GCSE

3700U30-1A A17-3700U30-1A

ENGLISH LANGUAGE
UNIT 3
Reading and Writing: Argumentation, Persuasion and
Instructional

THURSDAY, 9 NOVEMBER 2017 – MORNING

Resource Material
For use with Section A

370 0 U3 01A
01

© WJEC CBAC Ltd. JD*(A17-3700U30-1A)

 2

BLANK PAGE

© WJEC CBAC Ltd. (3700U30-1A)

 3

Text A is a poster about the effects of a lack of sleep.

the Power
of Sleep 6 side effects of
sleep deficiency
2
Sickness
Prolonged lack of sleep can

1 disrupt your immune system,

making it harder to fend off bugs.
Once you’re sick, lack of sleep
Long-term
mood disorders
can make it harder to recover.
5
Chronic sleep debt can Weight gain

4
lead to disorders such as
Studies show people who
depression and anxiety.

370 0 U3 01A
sleep less than seven hours a
day are 30 percent more likely
Infertility
to be obese.

03
Sleep disruptions can
result in trouble with conceiving.

3 6
Diabetes Heart disease
Studies suggest people
Long term sleep deprivation
who sleep less than
is associated with an
five hours a night have
increased heart rate, blood
an increased risk of
pressure issues and higher levels
having or developing
of chemicals that are linked to
diabetes.
inflammation.

So, how many hours

should you be getting?
School-age Teens Adults
Pre-school children
Newborns children
Each year, at least 4,000 crashes
and 300 deaths in the
United Kingdom are related to
16 -18 11-12 10 9 -10 7- 8 falling asleep while driving.
hours a day hours a day hours a day hours a day hours a day

© WJEC CBAC Ltd. (3700U30-1A) Turn over.

 4

Text B appeared in a GCSE biology textbook. It describes the different stages of a regular sleep
cycle. These stages are not in order.

Heart rate slows, sleep Drifting off to sleep

becomes more and can be
stable and awakened
breathing STAGE STAGE easily.
is more
regular. 2

90 mins
The latter
Deep sleep, stage of sleep
STAGE STAGE
is known as
no eye
the REM period
movement where breathing
or muscle activity. becomes more rapid,
heart-rate increases and
blood pressure rises.

© WJEC CBAC Ltd. (3700U30-1A)

 5

Text C is taken from a webpage about sleep for teenagers.

Teenagers: let’s sleep on it

Sleep is food for the brain and is vital to your well-being. During sleep, important body functions
and brain activity occur. Skipping sleep can be harmful as it will limit your ability to learn. Your
appearance can be affected by a lack of sleep and can contribute to acne and you may feel emotional
or aggressive. Sleepiness can make it hard for teenagers to get along with their family and friends
and will damage their marks in school and their performance while playing sports.

Remember: a brain that is hungry for sleep will get it, even when you don’t expect it. For example,
drowsiness and falling asleep when driving causes more than 4000 car crashes every year. When
you do not get enough sleep, you are more likely to cause an accident or injury.

Sleep Facts

• Teens need about 9 to 10 hours of sleep each night to function best.

• Most teens do not get enough sleep — one study found that 85% reported sleeping fewer than
8½ hours on school nights, which affected their concentration the next day.

• Teens tend to have irregular sleep patterns across the week — they typically stay up late and
sleep in late at weekends, which can damage the quality of their sleep and their mental health.

• Many teens suffer from treatable sleep disorders, such as narcolepsy or insomnia.

© WJEC CBAC Ltd. (3700U30-1A) Turn over.

 6

Text D is taken from a newspaper article.

Oversleeping is dangerous
The amount of sleep you need varies during your lifetime. It depends on your age and activity level as
well as health and lifestyle habits. Although sleep needs differ over time and from person to person,
experts recommend that adults should sleep between seven and nine hours each night.

Why do people sleep too much?

Hypersomnia is a serious medical disorder. The condition causes people to suffer from extreme
sleepiness throughout the day and then sleep for long periods of time at night. A condition called
sleep apnoea causes people to stop breathing during sleep and can lead to an increased need for
sleep because it disrupts the normal sleep cycle. People can sometimes stay up too late watching
television which causes them to sleep for longer the next morning.

Not everyone who oversleeps has a sleep disorder. Other causes of oversleeping include the
use of substances, such as alcohol and some prescription medicines. Medical conditions, such
as depression or stress, can cause people to oversleep. There are also people who simply enjoy
sleeping for long periods of time.

Medical problems linked to oversleeping

Diabetes. Researchers have found a link between sleep and diabetes. People who slept more than
nine hours each night had a greater risk of diabetes than people who slept for seven hours a night.

Obesity. Sleeping too much could make you weigh too much. One study showed that people who
slept for nine or more hours every night were 21% more likely to become obese over a six-year
period even when food intake and exercise were taken into account.

Headaches. Sleeping longer than usual on a weekend or holiday can cause head pain. Researchers
believe this is due to the damaging effect oversleeping has on the brain.

Back pain. Once doctors sent people with back pain straight to bed. Now they realise the health
benefits of being active and recommend not sleeping more than usual, when possible.

Heart disease. In a survey of 72,000 women, those who slept more than nine hours a night were a
shocking 38% more likely to have coronary heart disease than women who slept eight hours.

Get the benefits of sleep without oversleeping

Regardless of the cause of your oversleeping, practising good sleep habits will help you reap the
benefits of a healthy seven to eight hours of sleep each night. Keep the same bedtimes and waking
up times every day. Avoid caffeine and alcohol close to bedtime. Regular exercise and making your
bedroom a comfortable environment will help you get the amount of sleep you need.

© WJEC CBAC Ltd. (3700U30-1A)

 7

Text E is taken from a medical website.

Laptops and phones are causing teens to lose sleep

Teenagers sleep worse if they spend more time using computers, phones and tablets, a
study has found.

Experts say there is a direct link between screen time and sleep problems in children and that
guidelines need to be established – including banning TVs from bedrooms – in order to help children
get the sleep they need and improve their mental well-being.

The teens were asked how much time they spend outside of school hours on their computers,
smartphones, MP3 players, tablets, games consoles and in front of the television. They were asked
about their sleep routines, how much sleep they needed in order to feel rested and how long it took
them to get to sleep. Girls lost sleep due to spending a significant amount of time chatting online
while boys lost sleep through playing games on consoles and computers (often missing out on the
social side of using media devices). But almost all of the teens said they used one or more electronic
devices an hour before going to bed and some acknowledged that this was making them tired and,
as a result, moody.

The study revealed that if teenagers used an MP3 during the day and in the hour before bedtime there
was a slight risk of taking longer than 60 minutes to get to sleep. Use of a computer or smartphone in
the hour before bedtime increases this risk by a further 10%. Total daytime screen use of more than
four hours was linked to an almost 50% greater risk of taking longer than 60 minutes to fall asleep.
And a total of more than two hours of screen time after school was strongly linked to shorter sleep
duration. Teens who used four or more devices were 26% more likely to take 60 or more minutes to
fall asleep than those who used just one.

The researchers said: “The recommendations for healthy media use given to parents and adolescents
need updating, and age specific guidelines regarding the quantity and timing of electronic media use
should be developed. The current recommendation is not to have a TV in the bedroom. It seems,
however, that PCs and mobile phones are exerting the same negative influence on quality sleep.
The results confirm recommendations for restricting media use in general as it is hugely detrimental
to a teenager’s sleep.”

© WJEC CBAC Ltd. (3700U30-1A)