Practice Paper: English 2

This is your second CSSE 11+ English practice paper. This time, the comprehension passage is non-fiction — a style commonly tested in the CSSE exam. Read carefully and answer all questions.

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Instructions

• Time allowed: 60 minutes
• Total marks: 60
• Read the passage carefully before answering
• Use evidence from the text in your comprehension answers
• Plan your extended writing before you begin
• Check your work if you finish early
• Answers are at the end of this paper — do not look until you have finished!

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Section A: Comprehension (25 marks)

Read the following passage carefully.

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Ocean Plastic: The Crisis Beneath the Waves

Every year, approximately eight million tonnes of plastic waste enters the world's oceans. That is the equivalent of emptying a rubbish lorry into the sea every single minute. Much of this plastic does not biodegrade — instead, it breaks down into tiny fragments called microplastics, which are now found in every ocean on Earth, from the Arctic ice to the deepest ocean trenches.

The impact on marine life is devastating. Sea turtles mistake plastic bags for jellyfish — their favourite food. Seabirds feed plastic fragments to their chicks, believing them to be fish. Scientists have found microplastics inside the stomachs of creatures living seven miles below the surface in the Mariana Trench, the deepest point in any ocean.

One of the most visible signs of the crisis is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch — a swirling mass of plastic debris floating between Hawaii and California. Despite its name, it is not a solid island of rubbish. Instead, it is a vast area of ocean where the concentration of plastic is exceptionally high. Estimates suggest it covers an area three times the size of France and contains approximately 80,000 tonnes of plastic.

But the problem is not just environmental. Microplastics have entered the human food chain. When fish eat microplastics, the chemicals within them accumulate in the fish's body. When we eat that fish, we consume those chemicals too. Recent studies have detected microplastics in human blood, lung tissue, and even in unborn babies. Scientists are still studying the long-term health effects, but early findings are concerning.

Solutions exist, but they require global cooperation. Some countries have banned single-use plastic bags and straws. Charities organise beach clean-ups that remove tonnes of waste from coastlines. Engineers have developed floating barriers that collect plastic from rivers before it reaches the sea. Perhaps most importantly, ordinary people are changing their habits — choosing reusable bottles, refusing unnecessary packaging, and demanding that companies reduce their plastic footprint.

The ocean covers seventy-one per cent of our planet. It produces over half the oxygen we breathe and absorbs vast amounts of carbon dioxide. Protecting it is not optional — it is essential for the survival of every living thing on Earth, including us.

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Q1. How much plastic waste enters the oceans each year? (1 mark)

Q2. What are microplastics? (1 mark)

Q3. Explain two ways in which ocean plastic harms marine animals. Use evidence from the text. (4 marks)

Q4. "That is the equivalent of emptying a rubbish lorry into the sea every single minute."

(a) What technique is being used here? (1 mark)

(b) Why is this technique effective? (2 marks)

Q5. What is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? The writer says it is "not a solid island of rubbish." Why does the writer make this clarification? (3 marks)

Q6. How have microplastics entered the human food chain? Describe the process using information from the passage. (3 marks)

Q7. The passage says "Solutions exist, but they require global cooperation." Give three examples of solutions mentioned in the passage. (3 marks)

Q8. Choose the word closest in meaning to "devastating" as used in the passage. (1 mark)

(a) Surprising (b) Extremely destructive (c) Slightly harmful (d) Invisible

Q9. Why does the writer include the final paragraph about the ocean producing oxygen and absorbing carbon dioxide? How does it strengthen the argument? (3 marks)

Q10. "Protecting it is not optional — it is essential." Do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer with reference to the passage. (3 marks)

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Section B: Spelling, Punctuation & Grammar (15 marks)

Q11. Choose the correct spelling in each sentence. (5 marks)

Sentence	Options
Plastic pollution is an ___ problem.	enviromental / environmental / enviornmental
Scientists made an important ___.	discovary / discovery / discovrey
The damage was ___.	irreversable / irreversible / irreversabel
Recycling requires ___.	commitmant / commitment / comittment
The results were ___.	significent / signifacant / significant

Q12. Add the missing punctuation to these sentences. (5 marks)

1. Although recycling helps it is not enough to solve the plastic crisis
2. The scientists report published last Tuesday shocked the public
3. We must act now said the environmental campaigner
4. The ocean produces oxygen absorbs carbon dioxide and supports marine life
5. Whos responsible for cleaning up the worlds oceans

Q13. Rewrite each sentence, correcting the grammatical error. (5 marks)

1. The amount of plastic in the ocean are increasing every year.
2. Me and my friend done a beach clean-up last weekend.
3. The scientist which discovered the microplastics won an award.
4. There is less plastic bottles in the shops now.
5. Everyone should do their bit to helping the environment.

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Section C: Extended Writing (20 marks)

Choose one of the following tasks. You have approximately 20 minutes for this section.

Option A — Descriptive/Narrative Writing:

Write a description of a beach that has been severely affected by plastic pollution. Use vivid imagery, varied sentence structures, and powerful vocabulary to bring the scene to life.

Option B — Persuasive Writing:

"Every household in the country should be fined for not recycling properly."

Write a balanced argument considering both sides of this statement, then give your own opinion with reasons.

Writing will be marked on: