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I went to St Matthias Primary on the Warwick Road in London. It was one of those old brick schools which look like a prison or a hospital, with windows so high that you couldn't see out of them but just catch glimpses of blue sky.

I wasn't a very dazzling pupil and often made mistakes, which meant standing in the corner or being thwacked across the knuckles with a ruler. Books and stories became rather terrifying things, as the teacher was only interested in correct spelling and neat handwriting without any blotches. There was one good thing about school though, my first love, the brainy Belinda who I shared a desk with and whose work I tried to copy.

Taken from an article about Michael Morpurgo from Primary Times, Issue 74 (Primary Times), copyright © 2014 Schools Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved

  • Explain why the writer has mixed feelings about school.
     
     
    2 marks

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    Model Answer: The writer does not like school because he is not very clever, makes mistakes and gets punished. However, he likes school because he is in love with Belinda.