Instructions

Carefully read the extract and then decide what comment you would make in each box before checking your ideas against the suggested annotations. Hint The first three points are positive comments and the second three are areas for improvement.

The writer starts with a catchy title “it isn’t easy being the World’s Top Cat”. This suggests that life is very hard for cats. The sub-heading “Growing Up Against the Odds” also tells us how life is difficult as they have the odds stacked against them. The writer uses personification “Danger awaits them” this makes the danger seem very real as if it is a person. The writer makes use of statistics to show that so few of them can survive on their own “20 per cent”. The writer uses emotive words “breed early” to show how tough it is being a tiger. The writer also uses a rhetorical question “What Hope for The Tiger?” to grab the reader’s attention. The use of tripling “wonderful, powerful, majestic” also makes us think what great creatures these are. The writer also uses exaggeration “Whole forests” to grab the reader’s attention.

Highlight points Show suggested feedback
This suggests that life is very hard for cats.
The answer has some focus here
“Growing Up Against the Odds”
Uses the text quite well here
how life is difficult as they have the odds stacked against them.
Some sensible explanation
“20 per cent”
Partial quotation – 20 per cent of what??
“breed early” to show how tough it is being a tiger.
Misses the point – breeding early might actually help tigers survive
The use of tripling “wonderful, powerful, majestic” also makes us think what great creatures these are.
Loses focus on question
Does the rest of the paragraph build on or contradict the idea that tigers might become extinct?