IGCSE English Language Paper 2 Question 1 HELP?

Does anyone have any tips on how to answer that question well? I always get like 11/20 on that question. Like are there any tips that anybody could use to improve on answering that question? I find it to be so challenging... don't know why :frown:

for my mock last year i got a B for this paper and this year i got a C. I really want a A for my real exam which is in 4 more days. I've done a few past papers already and am getting the hang of questions 2 and 3 but i still find trouble doing question 1.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 1

desslop

haha thanks! best of luck to you in the exams

Reply 2

YaaahSarah

...i am sitting that same exam too!
Similarly to you... i find that the toughest question in the paper...

Here's things you can try .
- Improve your planning. ( This helps way more than you think). Try working out how your intro falls into place

THESE SHOULD BE ADDED TO THE PLAN:
- Try to think of the Genre of you writing . Namely, If its a Newspaper write in a passive style.
If its a diary - write informally and include thoughts
You get marks for having a voice i.e. when the examiner reads its he can read it easily.

- Think of your audience ( are you writing to teens? then you to make the teens want read- refer maybe to jeans falling down, rap music - all to make in interesting for THEM.)

- Think of why you are writing it.. Is it to inform? entertain ?

- Underline main points that ONLY relate to the question being asked. State the them down in a different style.
e.g. Diary writing : It was so hot it ...
Newspaper : It has been reported the temperature can reach up to....

- Try and include points RELATED to the piece. Give RELEVANT points. Don't stray away. They must be logical.

- You should try to integrate the above pieces.

- Make it interesting and unique but again don't stray . However, you can get away with this in P3 q1.

- Lastly , ENJOY it .. you have to show that you enjoy it. You can do that by using humor if its informal, just pray that the examiner finds it funny- keep in mind though moderate is key- it's not a comedy stand up.

One more thing your handwriting spelling and grammar are given a mark out of /5 . You don't want to lose marks here.

Keep in mind this is a reading paper and it tests how well you read and understood the text and integrated a bit with your own knowledge (this is nearly the opposite of paper 3)

.

Reply 3

Buttercup26

I have it as well on Thursday! :s-smilie:

For paper 2, question 1, I usually underline all the relevant facts in my planning time, and then try to develop the point as much of possible without straying too far from the topic. Like the person above has said, you should really aim at establishing a voice and relating to your audience if you are looking at getting in the 17-20 range. In the end, it should sound exactly like a diary entry, interview, letter etc. Sometimes it works well if you put some emotion into your writing if you're doing something like a letter or a diary entry.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 4

xoxlovelifexox

what kind of writing would you guys like to come? for example a diary entry, newspaper article etc.

Reply 5

gemnomnom

Which exam board are you with? I can't work out whether I had to do this two years ago. Perhaps they have changed the syllabus. I did CIE.

Reply 6

desslop

Thanks for the replies. And as for which exam board im with, i'm pretty sure its CIE as well.

Reply 7

Buttercup26

I would rather have to do a script than a diary entry because I wouldn't have to put much thought into my opinions and emotions, but I think the hardest one would definitely be a newspaper article because you can't make your writing sound anything more than formal :/ Make sure it's convincing to read too! Don't make it sound like a long drawn out essay (which I nearly always do for paper 3 question 1). This paper is meant to be easier than paper 3 anyway so make sure to relax and actually enjoy doing it, even though it is an exam at the end of the day :s-smilie:

Reply 8

desslop

Also you know how that question requires you to write between 1 and 1/2 to 2 pages? Will you're marks get lowered if you write like only 1 page? Is it possible to get like 17/20 if you write less than 1 and 1/2 pages? Oh yea and thanks guys i feel so much more confident now!

Reply 9

xoxlovelifexox

Original post by desslop

i guess that depends on the size of your hand-writing and how thoroughly and evenly you've answered the three bullet points.

Reply 10

desslop

omg

the maximum i can write is one page for that question. I always end it before i can flip over to continue writing. I try to expand my points as much as i can and its still like that. I hope i'll do well in the exam tomorrow.

Reply 11

Buttercup26

It's the complete opposite for me - I waste like an hour on that question and only leave about fifteen minutes for the summary :| Time is always a problem for me anyway.

Usually they give three bullet points for the first question, so you should try to develop five points from the passage for each bullet point. If you work on getting at least fifteen different ideas, I'm pretty sure that you'll be able to write two pages at least. Your chances of getting in the 17-20 range are quite slim if you limit yourself to a page, so try and make your passages as detailed as possible.

Good luck for tomorrow :biggrin: