IGCSE English Language

English is a terrifying exam to sit for. One could perhaps argue that an exam of any nature is
terrifying to sit for (I certainly think so!), but English along with the Humanities imbue a
particular type of terror. This is mainly thanks to the methods of revision offered in
preparation for these subjects.
Unlike the sciences, one cannot rely on rote or modal memorization for English. Most of your
answers need to be an exact enmeshment of data extraction and creativity which, yes, is
more difficult than it already sounds.
So how do we ensure that we are getting those top grades for English? It all boils down to
one single factor: preparation. There is no real cause to be afraid of an English exam if
preparation is ample; true, there may be no definite correct answer, but the steps to success in
this subject may be a bit more formulaic then you might expect
With this article, we hope to take you through some steps and provide you with tips to aid
you in your performance in your upcoming English exams. But remember simply reading
through is not enough. Your good grades are reliant upon your own efforts. That being said,
we nevertheless wish you find this guide helpful. We hope that in a combination of this article
and your hard work that perhaps you can then further enforce the knowledge and confidence
that English is not so terrifying after all.

Paper 2: Mark scheme

Paper 2
Question
1:
Directed
Writing
Question
2:
Writers
Style
Question
3:
Summar
y
Total
score:

A*
20/19

A
18/17

B
16-13

C
12-10

D
9-6

E
5-1

U
No work
offered
(0)

10

8-7

6-5

4-3

2-1

No work
offered
(0)

20/19

18/17

16-13

12-10

9-6

5-1

No work
offered
(0)

50-48

47-43

42-33

32-25

24-15

14-1

No work
offered
(0)

Note that the grade boundary for English Paper 2 varies within each year, and that these
scores are simply the average boundaries from the past five years of IGCSE English. As
gleaned from the table, students within the upper quartile should be scoring between an A or a
high B, and a select few landing in the A* range. Remember, you are given a total of 2 hours
in the English Paper 2 Exam.

Question 1: Directed Writing

It is crucial to ensure a strong hand in the Directed Writing task, as the question shows up in
both Papers 2 and 3 of the English Language Exam. Remember that the Directed Writing task
requires of you exactly what its name would suggest: an unseen text is given in the exam, and
candidates will be asked to rewrite it in a different format.
Directed Writing, unlike the composition task, follows a tight formulaic mark scheme. A
keyword to remember in the exam is rewrite. Remember, they are not asking for great feats of
creativity or displays of imagination; most of the marks in the Directed Writing task come
from data extraction. You will simply get marked depending on your skills to recognize
whether something is relevant to the question or not, and writing it again in accordance to the
format you are asked to write in.
For example, if you were asked to write a persuasive letter based off an argumentative text,
the instinctive thing to do would be to pick which side you support, and then go through the
text whilst picking out all of the points you need for your argument. Here are a few exam tips
you need to be aware of during the exam:
There are many different formats you could be asked to write in for the Directed Writing task.
These are the main formats (and the most likely ones you will receive!) to be aware of:

Letter
Usually begins with addressing the recipient of the letter e.g. Dear
Do not forget to use paragraphs in order to structure your letter
Your structure should follow the format of:
1. The topic/reason for writing the letter
2. Background information, arguments or factual details
3. Request or suggestions for change to be made
Before writing, decide on a level of formality depending on your target audience
Consider how you end the letter
1. Yours sincerely when the persons name is known e.g. Dear Miss Jane, Mr. John
2. Yours faithfully when the name is unknown e.g. Dear Sirs, Dear Madams
Diary/Journal Entry
Include the characters inner thoughts and feelings make it personal
Only from one perspective!
Clearly paragraphed
Generally is informal as a diary is a place to vent. However, formality may vary
depending on who you are writing as

Must be written from first person

Newspaper Report
Opening paragraph should always consist of these information:
1. Who
2. What
3. When
4. Where
5. Why
6. How
First sentence should use a hook to make it attention grabbing and journalistic.
Should include primary and secondary sources from eyewitnesses (this should be
found in the text, albeit if not it is acceptable to make up your own source in you
answer)
Should be fully objective. Never use I or We e.g. We interviewed Mr. Smith the
other day. Instead, be objective e.g. In an interview, Mr. Smith stated that
Use direct as well as indirect speech

Feature Article
Unlike a newspaper report, this should have a clear viewpoint. You are writing this in
order to enforce some sort of angle society should adopt e.g. stop animal cruelty,
protect the environment, etc.
Article title should already explain the topic (in some cases, a title might be already
given).
Should also contain external opinions e.g. comments, quotations
Clear paragraphs and topic sentences
Can either use fourth person or first person, but should incorporate a ubiquitous
perspective if in fourth person. Can also use the objective tone if deemed appropriate.
Speech
Keep audience interested e.g. use a hook, use humour, etc.
Convey your main point
Appeal to your target audience (so once again, level of formality, style of language,
etc.)
Use persuasive techniques such as repetition, lists of three, humour, rhetorical
questions
Expand upon your explanations, but remember to stay on point.
Interview
Interviews generally adopt a script format, in which the interviewer begins by asking
their questions and the interviewee responds. You may skip a line between each
question an answer, albeit it is not compulsory.
Remember not to write that much on the interviewers part so that the interviewee will
not be overshadowed. It is the interviewees commentary that will gain you the most
marks as it will reflect your understanding of the text the most.
Use an empathetic tone

Write in first person perspective, e.g. I or we and give opinions, reflected off of the
data extracted from the given passage.

To summarise, it is focal that you familiarise yourself with the formats that may be given
to you in your exams. In paper 2, Directed Writing is worth a total of 20 marks whilst in
paper 3, Directed Writing is worth a total of 25 marks. You should be aiming to spend at
most one hour on Directed Writing for both papers, as they will most likely be getting you
the most marks.
Exam tip! Before writing always consider a useful acronym: GAPS
-

Genre
Audience
Purpose
Style

To get more practice in Directed Writing in your own revision time, please refer to the list of
English Past paper links posted down below. Good luck!
Question 2: Writers style

Within the three questions in paper 2, Writers style should be the one where easy marks are
gained for the most of us. This is due to the extremely formulaic marking scheme it is marked
by; the process by which to answer this question can even by summarised to four steps that
would most likely get you near, if not actual, full marks. Note that, however, Writers style is
worth a total of 10 marks, as opposed to the two other questions, which are out of 20 marks.
Therefore, we should be aiming to spend an approximation of twenty minutes to half an hour
only for the Writers style.
Due to time constraints, this is where the power of skimming may come in handy. Of course,
it is crucial in this question to extract the correct data, although skimming will give you an
initial overview of the ingredients required towards cooking up a full mark answer
Step 1. Skim reading
As stated above, read through the passage to gain a renewed sense of time, atmosphere, topic
and genre. Whilst doing so, think to yourself: How is language used to convey a certain mood
or scene the writer is trying to create? Where do they do perform description effectively and
successfully?
Step 2. Selection
Either highlight or underline keywords that stood out as particularly effective to you. Do not
pick out large chunks of texts or even a full sentence, if possible. Narrow it down to
keywords or phrases, if you choosing examples of figurative language.

Step 3. Annotation
In an exam, it is important to have a safe plan netted for you before you begin writing
anything, as it would be less than ideal to have to panic or not know how to proceed next in
the midst of an impromptu. Once you have highlighted all of you chosen words (eight from
two paragraphs each), it is highly advised to put simple annotations by their side, identifying
their role in effective description and why they are effective e.g. an adjective is effective
here because it further connotes the speed in which the car is moving at as extremely fast
Step 4. Writing your response
The response should be written concisely, following perhaps the generic PEE style of writing.
When giving your evidence, use quotation marks and for full marks, remember to explain the
effect in full detail as well as give a sense of the overview. For the structure, you can either
use one paragraph per word or group all words into one paragraph. If you choose to do this
however, it is important to remember that the words should not be all clumped together.
For ease of marking, use standard connectives such as furthermore, moreover or
additionally. This will help combine your previous point with your next one.
When revising for Writers style, be sure you know all the names and the purposes for major
writing techniques such as figurative language. Figurative language consists of simile,
metaphor and personification, therefore be sure to identify both of these in your answer.
Other major writing techniques that are useful to know include alliteration (sibilance in some
cases), ellipsis, well-chosen diction (adjectives, verbs, adverbs) etc.
Exam tip! Whilst writing your explanation try to add a bit of description of your own; it will
show your understanding of what the writer is trying to convey and gives you a chance to
show off a bit of your writing chops.

To get more practice in Writers style tasks in your own revision time, please refer to the list
of English Past paper links posted down below. Good luck!

Question 3: Summary

Step 1:
See how, unlike my introductions for Directed Writing and Writers style, I neglected to have
a preamble for the Summary section of the article? This is in portrayal to what your real
summary should be like. In the summary task, it should be purely objective; there should be
no narrative, personal comments, introduction or conclusion. Therefore, step 1 of summary
should be to pinpoint all of the relevant points for your summary. Like how you did in
Writers style, either highlight or underline your points in the passage.
Step 2:

List at least the minimum of 15 points down from the parts youve chosen in the text. Be sure
that the points you list down are in accordance to what the question is asking for remember,
it is one mark per point! You should, in this case, be aiming to receive all 15 marks available
in the listing section of the task.
Step 3:
It is time to write out your actual summary. Only write about the fifteen points listed
previously, but in your own words. If you do not write it in your own words and copy the
passages words instead, this is something we call lifting and heavy marks will be deducted
for doing so.
Remember, your summary needs to be at least 200-300 words long, therefore it should only
fit a single page if not less depending on the size of your handwriting. Any more than that and
you may be potentially penalized.

To get more practice in Summary in your own revision time, please refer to the list of English
Past paper links posted down below. Good luck!

Paper 3: Mark Scheme

Paper 3
Question 1:
Directed
Writing

A*
25-23

A
22-19

B
18-15

C
14-10

D
9-6

E
5-1

Question 2:
Compositio
n

25-23

22-19

18-15

14-10

9-6

5-1

Total score:

50-42

41-34

33-28

27-22

21-10

9-1

No work
offered
(0)
No work
offered
(0)
No work
offered
(0)

Note that the grade boundary for English Paper 3 varies within each year, and that these
scores are simply the average boundaries from the past five years of IGCSE English. As
gleaned from the table, students within the upper quartile should be scoring between an A* or
an A. Remember, you are given a total of 2 hours in the English Paper 3 Exam.
Question 2: Composition

Note! Whilst studying past papers for paper 3, please note that the exam has changed and that
now candidates will only be tested on narrative or descriptive writing in the composition

section of the exam. Argumentative/Discursive writing has been taken out due to its similarity
to Directed Writing.
Within all tasks provided in the IGCSE English Language Exams, the composition section
may be the only one where the need for creativity overrides any other skill. That is not to say,
however, that one should not read the question carefully.
Remember this question is marked for two areas:
1) Content and Structure (marked out of 13)
2) Style and Accuracy (marked out of 12)

How to write a narrative:

Consider:
-

Use of language
Structure (important!)
Sentence structure

A typical structure should follow something like:

-

Beginning
Rising action (where we are informed about the situation, the characters)
Problem arises
Climax the dramatic scene, where the turning point of the story is decided
Ending (resolution of the climax/problem)

However, the most successful narrative written usually tend to stray from this structure.
Obviously, as creative writers, you are free to change up the structure however you like. Your
ending can be more mysterious, open-ended, a cliff-hanger, or you can even end at the
climax. You can also make your climax your very beginning so that the reader will be drawn
in by all the initial dramatism, and then use the rest of your story explaining this dramatic
occurrence.

How to write a descriptive piece

Consider:
-

Use of language
Structure
Sentence structure

A typical structure should follow something like

-

Opening sentence
Visuals
Smell
Taste

Touch
Sounds

Remember, you may use the five sense in any order you wish, and that it is acceptable not
to use all the five senses in your piece of writing. Focus on setting the scene and getting
the description right to befit the image in your own mind.
Short example of descriptive writing:
Her eyes are grating, furious with contempt. The length of her uncombed hair falls all the
way down to her clinched waist and soars behind her as she marches, fury imprinted
behind every clacking of her heels. It is peculiar; anger makes her startlingly beautiful.
Gone were the easy smiles and gentle laughter of a girl who fate once enjoyed toying
with. She is now transformed into a heaping mess of hateful growls and grievous wails of
a woman the world dares not provoke. In a way, its sorrowful, watching what time
eventually does to the innocent. But for me, it feeds a certain sadistic pleasure; how
glorious it is, to bear witness to the ruins of a tragedy with all of hell in her wake.

Exam tip! In the actual exam, you must write at least 350 words or above in your
composition task. Therefore, unlike my example above, you should strive to describe both
the character and the setting, which I excluded one of due to a limit.

To get more practice in composition in your own revision time, please refer to the list of
English Past paper links posted down below. Good luck!
Past Paper practice

Below are the links to a few English past papers you may find useful practicing in your
own revision time:
Xtreme papers:
http://papers.xtremepapers.com/CIE/Cambridge%20IGCSE/English%20-%20First
%20Language%20%28UK%29%20%280522%29/
Cambridge IGCSE:
http://www.cie.org.uk/programmes-and-qualifications/cambridge-igcse-english-firstlanguage-0500/past-papers/
Acethem:
http://www.acethem.com/pastpapers/igcse/english-first-language/
GetRevising: (you need to make an account for this)
https://getrevising.co.uk/resources?q=&sl=igcse
%2Cenglish_language&filter_kind=&go=

Examiner: (a quiz on IGCSE English!)

http://www.examiner.co.uk/news/west-yorkshire-news/gcse-english-quiz-test-your7502737
Below are a few useful revision websites full of tips and advice I found rather useful
myself:
http://sabedi.blogspot.hk/2012/04/formats-for-directed-writing.html
A video: (on paper 3 only)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZ0rcWrY9JI
Video on paper 2, question 1:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GWucfA3Xr0
Video on paper 2, question 2:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfIsHTpDjJI
Video on paper 2, question 3:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otfb-ckgh58
Nardvark, how to write a good composition:
http://www.thenardvark.com/2013/06/writing-composition-for-igcse-or-as.html