Text A: an original contemporary practice extract.
I used to think the sports day was mainly about the races. This year, I volunteered to help at the long-jump station. I liked watching people improve their distance, even when they were nowhere near the school record. When Sam hesitated before his turn, I showed him where to begin his run-up. His next jump was longer, and he grinned at the result. I enjoyed that moment more than the races I watched afterwards.
I still like seeing someone win a close race. But a day can have more than one kind of success. By the time we packed away the measuring tape, I had stopped checking who was first. I was thinking about how many people had tried.
Text B: an original contemporary practice extract.
I signed up for the sports day because I wanted to race. The events were short, but waiting for the whistle made every second feel long. I came second in the sprint and was pleased until I heard people cheering for the last runners in the final race. They had finished well behind the others, but the crowd kept clapping until they crossed the line.
I had always assumed that people came to watch the winners. The applause changed what I noticed. I still wanted to win my next race, and I did not pretend the result no longer mattered. But when I went home, I remembered the sound of the crowd more clearly than the places in the races.
In what ways do the two writers present their attitudes towards taking part in the school sports day? Compare their presentation, using evidence from both texts. You could consider what each writer values, how each responds to other pupils, and how the ending shapes the reader’s view.