The first reading
An original fiction passage set in the nineteenth century.
The schoolroom smelled of damp wool and chalk. Tom stood beside the desk with a folded page in his hand. He had practised the short announcement many times, yet the rows of faces seemed to make the words heavier. At the back, his sister Elsie caught his eye and gave him a small nod.
He began too quickly. The first sentence stumbled out, and a boy near the window whispered to his neighbour. Tom stopped. His ears burned. Then he noticed the schoolmaster listening without impatience, his hands resting quietly on the desk.
Tom looked down and found the place again. This time he read each sentence slowly. When he reached the final line, he heard a few claps from the front row. Elsie was smiling. Tom folded the page, surprised to find that his hands had stopped shaking.
Outside, the rain had eased. He stepped into the yard with the page tucked safely into his coat. The announcement was over, but the sound of his own steady voice stayed with him as he walked home.
“The passage successfully presents how encouragement helps Tom overcome his nervousness.”
Evaluate how successfully the writer presents this idea. In your response, consider how Tom’s nervousness is introduced, how the people around him affect his response, and how the ending presents the change in his feelings. Support your judgement with detailed references to the passage.
456 exam-style questions on Edexcel GCSE English Language 1.3 Content: prose fiction study requirements, covering 1.3.1 Read challenging prose fiction for the unseen 19th-century extract. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.