Overview (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE English Language): Revision Note

This is a piece of directed writing in response to a text or texts

Texts should be about two sides of A4 in total, and may consist of facts, opinions and/or arguments which can be selected, analysed and evaluated, and integrated into your own views

You will be required to evaluate and develop the information in the text(s) — using some of the same skills as in Paper 1 Question 4

You will be asked to create a discursive/argumentative/persuasive response, using your own words, in one of the following formats: speech, letter, article or report

This is a piece of descriptive writing

You are required to develop ideas and images which create a convincing, well-defined picture, with varieties of focus

This is a piece of narrative writing

You are required to craft a well-defined plot and develop this with features of fiction writing, such as setting and characterisation

W1: articulate experience and express what is thought, felt and imagined

• Write convincingly to convey real and imagined experiences, thoughts and feelings

W2: organise and structure facts, ideas and opinions for deliberate effect

• Sequence and connect the ideas and opinions effectively within your written response to interest and influence your reader

W3: use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures appropriate to context

• Use a range of appropriate vocabulary and sentence structures deliberately within each written response to achieve certain effects

W4: use language appropriate to purpose and to engage the audience

• Vary your writing to suit the purpose, audience and form of the task

W5: make accurate use of spelling, punctuation and grammar

• Write accurately, avoiding spelling, punctuation and grammar errors

R1: demonstrate understanding of explicit meanings

• Show that you understand the obvious meanings communicated in a text

R2: demonstrate understanding of implicit meanings and attitudes

• Show that you can recognise hints and suggestions in a text to understand the more hidden meanings and attitudes of the writer

R3: analyse, evaluate and develop facts, ideas and opinions, using appropriate support from the text

• Evaluate and analyse the facts, ideas and opinions you read by using, explaining and developing them

• Refer to supporting evidence from the text where appropriate, such as using quotations or references to the text

R4: demonstrate understanding of how writers achieve effects and influence readers

• Show that you understand how a writer has influenced their reader through their use of language

• Consider the deliberate choices a writer has made and why they have made those choices

R5: select and use information for specific purposes

• Select and use relevant and appropriate information from a text to answer the different questions