HAST Year 11 Written Expression free practice questions with answers

Plan first, then write your response on the lined pages. Your plan is not marked. STIMULUS “A society is judged by how it treats its most vulnerable.” YOUR TASK Write a response to the statement, arguing for or against it. Type of writing: Persuasive. Reader: a general reader. Planning space Use this box for a quick plan. It is not marked. TASK 1 OF 2 Persuasive

A MODEL RESPONSE AND GUIDANCE FOR THAT TASK Step 1: Decode the task

• Type of writing: Persuasive. The marker expects the conventions of this form.

• Reader: a general reader. Choose tone and vocabulary to suit them.

• Underline the verbs in the task. They tell you what the text must do: ‘Write a persuasive response’ means: take a side and convince the reader with reasons. Step 2: Plan before you write

• Position: agree, and show what the measure reveals.

• Reason 1: how a society treats the vulnerable shows its values.

• Reason 2: protecting the vulnerable protects everyone.

• Counter-argument: limited resources; reply.

• Close. Step 3: An annotated model response (about 265 words) The way a society treats the people who can do least for it says more about its character than any speech or monument. (1) I agree that a society is judged by how it treats its most vulnerable, because their treatment tests our principles where they cost the most. The first reason is that it reveals what we truly value. It is easy to praise fairness when everyone is strong and well, but a child in care, an elderly person living alone or a refugee waiting for a decision cannot reward us for kindness. (2) When help is given to them anyway, it shows that the principle was real; when it is withheld, no slogan can hide it. The second reason is that care for the vulnerable protects everyone. Every person was once a child and most will one day be old or ill, and a society that builds strong supports for the most fragile builds the safety net on which all will rely. (3) Disability access, designed for a few, serves parents with prams, travellers with luggage and anyone who has ever broken an ankle. Some argue that resources are limited and cannot meet every need. This is true, and hard choices must be made. But the question is not whether we can afford to help; it is whether we can afford the damage that comes from neglecting those who cannot help themselves, in crime, illness and a loss of trust. (4) History does not remember nations by their wealth, but by what they did when others were weak and needed them. (5) What the numbers show

(1) An opening that sets a standard of measurement. The statement is turned into a test of character.