Push every English Language answer up a level.

How does the writer use language to describe the storm and the house? [8 marks]

The storm came in from the sea like a bailiff, hammering at every door. Rain ran down the windows in grey ropes, and the old house groaned, its timbers muttering complaints to anyone awake to hear them.

Which answer shows top-level thinking?

• The writer uses a simile and personification to describe the storm.
• The storm is like a bailiff, which shows it is strong and scary.
• A bailiff comes to take what is yours, so the storm arrives with the right to seize the house, while ‘groaned’ and ‘muttering’ make the house an old servant, too weak to resist.
• The simile ‘like a bailiff’ shows the storm is forceful, and ‘hammering’ makes it sound violent, so the reader feels tense.