Ruthie Burrows,

Fresh Horizons English Tuition

WHERE THE
CRAWDADS SING
AQA PAPER ONE
WORKBOOK
 NO INFRINGEMENT OF COPYRIGHT INTENDED. CREDIT TO THE AUTHOR.
2

ANALYSING A FICTION TEXT

1952
1. The morning burned so August-hot, the marsh's moist breath hung the oaks and pines
with fog. The palmetto patches stood unusually quiet except for the low, slow flap of the
heron's wings lifting from the lagoon. And then, Kya, only six at the time, heard the screen
door slap. Standing on the stool, she stopped scrubbing grits from the pot and lowered it
5. into the basin of worn-out suds. No sounds now but her own breathing. Who had left the
shack? Not Ma. She never let the door slam.

But when Kya ran to the porch, she saw her mother in a long brown skirt, kick pleats
nipping at her ankles, as she walked down the sandy lane in high heels. The stubby-nosed
shoes were fake alligator skin. Her only going-out pair. Kya wanted to holler out but knew
10. not to rouse Pa, so opened the door and stood on the brick-'n'-board steps. From there
she saw the blue train case Ma carried. Usually, with the confidence of a pup, Kya knew her
mother would return with meat wrapped in greasy brown paper or with a chicken, head
dangling down. But she never wore the gator heels, never took a case.

Ma always looked back where the foot lane met the road, one arm held high, white palm
15. waving, as she turned onto the track, which wove through bog forests, cattail lagoons,
and maybe-if the tide obliged-eventually into town. But today she walked on, unsteady in
the ruts. Her tall figure emerged now and then through the holes of the forest until only
swatches of white scarf flashed between the leaves. Kya sprinted to the spot she knew
would bare the road; surely Ma would wave from there, but she arrived only in time to
20. glimpse the blue case-the color so wrong for the woods-as it disappeared. A heaviness,
thick as black-cotton mud, pushed her chest as she returned to the steps to wait.

Kya was the youngest of five, the others much older, though later she couldn't recall their
ages. They lived with Ma and Pa, squeezed together like penned rabbits, in the rough-cut
shack, its screened porch staring big-eyed from under the oaks.

25. Jodie, the brother closest to Kya, but still seven years older, stepped from the house and
stood behind her. He had her same dark eyes and black hair; had taught her birdsongs,
star names, how to steer the boat through saw grass.

"Ma'll be back," he said.

"I dunno. She's wearin' her gator shoes."
"A ma don't leave her kids. It ain't in 'em."
"You told me that fox left her babies."
 3

PAPER ONE - QUESTIONS 1-2

TASKS TACKLING THE EXAM

1. What do we learn about Kya
and her family in this extract - give Question 1 (4 marks, 5 minutes)
evidence. Question 1 is simply looking for four facts. You
don't need to explain, analyse or give quotes.
2. Can you find any language Don't spend too long on this question, get your
techniques in the extract? Give facts down and move on!
evidence and explain the effect
they have. Give four facts about the setting in lines 1-10.

3. Why do you think the writer

ended this extract with dialogue? Question 2 (8 marks, 10 minutes)
What is the effect of this on the Question to is the 'language' question.
reader? You are being assessed on your ability to
examine the writing closely and comment on its
4. Which part of the text interests effect. Make sure you only refer to the part of the
you the most? Why? text specified.

5. What do you think will happen To ensure you stay focused on the question,
next in the novel? Why do you follow the PEEA format:
think this - are there Start with a clear point - don't be vague.
clues/foreshadowing? Give your supporting evidence.
Explain what the quotation shows. Use subject
terminology. Explain the effect on the reader.
Zoom in on a particular word used.

You can comment on vocabulary, phrases,

language techniques, semantic fields, sentence
structure and punctuation.

This question is only 8 marks so do not spend

longer than 10 minutes on it!

From lines 14-22, how does the writer use

language to show Kya's anxiety over her
mother's departure?
 4

PAPER ONE - QUESTIONS 3 AND 4

Question 3 (8 marks, 10 minutes) Question 4 (20 marks, 25 minutes)

Question 3 is the 'structure' question. Question 4 is the 'evaluating' question.
You do not need to talk about language in You will be given a statement from a
this question. You should focus on shifts in student about the extract and asked to
focus across the whole text. For example, what extent you agree with it.
how does the writer begin? How does the
focus change throughout the extract? How Start off by saying whether you agree or
does it end. disagree. Evaluate how successful the
writer has been in achieving the points
You can discuss changes in perspective or raised in the question. This will include
tone, between characters, setting and time. your own interpretation.
Flashbacks and flash forwards are also
structural features. Identify language and structural features.
Use PEEA format. Analyse how the
Use the PEE structure: Give a clear point, quotation proves your point.
support with evidence and explain the
effect of the structural device you are Evaluate how successfully this achieves
writing about. the effect from the question.

This question is worth 8 marks. Do not Remember to refer to effects on the

spend more than 10 minutes on it. reader.

How has the writer structured the text This question is worth 20 marks so you
to interest the reader? Use the whole might want to jot down some ideas
source. before you start writing. Spend about 25
minutes on this question.

A student said 'the writer describes

Kya's childhood as bleak and
miserable.' To what what extent do you
agree/disagree?
 5

PAPER ONE - QUESTION 5

Question 5 (40 marks (16 spag), 45 mins) Language techniques

Question 5 is the big one! It's worth a These include: Similes, metaphors,
whopping 40 marks. It is marked twice personification, alliteration, repetition
against two different mark schemes: Firstly and sibilance among others.
for content out of 24 and then for SPaG out
of 16. Why do we need them? They help create
'imagery', Your writing will become more
You are expected to produce a piece of interesting and engaging. You can use
creative writing from a prompt or image. them to emphasise feelings, emotions,
You can write either a story or a descriptive
piece. If you choose a story, you will still Vary your sentence structures!
need to include some description. Mix up the short with the long - otherwise
your work will be boring to read! One
Your writing is assessed on how well you word and short sentences can vary the
write. You are expected to write a pace, provide dramatic impact and
structured piece that will engage your determine the pace of your writing.
reader. The examiner want you to use a
range of language techniques, good Use the senses.
vocabulary and write with grammatical You have five of them - your reader will
accuracy. respond to them and they help create
believable settings.
Q5: Write a descriptive piece using the
picture below OR write a short story Stretch yourself with vocabulary
starting 'the day had started out like Switch the boring words for something
any other but....' that gives us a bit more information. e.g.
sad = distressed, distraught, devastated,
melancholy etc.

Avoid cliches and overused phrases:

'he stared into my soul'
'it was raining cats and dogs'
'her eyes shone like diamonds'

Slow down and zoom in

Avoid creating writing that reads like a list
of events. Slow your writing down by
stopping to focus on small details. Your
work will be more interesting and
engaging as a result!
A little about me... Ruthie Burrows, Fresh
Horizons English Tuition

FRESH HORIZONS ENGLISH TUITION

A Little about me...
I'm Ruthie and I started Fresh Horizons English
Tuition in 2018. To begin with, I privately tutored
alongside my teaching job as an English Teacher
in a large secondary school - a role I've held for 17
years.

The business began to grow steadily with around

80% of new business coming via word-of-mouth -
which is of course, fantastic! In 2021, I left
mainstream teaching to grow the business full-
time.

I now work predominantly on-line offering small

group tuition for years 7-11. All my students make
good progress whatever their starting point and
my GCSE results are excellent - the testimonials
on my website are testament to this.

While my students range hugely in ability,

backgrounds and confidence, I have developed a
reputation over the years as being a 'go-to'
teacher and tutor for those 'hard to reach'
students and those with SEN - disaffected boys in
particular!

If you would like to discuss how I can help

students to achieve, please get in touch via my
website
www.freshhorizonsenglishtuition.co.uk
or email me:
[email protected]