Text 1: The First Note
An original short story extract.
Maya stood at the front of the stage with her violin tucked beneath her chin. The hall was full, but from where she stood the audience was only a blur of faces and dark coats. Her bow felt slippery in her hand. She wiped her palm on her skirt and looked towards Mr Shah, who stood at the piano.
He nodded. Maya raised the bow. For a moment, nothing happened. The hall seemed to hold its breath with her. She could hear the clock above the doors and the small click as someone shifted in a seat. Then Mr Shah played the opening notes. Maya drew the bow across the strings. The first sound came out thin, but she kept going, and the next note rang more clearly.
By the final phrase, Maya’s shoulders had loosened. She lifted her eyes from the strings and saw Mr Shah smiling. Her last note hung in the hall, then faded. The audience broke into applause. Maya lowered her violin and bowed, grinning.
How are tension and excitement built during Maya’s performance? Comment on the writer’s use of language and structure.
You should use relevant subject terminology to support your answer.
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146 exam-style questions on OCR GCSE English Language 3.2 Section A: Reading meaning and effects – content, covering 3.2.3 Impact of language, structure and grammar. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.