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English Language A
PAPER 2: Poetry and Prose Texts and Imaginative
Writing
Pearson Edexcel International GCSE (9–1) English Language A PAPER 2: Poetry and Prose Texts and
Imaginative Writing QP JUNE 2024
Instructions
••
Use black ink or ball-point pen.
Fill in the boxes at the top of this page with your name,
centre number and candidate number.
•
Answer ONE question from each section.
•
Answer the questions in the spaces provided
– there may be more space than you need.
Information
• The total mark for this paper is 60.
• – usemarks
The for each question are shown in brackets
this as a guide as to how much time to spend on each question.
• Quality of written communication, including vocabulary, spelling, punctuation and
grammar, will be taken into account in your response to Section B.
• Copies of the Pearson Edexcel International GCSE English Anthology may not be
brought into the examination.
• Dictionaries may not be used in this examination.
Advice
• Read each question carefully before you start to answer it.
• Check your answers if you have time at the end.
• You are reminded of the importance of clear English and careful presentation in
your answers.
Turn over
You should spend about 45 minutes on this section.
Begin your answer on page 3.
Remind yourself of An Unknown Girl, taken from the Pearson Edexcel International
GCSE English Anthology.
An Unknown Girl
In the evening bazaar
studded with neon
an unknown girl
is hennaing1 my hand.
She squeezes a wet brown line
from a nozzle.
She is icing my hand,
which she steadies with hers
on her satin-peach knee.
In the evening bazaar
for a few rupees
an unknown girl
is hennaing my hand.
As a little air catches
my shadow-stitched kameez2
a peacock spreads its lines
across my palm.
Colours leave the street
float up in balloons.
Dummies in shop-fronts
tilt and stare
with their Western perms.
Banners for Miss India 1993,
for curtain cloth
and sofa cloth
canopy me.
I have new brown veins.
In the evening bazaar
very deftly
an unknown girl
is hennaing my hand.
I am clinging
to these firm peacock lines
like people who cling
to the sides of a train.
Now the furious streets
are hushed.
I’ll scrape off
2
■■■■
, the dry brown lines
before I sleep,
reveal soft as a snail trail
the amber bird beneath.
It will fade in a week.
When India appears and reappears
I’ll lean across a country
with my hands outstretched
longing for the unknown girl
in the neon bazaar.
Moniza Alvi
1
hennaing: the art of body decoration using a plant dye
2
kameez: loose fitting tunic
1 How does the writer present the importance of traditional Indian culture in
An Unknown Girl?
In your answer, you should write about:
• how the writer presents the cultural experience with the unknown girl
• how the writer presents feelings about the place
• the use of language and structure.
You should support your answer with close reference to the poem, including
brief quotations.
(30)
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