PAPER 2 Extended
Cambridge iGCSE English
Language Exam Preparation
TIME:
2 HOURS
TOTAL MARKS: 50 marks
QUESTION 1: 20 marks (40 mins)
QUESTION 2: 10 marks (20 mins)
QUESTION 3: 20 marks (40 mins)
Reading time: 10 mins
Checking answer time: 10 mins
PAPER 2 Extended
Cambridge iGCSE English
Language exam
preparation
QUESTION 1
20 Marks
40 minutes
QUESTION 1 (20 marks)
Possible Tasks
A leaflet
A speech
A conversation
An interview
A letter
A journal/diary entry
A newspaper article
QUESTION 1
Reading Objectives (15 marks)
:
understand and collate explicit
meanings
understand, explain and collate
implicit meanings
attitudes
select, analyse and evaluate what is
relevant to specific purposes
QUESTION 1
Writing Objectives (5 Marks)
:
articulate experience and express what is
thought, felt and imagined
order and present facts, ideas and
opinions
understand and use a range of
appropriate vocabulary
use language and register appropriate to
audience and context
make accurate and effective use of
Paper 2 Question 1
For the full marks out of 5 for Writing you need
to show that you have structured your answer,
sequenced your ideas, and used a wide range
of original and appropriate language.
The more REALISTIC and AUTHENTIC the better!
Paper 2 Question 1
The passage for this question will probably
contain a description of a person or place or both.
To do well, you will need to be sensitive to the
atmosphere being created and to show
appreciation of the feelings of any characters in
your response.
This means watching out for details and picking
up on clues in the passage as you read.
Paper 2 Question 1
In this question, you are going to be rewarded
not only for identifying relevant material in the
passage but also for development of those
ideas and use of supporting detail.
Some ideas might be quite subtle and implied.
This means that you will need to use any clues
and details you notice when you are reading in
order to write a convincing response.
Paper 2 Question 1
If you are aiming to score the full 15 marks
available for reading in this question, it will
not be enough to just repeat details you
have read .
The more you can adapt and rephrase
the details from the passage to suit the
task you have been set, the more likely
you are to score well for reading.
Paper 2 Question 1
If any detail is relevant, USE it!
However, there may be some parts of the
passage which you can ignore because they
are NOT covered by the question.
Do not DRIFT away from the text. Everything
you write must be directly connected to the
passage and be supported by references to
it.
Paper 2 Question 1
Obviously, it is important that the examiners can READ
your work so you need to make sure that your writing is
legible.
You wont get any marks for how it looks in terms of
layout though.
For example, it is wasting time to divide a newspaper
report into columns or add drawings and extra
advertisements to try to make it look similar to real life.
You will NOT earn extra marks and it will distract you
from the real task of providing appropriate and accurate
content for your response.
Example - Question 1
(November 2012)
Julia, during her recovery, fully explained her experience to her parents.
A reporter for a newspaper interviews Julias parents and asks the following
three questions :
What made you choose to visit the rainforest in Ecuador with your
daughter, Julia?
How did Julias accident happen, and what did she do to survive?
What are your thoughts and feelings towards the Achuar people and
their way of life?
Write the words of the interview, beginning with the first
question.
Base your interview on what you have read in Passage A.
Be careful to use your OWN WORDS.
Write between 1 and 2 sides, allowing for the size of your
handwriting.
Paper 2 Question 1
Using words or phrases from the passage here and there
when you are giving details within your answer is fine.
DO NOT copy
BIG chunks of text as that will NOT
show
your understanding of the text.
You should try to use YOUR OWN WORDS as far as
possible.
Make your writing as REALISTIC as possible.
Dont forget that you are writing should be in continuous
prose so you should be using paragraphs.
Avoid making LISTS.
Paper 2 Question 1
The bullet points are to remind you what should be
included, use them to check you have covered what
is required.
These bullet points can also help you to STRUCTURE
your answer.
Your response from the passage should be put into
the APPROPRIATE BULLET POINT and NOT be
repeated.
Remember to give an EQUAL amount of writing to
each of the BULLET POINTS given.
Paper 2 Question 1
Before you start writing, you will need to decide on the appropriate TONE
to use you will decide this based on your AUDIENCE and WHY you are
writing. You might even be writing in a character from the text.
You can expect that you will have to write in a reasonably FORMAL style -
this is after all an English exam!
It is NOT a good idea to use SLANG . Even if the task is to write a letter to
a relative, it will be someone distant or older, such as an uncle whom you
havent met recently so this should still be FORMAL.
If a task asks for a report to your fellow learners, it will be official or for
a publication in the school magazine. It is really important to remember
WHO you are writing for and to address them DIRECTLY imagining this is
a REAL situation (as far as possible).
Planning Question 1
Read question 1 and make sure
you know what you need to focus
on whilst reading Passage A.
Remember to focus on the bullet
point list within the question.
PLANNING QUESTION 1
TASK
Highlight WORDS and PHRASES which focus on the THREE bullet points given:
Julias
parents interest in the rainforest (5 POINTS)
Julias accident and how she coped with it (5 POINTS)
Julias parents thoughts and feelings regarding the Achuar people (5 POINTS)
PLANNING QUESTION 1
List 5 points you have highlighted in the
text for each of the bullet points given in
the question.
Julias
Parent
s
interes
t in the
rainfor
est
Julias
accide
nt and
how
she
coped
Thought
s and
feelings
about
the
Achuar
people
PLANNING QUESTION 1
Now consider the PURPOSE of the writing (an interview)
You will be expected to INFORM, EXPLAIN and DESCRIBE
Remember an INTERVIEW will NOT be in the form of a SCRIPT
it should be in continuous prose as though a story is being told by the characters in their
own words.
In this case you will be considering Julias parents responses only
Question 1
BEGIN WITH:
We chose to visit the rainforest in Ecuador with our daughter Julia because
PAPER 2 Extended
Cambridge iGCSE English
Language exam
preparation
QUESTION 2
10 Marks
20 minutes
QUESTION 2
WHAT THE EXAMINERS SAY
Choose a range of words and phrases that seem powerful to
you.
DO NOT write out whole sentences, but also DO NOT give
only one word if it is part of a descriptive phrase.
Remember to put quotation marks around your choices.
Re-read the whole paragraph before making selections;
choose the best and not those which happen to come first.
Remember that you are NOT being asked to write about the
whole paragraph but only about the LANGUAGE which relates
to the particular question.
EMBEDDING QUOTES is essential as part of your explanations
too.
Treat each of your choices separately and DO NOT present
them as a list or give a general comment which applies to all of
them.
QUESTION 2
WHAT THE EXAMINERS SAY
AVOID GENERAL COMMENTS such as the writer makes you
feel that you are really there or this is a very descriptive
phrase. Such comments will not earn you any marks.
If you are not sure about effects, try to at least give a
MEANING for each of your choices.
Explain in YOUR OWN WORDS what the word or phrase
MEANS in the context of the passage.
To explain EFFECTS, think of what the reader SEES and
FEELS as often there is more than one possible effect.
Include IMAGES from each paragraph, and try to EXPLAIN
them (but you do not need to know or give their technical
names)
Think about SOUNDS as well as visual effects.
Example - Question 2
(November 2012)
Re-read the descriptions of:
(a) the rainforest and its wildlife in paragraph 1, from
The family was trudging
(b) Julias walk through the rainforest in search of her
parents in paragraph 4, from Hours later.
Select WORDS AND PHRASES from these
descriptions and explain how the writer has
created EFFECTS by using this language.
Write between 1 and 1 sides, allowing for the size of
your handwriting.
(Up to 15 Marks are available for the content of your
answer and up to 5 Marks for the quality of your
Question 2
PLANNING
Read question 2a and carefully find the correct paragraph in Passage A.
Underline/highlight (in a different colour used for Q1) the effective words/phrases
used (focus on 5-6 words/phrases).
Repeat the above for question 2b.
QUESTION 2 Useful Phrases
Its almost as if... This is like a....reminiscent of...
The fact that.../ It is clear that.../signifies that...
This makes it seem as though.../we can imagine...
...which suggests how.../there is a suggestion of...
Introduces the idea of/This highlights the fact that....
The writer conveys/reveals/creates the idea of...
conjures up a vision of.../picture of.../creates an impression/feeling of...
This image paints/portrays/creates a vivid picture of...
The reader would undoubtedly feel a sense of....
This image reflects/highlights...This links with...
There is a recurring sense of.../continues the idea of...
PAPER 2 Extended
Cambridge iGCSE English
Language exam
preparation
QUESTION 3 THE SUMMARY
20 Marks
40 minutes
QUESTION 3 THE SUMMARY
WHAT THE EXAMINERS SAY
Re-read the passage after reading each part of the
question, to find the precise information to answer it.
DO NOT write a narrative, or in the first person.
Make points BRIEFLY, but in enough detail to make it clear
what they mean and make each point only ONCE.
DO NOT COPY whole phrases/sentences from the passages.
Write NO MORE than ONE side of average handwriting.
Write in an informative style and NEVER give your OPINION
or add other information to the content of the passage.
Include ONLY the information that answers the question.
Do not GENERALISE the content of the passage.
Example - Question 3 (20 Marks)
(November 2012)
SUMMARISE
(a) what the Kalahari expedition offers a traveller,
as described in Passage B.
(b) the challenges and potential problems faced by
visitors to the rainforest, as described in Passage
A.
Use your own words as far as possible.
Aim to write no more than one side in total,
allowing for the size of your handwriting.
Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your
answer, and up to 5 marks for the quality of your
QUESTION 3 THE SUMMARY
PLANNING
READ the question carefully
UNDERLINE all the POINTS in each passage
which relate to the question
Aim for about
8 - 10 POINTS for each
passage
Now GROUP the points you have
highlighted
QUESTION 3 THE SUMMARY
FINAL DRAFT
Next join your selected points for Passage A (3a) to
create a summary
Remember to use your own words as much as possible!
Remember to use both compound and complex
sentences to join your points together.
Miss a line and repeat the same for Passage B (3b)
