Summarise6 marksBoth boards
Read the passage The garden that learned to wait, then summarise the practical steps the gardeners took in response to the drought, and the results that followed. Write in your own words as far as possible.
Show the mark scheme and the examiner note
Answer: Self-mark against the point list below: one mark per relevant point, up to six. Do not award a mark for a point you copied from the passage without rephrasing.
- Point 1 — they dug a shallow trench along the uphill side of the plot
- Point 2 — the trench captured storm water so it soaked in rather than running off
- Point 3 — they planted spinach, beetroot and tomatoes that survived
- Point 4 — produce went to the primary school kitchen twice a week
- Point 5 — surplus was sold at the roadside in used drums on Saturdays
- Point 6 — school attendance rose (or: children did better because they had eaten)
Examiner technique: Summary is a collecting exercise, not a writing exercise. Six short lines, one idea each, is worth more than a well-written paragraph that repeats two points.