Music between the shelves
Source A: A quieter shopping trip — an original customer opinion piece
When I enter the supermarket, I am already making decisions: what to buy, where to find it and whether I have remembered the list. Music adds another layer which I have not chosen. Sometimes I like the song, but even then it can compete with a conversation or make me lose the item I was trying to recall. I would welcome regular periods without background music.
This is not a request that the shop become silent. Trolleys, tills and ordinary conversation would remain. The difference is whether the building adds a continuous soundtrack to those sounds. Calling it background does not mean it stays in the background for every person. A volume which seems modest beside the entrance may feel different near a speaker over an aisle.
A predictable music-free period would let customers choose when to come. Please publish it clearly and keep the arrangement consistent. If the only available session is during a time when many people cannot visit, the option may exist on paper without changing their experience. I would also like staff to know when it applies, so customers are not passed between several people when the music remains on.
I do not assume every shopper shares my preference. Some may find the shop less welcoming without music. We could offer a range of times rather than divide customers permanently into two groups. My own preference can change from day to day. A trial should ask whether people found it easier to shop and communicate, not simply whether they recognised the songs or thought a quieter hour sounded like a generous idea.
Source B: An atmosphere some people value — an original shop staff commentary
Music can make a large shop feel less impersonal. Some customers enjoy hearing a familiar song while moving through an ordinary errand, and staff may appreciate it during repetitive work. Removing it could change the atmosphere for people who had never experienced it as an obstacle. Their responses deserve hearing too.
However, enjoying a song is different from choosing to hear the same programme throughout a working day. Staff do not all agree, and their preferences may change with the tasks they are doing. A person explaining something at the service desk may experience the sound differently from someone arranging stock farther from a speaker. Please do not assume there is one staff view which an enthusiastic manager can supply for everyone.
A trial would need to distinguish background music from information the shop still has to communicate. Staff instructions and necessary announcements cannot simply disappear because a poster promises quiet. Customers should know what changes during the advertised period and what ordinary sounds will remain. An honest description is more useful than a large claim the building cannot keep.
We could test several music-free sessions, check that the system follows the schedule and ask customers and staff about particular tasks. Did a conversation become easier to follow? Was shopping less distracting? Did staff miss an aspect of the atmosphere, and where? The number of visitors alone would not answer those questions, especially if an offer or a busy weekend changed attendance. We should also consider whether a lower volume or different speaker arrangement helps outside the trial sessions. The aim is a usable shop with choices people can understand, not a contest to prove that those who like music are careless or those who prefer less sound are unreasonable.
Write a letter to the supermarket manager evaluating music-free shopping periods and recommending how the shop should respond.
Use your own words and base your response on both sources. In your response:
Write about 250 to 350 words. Up to 10 marks are available for reading and up to 25 marks for writing.
100 exam-style questions on CIE IGCSE English Language 5.2 Section A Directed Writing (40 marks), covering 5.2.1 Question structure and stimulus texts, 5.2.2 Question 1(a) analysis and evaluation of the text(s), and 5.2.3 Question 1(b) directed writing task. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.