Cambridge O Level

ENGLISH LANGUAGE 1120/02

Paper 2 Reading May/June 2023

INSERT 1 hour 45 minutes

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● This insert contains the reading passages.

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DC (KS) 325566
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Passage 1

Online learning and classroom learning

1 Recent advances in technology have made it possible for students to learn at home, using
devices like laptops, tablets and smartphones, instead of going to school or university every
day. It would be wise to consider carefully the advantages of both types of learning.

2 One advantage of online learning is that students can study in a place that is convenient
for them; this might be at the kitchen table or in the living room or, for the lucky ones, their 5
own room or study. Students can work at a time that suits them and are not confined to the
set times of the school day. This is useful for students who work better in the early evening
or even late at night. Travel time is eliminated too; walking, taking public transport or being
driven to school takes time which can be used by students for pastimes or hobbies instead.
Students really ought to be encouraged to unwind after their studies. And they can do this 10
by playing sport, for example, or even by going to bed earlier to be fresh for the next day’s
learning!

3 Students can learn at their own pace as they progress through online work; there is no need
to stop work because a bell has rung, and there is no pressure to keep up with others. The
removal of time constraints is beneficial for many students who then have the chance to 15
revisit, at a later point, aspects of learning which they have not completely understood. With
online learning, they can do this as often as they like and in their own time.

4 Online learning provides opportunities for individual feedback at a time which is mutually
suitable for both student and teacher, and this feedback can be tailored to the needs of the
individual student. Good teachers always give feedback and opportunities for students to 20
ask questions in a classroom setting, but large classes can sometimes make this difficult.
Students who are shy about speaking out in class might feel empowered to engage in
dialogue with their teacher in the more private setting online. Furthermore, in science, for
instance, some experiments considered too dangerous for the school laboratory – such as
those involving noxious fumes or dangerous elements like phosphorus or mercury – can be 25
demonstrated more safely online. This shows the broader range of learning content which is
available in the online classroom.

5 Classroom learning also has many advantages. Because teachers are physically present,
they can identify immediately any problems students are facing. Classroom students can
work more easily in groups so that they help each other in their learning. This ability to 30
cooperate with others is a life skill that will have a beneficial impact on other aspects of
the students’ lives, for example in personal relationships and, later, in the world of work.
Teachers should never underestimate the advantages of group work. Valuable feedback
from other students, and not just the teacher, is easier to achieve in a classroom setting, and
this feedback from someone their own age may have greater impact. 35

6 Classroom learning provides an important opportunity for students to socialise, whether

during breaks or on the journey to and from school. No one can survive without friends, and
there are many instances of lifelong friendships being formed in school. Schools also offer
chances for extra‑curricular activities, ranging from drama groups and debating societies to
various sports clubs, all of which enhance the overall experience of school life. 40

7 The classroom environment comes with its own rules which are separate from those of the
home, and obeying school rules encourages personal discipline which builds character and
is useful in later life. After all, when they leave school, students will continue to encounter
rules throughout their lives. Moreover, classroom students gain access to facilities which
cannot be provided online, such as gyms and dance or yoga studios, and, of course, the 45
joy of ‘real’ books in a school library. The learning environment of the classroom is generally
more educationally stimulating than the kitchen, living room or study at home, with things
like wall displays of students’ work and study‑related pictures and photographs.
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Passage 2

Laurent

1 When Laurent left university, a life devoted to reading was his plan, but it had not worked out
that way. He had let himself be drawn into a career in banking. At first it had been exciting
to be recognised as a promising young banker, to have responsibilities and earn a lot of
money. Then one day he started to feel, only dimly at first, that the man he had become was
the absolute opposite of who he really was. Although this problem weighed heavily on him, 5
for a while the money he was earning was compensation enough, but then it could no longer
make up for it. The contrast between his ideal and his reality was too great. This awareness
turned into an uncertainty which was succeeded by the terrible thought that he was wasting
his life.

2 Once his mind was made up, he was eager to negotiate an immediate departure from 10
the bank. Then he opened a book shop. His new occupation delighted him; every day he
sold novels, poetry and non‑fiction books. But his favourite task was hosting book‑signing
evenings where loyal customers queued up to buy a copy of a newly published book signed
there and then by the writer. On such occasions, especially, he knew that he had made the
right decision. 15

3 Early one morning, Laurent was on his way to a café for breakfast. The day would be a long
one, as the famous writer, Frederic Pichier, was coming in for a book signing that evening.
Laurent was carrying a copy of Pichier’s new novel, entitled Tears of Sand, and planned to
re‑read his notes on it in peace before opening the bookshop. The bins had been put out
in front of each door in the street. As Laurent passed one of the bins, something caught 20
his eye. It took a few slow moments to register what he had just seen before turning back
and retracing his steps. There was a woman’s handbag on top of the bin. Laurent glanced
around him – an absurd thing to do as no woman was suddenly going to appear and claim
her property. From the way the leather bulged, it obviously wasn’t empty; it had almost
certainly been stolen. After all, had the handbag been old or damaged, the owner would 25
have thrown it into the bin, not left it on top. Laurent promptly reached a decision. Picking up
the handbag, he went off up the street. The police station was nearby.

4 In the police station, a woman sat miserably in silence. Then she sobbed: ‘My handbag will
never turn up.’ A young policeman appeared, carrying various photocopied sheets. ‘Excuse
me,’ said Laurent. ‘I’ve come to hand in a handbag that I found in the street.’ The waiting 30
woman looked up hopefully. There was a momentary silence broken by a clattering sound
which resonated through the room as the policeman emptied the contents of the handbag
onto the table. The woman looked away again, disappointed. ‘We must look for the identity
of the owner,’ the policeman explained. Together he and Laurent studied the assorted items
on the table: a perfume bottle, some tissues, a diary, a red notebook, and a bunch of keys. 35
Attached to the keys was a chain covered in indecipherable signs and squiggles. Needless
to say, there was no wallet and no phone. ‘The key chain might be some sort of clue,’ said
Laurent. ‘Could I take a photo of it?’

5 That evening in the bookshop, Frederic Pichier signed books and spoke politely to his
readers. ‘Hello Nathalie,’ he said to one of them. ‘How do you know my name?’ exclaimed 40
the customer. Pichier smiled, pleased with the effect he had produced. ‘Tears of Sand is set
in Ancient Egypt and I learned to read some hieroglyphics – the writing of Ancient Egypt – in
my research. Your name is written in hieroglyphics on your necklace.’

6 ‘Can I interrupt for a moment?’ asked Laurent, looking excitedly at the photo he had taken
of the keychain with its strange inscription. ‘Do you know what this says?’ Pichier picked up 45
the phone, adjusted his glasses and looked closely at the Egyptian letters. ‘It says Emma
Valadier.’ Laurent sighed contentedly, pleased that the mystery was solved. ‘Who said
working in a bookshop is boring?’ he thought.
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