Communication 
2 Comments English examination Practice: Question 1
What do you learn from Ben Leach’s article about the issues and concerns regarding the building of wind farms?
From Ben Leach’s article, We can learn that the building of new wind farms can potentially ruin beauty spots where they are built, ruining views and landscapes in large areas which has called for more rules on where wind farms can and cannot be built.
The Wind farms are not only destroying the iconic views of the areas they are built, but they also pose a major environmental impact, as the turbines can kill many birds ever year.
In Cornwall, there is an area that is famous because of it’s scenery and views, however the placement of wind farms could ruin the areas natural beauty.
Another issue is that with the looming threat of climate change and the diminishing numbers of available resources, wind farms are said to be needed to provide renewable energy sources, and while the natural beauty of the areas affected by wind farms is important, the positives of the farms are said to outweigh the negatives of the blighting of beauty spots.
This is a good systematic explanation of the content of the article – but you’ll see when you look at the marking schedule, that you would have needed to identify that there were two distinct views that were in opposition to each other for the higher grades.
Another more sophisticated reading of the article would identify that one party was representing a large sector of the population whereas the other was representing a small interest group.
The first question is simply a comprehension question, so you were right to avoid exploring the language effects of the piece, but you definitely still need to ensure you’re fully explaining the points, arguments and any bias in the article, even in Question 1.
Grade 5/8
I’ve uploaded the official marking scheme for this question so you can have a look at what the examiners are instructed to look for.
CW