Continue One of Two Extracts — Sevenoaks School 11+ (2014)

Writing task

Choose one of the two source passages below and continue it. Keep the characters, viewpoint and mood of your chosen passage consistent.

Source passage

Section A passage 1 (from Thunder and Lightnings by Jan Mark): In this passage, Victor is showing his friend Andrew an airfield with World War 2 bomber aeroplanes, called Lightnings.

Andrew was disappointed. He had expected something sleek and elegant. In spite of the dull thunder of its jets, it seemed to have nothing to do with the roaring comets that streaked over his house every day. Except for the roundels and squadron flashes it was unpainted, its metal body not gleaming, but leaden. It looked like a rather bad model of an aeroplane made out of bits of cardboard and the inside of a toilet roll. He was about to say as much to Victor when the Lightning reached the end of the runway and turned itself end-on to them. The sudden eruption of sound left him unable to say anything at all. He caught a brief sight of the two exhaust vents, one above the other and then the Lightning vanished.

He shouted, “Where’s it gone?” and Victor mouthed back, “Down the runway. You’ll see it in a minute.”

The stink of burning fuel oil rolled back to them across the cabbages, and the rows of lights swayed and buckled in the hot air. In the shivering distance Andrew saw the Lightning shoot up and up over the horizon until it was no more than the familiar grey streak which was all he had known of Lightnings, until now. Unnoticed, another had come on to the runway and before the first was out of sight the second was soaring behind it.

“Wasn’t that something?” shouted Victor. “Wasn’t it?”

Andrew dug his fingers into his ears and riddled the noise out of them.

“See them meet in the middle?“ said Victor “The ground shakes”, said Andrew. “You can feel it shaking.”

Section A passage 2 (from Storm Catchers by Tim Bowler): In this passage, Finn and his father are looking for Finn’s brother who has gone missing.

Dad drove past Polvellan to the end of the lane, pulled over and switched off the engine. Grassy fields stretched away on either side, wet and glistening in the sombre air. Fin stared at the forked track in front of them – left to the cove, right to the coastal path along the cliffs – and waited for instructions. Dad reached for the car torch.

“I’ll try the fields. You check the coastal path. But listen –“ His voice softened for the first time. “Be careful. I don’t want you going missing as well.”

“OK”. “Meet back here in half an hour. I’ll leave the passenger door unlocked”.

They climbed out of the car and switched on the torches. The wind was gustier than ever now that they were close to the cliffs, and the rain was starting again. Dad clambered over the gate into the field on the left and vanished into the darkness. Fin set off towards the cliffs.

It felt spooky here. He’d never been this way at night before. He often came during the daytime, especially to wander down to the Pengrig headland and see the endangered lighthouse. It was only a ten-minute walk from home and there were never too many people around so it was a great place for thinking. He loved the view of the sea and, unlike more exposed parts of the coastline, the cut of the land offered enough protection for dense bracken to grow all the way down to the coastal path. The cliff-falls of the last few years had only added to the attraction of the place. But now, as he made his way through the storm towards the end of the track, he felt small and vulnerable and alone. He walked to the end of the rise and saw the land dip away.

There was the sea, bright with whitecaps; there were the cliffs; there was the coastal path; and here, running beside the bracken into the driving rain, was a small figure.

Time: 30 minutes (as indicated for this published task).

Marks: 20.