subjects or literary works arepermissible but should not form the main body of the answer.

AVIS AUX ENSEIGNANTS DE LANGUE A2Ce livret contient la version anglaise des spécimens d’épreuves de langue A2 au niveau supérieur (NS) etau niveau moyen (NM). Ces spécimens d’épreuves illustrent :

les nouvelles instructions pour l’épreuve 1 et l’épreuve 2 ;le nouveau format de l’épreuve 1 et de l’épreuve 2 (toutefois, lors des véritables examens, lesépreuves 1 et 2 du NS et du NM ne seront pas fournies dans le même livret)la nature des sujets de composition qui seront proposés pour chaque option culturelle ;la nature des sujets de composition littéraires.

Il est à noter que pour l’épreuve 1, un maximum de quatre questions d’orientation optionnelles serontfournies aux élèves du NM. Les élèves pourront alors incorporer leur réponse à ces questions d’orientationdans leur commentaire, s’ils le souhaitent.

Les enseignants sont priés d’informer les candidats qu’ils ne devront traiter qu’un seul sujet de l’épreuve 2(composition). Quel que soit le sujet de composition choisi, la réponse devra être basée sur les optionsculturelles et/ou littéraires étudiées en classe. Des références à d’autres sujets ou œuvres littéraires serontpermises, mais ne devront pas former l’essentiel de la réponse.

INFORMACIÓN PARA LOS PROFESORES DE LENGUA A2Este cuaderno contiene la versión en inglés de los exámenes de muestra de Lengua A2, Prueba 1 y Prueba2, de Nivel Superior (NS) y Nivel Medio (NM). Las pruebas ilustran:

las instrucciones para las nuevas Prueba 1 y la Prueba 2el formato de la Prueba 1 y la Prueba 2 nuevas (aunque el día del examen la Prueba 1 y la Prueba 2 deNS y NM no figurarán en el mismo cuaderno)la naturaleza de las preguntas para cada una de las opciones culturalesla naturaleza de las preguntas para las opciones literarias

Observe que la Prueba 1 incluirá un máximo de cuatro preguntas de orientación opcionales para losalumnos de NM. Los alumnos pueden incorporar las respuestas a las preguntas de orientación en suscomentarios, si así lo desean.

Los profesores deben indicar claramente a los alumnos que sólo necesitan contestar una pregunta de laPrueba 2 (ensayo). Sea cual sea la pregunta elegida, la respuesta debe basarse en las opciones culturales oen las opciones literarias estudiadas en clase (o en una combinación de ambas). Se admiten las alusiones oreferencias a otros temas u obras literarias no estudiadas en clase, siempre que no constituyan la parteprincipal de la respuesta.

© IBO 2003

ENGLISH A2 – STANDARD LEVEL – PAPER 1ANGLAIS A2 – NIVEAU MOYEN – ÉPREUVE 1INGLÉS A2 – NIVEL MEDIO – PRUEBA 1

SPECIMENSPÉCIMENMUESTRA

1 hour 30 minutes / 1 heure 30 minutes / 1 hora 30 minutos

SPEC/901/S(1)

cIB DIPLOMA PROGRAMMEPROGRAMME DU DIPLÔME DU BIPROGRAMA DEL DIPLOMA DEL BI

SPECIMEN PAPER 6 pages/páginas

INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES

Do not open this examination paper until instructed to do so.Section A consists of two passages for comparative commentary.Section B consists of two passages for comparative commentary.Choose either Section A or Section B. Write one comparative commentary.It is not compulsory for you to respond directly to the guiding questions provided. However,you may use them if you wish.

INSTRUCTIONS DESTINÉES AUX CANDIDATS

N’ouvrez pas cette épreuve avant d’y être autorisé(e).La section A comporte deux passages à commenter.La section B comporte deux passages à commenter.Choisissez soit la section A, soit la section B. Écrivez un commentaire comparatif.Vous n’êtes pas obligé(e) de répondre directement aux questions d’orientation fournies. Vouspouvez toutefois les utiliser si vous le souhaitez.

INSTRUCCIONES PARA LOS ALUMNOS

No abra esta prueba hasta que se lo autoricen. En la Sección A hay dos fragmentos para comentar.En la Sección B hay dos fragmentos para comentar.Elija la Sección A o la Sección B. Escriba un comentario comparativo.No es obligatorio responder directamente a las preguntas de orientación que se incluyen, peropuede utilizarlas si lo desea.

Choose either Section A or Section B.

SECTION A

Analyse and compare the following two texts.

Discuss the similarities and differences between the texts and their theme(s). Include comments on theways the authors use elements such as structure, tone, images and other stylistic devices tocommunicate their purposes. It is not compulsory for you to respond directly to the guiding questionsprovided. However, you may use them as starting points for your comparative commentary.

Text 1 (a)

Outlook for bears is “bleak”WWF says the loss of wild habitats threatens survival of the carnivores

PAUL BROWN

The outlook for wild bears is bleak – and even the survival of some species outsidezoos is in doubt, according to Bears in The Wild, a report published last week by theWorld Wild Fund for Nature.

They were one of the world’s most numerous and successful big carnivores, witheight species adapted to survival in different climates from the far north to south of theequator. Gradually, they are being exterminated over large parts of the earth.

According to the report, the brown bear is likely to disappear in western Europe,having been reduced to just six tiny populations. The most vulnerable groups are inFrance, Spain, and Italy, where they are unlikely to recover unless augmented by bearsfrom other populations to ensure breeding success.

The survival of the bear in Europe is dependent on human attitudes. They aredisappearing because of the loss of wild places, particularly forests, and are in conflictwith humans because of their attacks on livestock and beekeepers’ hives. Poaching for1

body parts for Chinese medicine is also a problem. In Britain bears were once numerous but were wiped out about 2,000 years ago.

France had 300 bears at the end of the first world war but there are now only eight in thePyrenees.

Despite its precarious position in parts of Europe, the brown bear’s position is in2

some senses improving because of conservation efforts. But in other parts of the worldwhere human population pressure is greater, the bear’s future is more precarious. TheMexican grizzly is believed to be extinct, and the panda, WWF’s logo, is struggling forsurvival in China despite attempts to protect it.

Four species, the sun bear (southern Asia), the Asiatic black bear, the sloth bear(Indian subcontinent) and the spectacled bear (central and South America) are poorlystudied, but all are known to be on the retreat.

The polar bear is in trouble for different reasons – global warming is reducing thearctic icepack, which it needs for hunting, and pollution is a problem because chemicalsare stored in the body fat, reducing the bears’ ability to breed.

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From The Guardian Weekly, July 27, 1999 Edition

poaching: hunting illegally 1

precarious: uncertain or insecure2

– 2 – SPEC/901/S(1)

SPECIMEN PAPER

Text 1 (b)

He had already inherited, then, without ever having seen it, the big old bear with thetrap-ruined foot that in an area almost a hundred miles square had earned for himself aname, a definite designation, like a man:- the long legend of corncribs broken down and1

rifled , of grown pigs and even calves carried bodily into the woods and devoured, and2

traps overthrown and dogs mangled and slain, and shotgun and even rifle shots deliveredat point-blank range yet with no more effect than so many peas blown through a tube by achild – a corridor of wreckage and destruction beginning back before the boy was born,through which sped, not fast but rather with the ruthless deliberation of a locomotive, theshaggy tremendous shape. It loomed and towered in his dreams before he even saw theunaxed woods where it left its crooked print: shaggy, tremendous, red-eyed, notmalevolent, but just big, too big for the dogs which tried to bay it, for the horses whichtried to ride it down, for the men and the bullets they fired into it; too big for the verycountry which was its constricting scope .3

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Adapted from the short story, The Bear, by William Faulkner (1942)

corncribs: small sheds used to store corn or grain 1

rifled: broken into and stolen from 2

constricting scope: narrowing or tightening view or range3

– How have bears been presented in the two texts?

– Discuss the relationship between humans and bears.

– Discuss the use of language in the two texts.

– 3 – SPEC/901/S(1)

SPECIMEN PAPER Turn over/Tournez la page/Véase al dorso

SECTION B


Discuss the similarities and differences between the texts and their theme(s). Include comments onthe ways the authors use elements such as structure, tone, images and other stylistic devices tocommunicate their purposes. It is not compulsory for you to respond directly to the guiding questionsprovided. However, you may use them as starting points for your comparative commentary.

Text 2 (a)

I had not noticed the lightening skies behind me and without being distracted by thescenery I had been focused completely on the climb, but even my dulled senses could hardlyfail to react to the panorama that was being revealed. It was a perfect dawn. For the firsttime I was able to appreciate the full extent of the height we had gained and could see thetumbling blocks and crevasses of the Linda Glacier beneath my feet. The first light cast afantastic pink glow over the keen snow ridges of Mount Tasman directly opposite. The rocksand snow around me reflected a vibrant orange that made them appear hot to the touch. TheTasman Sea was hidden by a low blanket of white cloud that ran up the valleys from thecoast and, to the east, the mountains were black silhouettes against the brightening sky. Thejagged ridge of the Main Divide ran out before me, side lit by the dawn, its western slopeswashed in magenta while the eastern side remained in shadows of indigo. I felt the ropetighten on me. It was time to go.

Once over the summit rocks, the sun climbed higher and we daubed our faces withsunscreen. And with the sun came a breeze. I put on the windproofs. Things were lookingup, with the summit ridge in sight there was no stopping us now. On a short rope again webegan the final stage. The snow beneath broke and crunched like shards of glass. It was easywalking but I was still coughing and spluttering as we stepped forward. The sense of being‘out there’ was acute. We had the mountain to ourselves and were seven hours climbingfrom the nearest help. The exposure on both sides was huge. This was no place to slip or tobe caught out by a change in the weather.

After a series of zigzags we finally stopped at the “chandelier”, a low ice serac* on thesummit. This was our highpoint. It was 8.15 a.m. but already the cloud to the west indicatedthat a change was in prospect. We paused only briefly for a ritual handshake and somephotos and then began to retrace our steps. I did my best to imprint the memory of that place.We didn’t hang around. Summits such as Cook have irresistible climbing appeal but areunnerving in reality. Rather than give satisfaction, they reinforce the sense of urgency that isessential in mountaineering. There was still much to do. Celebrations would have to wait.

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From Matthew Tipper’s account of an ascent of Mount Cook by the Linda Glacier (NZ) in HIGH, Mountain Sports magazine (February 1999)

* serac: a pillar of ice

– 4 – SPEC/901/S(1)

SPECIMEN PAPER

Text 2 (b)Breathless

Written at 21,200 feet (6,500m) on 23 May 1953

Heart aches, lungs pant

dry air sorry, scant .1

Legs lift— why at all?

Loose drift, heavy fall.

Prod the snow easiest way;

a flat step is holiday.Look up,

far stone many miles far, alone. Grind breath once more then on;

don’t look uptill journey’s done.

Must look up, glasses dim.

Wrench of hand, 2

faltering limb.3

Pause one step, breath swings back; swallow once, throat gone slack. Go on to far stone;don’t look up, count steps done. One step, one heart-beat, stone no nearer

dragging feet.Heart aches,

lungs pant dry air sorry, scant.

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by Wilfred Noyce

scant: hardly enough (breath) 1

wrench: sudden and violent twist or pull2

faltering: unsteady, getting weak 3

– 5 – SPEC/901/S(1)

SPECIMEN PAPER Turn over/Tournez la page/Véase al dorso

– What effect does the structure of each text have on the reader?

– How are the climbers’ attitudes to their climbs communicated in the two texts?

– Compare and contrast the imagery used by the two writers to describe their experiences.

– 6 – SPEC/901/S(1)

SPECIMEN PAPER

ENGLISH A2 – STANDARD LEVEL – PAPER 2ANGLAIS A2 – NIVEAU MOYEN – ÉPREUVE 2INGLÉS A2 – NIVEL MEDIO – PRUEBA 2


1 hour 30 minutes / 1 heure 30 minutes / 1 hora 30 minutos

SPEC/901/S(2)




Do not open this examination paper until instructed to do so.Answer one question.


N’ouvrez pas cette épreuve avant d’y être autorisé(e).Traitez un sujet de composition.


No abra esta prueba hasta que se lo autoricen.Conteste a una pregunta.

Write an essay on one of the following. You must base your answer on the cultural options and/orliterary options you have studied in class. References to other subjects or literary works arepermissible but should not form the main body of your answer.

Language and Culture

1. Either

(a) “Language is the most vivid and crucial key to identity.” Discuss this statement withreference to your study of this option.

Or

(b) Comment on and illustrate the harmony that exists between different cultures in abilingual or in a multilingual environment.

Media and Culture

2. Either

(a) Compare the form and content of “sensational” media and “serious” media to show inwhat ways they differ.

Or

(b) Can the media be trusted to tell the truth?

Future Issues

3. Which of the future changes you have studied is going to bring the most good to the world,which the least, and why?

Global Issues

4. Show how local issues can also be global issues.

Social Issues

5. Show the relationship between two social issues you have studied and discuss possiblesolutions.

– 2 – SPEC/901/S(2)

SPECIMEN PAPER

Literary Questions

6. Either

(a) With reference to the literary texts and/or topic options you have studied, discussinstances of courage. Based on these instances, how would you define courage?

Or

(b) Show how good and evil forces are represented in some of the literary works you havestudied.

Or

(c) What do author’s descriptions of places contribute to our understanding of their stories,plays or poems?

– 3 – SPEC/901/S(2)

SPECIMEN PAPER

ENGLISH A2 – HIGHER LEVEL – PAPER 1ANGLAIS A2 – NIVEAU SUPÉRIEUR – ÉPREUVE 1INGLÉS A2 – NIVEL SUPERIOR – PRUEBA 1


2 hours / 2 heures / 2 horas

SPEC/901/H(1)




Do not open this examination paper until instructed to do so.Section A consists of two passages for comparative commentary.Section B consists of two passages for comparative commentary.Choose either Section A or Section B. Write one comparative commentary.


N’ouvrez pas cette épreuve avant d’y être autorisé(e).La section A comporte deux passages à commenter.La section B comporte deux passages à commenter.Choisissez soit la section A, soit la section B. Écrivez un commentaire comparatif.


No abra esta prueba hasta que se lo autoricen. En la Sección A hay dos fragmentos para comentar.En la Sección B hay dos fragmentos para comentar.Elija la Sección A o la Sección B. Escriba un comentario comparativo.

Choose either Section A or Section B.

SECTION A


Discuss the similarities and differences between the texts and their theme(s). Include comments onthe ways the authors use elements such as structure, tone, images and other stylistic devices tocommunicate their purposes.

Text 1 (a)

When I Grow Old

I’ve had so much of houses and of ‘things’,So much of furniture, so much of stuff.When I grow old, some cozy cubby-hole*,A three-room cottage, will be big enough.

I’ve had so much of living in the world,So many busy days and people I have known.I feel the need of wisdom and of peace–When I grow old I’d like to be alone.

But I must have green grass and gayest flowers,With trees before my door, for rest and shade.For I’ll need Beauty when the time grows short.Surrounded thus, I shall not be afraid.

I want to pass the evening of my daysCalmed by a sunny garden’s tranquil hours,After a hurried life, how sweet to stroll!To grow old gracefully, among the flowers!

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Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (1926)

* cubby-hole: a very small room

– 2 – SPEC/901/H(1)

SPECIMEN PAPER

Text 1 (b)

Seventy-year-olds, or septuas, have the illusion of being middle-aged. Theeighty-year-old, the octo, looks at the double-dumpling figure and admits that he is old.The last act has begun, and it will be the test of the play.

To enter the country of age is a new experience, different from what you supposed itto be. Nobody, man or woman, knows the country until he has lived in it and has takenout his citizenship papers. Here is my report, submitted as a road map and guide to someof the principal monuments.

The new octogenarian feels as strongly as ever when he is sitting in a comfortablechair. He ruminates , he dreams, he remembers. He doesn’t want to be disturbed by1

others. It seems to him that old age is only a costume assumed for those others; the true,the essential self is ageless. In a moment, he will rise and go for a ramble in the woods,taking a gun along, or a fishing rod, if it is spring. Then he creaks to his feet, bendingforward to keep his balance, and realises that he will do nothing of the sort. The body andits surroundings have their messages for him, or only one message: “You are old.” Hereare some of the occasions on which he receives the message:

when it becomes an achievement to do thoughtfully, step by step, what he oncedid instinctivelywhen his bones achewhen he fumbles and drops his toothbrushwhen year by year his feet seem farther from his handswhen he falls asleep in the afternoonwhen it becomes harder to bear in mind two things at once.

These are some of the intimate messages. “Put cotton in your ears and pebbles inyour shoes,” says a gerontologist . “Pull on rubber gloves. Smear Vaseline over your2 3

glasses, and there you have it: instant ageing.” Not quite. His formula omits themessages from the social world, which are louder, in most cases, than those within. Westart by growing old in other people’s eyes, then slowly we come to share theirjudgement.

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Adapted from Malcolm Cowley’s essay The View from 80 (1976)

ruminates: thinks carefully, meditates 1

gerontologist: scientist who studies ageing2

Vaseline: a translucent jelly used as a lubricant or ointment3

– 3 – SPEC/901/H(1)

SPECIMEN PAPER Turn over/Voir au dos/Véase al dorso

SECTION B


Discuss the similarities and differences between the texts and their theme(s). Include comments onthe ways the authors use elements such as structure, tone, images and other stylistic devices tocommunicate their purposes.

Text 2 (a)

Tasmaniacsmoorlands. Wake to the sound of orangebellied parrots, possums and wallabies.Go trout fishing. Or simply lose yourselfin wild, tranquil beauty.

Make sure you explore the pristine,white beaches brushed by mesmerisinglyclear, blue seas.

Wineglass Bay is simply stunningand home of the white breasted sea eagle.It’s worth seeing for this reason alone. Astone’s throw away you’ll discoverFreycinet National Park with its pinkgranite mountains, stained with blood redflowers.

If you still crave for more, hirea bike and head for Richmond. Steepedin history, its beautifully preservedGeorgian buildings litter winding,cobbled streets. It’s the perfect place tofind a small gift to store in yourbackpack.

Some things, however, are best dis-covered by chance. Places you innocentlystumble across. An isolated cove, or aspectacular waterfall. This treasure island has far more tooffer than the notorious TasmanianDevil. Shame really that it’s all mostpeople associate with the place.

We offer the best way of gettingthere and, being the UK’s leadingspecialist Downunder, nobody knowsthe place better.

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Tasmania, land of adventure,extreme beauty and diverse landscapes.If you’re looking for excitement, thenthis Australian island state willdefinitely put a colour in your cheeks.Try devil jet boating on the seductivewaters of the Derwent River. Barebackhorse riding along the beautiful wind-swept beaches. Mountain climbing inthe lush, green rainforests. White waterrafting, bushwalking, bungy jumping,the list is endless. The place is as lively, or as re-mote as you want it to be. The citiesare cosmopolitan, the forests, deserted.Knowing where to explore first is theonly difficult task.

Wander around Salamanca Place ofan evening and you’ll discover buskersplaying into the small hours. Cosy barslit by candles, where you can relax witha beer, or a glass of the local wine.So enjoy.

At sunrise head for Australia’sdeepest freshwater lake, Lake St. Clare.Seeing the warm yellow and burntoranges kiss the calm turquoise waters,makes you wonder if this is the mostbeautiful place in the world.

There are over 3,000 lakes andtarns sprinkled around the CentralPlateau. Camp or stay in one of theinviting lodges nestled among the alpine

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Advertisement in The Observer, April 28, 1996

– 4 – SPEC/901/H(1)

SPECIMEN PAPER

Text 2 (b)

It is impossible to fancy a worse country than the one we were now travelling over,intersected by swamps and small lagoons in every direction. It was excessively fatiguingto the horses, which travelled along the banks of the river, as the bushes were so thicklyintermingled they could scarcely force a passage. After proceeding about eight miles, abold rocky mount terminated on the river, and broke the sameness which had so longwearied us: we ascended this hill, which I named Mount Amyot, and from the summithad one of the most extensive views that can be imagined. Vast plains clear of timber layon the south side of the river, and which, from our having travelled on a level with them,it was impossible for us to distinguish before.

I have reason to believe that the whole of this extensive tract named PrincessCharlotte's Crescent is at times drowned by the overflowing of the river. There aredoubtless many small eminences which might afford a retreat from the inundations, butthose which were observed by us were too trifling and distant from each other to standout distinct from the vast level surface which the crescent presents to the view. The soilof the country we passed over was a poor and cold clay; but there are many rich levelswhich, could they be drained and defended from the inundations of the river, wouldamply repay the cultivation. These flats are certainly not adapted for cattle; the grass istoo swampy, and the bushes, swamps, and lagoons are too thickly intermingled with thebetter portions, to render it either safe or desirable grazing country. The timber isuniversally bad and small; a few large misshapen gum trees on the immediate banks ofthe river may be considered as exceptions. If, however, the country itself is poor, the riveris rich in the most excellent fish, procurable in the utmost abundance. One man in lessthan an hour caught eighteen large fish, one of which was a curiosity from its immensesize and the beauty of its colours.

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From a Journal of an expedition into the Interior of New South Wales, Australia,undertaken by order of the British Government, 1817

– 5 – SPEC/901/H(1)

SPECIMEN PAPER

ENGLISH A2 – HIGHER LEVEL – PAPER 2ANGLAIS A2 – NIVEAU SUPÉRIEUR – ÉPREUVE 2INGLÉS A2 – NIVEL SUPERIOR – PRUEBA 2


2 hours / 2 heures / 2 horas

SPEC/901/H(2)



Do not open this examination paper until instructed to do so.Answer one question.


N’ouvrez pas cette épreuve avant d’y être autorisé(e).Traitez un sujet de composition.


No abra esta prueba hasta que se lo autoricen.Conteste a una pregunta.

Write an essay on one of the following. You must base your answer on the cultural options and/orliterary options you have studied in class. References to other subjects or literary works arepermissible but should not form the main body of your answer.

Language and culture

1. Either

(a) Differences in languages and customs are often a source of misunderstandings orconflicts between peoples. Give examples and say how such differences have been, orcould be, resolved.

Or

(b) Comment on the advantages and disadvantages of being bilingual with reference to yourown experience and to that of others.

Media and Culture

2. Either

(a) People are more influenced by mass media than they think. What evidence is there tosupport this statement?

Or

(b) Discuss in detail cases where the means of mass communication should be controlledfor the public good.

Future Issues

3. Desirable future change for some can mean undesirable future change for others. Discuss.

Global Issues

4. Give reasons for the difficulty of reaching international agreement on one particular globalissue. What do you think could be done to reach a consensus?

– 2 – SPEC/901/H(2)

SPECIMEN PAPER

Social Issues

5. Discuss specific examples of social programmes and policies that may help bring about aperfect society.

Literary questions

6. Either

(a) Compare the ways in which some of the authors you have studied make socialcriticisms.

Or

(b) Show how the opening lines, scenes or first chapter of literary works often anticipate orforeshadow what is to follow.

Or

(c) Appearances are often very different to reality. Discuss this idea with reference to theliterary works you have studied.

– 3 – SPEC/901/H(2)

SPECIMEN PAPER

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