At the front of the choir
An original fiction passage set in the nineteenth century.
The village choir had gathered in the schoolroom, but when Mr Bell lost his voice, the singers turned towards Clara. She had copied the music for them all winter, yet she had never stood at the front. Her fingers tightened around the first page until its corner bent.
‘You know the tune,’ said her brother. ‘There is no need to make a fuss.’ Clara looked at the singers. Two were already whispering; the youngest boy watched her as if she might send them all home. She took a breath, but the first note would not come.
Mr Bell whispered that the practice could end early. Clara’s hands were still trembling. She asked him to give her a moment, then placed the music on the desk and asked the choir to begin again from the first line. This time, she gave them the starting note. It came out thin, and she had to try it once more.
The choir followed her. By the final verse, Clara’s fingers had loosened their grip on the pages. After the singers left, she folded the bent corner flat. Her hands were not quite steady, but she put the music away herself.
Evaluate how successfully the writer presents Clara as nervous but willing to take responsibility. In your answer, consider how her nervousness is shown, what she does when she is given the chance to lead, and what the ending suggests. 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.