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PAPER 1 NONFICTION
SAMPLE PAPER

Section A: Reading
Read this extract from a website article.
The development of the bicycle The Swiftwalker German inventor Karl von Drais is
credited with developing the first bicycle, or ‘bike’ as it is now commonly referred to.
His machine, known as the ‘Swiftwalker’, was introduced in 1817. This early bike had
no pedals, and its frame was a wooden beam. It had two wooden wheels with iron rims
and leather-covered tyres. As the name suggests, a rider ‘walked’ the bike, with their
feet leaving the ground when going downhill.

The age of the velocipedes

While it might seem simple and obvious now, getting the rider’s feet completely off
the ground was a major step forward in the development of the bicycle. The rider used
pedals attached to the centre of a wheel to propel them. There is a dispute as to who
invented the machine that became known as the ‘velocipede’, but there is no question
as to its impact.

The velocipedes of the mid-1800s consisted of two wooden tyres, a front fork (the part
of a bicycle that holds the front wheel and allows the rider to steer and balance),
handlebars for steering, a seat on a wooden frame, and pedals on the front wheel. The
velocipede also received a nickname, the ‘boneshaker’. Early velocipedes were not
equipped for absorbing vibrations, so while riding, cyclists would have felt all the
bumps. It was not until the development of the pneumatic (air-filled) tyre in 1888 that
this problem was effectively addressed. At around the same time, lighter materials
began to be used for bicycles, improving the experience of cycling considerably.

Frames and materials

The pneumatic tyre and the chain drive (a chain linking the two wheels to move both
wheels together), followed by the introduction of gears, revolutionised cycling in the
later 1800s. In recent years, there has been a big move forward in the use of new
materials for building bicycles.

It was not that long ago that bicycles were made out of cast iron or even wood. Today,
they are made from titanium, aluminum, or man-made materials such as carbon fibre.
These have helped make bicycle frames lighter and stronger than ever before.
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1 List two important changes to bicycles in the 19th century.

1 ............................................................................................................................................
2 ..........................................................................................................................................[1]
2 Why are headings used in this article?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………[1]
3 Find three different words that mean the same as ‘bicycle’ or ‘bike’.
1 ............................................................................................................................................
2 ............................................................................................................................................
3 ............................................................................................................................................ [1]
4 Give the meaning of each of these words as it used in the article. In each case give one word
or short phrase.
a) impact ...........................................................................................................................[1]
b) addressed......................................................................................................................[1]
c) revolutionised……………………………………………………………………………………………………………[1]
5 The writer sometimes uses brackets ‘( )’ in the article. Explain why the writer does this.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….[1]

Read this article about track cycling (racing bicycles on an indoor track) and then answer the
questions.

Track cycling
It’s eight o’clock on a Monday morning and I’m here for my first taste of track cycling.
The others in my group have done at least one track session before, and are improving
their skills by practising specific techniques such as slipstreaming. This is riding behind
another cyclist so the person in front does most of the work!

We collect our track bikes. These specialist bikes have no brakes and the gears are fixed!
This means that, once we’re cycling, the pedals will always be turning whether our legs
want them to be or not. After clipping in both feet to my pedals – while holding on to
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the barrier – we are told to push off. We do a couple of circuits inside the track to get
used to being unable to change gears.

Once we can manage the skill of coming to a complete halt against the barrier without
falling over, the coach sends us back out on to the track. He tells us to do a lap on the
lowest part (called the blue band) to build up speed. Then we move out of the blue
band – after we’ve checked over our shoulders first!

I bend over the handlebars to be near the brakes, but they don’t exist! However, after
a few laps I get used to the fact that there are no obstacles, dead ends or traffic lights
to worry about. None of us have brakes, so no one in front of me can suddenly slow
down. This should mean I can’t hit anything or anyone!

After a while, having no brakes is no longer that scary. I’m more concerned about the
steep curved sections of the track. Will I have the confidence – and speed – to ride the
banked sections at both ends of the arena? They tower over me, pitched at a
frighteningly steep angle of 42 degrees. Here goes!

6 Based on the article make a list of at least four skills a track cyclist must learn.
1 ...............................................................................................................................................
2 ...............................................................................................................................................
3 ...............................................................................................................................................
4 ........................................................................................................................................... [4]
7 Both articles, the website which explains how the bicycle was developed and the newspaper
article about track cycling, tell us about the absence of something from bicycles.
Name what the bicycle does not have.
In article one (The development of the bicycle)………………………………………………………….
In article two (Track cycling)………………………………………………………………………………………..[2]

8 Using your own words explain what the writer of Track cycling is afraid of at the end of the
article.
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.......................................................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................................................

Give a quotation from the article in support of your answer.

.......................................................................................................................................................
............. .................................................................................................................................... [2]

9 Which of the two articles is written in a more informal style? Tick (✓) one box.
Article one (The development of the bicycle)
Article two (Track cycling)
Write one example from the article to support your answer.
................................................................................................................................................ [1]
Section B: Writing
8 Both articles deal with bicycles. Write an article explaining how you would teach someone to
do something for the first time, for example learning an outdoor activity (such as riding a bike),
playing a musical instrument or something else of your choice. (120-150 words)
You could include some of the following in your article:
• the equipment to use
• the best order in which to do things
• how to practise and improve
• the next steps.
Ensure that your readers understand why these factors are important.
PLANNING
Write your plan in this box.
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Write your article here