The judgement after the first reaction
Original practice source: a commentary about first reactions.
A first reaction can reveal an expectation before someone has had time to make their response sound acceptable. Surprise, delight or resistance may identify something worth examining. It is evidence about an encounter, not necessarily a complete judgement of it.
Later thought can clarify that response or simply disguise it. A changed opinion may come from attention to a missed detail, but it may also follow pressure to agree. Honesty depends on how a person accounts for the change, rather than on a rule that either the earliest feeling or the most carefully prepared explanation must always be the truest.
A national newspaper is running an essay competition on the statement: “Our first reactions are always our most honest ones.”
Write an essay for the competition arguing your view. You may use ideas from the source and your own ideas.
60 exam-style questions on Oxford AQA IGCSE English Language 2.2 Section B: Directed writing, covering 2.2.1 Writing for audience and purpose, 2.2.2 Responding to multiple and diverse demands, and 2.2.3 Writing linked to the Section A sources. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.