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1. 1. INTRODUCTION THE texts show some different views of forest fires and their effects.
In England, forest fires are rare and can be destructive. In many other parts of the world, where they happen quite frequently, they can have a beneficial effect.
A forest fire can burn for days, or even weeks, through many square kilometres of land. Newspapers and television reports show dramatic pictures of whole forests ablaze.
But the news reports do not mention that these huge fires can have good effects as well as bad. Although they destroy much of the forest, they also help it to grow again more healthily.
2. The Spark of New Life Would you believe that the effects of a forest fire can be beneficial as well as destructive? The fire is part of a cycle that helps new life to grow.
4. 1. Many forest fires are caused by
1 mark
5. 1. Many forest fires are caused by
1 mark 1. 97% (93% at Level 3, 98% at Level 4 and 100% at Level 5) answered this multiple-choice question correctly. The first question asked children to retrieve a piece of information from the reading booklet. This question was straight-forward and was well answered by boys and girls of all levels.
Facility values
0 marks 1 mark
Level 3 3.02 96.98
Level 4 0.97 99.03
Level 5 100.0
1. 97% (93% at Level 3, 98% at Level 4 and 100% at Level 5) answered this multiple-choice question correctly. The first question asked children to retrieve a piece of information from the reading booklet. This question was straight-forward and was well answered by boys and girls of all levels.
Facility values
0 marks 1 mark
Level 3 3.02 96.98
Level 4 0.97 99.03
Level 5 100.0
6. 2. A forest fire can help plants to grow by
1 mark
7. 2. A forest fire can help plants to grow by
1 mark 2. 86% (73% at Level 3, 92% at Level 4 and 94% at Level 5) answered this question correctly for 1 mark. This was a multiple-choice question requiring the use of simple inference. Most children were able to answer correctly with clearing the ground. The most common incorrect answers were giving shelter and making leaves fall. There was no statistically significant difference between boys and girls.
Facility values
0 marks 1 mark
Level 3 23.90 76.10
Level 4 11.04 88.96
Level 5 5.85 94.15
2. 86% (73% at Level 3, 92% at Level 4 and 94% at Level 5) answered this question correctly for 1 mark. This was a multiple-choice question requiring the use of simple inference. Most children were able to answer correctly with clearing the ground. The most common incorrect answers were giving shelter and making leaves fall. There was no statistically significant difference between boys and girls.
Facility values
0 marks 1 mark
Level 3 23.90 76.10
Level 4 11.04 88.96
Level 5 5.85 94.15
8. 3. As soon as the new plants start to grow,
begin to feed on them.
1 mark
9. 3. As soon as the new plants start to grow,
begin to feed on them.
1 mark 3. 85% (72% at Level 3, 84% at Level 4 and 100% at Level 5) answered this question correctly. This was a multiple-choice question, which required children to retrieve information from one of the sections in the poster. At all levels most children were able to do this; the most common incorrect answer was large animals, which took information from the following section. There was no overall difference between the performance of boys and girls.
Facility values
0 marks 1 mark
Level 3 33.87 66.13
Level 4 16.28 83.72
Level 5 5.98 94.02
3. 85% (72% at Level 3, 84% at Level 4 and 100% at Level 5) answered this question correctly. This was a multiple-choice question, which required children to retrieve information from one of the sections in the poster. At all levels most children were able to do this; the most common incorrect answer was large animals, which took information from the following section. There was no overall difference between the performance of boys and girls.
Facility values
0 marks 1 mark
Level 3 33.87 66.13
Level 4 16.28 83.72
Level 5 5.98 94.02
10. Gradually, different plants grow and
move into the area so that in time there is
1 mark
11. Gradually, different plants grow and
move into the area so that in time there is
1 mark 4. 79% (59% at Level 3, 79% at Level 4 and 99% at Level 5) answered this multiple-choice question correctly. Although all of the possible answers to this question were feasible, again most level 4 and 5 children were able to select the one which best fitted the passage. The correct answer was large animals; The most common incorrect answers were forest rangers and fire pines. There was no statistically significant difference between boys and girls.
Facility values
0 marks 1 mark
Level 3 34.57 65.43
Level 4 17.81 82.19
Level 5 4.63 95.37
4. 79% (59% at Level 3, 79% at Level 4 and 99% at Level 5) answered this multiple-choice question correctly. Although all of the possible answers to this question were feasible, again most level 4 and 5 children were able to select the one which best fitted the passage. The correct answer was large animals; The most common incorrect answers were forest rangers and fire pines. There was no statistically significant difference between boys and girls.
Facility values
0 marks 1 mark
Level 3 34.57 65.43
Level 4 17.81 82.19
Level 5 4.63 95.37
12. 5.
13. 5. 5. 61% (26% at Level 3, 65% at Level 4 and 91% at Level 5) answered this question correctly with more variety. This question, which required the use of simple inference, discriminated well between the different levels. More space was the most commonly coded incorrect answer amongst level 4 and 5 candidates. There was no statistically significant difference between boys and girls.
Facility values
0 marks 1 mark
Level 3 68.68 31.32
Level 4 42.71 57.29
Level 5 16.34 83.66
5. 61% (26% at Level 3, 65% at Level 4 and 91% at Level 5) answered this question correctly with more variety. This question, which required the use of simple inference, discriminated well between the different levels. More space was the most commonly coded incorrect answer amongst level 4 and 5 candidates. There was no statistically significant difference between boys and girls.
Facility values
0 marks 1 mark
Level 3 68.68 31.32
Level 4 42.71 57.29
Level 5 16.34 83.66
14. 6. Why does the fire pine need heat to release its seeds?
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....................................................................
1 mark
15. Focus of question: inference (simple)
Award 1 mark for answers which refer to the fire/heat melting the resin, eg:
the fire melts the sticky resin;
the seeds are held in resin which melts in the heat and releases the seeds.
Do not accept references to the cone melting.
1 mark
6 48% (17% at Level 3, 42% at Level 4 and 84% at Level 5) answered this question correctly. This was the first short-answer question, requiring the use of simple inference. Although many children at levels 3 and 4 were able to locate the correct area of text, some picked out the wrong piece of information and gave killing older trees. Although there was a tendency for boys to do better than girls this difference was not statistically significant.
Facility values
0 marks 1 mark
Level 3 86.77 13.23
Level 4 54.71 45.29
Level 5 25.37 74.63
6 48% (17% at Level 3, 42% at Level 4 and 84% at Level 5) answered this question correctly. This was the first short-answer question, requiring the use of simple inference. Although many children at levels 3 and 4 were able to locate the correct area of text, some picked out the wrong piece of information and gave killing older trees. Although there was a tendency for boys to do better than girls this difference was not statistically significant.
Facility values
0 marks 1 mark
Level 3 86.77 13.23
Level 4 54.71 45.29
Level 5 25.37 74.63
16. 7. How did the macaque monkeys of Borneo adapt after the fire?
.......................................................................
.......................................................................
1 mark
17. 7 Focus of question: inference (simple)
Award 1 mark for references to the monkeys change of diet, eg:
by changing their diet;
they now lived on dried fruits, young shoots and insects.
Do not accept responses which simply list the foods eaten after the fire.
1 mark
79% (54% at Level 3, 85% at Level 4 and 98% at Level 5) answered this question correctly. This was straight-forward and most level 4 and 5 children were able to answer correctly. Like the previous question, this question assessed the ability to use simple inference, but children of all levels found it easier to pick out the relevant information. Some incorrect answers identified food but did not mention a change.
Facility values
0 marks 1 mark
Level 3 50.12 49.88
Level 4 15.15 84.85
Level 5 4.51 95.49
79% (54% at Level 3, 85% at Level 4 and 98% at Level 5) answered this question correctly. This was straight-forward and most level 4 and 5 children were able to answer correctly. Like the previous question, this question assessed the ability to use simple inference, but children of all levels found it easier to pick out the relevant information. Some incorrect answers identified food but did not mention a change.
Facility values
0 marks 1 mark
Level 3 50.12 49.88
Level 4 15.15 84.85
Level 5 4.51 95.49
18. 8. How were the forests of Alaska different:
a) shortly after the fires?
.................................................................................
1 mark
b) a few years after the fires?
................................................................................
1 mark
19. 8 Focus of question: retrieval
(a) Award 1 mark for reference to either of the following:
signs of new plant growth, eg:
grasses and plants began to grow;
or insects and/or small animals present, eg:
small animals came to feed on the new growth.
Also accept direct quotation of appropriate parts of the text.
1 mark
(b) Award 1 mark for responses which refer to the greater variety of plants and/or animals, eg:
new / different kinds of trees grew there;
new / different / large animals moved in.
Also accept direct quotation of appropriate parts of the text.
Do not accept: more animals /plants.
1 mark
8 (a) 74% (45% at Level 3, 80% at Level 4 and 96% at Level 5) answered this question correctly. Both parts of question 8 referred to the final subsection of the text and required the use of simple inference. Both parts were answered well by children at levels 4 and 5, but not so well by children at level 3. Correct answers often directly quoted from the text. There was no significant difference between boys and girls.
Facility values
0 marks 1 mark
Level 3 62.88 37.12
Level 4 22.72 77.28
Level 5 5.49 94.51
(b) 74% (39% at Level 3, 85% at Level 4 and 99% at Level 5) answered the second part of the question correctly. Children tended to either get both or neither parts of this question correct. Again, many correct answers quoted directly from the text, while many of the incorrect answers failed to mention the different species growing. Again, there was no statistically significant difference between boys and girls.
Facility values
0 marks 1 mark
Level 3 54.52 45.48
Level 4 16.52 83.48
Level 5 2.32 97.68
8 (a) 74% (45% at Level 3, 80% at Level 4 and 96% at Level 5) answered this question correctly. Both parts of question 8 referred to the final subsection of the text and required the use of simple inference. Both parts were answered well by children at levels 4 and 5, but not so well by children at level 3. Correct answers often directly quoted from the text. There was no significant difference between boys and girls.
Facility values
0 marks 1 mark
Level 3 62.88 37.12
Level 4 22.72 77.28
Level 5 5.49 94.51
(b) 74% (39% at Level 3, 85% at Level 4 and 99% at Level 5) answered the second part of the question correctly. Children tended to either get both or neither parts of this question correct. Again, many correct answers quoted directly from the text, while many of the incorrect answers failed to mention the different species growing. Again, there was no statistically significant difference between boys and girls.
Facility values
0 marks 1 mark
Level 3 54.52 45.48
Level 4 16.52 83.48
Level 5 2.32 97.68
20. 9. (a) Why is The Spark of New Life a good title?
...................................................................................
21. (a) Focus of question: inference (complex)
Award 1 mark for answers which link both parts of the title with the content, eg:
after the fire (the spark) new life begins;
because the fire burns down the forest and gives good space for things to grow;
a spark can cause a forest fire which destroys the forests but encourages new life;
after a fire the result isnt always bad and there is new life, so its describing what happens.
1 mark
(b) Focus of question: understanding of organisational features of text
Award 1 mark for reference to summarising the stages of the cycle, eg:
if you have to read things quickly it gives you the most important stuff;
to tell you what the writing is going to be about;
its telling you the stages of what happens before and after the fire.
Also accept references to captions for the photographs, eg:
the writing tells you what is going on in the pictures
Do not accept very general responses which could relate to the whole text, eg: it tells you what happens / it gives you more information, or references to impact, eg: to make the facts stand out more, or reference to subheadings without development.
1 mark
(c) Focus of question: understanding of organisational features of text
Award 1 mark for references to the sequence of events, the cyclical nature of the process or the function of the arrows in guiding the reader, eg:
it shows a cycle of events which will happen again and again;
to show that its a cycle;
the arrows show you where you have to go next.
1 mark
(a) 54% (27% at Level 3, 53% at Level 4 and 82% at Level 5) answered this question correctly. This was the first question in the test to assess more complex inference, concerning the title of the first non-fiction text. This question was not answered so well by children at any of the levels but did discriminate well between the different levels. The majority of the incorrect answers were where children failed to mention both parts of the title. There was little difference in the performance of boys and girls.
Facility values
0 marks 1 mark
Level 3 73.78 26.22
Level 4 49.64 50.36
Level 5 30.12 69.88
(b) 53% (25% at Level 3, 50% at Level 4 and 82% at Level 5) answered this question correctly. The final two questions in the section required comment on the structure and layout of the poster. Question 9b asked the children to explain the use of the subheadings which summarised the content. This question discriminated well between the different levels. The most common incorrect response at levels 3 and 4 was coded as whole, referring to all of the text. There was no statistically significant difference between boys and girls.
Facility values
0 marks 1 mark
Level 3 68.21 31.79
Level 4 45.69 54.31
Level 5 23.66 76.34
(c) 83% (68% at Level 3, 84% at Level 4 and 97% at Level 5) answered this question correctly. Children of all levels were able to identify that the arrows in the text showed the natural cycle of the forest fires. In general only children who misunderstood or omitted this question failed to gain the mark. Boys and girls performed equally well.
Facility values
0 marks 1 mark
Level 3 35.73 64.27
Level 4 13.62 86.38
Level 5 5.49 94.51
(a) 54% (27% at Level 3, 53% at Level 4 and 82% at Level 5) answered this question correctly. This was the first question in the test to assess more complex inference, concerning the title of the first non-fiction text. This question was not answered so well by children at any of the levels but did discriminate well between the different levels. The majority of the incorrect answers were where children failed to mention both parts of the title. There was little difference in the performance of boys and girls.
Facility values
0 marks 1 mark
Level 3 73.78 26.22
Level 4 49.64 50.36
Level 5 30.12 69.88
(b) 53% (25% at Level 3, 50% at Level 4 and 82% at Level 5) answered this question correctly. The final two questions in the section required comment on the structure and layout of the poster. Question 9b asked the children to explain the use of the subheadings which summarised the content. This question discriminated well between the different levels. The most common incorrect response at levels 3 and 4 was coded as whole, referring to all of the text. There was no statistically significant difference between boys and girls.
Facility values
0 marks 1 mark
Level 3 68.21 31.79
Level 4 45.69 54.31
Level 5 23.66 76.34
(c) 83% (68% at Level 3, 84% at Level 4 and 97% at Level 5) answered this question correctly. Children of all levels were able to identify that the arrows in the text showed the natural cycle of the forest fires. In general only children who misunderstood or omitted this question failed to gain the mark. Boys and girls performed equally well.
Facility values
0 marks 1 mark
Level 3 35.73 64.27
Level 4 13.62 86.38
Level 5 5.49 94.51
