Text A: an original contemporary practice extract.
At the school fete, I was running the information table with Arun, a new volunteer who had spoken very little during our preparations. I expected to answer visitors’ questions while he handed out maps. Just before the gates opened, however, Arun asked whether he could speak to the visitors instead. I worried that he might become flustered when the table grew busy, but I agreed and showed him where to find the event times.
His first answer was so quiet that a visitor asked him to repeat it. I stayed beside him, ready to help, but he found the correct time himself. By lunchtime, he was greeting families before they reached the table and explaining where each activity was taking place. Giving him the main task had slowed us down at first, but it allowed him to become a confident member of the team.
Text B: an original contemporary practice extract.
My younger brother offered to prepare the fruit salad for our family lunch. Usually, I made it quickly while he laid the table. He had never used the recipe before, and I knew our relatives would arrive soon, but I gave him the bowl and placed the instructions where he could see them.
He measured everything carefully and kept stopping to check what came next. I nearly took over when he began cutting the pieces into different sizes, but instead I reminded him which utensil to use and let him continue. The finished dish was not as neat as mine would have been, yet he carried it to the table with obvious pride. Later, he asked whether he could prepare another part of the meal the following week. The extra time had given him confidence that doing the easier job never had.
Both texts describe a narrator deciding to let someone else take responsibility for a task.
What similarities are there in these decisions? Use evidence from both texts to support your answer. In your answer, you may consider the narrators’ concerns, the support they provide and what happens afterwards.