Week 18 · English Practice Paper

Reading Passage

This passage describes what happens when Dr Petra Voss, a wildlife ranger, brought an orphaned fox cub called Clover to visit a village primary school during its nature week.

Clover Goes to School

By the spring, Clover had grown fast and bold. From a wobbly, round-eared cub barely bigger than a shoe, she had become long-legged and quick, with a coat that had darkened from grey-brown fluff into proper red-gold fur. She was not yet four months old, but she already stood taller at the shoulder than most house cats, and her paws — enormous, out of all proportion to the rest of her — gave her the permanent look of a creature about to trip over her own feet. She never did. Her eyes had settled into a sharp amber, with the narrow, watchful shape of a fox's rather than a cub's.

In those early weeks she could barely sit still, and Petra had nicknamed her 'the Whirlwind' for the way she tore around the cottage, upending anything not fixed down (and one or two things that were). It quickly became clear that Clover could not be left alone in the house, so Petra began taking her everywhere, and it was with more than a little nervousness that she first drove Clover into the village to visit the primary school for its nature week.

As it turned out, that first morning passed without disaster. Petra had worn Clover out with a long walk beforehand, so that once she'd grown used to thirty pairs of curious eyes staring down at her, she curled up under the teacher's desk and fell fast asleep. She woke partway through the second lesson and spent a happy few minutes attacking a child's shoelace, which everybody agreed was a welcome bit of entertainment.

It was not always so peaceful. After a few visits, Clover developed a taste for hunting down anything that rustled, which meant crisp packets, sandwich wrappers, and — on one memorable occasion — a girl's entire packed lunch, extracted neatly from an unzipped bag while its owner was occupied with a maths worksheet. Sensing a growing tide of complaints from hungry children, Petra started adding a note to the information sheet she gave each class before a visit. Alongside the usual facts about diet and habitat, there would now be a short paragraph that read:

Please Note: Clover is friendly and will not bite. However, if your lunch is anywhere within reach, we cannot promise it will survive the visit! Please keep bags zipped at all times.

It was something of a miracle that no one ever complained too seriously.

Option 1: Write a story using the title: 'A Day I'll Never Forget'.

• Plan your story before you begin writing.
• Make sure your story has a clear beginning, middle and end.

Option 2: Write a letter to your head teacher explaining why the school should support an animal charity of your choice.

• Use a clear, persuasive tone and organise your points logically.
• Remember to include a proper greeting and sign-off appropriate for a letter to your head teacher.