Text A: an original contemporary personal-account-style practice extract.

At the start of our science course, the teacher displayed a seating plan. I expected it to make the classroom feel strict, but within minutes everyone had found a place, collected the correct equipment and begun work. Nobody had to compete for a seat beside a friend, and the lesson started without the usual negotiation.

The plan also placed me next to someone I barely knew. During our first investigation, she noticed a mistake in my results table and I helped her adjust the equipment. Meanwhile, a quiet pupil who had previously remained behind louder friends began offering answers. Moving us around did more than create neat rows; it changed who worked with whom and who was heard.

A seating plan should not become permanent. Teachers need to consider whether pupils can see, hear and work comfortably, and they should review the arrangement when it causes a problem. Used thoughtfully, however, a plan can be a starting map rather than a label stuck to each pupil.

Text B: an original contemporary opinion-column-style practice extract.

At our after-school revision club, the organiser recently began assigning every pupil a seat. Nothing terrible happened, but several small difficulties appeared immediately. A pupil using a laptop was placed far from a socket, friends revising different subjects were grouped together, and two people exchanged places so that they could share a textbook.

Choosing a seat does not have to mean disorder. Pupils can keep aisles clear, respect quiet areas and accept that a member of staff may move someone who is distracting others. Within those limits, allowing choice shows that young people can make an ordinary decision responsibly.

Instead of attaching a name to every chair, the club could identify areas for silent study, paired work and computer use. Pupils could then choose a suitable place, while staff remained able to intervene when necessary. A room can be orderly without every chair being claimed in advance.