CAMBRIDGE

CHECKPOINT
AND BEYOND

Complete
English for

9
Cambridge
Secondary 1
Series editor: Dean Roberts
Jane Arredondo
Annabel Charles
Alan Jenkins
Tony Parkinson

Oxford excellence for Cambridge Secondary 1

 CAMBRIDGE
CHECKPOINT
AND BEYOND

Complete
English for

9
Cambridge
Secondary 1
Series editor: Dean Roberts
Jane Arredondo
Annabel Charles
Alan Jenkins
Tony Parkinson

Oxford excellence for Cambridge Secondary 1

Contents
Introduction iv

Alternative reality 2
1 Learning about narrative viewpoint, understanding archaic
language; punctuation in complex sentences, using embedded
clauses; talking about film; writing a fantasy story
Dramatic discoveries 20
2 Non-fiction: examining the past; creating a drama script;
combining words; writing a summary
Fame 38
3 Discussing famous people; making adjectives; writing a
television script; group role-playing activities
Leisure and travel 56
4 Non-fiction: travel writing, creating a humorous tone; using
juxtaposition and oxymoron; hyperbole; creating a travel blog
Exhilarating exploration! 74
5 Examining different text types; identifying figurative language;
varying sentence structure; writing a travel brochure
Rights and freedom 92
6 Using topic sentences; understanding abstract nouns; using
discourse markers; presenting an effective argument
Poetic predators 110
7 Creating a group poem; comparing different poems; writing
from notes; punctuation; using poetic imagery; expressing an opinion
People and places 128
8 Fiction: presenting character, describing places and lifestyles;
using compound sentences; responding to narratives
Challenge! 146
9 Revising listening, reading and writing skills including inference, planning,
punctuation; using language to convey meaning; non-narrative writing task
Pathways – going places 164
10 Non-fiction: travel writing, writing to persuade; creating a
holiday advertisement
Extended reading: The Kite Rider by Geraldine McCaughrean 172

Language and literacy reference 178

iii
Introduction to Student Book 9
In this Stage 9 book you will explore themes and
topics such as fame, leisure, nature, alternative Word cloud Glossary
realities, exploration and discoveries, different
cultures, rights and freedom, and challenges. Use the Word clouds to learn new vocabulary,
There is also a Pathways unit which helps you exploring meanings and usage in context. The
make the transition from previous learning Glossary features will help you with words or
towards more formal examinations of your phrases that you may not find in a dictionary
knowledge, skills and understanding. In addition, because they are uncommon, colloquial or
there is a revision unit (Unit 9 Challenge! ) which technical phrases.
revisits some key skills in reading, writing,
listening and speaking that you have been
developing all the way back from Stage 7. Listening
In Stage 9, we have focused on a single theme You will listen to: a talk about the early life
for each unit and our aim is to develop your of Nelson Mandela, a discussion where four
reading, writing, listening and speaking skills students talk about their very different cultural
with a range of interactive and hands-on backgrounds, a lively discussion where two
activities based on that theme. people debate if the book is always better
than the film and a radio broadcast about the
discovery of the bones of an English King
Reading who died hundreds of years ago. When you
You will read about a character in literature listen to all of these people, and more, you will
called Gregor, who one morning after a be practising your skills of listening to locate
troubled night woke up not as a human! This details, listening to understand the gist of what
extract will help you learn about how narrative is being said and listening to make inferences –
works, and in particular, how a writer controls trying to work out what people really mean!
the narrative. You’ll also read about a drought
in Trinidad and how it affected the local people.
Here, you will learn about how writers choose
Writing
their descriptive words with care. A different You will write a wide range of pieces: a persuasive
kind of reading will also introduce you to a essay, arguing whether you should be allowed to
real-life explorer who walked the entire length listen to music while you study at school, a review
of the Amazon river, and it took over 2 years. of some new poems, a travel brochure advertising
And you’ll also read poems about sharks, snakes a holiday on a remote and exotic island, a
and tigers! If you like history, you will also television screenplay about a detective trying to
enjoy reading about Richard the Third. solve a crime, a story based on a character you

iv
have created, and a summary based on an article abstract nouns, transition and connecting
of how best to get a good night’s sleep! Each of words, using discourse markers in speech which
these writing tasks is part of a writing workshop are better than um or er, choosing adjectives
where you will be given ideas and advice about carefully, getting to grips with complex
how to construct the writing in stages. sentences by experimenting with punctuation,
making sure you use a wider range of sentence
types in your writing than you have before, and
Speaking exploring words that end in tic.

We believe that dialogic learning is really

important. Dialogic means learning through Vocabulary
talking a lot! You will take part in a wide range
of speaking contexts, sometimes talking by Learning new words and perhaps more
yourself, other times working with a partner, importantly, learning exactly how they should
but also taking part in small group discussions. be used is a key element of this series of books.
Learning how and when to make your There are lots of word building exercises for you
contributions is a key skill for success in your to extend and enhance your vocabulary. Some
future examinations, but also in life. Some of new words you will meet in Stage 9 are: sonata,
the speaking tasks are: a group poetry game, plausible, pliable, affiliation, opaque, glinting,
reading some poems out loud by yourself, a serrated, douse, adversary, conjecture, limelight,
discussion about which roles each member of philanthropy, parched, desolation, forage,
your group will play as you set off to walk the inhospitable, foray, and eradicate. Well done if
Amazon river on an expedition, working out you already know some of these. Don’t worry
with a partner what is it about famous people if you don’t – it’s our aim to help you build up
that help them become famous, being in the your vocabulary.
hot seat as a famous person, role-playing a
music agent who spots a new singing star,
giving a multi-media presentation about the Moving towards formal assessment
place where you live, and playing your part in a
In this Stage 9 book we have introduced a new
range of dramatic pieces.
section at the end of each unit which aims to
help you practise the skills you will need for
Language development your Cambridge Secondary 1 Checkpoint
test. Every unit invites you to self-assess and
When the opportunities arise, we have reflect on your own learning by presenting
incorporated language learning activities for you with some questions like the ones you will
you. We hope that these language awareness find in the test. There are also sample student
and language development activities will responses (written by the authors) which you
help improve your grammar, spelling and can explore and even mark. In addition, there
punctuation. In this Stage 9 book there is a are some useful tips for you to improve in key
focus on using topic sentences to good effect, skills areas.

v
 Alternative reality

Metamorphosis

1 As Gregor Samsa woke one morning from uneasy dreams, he

found himself transformed into some kind of monstrous vermin.
He lay on his hard, armour-like back, and if he lifted his head
a little, he could see his curved brown abdomen, divided by
5 arch-shaped ridges, and domed so high that the bedspread, on
the brink of slipping off, could hardly stay put. His many legs,
miserably thin in comparison with his size otherwise, flickered
helplessly before his eyes.
‘What has happened to me?’ he thought. It was not a dream.
10 His room, a proper human being’s room, rather too small, lay
peacefully between its four familiar walls. (. . .)
Gregor’s gaze then turned towards the window, and the murky
weather—one could hear the raindrops striking the window-
sill—made him quite melancholy. ‘What if I went on sleeping
Word cloud
15 for a while and forgot all these idiocies?’, he thought, but that abdomen melancholy
was quite impossible, as he was used to sleeping on his right side bedspread miserably
and in his present state he was unable to get himself into this
idiocy murky
position. However energetically he flung himself onto his right
side, whenever he did so he would rock onto his back again. He jittery vermin
20 must have tried a hundred times, shutting his eyes so that he mass window-sill
didn’t have to see his jittery legs, and he only gave over when he
began to feel a slight ache in his side, something he had never
felt before. (. . .) Glossary
He felt a slight itching high on his abdomen. He pushed himself had no idea how to
25 slowly on his back towards the bedpost so that he could lift his interpret was not sure
head more easily; he found the itching spot, which was covered about or did not know
with lots of little white dots he had no idea how to interpret. He what to think
tried to probe the spot with one of his legs, but drew back at once,
for the moment he touched it he was swept by cold shivers. (. . .) swept by cold shivers to
start trembling
30 Throwing off the bedspread was quite simple; he needed only
to puff himself up a little and it fell down of its own accord. wide being of great or
But after that it got difficult, particularly because he was so more than average
uncommonly wide. He would have needed arms and hands to width
raise himself; but instead of those, he had only these many little at any price under any
35 legs, which were continually fluttering about, and which he circumstances
could not control anyhow. If he tried to bend one of them, it was

4
 1
the first to stretch; and if he finally managed to get this leg to do
what he wanted, all the others were flapping about meanwhile in
the most intense and painful excitement, as if they had been let
40 loose. (. . .)
So he attempted to get his upper body out of the bed first,
cautiously turning his head towards the edge. This worked
easily enough, and in the end, despite its width and weight, the
mass of his body slowly followed the way his head was turning.
45 But when at last he held his head in the air outside the bed, he
became afraid of moving any further forward in this way, for if
he did finally let himself drop, it would need a sheer miracle for
his head to remain unharmed. And right now was no time to lose
consciousness, not at any price; he would sooner stay in bed.
from Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

Understanding
Answer the following questions.
1. Why can’t Gregor get out of bed?
Write one sentence in your own words. Give a quotation
from the passage to support your answer.
2. Suggest what type of ‘vermin’ Gregor has turned into.
3. In the last paragraph, Gregor becomes afraid. What is he
afraid of, and why?
4. Explain in your own words what Gregor might be thinking
in the final sentence: ‘And right now was no time to lose
consciousness, not at any price; he would sooner stay in bed.’
5. From whose point of view does the author tell the story?
Give a reason to support your answer.
6. In the second paragraph the author says ‘It was not a dream.’
a In your opinion, why does he tell the reader this?
b What effect does this have on how we read the rest of
the extract?

5
 Alternative reality

Key concept

Narrative viewpoint
This extract from Metamorphosis is written in the third person,
using Gregor’s name and ‘he’. The author, Franz Kafka, uses an
omniscient narrator who knows everything that is happening,
but he is writing from Gregor’s point of view.
If you are writing someone’s thoughts you can put them
in quotation marks. Quotation marks around a character’s
thoughts go into the main body of a paragraph. Quotation
marks in a dialogue should start a new line, indenting the first
word for each new person speaking.

Developing your language – writing a

story from the main character’s point
of view
1. The only person in this extract is Gregor. Find a sentence in
quotation marks. Why does the author use quotation marks if
Gregor is not talking to anyone?
2. The author describes Gregor’s room and the weather. Why
do you think the author includes this information?
3. Gregor ‘found himself transformed into some kind of
monstrous vermin’. Find another way to say the opening
sentence to grab your reader’s attention. Do not use an
exclamation mark.

Word builder
1. The author describes Gregor’s new size and shape, with an
‘armour-like back’. Make a list of words and phrases the
author uses to describe Gregor’s beetle body.
2. Make a list of words and phrases that describe the movement
of Gregor’s ‘jittery’ legs. Do these words suggest that Gregor
has much control over his legs’ movements?
3. The title of Kafka’s story is Metamorphosis. Use a dictionary
and explain in your own words why Kafka may have chosen
this title.

6
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Key concept

Semi-colon
The semi-colon (;) allows a writer to join two or more sentences
on the same subject into one sentence. It is used to:
● link phrases that are about the same thing or that
complement each other in some way. Example:
Throwing off the bedspread was quite simple; he
needed only to puff himself up a little and it fell down
of its own accord.
● to join two or more ideas that are of equal importance.
Remember
Example:
He would have needed arms and hands to raise himself; A complex sentence has
but instead of those, he had only these many little legs, one main clause and one
which were continually fluttering about, and which he or more subordinate or
could not control anyhow. dependent clauses. The
● to separate items in a description or a list. Example: main clause is the most
He pushed himself slowly on his back towards the important part of the
bedpost so that he could lift his head more easily; he sentence.
found the itching spot, which was covered with lots
of little white dots he had no idea how to interpret.

Using semi-colons in complex

sentences
1. Look at the following sentence:
Throwing off the bedspread was quite simple; he needed only
to puff himself up a little and it fell down of its own accord.
What does the second part of the sentence, after the
semi-colon explain about the first half?
2. Look at Paragraph 4 from the Metamorphosis extract.
a How many sentences are there?
b Rewrite the paragraph using only simple and compound
sentences.
c Why did the author choose to use a semi-colon in a long
complex sentence rather than shorter sentences?

7
 Alternative reality

Lilliput

1 Gulliver is shipwrecked, and

swims for his life, gets safe
on shore in the country of
Lilliput, is made a prisoner,
5 and carried up the country.
I lay down on the grass,
which was very short and
soft, where I slept sounder
than ever I remember to
10 have done in my life, and
as I reckoned, above nine
hours; for when I awaked,
it was just daylight. I attempted to rise, but was not able to stir:
for as I happened to lie on my back, I found my arms and legs
15 were strongly fastened on each side to the ground; and my hair, Word cloud
which was long and thick, tied down in the same manner. I
likewise felt several slender ligatures across my body, from my conjectured posture
armpits to my thighs. I could only look upwards; the sun began ligatures quiver
to grow hot, and the light offended mine eyes. I heard a confused perceived shrill
20 noise about me, but in the posture I lay, could see nothing
except the sky.
In a little time, I felt something alive moving on my left leg,
which advancing gently forward over my breast, came almost Glossary
up to my chin; when bending mine eyes downwards as much to stir to move
25 as I could, I perceived it to be a human creature not six inches
high, with a bow and arrow in his hands, and a quiver at his likewise similarly
back. In the meantime, I felt at least forty more of the same offended to cause
kind (as I conjectured) following the first. I was in the utmost unpleasant feeling
astonishment, and roared so loud, that they all ran back in a
30 fright; and some of them, as I was afterward told, were hurt with
the falls they got by leaping from my sides upon the ground.
However, they soon returned, and one of them, who ventured
so far as to get a full sight of my face, lifting up his hands and
eyes by way of admiration, cried out in a shrill, but distinct
35 voice, Hekinah degul: the others repeated the same words several
times, but I then knew not what they meant. I lay all this while,
as the reader may believe, in great uneasiness.
from Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift

8
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Understanding Remember
1. Gulliver swims ashore and finds a pleasant place to lie down Archaic language is no
and sleep. Why? longer in everyday use. It
2. Why can’t Gulliver move when he wakes up? Find a is old-fashioned. You can
quotation in the extract to support your answer. use the context in which it
3. How does the author show the reader that the people of is written to work out what
Lilliput are very small? Find words or phrases in the extract it means.
to support your answer.
4. Gulliver hears words in the language of Lilliput. Suggest a
possible meaning for Hekinah degul. Use the context of the
phrase to help you.
5. Look at how many times the author uses the first person
‘I’ in the opening paragraph. The author writes about what
happens to Gulliver as if he is a real person telling his story.
But this is a fictional first person. Why do you think Jonathan
Swift chose to write in the first person as if he is Gulliver?

Word builder
Look at the words and phrases
below and find a way to say
them in modern English. Use
a dictionary to help you.
1. ‘attempted to rise’
2. ‘but was not able to stir’
3. ‘the light offended mine eyes’
4. ‘in the posture I lay’
5. ‘ventured so far as’

9
 Alternative reality

Key concept Remember

A clause is part of a
Embedded clauses sentence which requires
Embedded clauses are called subordinate or dependent more information to create
clauses because they are part of a larger sentence but they a full and proper sentence.
are not the most important piece of information.
Example:
Fatima lost her bag.
Fatima’s mother gave her the bag for her birthday.
Fatima lost it (the bag) on her way home.
We can join these sentences together using an embedded
clause and an adverbial.
Fatima lost her bag, which her mother had given her
on her birthday (embedded clause), on her way home
(adverbial phrase).

Using embedded clauses

Answer the following questions.
1. Here are the beginnings, middles, and ends of four mixed-
up sentences with embedded clauses. Sort these and join the
parts together to make longer sentences.
You need to add a ‘who’ or ‘which’ to each sentence. You also
need to put in the correct punctuation. Example:
My uncle, who is very old-fashioned, doesn’t have a television.

the elephants have convincing characters looked too human to me

my uncle had been walking for keep me reading all night

hundreds of miles

the Hobbits in (who) is very old- finally found

the movie fashioned water

the best sort according to the author doesn’t have

of books have furry feet a television

2. Write three sentences of your own with embedded clauses.

Start your embedded clause with a ‘which’ or ‘who’
connective. Don’t forget to use commas.
10
 1
Adverbial phrases Remember
Answer these questions. Adverbial phrases tell us
1. What do the following adverbial phrases have in common? when (time), where (place),
● As Gregor Samsa woke one morning from uneasy and how (manner).
dreams . . .
● In a little time, I felt something alive moving on my leg . . .
● In the meantime, I felt at least forty more . . .
2. Write two short sentences with an adverbial that show where
something is happening. Don’t forget to put the comma after
the adverbial phrase. Example:
Lying back in bed, he decided not to get up.
3. Write two short sentences with an adverbial that show how
something is happening. Example:
Moving cautiously, hoping no one would hear him, he
opened the door.

Practising your language skills

Answer the following questions about adverbials
and embedded clauses.
1. Look at this paragraph with the adverbial phrases and
embedded clauses underlined. Notice how adverbial
phrases and embedded clauses all need commas.
Make two lists: one for adverbial phrases and
another for embedded clauses.
Although it was getting dark, Bob, who didn’t like the
dark, knew he had to go out. It was his turn to lock
the henhouse. The night before, a fox had been seen
near the garden. The fox, which looked very thin, was
obviously hungry. Trying to be quick so he could get the
job done as fast as possible, Bob put on his jacket, which
he had left by the door, and picked up the big torch.
2. Use the picture to the right to write a paragraph of
your own. Include adverbial phrases and embedded
who/which clauses.
3. When you have finished, swap paragraphs with a
partner. Underline the adverbials and embedded
phrases in your partner’s writing and hand it back
to see if you are right.
11
 Alternative reality

Film adaptations Glossary

Melanie and Josh are discussing fantasy books and movies. I’ll grant you that a way
Listen to their opinions. of saying ‘Yes, all right’
awesome amazing
Understanding it wasn’t remotely
1. What sort of movies are Josh and Melanie discussing? realistic not even near
to being realistic
2. ‘In the mind’s eye’ means seeing something in your imagination.
How does this apply to fantasy books and films?
3. Melanie says ‘If a director is making a film of a book he –
or she – should respect what the author has written.’ Find
another way to say this in your own words.
4. Josh disagrees with Melanie when she says all fantasy stories
are the same. Explain their different points of view.
5. Discuss whether you think some movies are better than the
books they come from. Take turns to give your opinions
and explain your reasons. After ten minutes, stop your
conversation and write down the conclusions your group has
come to. Share these ideas with your class.

Working with register

Melanie and Josh are friends talking together. They use an
informal register. That means they are speaking using colloquial
expressions and interrupting each other. If they had been
speaking with a teacher or an adult they did not know, they
would have used a more formal register and been more polite
about interrupting and disagreeing.
Role-play different people speaking about the same film
and its special effects.
1. You are a university professor coming out of a fantasy movie
with your colleague, who is also a professor. You did not
enjoy the film.
2. You are with your friends. You thought the film was very
good.
3. One of you is the professor; one of you is the student.
Discuss your opinions of the film’s special effects.

12
 1
Making a film of a book
1. Think about a book that you have read that would make a
good movie. It can be in any genre.
2. Decide with a partner which book you are going to turn into
a film. One of you is the producer in charge of the business
side of the film; one of you is the director in charge of what
happens on the screen.
3. Write notes on:
a Why this book would make
a good film. Consider:
● action
● intrigue
● special effects
● length of the film
● target audience
● popularity of genre
● publicity.
4. Write down how you will turn
the story into a screenplay.
Consider:
● setting and location (where and when) – the same or
different to book
● actors who will play main characters
● actors for secondary characters
● whether costumes and make-up are for a particular period
or to be created
● what special effects are needed and why
● what stunts the film will include, if any.
5. When you have finished, find out if anyone else has chosen
the same book.
a If so, compare your film version with theirs.
or
b If not, compare your film with an existing film in a
similar genre.

13
 Alternative reality

Writing a fantasy story

Fantasy stories involve imaginary beings in the real world or
present the reader with an alternative reality. Characters may
be real people or they may seem ordinary but have magic and/
or supernatural powers. A good writer can turn a quite ordinary
experience into something extra-ordinary.
Write a fantasy story that begins with two people waiting for
something or someone to arrive. Think about the following:
● who is waiting
● what or who they are waiting for
● the setting – where it happens
● what happens to the character(s) at the end of the story.
Before you begin, decide whether you want to write in the third
person about a fictional character, or if you want to write in the
first person as if you are the main character.
Plan your story so it has a clear beginning, middle, and a surprising
or satisfying end. Use the following flowchart to help you.

Anyone else?
Two characters
Where they are
Main character waiting
Setting Hear
Who
Who What they can: Smell

Personality Appearance See

Timeline Beginning When?

Show TITLE Time of day
End
How they change

Plot

Situation at What causes

beginning change

How change
Who or what
Middle affects
they are
main characters
waiting for

Crisis Unexpected
+ ending
Surprise
14
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When you are happy about what is going to happen in your
story, use the following template to plan your paragraphs. The
reader should be surprised at the end, but you as the writer need
to know where your story is going and how it is going to end
before you start writing.

Title Suggests what is going to happen but does not

give the game away.

Beginning Shows how the day or event starts and gives

information about the main character.

Middle Shows who or what arrives and how this brings

about a change. Include the main character’s
thoughts and feelings.

End Shows how this event affects the main character.

Write an unexpected ending of how that
character will never be the same again.

Proofreading and editing

When you have finished the story, read it through carefully.
Check that:
● you have achieved what you planned to do
● your writing is legible (easy to read)
● you have used a variety of sentences for different effects
● your spelling is correct
● your punctuation is correct.

Key concept

Writing a good story

● A good writer shows rather than tells.
● A convincing character has weaknesses or flaws.
● The main character changes in some way in the course of
a story.
● Different types of sentences are used for different effects.
● Good stories rarely end with ‘and then I woke up’ or ‘it was
all a dream’.

15
 Alternative reality

Spotlight on writing
Analysing the question
Before answering a writing question, before you even start
planning, go back and look at the instructions carefully. Check:
● the style of writing (fiction or non-fiction) required
● if there is a specific audience
● if it is a story, whether it is the beginning, the whole story, or
the end
● that you understand all the information given in the question.

Keywords
Write a short story where an ordinary event turns into
something the reader does not expect.
Consider:
● what ordinary event is taking place
● who is involved
● how the setting and/or the characters are changed by what
happens.
The keywords tell you how to answer the question. There are
different ways to keyword a question. Example:

WHAT I must write – complete story WHAT happens in the story – an

(not just the beginning or the end) ordinary event – WHERE? WHEN?

Write a short story, where an ordinary event turns into

something the reader does not expect.

WHY it happens, and the result of HOW it changes – the day, the place,
the change and the characters

When you have finished analysing the question, you can start
planning. Keep going back to the question to ensure you are
doing what you have been asked.
Have a look at this wh– plan to help you answer this type of
question.

16
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Planning – the wh– planning method
In a six-point wh– plan you decide:

Who? Where? When? Why? What? How?

You do not have to follow a particular order but you do need to

use each word.
● Who are your characters?
● Where are they?
● When does the story take place?
● Why does the strange event occur?
● What happens before and after the strange event?
● How does the main character change during the story?
When your plan matches the question, shows what happens and
how it affects the main character, you are ready to write the story.
Answer this question using the advice above.
Aim to write one page in 30 minutes. Remember that you need
to leave time to check spelling and punctuation.

17
 Alternative reality

Evaluating
Here are two sample answers to this question. Read both stories.
Carry out the following tasks.
1. Read each story and think about:
● how it matches the question
● how it shows something unexpected
● how the main character changes
● whether it contains errors in spelling, punctuation or
grammar
● the overall effect of the story – is it convincing, funny,
clever, sad, different?
2. When you have read the stories think about the content of
each one (plot and characters) and decide which one is better.
Explain your answer.
3. Look at the technical accuracy of each story and explain
which is better.
4. Which story has the better content and the better, correct use
of English?

Story 1 – The School under the sea

1 I rolled over in bed and slamed my hand down on the alarm
botton. Seven o’clock time to get up. Time for school. Another
boaring day of lessons and same old same old teachers. Nothing
ever changes at my school nothing ever changes in my life.
5 At nine o’clock I was sitting in Geography next to Shavi, my
best friend. He opened the atlas when the teacher handed it to
him and gasped. I looked to see why. Shavi had openned it at the
page for our country, like the teacher told us to. But our country
wasn’t there. There was just a space. I starred at the page. We
10 were now under the sea.
Slowly I turned my head and looked out of the window.
A fish swimmed by. After that there was a shark. I nuddged
Shavi. Look I said. Look!
Shavi opened and closed his mouth exactly like the fish. I
15 pointed to the map on our desk. Look, I said again.
“What are you boys doing? shouted Mr Jones the geography teacher.

18
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“Please sir, I think we’re um under watter, sir.” I said.
“Don’t be ridicilous boy, said Mr Johns.
“Um sir look” said Shavi and he pointed to the window.
20 There was a huge octapus creeture looking in. I started to
laugh because I could see a school of fish then stopped because
Mr Joans doesn’t like us laughing in his lessons.

Story 2 – The Cabin

1 The huge purple creature called a Purpon
growled as it staggered towards us. I knew
I should run but I didn’t think I’d be able
to escape. Our planet has been taken over
5 by Purpons and Yellons. Yellons are yellow
and dangerous, but not as big or strong
as Purpons. My friend Tomias said, ‘We’d
better get out of here.’ This was no way to
start the day. We started to race across the
10 land where our garden used to be before the
Purpons and Yellons started their war. I was
in a panic but Tomias was calm. ‘Let’s get
back to the cabin,’ he said to me.
Our cabin wasn’t far away but it was like
15 hours before we got back inside. Tomias
banged our code on the door and Freda let us in. We have to
have a code to keep the other kids out because our cabin is really
small. It used to be my grandad’s garden shed.
Freda looked at us. ‘What’s happened now?’ she asked. Her voice
20 was like a scream. Freda is older than us. She’s my sister and sort
of behaves like she needs to look after us.
‘There’s a Purpon – it’s coming this way.’ Tomias said.
I went to sit on my blanket and tried to get my breath back. I
didn’t want to think about what would happen if the Purpon
25 found us. We’d be captured or something worst. There weren’t
many kids left anymore and the Purpons kept getting bigger. You
didn’t need to be a genius to figure out where the kids were going.
Suddenly the cabin started to shake. The door rattled. Freda
screamed. Tomias jumped on his blanket bed and pulled a
30 blanket over his head. The door rattled again then it opened
wide and a grey haired head looked in. ‘Are you playing in here
again?’ Grandad said.
19