Specimen Paper Question with Answers | English Language for Grade 10 PDF Download

Candidates answer two questions, one from each section. In Section 1 Directed Writing, there is one compulsory question and in Section 2 Composition there are four questions which the candidates can choose a Descriptive or Narrative title.

Section 1 Directed Writing 

This website article explains the concerns some people have that elderly people are not being offered sufficient help and support in their homes.
A “catastrophic” situation is developing in the country with many vulnerable elderly people being denied care, campaigners say.
A recent study found the proportion of over-65s getting help had fallen by a third since 2005-6.
Last year, under 900,000 over-65s got help - one in 10 people in that group - compared with 15% seven years ago.
The review - based on published data - estimated at least 800,000 older people were going without vital help.
This includes help in the home, with daily tasks such as washing, dressing and eating, as well as the allocation of care home places.
The report’s author Caroline Abrahams said: “The figures we have uncovered are catastrophic. Older people who need help and are now not getting it are being placed at significant risk and families who are now looking after their loved ones are experiencing intolerable strain.”
Care and Support Minister Norman Lamb said: “We need to work differently to respond to the needs of our ageing population - we need to focus on keeping people well and living independently for as long as possible.”

This newspaper article explains an innovative project that some people suggest could help tackle the housing crisis. Beth, 26, lives with Barbara, 97, as part of the Homeshare scheme.
For the majority of the 53 years Barbara has lived in her Victorian ground floor flat in an idyllic tree-lined street in central London, she’s been alone - now the 97-year-old has a friend. Beth, 26, has been staying in Barbara’s spare room for just two weeks - already she cooks, washes-up and does the shopping. It’s like having the perfect granddaughter to stay, except Beth’s not related. Until a month ago, she'd never even heard of Barbara. The odd pairing, bringing together two people seven decades apart in age, came through a scheme called Homeshare. 

The project, organised by a charity, provides affordable housing for young people in central London and companionship and support for elderly people who live on their own. Beth, an actor currently working as a teaching assistant, pays just a fraction of the weekly rent she might normally expect to have to pay for a room two minutes’ walk from the tube station. In return for her bargain-basement rent, Beth agrees to give up 10 hours weekly to help her elderly flatmate and spend at least five nights at the flat. “If you want to be in a location like this then it’s going to be very expensive,” says Beth. “I could afford to live in a flatshare, just about. But I wouldn’t have as much money as I need to do things that I want to do. People are really interested when I tell them about my situation - someone so young living with someone so old. I think you learn a lot actually, about life. It’s a completely different perspective, without any kind of family ties.” 

Barbara, who owns the property, pays a small amount each week to the charity, covering the cost of providing regular support and check-ups on pairings. "My arthritis means it is difficult even going to the shops now," explains Barbara, a retired receptionist who worked for the Ministry of Information during the war. “For me, this means I can stay here with my own things and not go into a care home.” Barbara has had two previous homesharers, a young Irish girl who “went back to Ireland for the weekend and never came back”, and a middle-aged Australian who stayed for over a year. 

Two’s company 

Sitting in her cosy living room, surrounded by her ornaments, Barbara says she heard about the scheme through a friend. “She had to give up because she’s very frail and needs full-time care. I’ve only got one friend left from my own generation. All my contemporaries have gone, which is boring. So it’s nice to have someone around the place.” 

Jenny, who manages Homeshare, describes it as “like a crazy dating service”. The charity interviews and selects potential homeowners and homesharers before they are introduced and, providing all goes well, are finally “matched”. Currently, the youngest homesharer is 19. In most cases, the homeowner provides furniture and an internet connection. “In the early stages you work out what kind of tasks you need doing and make sure the hours are being fulfilled,” says Jenny, who asks all homesharers to commit to stay for at least six months. “The relationship adapts over time - you get to know each other and find out more as time goes on. It’s an ongoing issue about high rents in London and also people being isolated in their homes. It’s reassuring for family and friends to know if there is someone a little bit older, there is someone there in the evening and overnight.”

Rebecca, 32, a student nurse, has been homesharing with a lady in her 70s, for the past two months. “There are obviously boundaries,” she says. “It’s still a professional agreement, but she’s a bit like my gran, really. I do everything from popping to the shops to pick up bits and pieces, to having a nice chat with a cup of tea." Rebecca missed out on student accommodation - which is becoming increasingly expensive and hard to find - when she moved to London from Suffolk, where she used to be a radio presenter. “For her family it provides peace of mind,” says Rebecca. 'They’re keen on somebody being there; otherwise they'd have to think about sheltered accommodation. To give up a home which she’s lived in for longer than I’ve been on the planet seems really unfair.” For Rebecca, the best thing about the scheme is knowing there’s someone else in the house. She says she could see herself homesharing for the duration of her three-year degree.

Q. Your elderly relative lives alone and is considering joining the Homeshare scheme. They think this might help not just themselves, but a young person too. They are determined to remain independent and have contacted you for advice.

Write a letter to your elderly relative, in which you should: 

• Explain what you think might be the advantages and potential disadvantages for any young person sharing your relative’s house in the Homeshare scheme. 
• Evaluate whether you think joining the Homeshare scheme would be a good idea for your relative or not. Give reasons and examples to support what you say.

You should use evidence from the two passages you have read to help you answer this question. Remember to write the letter using your own words.
Write about 250 to 350 words.

Dear Gran, It was good to hear your news and yes thanks Uni is fine. I’m getting used to sharing a flat, and you’re right, it’s not easy sharing at any age. Your sharer would be luckier though – their rent would be lower than mine and they would only be minutes from town. Homesharing could mean you get help with chores like putting the bins out or making tea. You’ve got to admit that would be nice. In fact, having someone there for emergencies might stop Mum worrying so much about you being alone since your home help was stopped.

Sharers must be trustworthy if they have passed the agency checks and I think they’d just be relieved to find that you are such good company. Your stories would cheer anyone up. I know you’ve felt lonely recently, so a new face around the place might liven things up. Don’t worry about needing internet installed. The rent would cover the cost and having internet access will make it easier for you to stay independent. I’m sure your sharer would show you the basics if you get stuck. That’s the point really isn’t it? The Homeshare scheme helps both of you. Your sharer needs a home and probably doesn’t know anyone in the area. You’d be someone to turn to who knows about living round there. You need extra support but don’t want to move away from your lovely garden.

Your new sharer might even be persuaded into a bit of gardening if Mum can’t get over to mow your lawn. There could be negatives. Sharers might only stay a short time or might not stick to the rules if they miss having parties or friends round. If that kind of thing happens though you can tell the agency. It won’t just be down to you to sort it out and the biggest plus will be that you can stop worrying about the whole care home issue.
It’s got to be worth trying and if the scheme is as good as it sounds, I might be asking Homeshare if they have places here in Edinburgh too!
Bye for now