Edexcel IGCSE Anthology

Exam practice using Touching the Void

NB The extract is taken from p.5 of the Edexcel IGCSE anthology, which can be found on the Edexcel
website.

Complete the planning activities then answer the following exam practice question:
1. How does the writer bring out the feelings of Simon and Joe?
What sort of text is it?...........................................................................................
......................................................................................................................
Who is the target audience? ....................................................................................
......................................................................................................................
What is the extract trying to achieve? ........................................................................
......................................................................................................................
What methods are used and what is their impact?
Language method used: Joes account

Impact created

Descriptive language to emphasise the pain

of the accident: a shattering blow in my
knee, felt bones splitting

Visual and graphic, which presents key images in

the readers mind and enables the reader to
visualize the extreme situation he was in, and
the suffering he was experiencing.

Use of short sentences: He couldnt hold

this.

Emotive language: a fierce burning fire

Use of ellipsis: if its broken if

Language used to suggest his loneliness:

He would leave me.

www.teachit.co.uk 2016

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Edexcel IGCSE Anthology

Exam practice using Touching the Void
Language method used: Joes account

Impact created

Rhetorical questions: Left here? Alone?

Use of modal verbs to speculate about the

future: I would panic.

Language method used: Simons account

Impact created

Use of cold, emotionless language: I knew

that Joe had fallen

Simon is less passionate and emotional about the

situation. He can weigh up what has happened.
He does not panic, unlike Joe.

Use of ellipsis: Youre dead

Realist approach: he is fully aware of the

situation and its consequences, I took in
everything around me instantly, and I knew
he was dead.
Semantic field of mountains: eastern
glacier slope, ridge.

Use of modal verbs to speculate about the

future: I might die with him.

First person account offering different

perspective from the uninjured persons
point of view: It didnt frighten me.

www.teachit.co.uk 2016

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Edexcel IGCSE Anthology

Exam practice using Touching the Void
Suggested answers
1. What sort of text is it?

It is an extract from the book Touching the Void by Joe Simpson. The style is
autobiographical and provides both mens firsthand accounts of their climbing
experiences.

2. Who is the target audience?

People who are interested in climbing, extreme sports as well as those who have no
particular interest in mountain climbing.

Readers of non-fiction.

3. What is the extract trying to achieve?

To inform readers about the dangers of climbing.

To entertain readers and present them with their enduring challenge.

4. What methods are used and what is their impact?

Language method used: Joes account

Impact created

Descriptive language to emphasise the pain

of the accident: a shattering blow in my
knee, felt bones splitting

Visual and graphic, which presents key images in

the readers mind and enables the reader to
visualize the extreme situation he was in, and
the suffering he was experiencing.

Use of short sentences: He couldnt hold

this.

Dramatic, sharp and full of meaning. Creates

nervous suspense which reflects the panic
overwhelming Joe.

Emotive language: a fierce burning fire

Challenges the reader with this extreme raw

emotional description of what he is enduring.
The metaphor of fire used here is ironic
considering where they are. The contrast with
the ice that has beaten him makes it even more
dramatic.

Use of ellipsis: if its broken if

Pausing for thought, the reader also pauses to

take in the magnitude of what is slowly being
revealed both to Joe and to the reader
simultaneously. Creates a halt in the quick pace
of the action which allows the horror to sink in.

www.teachit.co.uk 2016

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Edexcel IGCSE Anthology

Exam practice using Touching the Void
Language method used: Joes account

Impact created

Language used to suggest his loneliness:

He would leave me.

the notion of being left overwhelms Joe. He

seems to realise that loneliness is the only
option and also a death sentence. Creates a
macabre and solemn mood of panicked
acceptance.

Rhetorical questions: Left here? Alone?

Reveals his desperation and severe loneliness.

There is no one to hear his question. Two
questions back to back like this reflect the
confusion he is experiencing and the desperate
search for an answer.

Use of modal verbs to speculate about the

future: I would panic.

Speculating about the chances of his survival

allows some hope, but the dominant mood is one
of futility: theres little point in even thinking
about the future. This creates a sharp sense of
unease for the reader who is entirely
sympathetic towards Joes ordeal.

Language method used: Simons account

Impact created

Use of cold, emotionless language: I knew

that Joe had fallen

Simon is less passionate and emotional about the

situation. He can weigh up what has happened.
He does not panic, unlike Joe.

Use of ellipsis: Youre dead

Emphasizes the certainty of the situation and

the horror of it all. The use of the second person
here makes it sound like a death sentence; by
not using his friends name makes it seem more
clinical and detached.

Realist approach: he is fully aware of the

situation and its consequences, I took in
everything around me instantly, and I
knew he was dead.

Simon is a calculating pragmatist. He assesses

the full context reflecting his experience as a
climber. In his mind it would be better if he fell:
In a way I hoped he would fall.

Semantic field of mountains: eastern

glacier slope, ridge.

Reflects the situation they are in. Language is

not too technical however; these are
appropriate words to convey the context.

www.teachit.co.uk 2016

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Exam practice using Touching the Void
Language method used: Simons account

Impact created

Use of modal verbs to speculate about the

future: I might die with him.

Simon weighs up the possible outcomes. His

dispassionate approach makes the modal verbs
seem like a death sentence. Simon isnt being
harsh. He is a realist and a survivor. I had no
doubt about that [getting off the mountain].

First person account offering different

perspective from the uninjured persons
point of view: It didnt frighten me.

Honest and reflective. His dispassionate

viewpoint dramatically contrasts with Joes heat
of the moment experience.

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