Product Summery
Introduction
Your course
When choosing your route through the course, there are some important decisions that you and/or your teacher have to make.The first decision is to select the appropriate examination level: Core or Extended. our teacher will be able to explain in detail what is involved at each level, but the key points are as follows.
At both levels there are two compulsory areas of work:
• Reading Passages (Paper 1 (Core) or Paper 2 (Extended))and
• Directed Writing and Composition (Paper 3) or the Coursework Portfolio (Component 4).
There is also a Speaking and Listening unit which is compulsory for candidates working within the UK National Curriculum (Syllabus 0522), and optional and separately endorsed for candidates from the rest of the world.
For the assessment of Speaking and Listening, you can take the Test (Component 5) or do your speaking/listening as Coursework (Component 6).
The next decision is to choose between the Directed Writing and Composition (Paper 3) and Coursework Portfolio (Component 4).
Finally, unless you are a candidate for Syllabus 0522, you and/or your teacher have to decide whether or not you will take the Speaking and Listening option, and if so, whether you will do it as coursework or as an oral test.
Reading Passages (Paper 1 (Core) or Paper 2 (Extended))
In Paper 1, there will be two reading passages. Understanding of them will be tested by a series of short-answer comprehension questions, a directed writing exercise based on the first reading passage and a summary.
In Paper 2, there will be two reading passages. Understanding of the first passage will be tested by a directed writing task (based on the passage) and a task requiring an appreciation of the techniques used by the writer. Understanding of the second passage will be tested by a summary question.
Directed Writing and Composition (Paper 3) or Coursework Portfolio (Component 4)
Both these options require you to write at some length.
If you sit the Directed Writing and Composition paper, you will have to produce one piece of directed writing, based on a passage or passages printed on the question paper and then choose one from four composition titles (two descriptive and two narrative) to produce a piece of continuous writing of between 350-450 words.
If you are doing coursework instead of the examination, you will have to submit three pieces of written work, each of between 500-800 words. (One piece of informative/analytical/argumentative writing; one piece of descriptive/narrative writing and one piece of analytical writing in response to a text or texts chosen by your Centre.)
Speaking and Listening Test (Component 5) or Coursework (Component 6)
Assessment of Speaking and Listening skills does not contribute directly to your grade in Cambridge IGCSE First Language English. Candidates doing Syllabus 0522 are required to undertake this aspect of the IGCSE syllabus, and the grade they achieve will be recorded separately on their certificate. Speaking and Listening is optional for candidates taking other IGCSE First Language syllabus variants but it is worth remembering the following story which we were once told by a teacher in Cyprus. A student followed a course which was not IGCSE and which did not offer the possibility of a Speaking and Listening unit.
The student achieved success, getting a grade B, and on the strength of that was given a job in a bank. To their horror, her employers found that, although she could write letters, she had real problems when speaking to customers, either in the bank or on the phone. Without effective speaking skills, she had difficulties in doing her job well.
You might decide that it is worth doing the Speaking and Listening unit. There are, after all, four areas of skill when using any language: reading, writing, speaking and listening. Make sure you acquire them all.
Structure of the book
In this book you will find the chapters follow the requirements of the course very closely.
Chapter 1 aims to improve and develop your reading skills, to help you work to your best abilities in the Reading Passages paper (Papers 1 and 2).
Chapter 2 covers reading comprehension and other skills needed for the Directed Writing and Composition paper (Paper 3).
Chapter 3 looks at the particular skills needed when writing a summary - a task which features in both Paper 1 and Paper 2.
Chapter 4 aims to improve and develop your writing skills, to help you work to your best abilities in the Directed Writing and Composition paper.
Chapter 5 helps you to practise the specific skills you will need for the writing aspects of the Extended Directed Writing and Composition paper.
Chapter 6 advises you on continuous writing and gives you the opportunity to develop the necessary skills for writing compositions in an examination (Paper 3). Chapter 7 looks closely at the special skills required for writing tasks for the Coursework Portfolio (Component 4) and gives advice and examples on how to approach these.
Chapter 8 gives you some opportunities to practise for the Speaking and Listening Test (Component 5) or prepare for your Speaking and Listening Coursework (Component 6).
Author's note: In the examples of students' work throughout the book, the original spellings and punctuation have been retained. Many errors are identified but many are left unmarked, reflecting the principle that teachers reward merit in writing and do not seek only to highlight mistakes.
Teacher's comments: are written in red like this
Teacher's analysis: is printed in blue like this