1. ENGLISH CORE PAPER: FIVE MINUTE REVISION GUIDE
IGCSE CORE PAPER - 1 HOUR 45 MINUTES LONG
QUESTION MINUTES
QUESTION 1 45 MINUTES
FINISH WITH 2 30 MINUTES
Question 1 contains the short, easy questions and possibly the table or some sort of language analysis question. Read the question carefully: if it asks you to use your own words or find a specific quotation then do so. If it asks you to look in a specific paragraph then make sure you look in the right one. Look at how many marks the questions are worth: if it is worth two marks, they want two pieces of information. For the table – make sure you just define the word in italics in the first column. This is like picking up a dictionary and writing down what you find. The second column is where you need to use the whole phrase to answer the question given. For example, if the question is ‘Explain how the words and language in each of the phrases you have chosen create a frightening and threatening atmosphere’ you would need to say something like ‘The gates seem threatening especially because they appear old. The writer says that they ‘reared’ ahead of the young man which suggests that they are threatening to him; an animal usually ‘rears’ once it is ready to attack.’
Question 2 will ask you to write in a particular voice and style. Don’t just write it as a story! Read the instructions carefully: if it is a speech then make sure you write it as one; if the voice is meant to be quite annoyed or angry then make sure this comes through in the choice of words you use.
Plan for at least 15 minutes by drawing up a table and adding at least THREE details and developments for each bullet.
Cover the bullet points equally!
Be creative for the third bullet point; but still use three things relevant to what you have read in the text i.e. three impacts of the road being built, three developments that the school could make etc.
Question 3 is the summary question. It asks you to make 10 short notes on a particular idea. Remember to try to get all 10.
Don’t let your point go over the line
Don’t include two on one line
Don’t go over 10
Make sure your point makes sense as a sentence.
Make sure the points you write down are relevant.
When it comes to putting all the points in a written summary, remember to write them in your OWN WORDS. Also use connectives to structure the writing – firstly, additionally, however, finally etc. across 3 paragraphs. Finally, make sure it makes sense. If the question asks how parents will cope, don’t say ‘you need to…’ – change it to ‘they need to…’.