The clock above the square
Both texts are newly written practice sources about invented people, places or projects.
Text One: An original fictional account of work on a public clock.
When the clock above the square stopped at 11:17, people noticed immediately. From the pavement, its four faces looked clean and undamaged. Inside the tower, however, the caretaker's log showed that one hand had hesitated twice after windy evenings.
We did not restart the clock at once. A specialist secured the hands while we inspected the space behind them. A loose outer panel had allowed rain to reach a wooden support. As the wood became damp, it expanded and pressed against one of the moving rods. Drying the support and refitting the panel allowed the clock to move freely again, although a worn pin was also marked for replacement.
The repair team kept the old hands and mechanism because their slightly uneven movement was part of the clock's familiar appearance. A small monitor was added inside the tower to report future stoppages. At street level, a temporary notice explained why the clock was still showing 11:17 and gave the date of the next update rather than promising when the work would be finished.
Text Two: An original report about an invented programme for maintaining community clocks.
Public clocks are highly visible, but much of the work required to maintain them takes place out of sight. Volunteers make weekly checks from ground level and compare the time shown on every face. The clock rooms are inspected each month and after severe weather.
| Observation | Recommended response |
|---|---|
| One face shows a different time from the others | Examine the connection to that face before disturbing the main mechanism |
| Damp appears after a storm | Find where water entered and allow the affected area to dry before restarting the clock |
| The clock repeatedly stops after being restarted | Leave it stopped and arrange a specialist inspection |
Volunteers record dates, weather conditions and any unusual sounds. They may clean accessible areas and provide public updates, but dismantling parts and checking electrical equipment are left to trained specialists. Where modern monitoring is installed, it is positioned discreetly so that the clock retains its established appearance.
The programme advises organisers not to announce a completion date until the cause of a fault is understood. A clock that has been stopped deliberately for inspection may be receiving better care than one that has been restarted repeatedly without a proper repair.
Synthesise what you learn from both texts about maintaining public clocks.
528 exam-style questions on WJEC GCSE English Language 3.1 Section A (20%) – Reading, covering 3.1.1 Understanding description, narration and exposition texts, 3.1.2 Range of continuous and non-continuous texts, 3.1.3 Short and extended response question types, and 3.1.4 Editing task at word, sentence and text level. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.