IGCSE COURSE IN DETAIL
ENGLISH
LANGUAGE
(AS A FIRST
LANGUAGE)
Course name: IGCSE English – First Language
Exam board: CIE
This is a two-year course and is examined by
two written papers, one primarily focussed
on reading skills and the other focussed on
writing skills.
Paper 2 Reading Passages: this paper is assessed
by a 2 hour examination which is worth 50%
of the final mark. Candidates answer three
questions on two passages. Passage A will be
650–750 words long and Passage B will be
550–650 words long.
Component 3 Directed Writing and
Composition: this paper is assessed by a 2
hour examination which is worth 50% of the
final mark. Candidates answer two questions.
Section A assesses pupils’ ability to use inference
to respond to a passage while maintaining a
high level of written communication. Section
B assesses pupils’ ability to write creatively in
either a descriptive or a narrative style.
IGCSE COURSE IN DETAIL
ENGLISH
LANGUAGE
(AS A SECOND
LANGUAGE)
Entry requirements
There are no entry requirements, but the
course has been designed for pupils who
are able to write English to native speaker
standard.
Syllabus content
Throughout the two year course pupils will
familiarise themselves with writing in a range
of forms including: letters, reports, journals,
speeches, interviews, newspaper reports
and magazine articles. They will refine their
ability to demonstrate their understanding
of implicit meanings and attitudes in a similar
range of forms.
Course name: IGCSE English –
Second Language
Exam board: CIE
This is a one-year course and is examined by
two written papers, one primarily focussed on
reading and writing skills and the other focussed
on listening skills.
Paper 2 Reading and Writing (Extended):
this paper is assessed by a 2 hour examination
which is worth 50% of the final mark. Pupils
are required to read 5 short passages,
completing a range of exercises to demonstrate
understanding of what they have read. They are
also expected to complete two writing activities
which focus on the quality of written expression
and the creativity shown in their ideas.
Paper 4 Listening (Extended): this paper is
assessed by a 50 minute examination which
is worth 50% of the final mark. Candidates
listen to a range of short audio clips, answering
questions to demonstrate their understanding
of what they have heard.
Entry requirements
There are no entry requirements, but the
course has been designed for pupils who speak
English to a competent level.
16
Syllabus content
Throughout the year-long course, pupils will
familiarise themselves with different reading,
writing and listening skills to consolidate their
language skills and with the aim of preparing
them fully for the IB. Lessons will focus on
the quality of written English as well as on
different reading and listening strategies that
should help pupils across a range of subjects
and within their daily life as part of an English
speaking environment.
Choice of English language courses
The school reserves the right to establish
the choice of course that will best reflect
the abilities and support the development of
pupils, in terms of their progress in English
Language learning.
Through ongoing assessment, we will
determine which pupils will be better served
by taking the English as a Second Language
course. The IGCSE in English as a Second
Language is widely recognised by universities
as a qualification that meets the requirement
to show that a sufficient standard of English
has been achieved.
17