Week 33 · English Practice Paper

Reading Passage

Read the passage below and then answer the questions which follow.

The Meadow Edge

The last of the buttercups had faded. Along the western hedge, where the meadow sloped down toward the brook and the old cattle gate beyond, only a scatter of pale seed-heads still stood among the nettles and cow parsley. On the far side of the gate, the bank beneath the blackthorn was riddled with fox holes. Rabbit fur and feathers lay scattered near the entrances, and nothing grew there now but ragwort and thistledown. A little way off, at the foot of the slope, ran a narrow brook, barely two feet across, half hidden beneath watercress and trailing brambles. A cracked stone bridge crossed it and climbed the far bank to a gap in the hedge, which led out onto the lane.

It was early evening in high summer, and the light was turning gold. The dry slope was busy with rabbits and the occasional pheasant, and swallows cut low and fast across the grass, snapping up midges. Here and there a woodpigeon called from deep in the hedge, and everything about the meadow suggested that all was well and nothing at all was amiss.

Close to the blackthorn, half-hidden by nettles, was a cluster of holes worn smooth by generations of paws. At the mouth of one of them, two fox cubs sat pressed together, watching the meadow. After a while, the larger of the two slipped out from the shadow of the bush, padded down the bank, and crossed the brook by way of the fallen branch that spanned it. A moment later, the smaller cub followed.

The first cub stopped in a patch of warm sunlight and scratched behind one ear with a quick, easy movement of her hind paw. Though she was barely more than half-grown, she carried none of the awkward, hesitant look that marked most young foxes still finding their feet in the world beyond the den. She seemed entirely sure of herself, sitting up now and then to sniff the air and glance about, before returning, satisfied, to grooming her tail.

Her brother seemed far less at ease. He was small for his age, with wide, watchful eyes and a habit of turning his head sharply at the smallest sound, as though he expected trouble from every direction at once. When a bumblebee droned past close to his nose, he sprang sideways with a start that sent two blackbirds clattering up out of the hedge, before a larger fox nearby, recognising him, called out and went back to washing his paws.

"Oh, it's only Wisp," said the larger fox, without looking up. "Jumping at bees again. Go on, Marigold — what were you about to tell me?" "Wisp?" said the smaller cub. "Why does everyone call me that?" "Because you're half the size of the rest of the litter and twice as jumpy," said Marigold. "I always say a hawk couldn't be bothered with you and a stoat wouldn't find you worth the trouble. Mind you, you do seem to have a knack for staying out of harm's way."

"Let's go a bit further," Wisp said. "There's something odd about the meadow this evening, though I couldn't tell you what. Shall we go down as far as the brook?" "If you like," said Marigold, "and you can find me some blackberries. If there are any left on this side of the hedge, you'll be the one to find them."

She led the way down the slope, her shadow stretching long and thin across the grass behind her. They reached the brook and began nosing along the bank beside the old cart track. It was not long before Wisp found what they were looking for — a low, heavy-fruited bramble almost hidden beneath the long grass, its blackberries not quite ripe. They had barely begun sniffing at it when two larger foxes came trotting up from the direction of the gate.

Option 1: Write your descriptive piece about a place that feels different depending on the time of day or the weather.

• Create a clear, vivid sense of place using carefully chosen detail and imagery.
• Keep the focus on description rather than a fast-moving plot.
• Check your spelling, punctuation and paragraphing carefully before time runs out.