IGCSE (First Language) Directed Writing Practice 1, November 2019 - [Paper 2 - 40 marks]
Directed Writing (Paper 2)
Passage A: All for a good cause
In this magazine article, a parent explains why
she is not happy with the fundraising activities suggested by her children’s
school.
Am I the
only parent wondering why it is that I’m sending in a can of tinned fruit for a
teacher to sit in a bath of them this month? Apparently, it’s all ‘in aid of
charity’ and is really ‘cool’ according to my twelve-year-old child. I’ve also
just had an exasperating conversation with my teenage daughter about why she
can’t be sponsored to cut off her hair or throw a bucket of ice-cold water over
herself, nor host a retro dinner party for her and her friends to compete in
eating chocolate-covered mints. We’re now left with just a handful of dubious
alternatives on the list of fundraising ideas from the school. The first
consists of our family being filmed for one minute as if frozen in an everyday
pose – why? Another involves me submitting to being photographed at my least
attractive – in the early morning and before make-up has covered the worst
ravages of time. Can’t I just sign a cheque quietly and not join in with this
farce? What if we just gave our tinned food to the charity in the first place?
If
there’s going to be a challenge, make it real. Do something that is really
challenging, makes a difference and is worthwhile. Posting online before and
after photographs of yourself having had your hair cut off in some sort of
dramatic mini-makeover as a show of solidarity for sufferers of hair loss
doesn’t count. Yes, everyone can see how generous you are, but your hair will
grow back. Whilst online gimmicks like this are claimed to raise awareness,
they risk losing the depth of the message.
These
so-called challenges are as much about vanity as charity – look at me, aren’t I
generous, brave and selfless! Before the internet, people just donated, anonymously.
The irony is people now believe they are doing something important when really
their actions are changing nothing, or worse …
Remember
the ice-bucket challenge? The challenge involved people sharing online videos
of themselves and others having buckets of ice-cold water dumped over them.
Publicity-seeking celebrities were joined by those of us who should have known
better doing little more than getting our hair wet for charity and then
expecting to be taken seriously in our concern for the environment and the need
to conserve scarce natural resources.
Nowadays,
it seems there is no point in doing something if you are not prepared to share
it on social media. The challenges are more about making ourselves look and
feel good than about helping others. We are just using social media to clear
our consciences. The global fundraising website, justgiving.com, which anyone
can access, provides a button for anonymous donations – hardly anyone uses it.
With
every campaign email we receive, every invitation to support this cause or
that, every suggestion to be seen doing something ridiculous, we’re made to
feel if we don’t do it, we’ll look mean-spirited and nasty. Which is why I
suppose I will be there, with those other well-meaning parents, serving soup to
my son’s year group as they camp out in cardboard boxes on the school playing
field in support of homelessness while someone takes photos for the school
website
Passage B: Extreme charity challenges
In this section from a website homepage, a
company selling activities to people wanting to raise money describes the range
they have to offer.
The
standard of events to raise money for charity continues to rise. It’s becoming
increasingly difficult to stand out from the crowd to attract donations. Taking
on an extreme challenge for charity is one way to keep your activity at the top
of everyone’s agenda.
Extreme
challenges come in all shapes and sizes, from amazing feats of endurance and
demonstrations of physical prowess to adrenaline-fuelled stunts and epic,
unforgettable adventures. There’s something for just about everyone to walk,
run, paddle or hurl themselves out of.
Extreme
challenges capture the imagination, attracting the attention of those looking
to donate. A triathlon will gain the respect of your peers – though not nearly
as much as an achievement like running 250 km across the Gobi desert!
Preparation
It’s
important to remember, though, that travelling abroad doesn’t necessarily mean
a holiday. The clue’s in the title – extreme challenges are hard. They need
thorough, dedicated preparation. You’ll need to be tough, determined and
physically and mentally in top condition.
What
we offer
Endurance: How
about seven marathons in a week? Head to our events section for the ultimate
running tests.
Stunts: Fancy
abseiling down a skyscraper? Conquer your fears with one of our dramatic stunt
challenges.
Adventures : Could
you survive the jungle? Push yourself with our range of extreme challenges from
around the globe.
Question
Write an article for a
magazine for young people in which you consider the issue of fundraising in schools.
In your
article, you should:
•
evaluate the ideas for fundraising activities
in the two passages
•
consider how worthwhile the ideas might be for
a school and its students.
Base
your article on the facts, ideas and opinions in the two passages, but be
careful to use your own words. Address each of the bullet points.
Begin
your article with the headline: ‘Charitable Choices’.
Write
about 250 to 350 words.
Suggested
responses
|
The
following ideas might be used in your magazine article: |
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A1
the
ideas for fund-raising activities in
passage one: |
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• could donate money directly
to charities: |
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[evaluation of this point may include:
always an option but may not raise as |
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much
money as more entertaining challenges; more fun/engaging with |
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activities] |
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• could use popular gimmicks such as hair
cutting/ice bucket |
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challenges/mannequin etc. [evaluation of this point may include:
may |
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damage
people’s self-image, lead to bullying; doesn’t involve much effort |
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or
sacrifice; doubts about the motivation of people who use social media |
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in
their fundraising may be valid/invalid but candidates need to justify |
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judgements;
wasteful of resources such as water, food] |
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•
generational differences to social media use in fundraising, reflected
in a |
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carping,
negative attitude in the writer; could create empathy for sufferers; |
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the
writer seems to expect extreme sacrifices which are unrealistic; better |
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to do
something than nothing; these ideas do raise a lot of money world- |
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wide;
raising awareness is important in itself. |
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A2
the
ideas for fundraising activities in
passage two: |
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• bought in activities
(evaluation may include inference
of |
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commercialisation
or exploitation of charities |
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• stand out from the crowd activities
[evaluation may include feasibility |
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for
schools in terms of cost/logistics/safety; undue pressure to take part in |
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extreme
activities because it’s for charity |
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• may
encourage physical fitness; may benefit the participant as well as the |
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charity. |
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Tips 1. The
discriminator is the extent to which
the validity and suitability of |
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different
kinds of charity fundraising for schools and students is |
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considered. 2. This
requires you to draw inferences and make |
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judgements
about the extent to which each would be worthwhile for a school |
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and its students. 3. Stronger
answers will consider ideas from both
passages. |
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