lnf.cymru stimulus sheet · English · Year 8
Aberpennar Library, the council consultation figures and the draft online submission on this sheet are invented classroom practice material.
Cwm Cynon County Borough Council is running an online public consultation on cutting weekday opening hours at Aberpennar Library. Under the proposal, the library would close at 15:30 instead of 17:30 from Monday to Friday to save £4,200 per year on evening lighting and staffing. The local comprehensive school, Ysgol Aberpennar, finishes lessons at 15:15, and walking from the school gates to the library takes 12 minutes.
| Time slot | Total book borrows | Borrows by under-16s | % of slot borrows by under-16s | Homework computer bookings (out of 40 per week) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 09:30 to 12:30 (Morning) | 400 | 20 (nursery visits) | 5% | 0 bookings |
| 12:30 to 15:30 (Afternoon) | 350 | 35 | 10% | 2 bookings (5%) |
| 15:30 to 17:30 (After school) | 750 | 480 | 64% | 38 bookings (95%) |
| Weekday total (09:30 to 17:30) | 1,500 | 535 | 35.7% | 40 bookings (100%) |
Council estates note: Installing rooftop solar panels on the library building would reduce electricity bills by £4,500 per year from the council’s separate green energy grant, without cutting any opening hours.
A Year 8 pupil typed the draft below on a phone in a hurry. The 12 numbered brackets show where colons, semicolons, apostrophes or question marks are missing or misused:
I am writing to oppose [1] the councils plan to shut Aberpennar Library at 15:30 on weekdays. After 15:15, our library provides [2] three vital things quiet desks, free Wi-Fi and warm study space. Because lessons finish at 15:15 and the walk takes 12 minutes, [3] pupils homework club will become impossible if the doors lock at 15:30. Where are young people supposed to study after [4] 15:30.
The library is always busy and [5] warm, our valley has nowhere else with free computers and printers for teenagers. Looking at the usage table, 64% of borrows between 15:30 and 17:30 are for [6] childrens and teenagers’ books, and 38 out of 40 computer bookings happen in those two hours. If the building shuts early, the town loses [7] it’s only free study hub. The solution is [8] clear keep the library open until 17:30 and fit rooftop solar panels to save £4,500 a year. Councillors [9] dont need to cut hours that remain busy until [10] 17:30, closing early harms the poorest families most. Will the council listen to [11] residents evidence and protect our [12] future.
| Mark | Rule | Model sentence on library hours |
|---|---|---|
Colon ( : ) |
Follows a complete clause to introduce a list, a figure, or a sharp explanation. | The council’s own table proves one thing: after-school hours are the busiest of the day. |
Semicolon ( ; ) |
Joins two closely connected main clauses without a coordinating conjunction (replaces a comma splice). | Lessons at Ysgol Aberpennar finish at 15:15; pupils cannot reach the library before 15:27. |
Possessive apostrophe ( ’ ) |
Singular noun: add ’s (the council’s).Plural noun ending in s: add ’ after the s (pupils’, residents’).Irregular plural not ending in s: add ’s (children’s).Possessive determiner its: no apostrophe. |
Cutting the library’s hours damages pupils’ revision and ignores its value to the valley. |
Question mark ( ? ) |
Ends a direct or rhetorical question addressed to the audience. | Why cut a service that provides 95% of homework computer access for £4,200? |