What you'll learn

• How Emma Levine presents a fast, chaotic donkey race as exciting, funny and unfamiliar.
• How to analyse her language, structure and tone for AO2.
• How to explain the writer’s outsider perspective without sounding judgemental.
• How this anthology text can be compared with an unseen non-fiction text for AO3.

Where this text fits in the course

A Game of Polo with a Headless Goat is one of the Part 1 non-fiction anthology texts for Pearson Edexcel International GCSE English Language A. You study it for Component 1: Non-fiction Reading and Transactional Writing, which is worth 60% of the qualification.

In Component 1 Section A, you read one anthology text and one unseen non-fiction text. Section A is worth 45 marks and rewards AO1, AO2 and AO3.

Quick summary of the extract

Emma Levine describes watching an unusual traditional sport: a donkey race in Asia. The race is not presented like a tidy, controlled sporting event. Instead, it feels noisy, crowded, dusty, dangerous and thrilling.

Levine writes as an outsider: she is fascinated by what she sees, but she is also surprised by it. The extract builds energy as the race begins, speeds up, becomes chaotic, and turns into a vivid spectacle.

The writer’s perspective

Levine’s perspective is that of a curious traveller. She is not completely at home in the culture she observes, so she often notices things that might seem ordinary to local spectators. This creates a sense of cultural difference.

However, you should be careful: Levine is not simply mocking the event. Her humour comes from amazement, surprise and the sheer strangeness of the scene from her point of view. She also presents the race as skilful, energetic and exciting.

Main themes

Cultural difference

The race seems unusual to Levine because it does not match the controlled, organised sports culture many readers might expect. The title itself, with the shocking phrase “headless goat”, prepares us for a world of unfamiliar customs and startling images.

This theme is useful for AO3 comparison. If the unseen text also presents travel, culture or an unusual place, you can compare how each writer responds to difference: with fear, admiration, confusion, humour, criticism or wonder.

Spectacle and excitement

Levine presents the race as a public performance. The crowd, the noise, the movement and the danger all make the experience feel larger than an ordinary race. The reader is placed in the middle of the action, almost as if watching through a camera.

Chaos and danger

The race feels uncontrolled. The donkeys, racers, vehicles and crowd create a sense of disorder. This danger is part of the excitement: the reader enjoys the scene because it feels unpredictable.

Humour

The humour often comes from contrast. Donkeys are usually associated with slowness and stubbornness, but here they become racing animals. That unexpected contrast makes the event comic, while the frantic pace keeps it exciting.

Language methods

Dynamic verbs

Levine’s action description makes the race feel fast and unstable. Instead of calmly explaining every rule, she focuses on movement. This helps the reader feel the event rather than simply understand it.

When analysing this, avoid just saying “the verbs make it exciting”. Explain what kind of excitement: sudden, chaotic, dangerous, comic, competitive or breathless.

Sensory detail

Levine’s description is vivid because it is physical. The reader can imagine the noise, dust, speed and crowd pressure. This makes the race feel immersive.

Sound is especially important in a race scene because it suggests energy and disorder: cheering, shouting, animal movement and traffic-like noise can all make the atmosphere feel overwhelming.

Humorous contrast

Levine uses humour by placing unexpected ideas together. The title’s “polo” suggests a formal, perhaps elite, sport, while “headless goat” is shocking and grotesque. In the extract, the donkey race similarly overturns expectations: a humble animal becomes part of a dramatic sporting spectacle.

Lists and accumulation

In a chaotic scene, lists can make the reader feel crowded by detail. If Levine piles up images of people, animals, vehicles, movement or noise, the sentence itself begins to feel packed and breathless.

This is a strong AO2 point because it connects a structural-language choice — the piling up of detail — to the meaning: the race is not neat or controlled; it is overwhelming.

Structure: how the extract builds pace

The extract follows a broadly chronological structure: it moves through the experience in the order it happens. This is important because it allows the race to build naturally.

Stage 1: Set-up

At first, Levine establishes the situation. The reader needs to understand where she is and what kind of event she is watching. This stage creates curiosity.

Stage 2: Build-up

The atmosphere intensifies. The crowd, setting and anticipation prepare the reader for action. This works like the moments before a race starts: tension gathers.

Stage 3: The race begins

The pace quickens. Sentences may become more urgent, and the focus shifts from explanation to action. The reader is no longer calmly learning about the event; they are experiencing it.

Stage 4: Chaos in motion

The middle of the race is the most energetic part. Levine’s writing may feel crowded, fast and unstable, matching the scene itself.

Stage 5: Reflection

After the intensity, the writing can step back slightly. This allows Levine’s perspective to come through: she has witnessed something strange, funny, dangerous and memorable.

Tone

The tone of this extract is mixed, which makes it interesting. It is:

• Amused, because the event is unusual and full of comic contrasts.
• Excited, because the race is fast and unpredictable.
• Overwhelmed, because the scene is crowded and noisy.
• Respectful, because the skill and energy of the racers are clear.

A top answer will not reduce the tone to one word. It will show how the tone changes as the race develops.

Key moments to remember

The unusual title

The title is memorable because it combines sport with shock. It signals that this travel writing will take the reader into unfamiliar cultural territory.

The first impression of the race

Levine’s early observations establish her outsider status. She has to make sense of what she is seeing, and the reader learns through her reactions.

The race in full speed

This is the extract’s central action sequence. Focus on language of movement, noise, crowding and danger.

The comic energy of the scene

The race is not presented as solemn. Its strangeness and speed create humour, but that humour sits alongside real admiration.

How to write about this text for AO1, AO2 and AO3

AO1: understand and interpret

For AO1, show that you understand what happens and what Levine feels about it. Do not retell the whole extract. Select the details that best support your point.

A useful AO1 sentence might be:

Levine presents the race as a chaotic but thrilling cultural experience, showing her surprise as an outsider while also communicating her fascination with the event.

AO2: analyse methods

For AO2, focus on how Levine creates effects through language and structure. Use terminology only when it helps.

Strong AO2 phrases include:

• “The dynamic verbs create a sense of sudden movement…”
• “The sensory detail immerses the reader in the noise and dust…”
• “The accumulation of details makes the scene feel crowded…”
• “The shift from build-up to action increases the pace…”

AO3: compare with the unseen text

AO3 asks you to explore links and connections between texts. In Component 1 Section A, this often means comparing the anthology text with an unseen non-fiction extract.

You might compare:

• how both writers present unfamiliar places or cultures;
• whether the tone is excited, fearful, critical, humorous or reflective;
• how each writer uses sensory description;
• how each text structures a journey or experience;
• whether the writer feels like an outsider or insider.

A simple paragraph structure

Use this when writing about Levine’s methods:

1. Point: Make a clear claim about what Levine presents.
2. Evidence: Use a short quotation or precise reference.
3. Method: Name the technique if useful.
4. Effect: Explain what the reader imagines, feels or understands.
5. Perspective: Link back to Levine’s attitude as an outsider traveller.

A model sentence pattern:

Levine presents the race as both comic and thrilling. The shocking contrast in the title, “polo” and “headless goat”, immediately combines the familiar with the bizarre. This prepares the reader for a travel experience in which cultural difference is presented as surprising, energetic and memorable.