This week, we are publishing two Paper 1 exemplars from the May 2023 time zone 2 exam. One is quite strong.  The other is a typical or average response.  While we can’t publish the exam paper, you can find the infographic here. 

We are also publishing a lesson plan using both exemplars.  The first part of that lesson asks students to have a big, broad discussion about these two new Paper 1s (a debate about which is better).  The 2^nd part of the lesson is a granular sentence level analysis of the responses.  The goal of both lessons is to help students move beyond description and empty statements and into heightened interpretation of the text and analysis of the writer’s choices. 

Sometimes students need to read two different responses to finally “see” what we have been saying over and over and over again in class.  As with anything we publish, please modify, cut, or extend whatever you see fit to meet the needs of your students in your context.   

May 2023 Paper 1: Sample Response 1 (Cycling)

May 2023 Paper 1: Sample Response 2 (Cycling)

Make a Decision – Which Guided Textual Response is Better and Why (Two Lessons)

Best,

Tim and David