Before the doors open
Text: an original contemporary speech-style practice extract.
Ten minutes from now, the entrance will fill with people who do not yet know which corridor bends towards science or why the music rooms have two staircases. We know the building so well that its odd turns have become invisible. Tonight, we need to see them again.
The signs are straight, the tables are labelled and every guide has been given a badge. That is useful, but a polished arrow cannot notice a parent searching for the right room, and a timetable cannot hear a pupil asking the same question twice. Some visitors will arrive talking quickly. Others will hover beside the door, pretending to read a poster while they decide whether to come in. Welcome both.
Do not try to deliver the whole school in one breath. Show one route. Introduce one person. Answer the question that was actually asked. If you do not know, take the visitor to someone who does; a short walk beside them may tell them more about this place than a perfect speech. At the end of the evening, the displays will come down and the borrowed badges will be returned. What may remain is the feeling that, for an hour, an unfamiliar building made room for them. The doors will open only once. Our welcome can keep opening after that.
Analyse how the writer uses language and structure to interest and engage the reader.
In your answer, consider:
Support your views with detailed reference to the extract.
834 exam-style questions on Edexcel GCSE English Language 2.3 Content: non-fiction study and transactional text types, covering 2.3.9 Write an article, 2.3.10 Write a letter, 2.3.11 Write a review, 2.3.12 Write a text for a speech, and 2.3.13 Write a section for a guide, textbook, leaflet or booklet. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.