Read the article about the history of the potato. You will receive up to 6 marks for the content of your summary, and up to 6 marks for the style and accuracy of your language. Wherever you travel, people consider the potato to be part of their local food. Potato can be cooked in many different ways and so is now found in a wide variety of dishes from Indian aloo gobi to Italian gnocchi. Until the middle of the 16th century though, this easy-to-grow vegetable was only found in South America. How then, in just a few centuries, did it become such a globally familiar food? In 17th and 18th century Europe, many people didn't own any land and instead had to pay rent for the land they farmed. They often chose to grow potatoes, which had been introduced from South America previously, as these plants could produce a large amount of food in a small space. Potatoes also contain some important vitamins needed for human health, so it's no surprise that they became highly valued by farmers trying to feed their families. There were many aspects to the potato's appeal. Although potato plants initially struggled to survive in the cold European winters, farmers eventually produced varieties of potato that were able to adapt to the local climate, and the potato became the main food crop in Europe. By the 19th century, potatoes were being grown across the world - from Asia to Africa, China to North America - in part due to the fact that they were cheap. Although potatoes could be stored well, the limited number of varieties meant that potato plants were sometimes destroyed by disease before they were able to produce a crop. So, in the early 20th century, scientists started trying to find a solution. Eventually they were successful and managed to produce a range of varieties that could resist disease. Today, the world's top potato producers are China, India, Russia and Ukraine. The potato is now a genuinely global food crop.

Answer:

Award up to a total of 12 marks.
Up to 6 marks to be awarded for Content (Reading)
Relevant Content points to include are:
1 can be cooked in different ways
2 easy to grow
3 could produce a large amount (of food) in a small space
4 contain vitamins (needed for human health)
5 able to adapt to the climate
6 cheap
7 could be stored well
8 varieties (that could) resist disease / scientists find a solution to disease
Up to 6 marks to be awarded for Language (Writing).
See generic marking criteria for Exercise 4.

Knowledge points:

Solution: