Revision IGCSE Extended Paper
Time-management
Question 1- 45 minutes (20 marks)
Question2 -30 minutes (10 marks)
Question3- 45 minutes (20 marks)
Examiners Report
• Candidates in this session seemed familiar
with the layout of the paper and the demands
of each question. There were still some
responses that depended too heavily on the
wording of the passage in Questions 1 and 3
and centres are reminded that candidates are
expected to adapt and modify the material in
thepassage for higher band marks, and that
copying from the passages is to be avoided.
Examiner Report
• Candidates appeared to find both passages equally
accessible and were able to finish the paper within the
time allowed. Most candidates had been entered for
the appropriate tier, though some clearly would have
benefited from being entered for the core tier. There
did not seem to be many significant misunderstandings
of the content of the passages, although at times finer
details were confused – whether Jed or Sammy was the
manager, for example. Careful reading is essential to
ensure that such details are teased out and used to
support ideas firmly and securely.
Examiner Report
• Copying was sometimes evident in Question 1,
especially in response to the first bullet point:
there is a significant difference between using
textual detail in support of points and lifting
whole sections of the text or key phrases. The
description of the dormitory was often copied, in
particular. Candidates must change the language
of the passages in response to Question 1 and
Question 3 in order to achieve a higher Reading
and Writing mark.
Examiner Report
• For Question 2, in order to achieve higher marks,
candidates must make appropriate choices of words
and phrases and need to make specific and detailed
comments about these choices. To gain marks in the
higher bands candidates need to write detailed
explanations of the effects of their choices,
demonstrating sound understanding of the writer’s
purpose. Weaker responses tried to explain the
selected language in the same words as the language
choice. Candidates should avoid using a grid or table
format to respond to this question, as it usually limits
their ability to explore the choices they have selected
and often leads to repetition.
Examiner Report
• On this Reading paper 20% of the available marks are
for Writing, split evenly between Questions 1 and 3. It
is important that candidates consider the quality of
their writing and avoid using lifted material from the
passages. Most responses were written in an
appropriate register, but some Writing marks were
affected by awkward expression or limited style, overreliance on the language of the passages, or structural
weakness and incoherence. Candidates should ensure
that they pay attention to the length guidelines for
their response these questions, particularly Question 3
where lengthy answers cannot score highly on the
Writing mark.
Examiner Report
• It is essential that the skills of selection and
modification are demonstrated in this paper. In
addition, there needs to be a strong focus on the
actual wording of the questions. Candidates
should aim to plan their responses. Effective
planning ensures that there is no repetition
between sections of a question, that they are all
given equal attention and coverage, and that
there is a coherent and logical structure to the
response. It also helps for example to ensure that
the response in Question 1 addresses the three
assessment objectives
Examiner Report
Advice to candidates on Question 1
● read the question carefully to determine its voice, style and purpose
● answer all parts of the question, giving equal attention to each of
the three bullet points
● answer in your own words, adapting material from the passage to
make it an appropriate response written in the required style
● plan your answer to ensure that the material is sequenced logically
and to avoid repetition
● select the most appropriate ideas from the passage
● develop and modify some of the ideas relevantly
● create a suitable voice, tone and style for the persona in the
response.
Examiner Report
Advice to candidates on Question 2
● focus on the question carefully to ensure that all your choices are relevant
● re-read the whole paragraph before making selections; choose the best and not those
which happen to come first
● choose a range of words and phrases that seem powerful. Do not write out whole
sentences, but also do not offer only one word if it is part of a descriptive phrase
● do not write out the beginning and end of a long quotation with the key words missing
from the middle
● remember to put quotation marks around your choices. This makes it easier for the
Examiner to identify them and makes it easier for you to focus on the exact wording
● avoid general comments such as ‘this creates a strong visual image’, or ‘this draws the
reader in and makes them want to read on’. Such comments will not earn any marks at all
● if you are not sure about effects, try to at least give a meaning, in context, for each of
your choices
● remember you do not get any marks for identifying techniques unless you focus on the
meaning and
effects of the words you have chosen
● to explain effects, think of what the reader sees and feels when reading the word or
phrase, because of the connotations and associations of the language
● include images from each paragraph, and try to explain them.
Examiner Report
Advice to candidates on Question 3
● read the question carefully and underline the key words
● re-read the passage after reading each part of the question, in order to find the
precise information to answer it
● plan your answer carefully by listing relevant points in as few words as possible
● read through your list of points and link any that are similar or the same
● write up your answer in full sentences; refer only to your notes rather than the
passages
● do not write an introduction
● do not use quotes in your answer to Question 3b
● do not write a narrative, or in the first person
● do not copy whole phrases from the passages
● write no more than one side of average handwriting
● write in an informative style and never add to the content of the passage
● make each point only once.
Objectives
To recap success criteria and tips
To respond to questions
To evaluate answers
Question 1: Directed Writing
Reading 15 marks
Writing 5 marks
• Demonstrate understanding of
explicit meaning included in the
passage
• Articulate experience and express
what is thought, felt and imagined
• Demonstrate the understanding of
implicit meanings and attitudes in
the passage
• Analyse, evaluate and develop
facts, ideas and opinions
• Sequence facts, ideas and opinions
• Use a range of vocabulary
• Use register appropriate to audience
and context
• Make accurate use of spelling,
punctuation and grammar
Question 1: Directed Writing
Question 1 is undoubtedly the hardest question on the
paper…
Marks are awarded for:
• Selecting and retrieving the right information (explicit
meaning) – the easy marks
• Working out the underlying meaning (implicit – not
said, but we can work it out from what is written)
• Predicting what could occur next or explain thoughts
and feelings – the hardest marks
The Indonesian Rainforest
You are Pascal Sanches, the journalist. Write a magazine article for the
conservation magazine based on your visit to the Indonesian Rainforest,
with the title ‘Palm Oil Threat to Indonesian Rainforest’.
In your newsarticle you should comment on:
• your own memories of the rainforest and your experience of seeing an orangutan
• an explanation of the threat to the rainforest and the orangutans
• your feelings about the rainforest and the orangutans and your predictions for their future.
Base your magazine article on what you have read in Passage A, but be careful to
use your own words. Address each of the three bullets. Begin the magazine
article: ‘The Indonesian rainforest is truly a sight to behold…’
Write about 250-300 words.
Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer, and up to 5
marks for the quality of your writing.
Tips for success
• Answer all three bullet points in a balanced way (you
will lose marks if you focus on one bullet point in
expense of another)
• Adopt the correct role/voice for the task
• Know WHY you are writing
• Get the type/form correct (a letter, a diary or even an
interview)
• Know WHO you are writing for
• Make sure you select the right information from the
passage (you cannot just make stuff up – it is not a
creative piece of work)
Evaluating
Your own memories of the rainforest and your experience of seeing an orangutan
•
•
•
•
•
The humidty
The light shafts
The height of the trees
The beauty of the forest
The difficult terrain
•
•
•
•
•
•
The orangutan’s lazy presence
The orangutan’s eating
The orangutan’s fur
The orangutan picking his teeth
The orangutan’s teeth
The orangutan’s face
Evaluating
An explanation of the threat to the rainforest and the orangutans
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The wish to use the land for palm oil due to the climate
The deforestation
The burning of the forest/flora
The demand for palm oil from the West
The use of palm oil in such a range of products
The drying land post deforestation and burning
The towed logs eroding the soil
Evaluating
Your feelings about the rainforest and the orangutans and your predictions for their
future
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Guilt at using palm oil products
Fondness for the orangutans and human-like connection to them
The rainforest will diminish
Sadness at the contrast between the rainforest and the burned land
The orangutans will become extinct
Awareness that palm oil could be developed in the West
Awe of the trees’ magnitude
Awe at the orangutans
What makes this an A response?
• Ideas selected relevantly, supported with
details from the passage.
• Clear and balanced response
• Well sequenced
• Appropriate register
• Awareness of audience
• Candidate’s own words
• Developed opinions
Question 2
Writers choice of language
Question 2
• Worth 10 marks overall and is not marked for SPG
• 8 marks are available for picking the right words
and phrases over two paragraphs and explaining
their effect
• 2 marks are on offer for explaining what the
overall effect/pattern all the words and phrases
have
• You should spend no more than 30 minutes on
this question
Decoding words
Somewhere in his peripheral vision, Mark had become
vaguely aware of an alien inhabitant scuttling nearby. He
looked down to see the unwelcome sight of a black
striped scorpion, charging towards him with dagger like
pinchers held up by sinewy arms. Its hard shell was
dusted by golden sand from the desert, which, when
reflecting the bright sunlight, created a metallic shield:
impenetrable and fierce. He had heard about these fatal
predators in his guide book and he knew it would not
take long before this audacious arachnid targeted its
prey. Mark’s heart beat wildly. He thrust his fists into his
short’s pockets and sped towards the air-conditioned
door.
Decoding words
There are three ways to decode a word.
1. Look for words within the word. For example,
Protectorate (Small Belarus was the
protectorate of mighty Russia)
2. Does the word sound like a another word that
you know. For example, majestic.
3. Does the whole sentence give you a clue about
the word meaning. For example, The assassin
was incognito dressed in his plain suit, walking
calmly like the rest of the pedestrians.
Decoding words
What if none of those work?
Leave word or phrase alone and look for something
else instead. The mark scheme purposely gives the
examiner at least EIGHT examples. There will be an
easier word or phrase…so find it.
Stop being lazy and read more than the first four
lines.
Decoding words
He remained motionless, clammy and everreddening, as he had done for the past hour,
listening as unfamiliar birds chirruped noisily in the
exotic trees that lined the hot, white road in front
of him, taxis swung by to deposit fresh batches of
excitable, luggage-laden tourists, and nearby shop
shutters were rattled open, signaling the stirrings
of a city preparing for another unrelenting day.
Mark watched in trepidation, as he forced his foot
forward. He thought back to when he had booked
his flight. He was getting closer.
Patterns and overviews
TOP TIPS for creating an overview
• Identify the images in the paragraph – are they all
trying to paint the same picture and create the same
effect?
• Look at the words being used – do they have anything
in common?
• Look for interesting conflicts and contrasts. Does the
passage contrast someone’s cold to the warmth of a
fire or how strong nature is compared to how weak
humans are?
• You could underline/highlight similar groups of words
to help you.
Patterns and overviews
Re-read the descriptions of:
• The writer’s thoughts about New York
Patterns and overviews
It has always been widely accepted that New York is a place
where dreams can come true, where magic happens. It is
perhaps the only city in the world where, as a stranger, I felt
like I had been here before and I had in one sense, because
I’d walked down these streets, seen these iconic buildings in
many of the films I’d watched in the comfort of my own
home. It is fair to say that I had huge expectations of what I
was to find, fuelled in part by the many guidebooks I had
bought and scoured in advance. In my mind every minute of
those 4 days was filled: long, relaxing walks through Central
Park, perhaps even an epic horse and cart ride, visiting the
film locations of ‘Friends’, standing on top of the world on the
Empire State Building and feeling humbled at the Ground
Zero site. Shopping too played a large part in my ambitious
itinerary; shopping in Macy’s and Bloomingdales and
ensuring that my brand new wardrobe was acquired using
the wallet full of dollars I had saved up.
Patterns and overviews
Re-read the descriptions of:
• The effects of the storm
Patterns and overviews
However, the New York I arrived in bore no resemblance to any of my
expectations. It was, I suppose, like a film set but the film was more
like a horror than one of the romantic comedies often associated with
the Big Apple. I arrived in my hotel room and turned on the news to
see that Super Storm Sandy, the deadliest and most destructive
hurricane of 2012, was about to hit the shores of Manhattan, 10
minutes away from where I was staying. A hurriedly written note was
pushed under my door instructing residents to not leave the building
for the next 24 hours. I went down to the lobby to see what was going
on for myself; chaos was ensuing. Janitors were frantically taping up
the windows at the front of the hotel and a cordon was placed
outside the revolving doors to keep people at a safe distance should
the windows shatter. The lobby was full of tourists and their packed
suitcases, with nowhere to go; all flights had been cancelled, but even
if they hadn’t been there was no bus or subway operating and no taxi
drivers were prepared to take the risk of getting into a car. Many of
these people had already checked out but when they desperately
tried to check in again they were greeted with tariffs three times their
original cost; hotel staff saw the opportunity to make some money.
People were getting angry.
Writing about the effect
Often students really struggle with what is meant
by ‘effect’. Sometimes a student’s answers is so
vague the examiner isn’t really being told anything
at all about the word/phrase OR the effect.
Here is a BAD example:
Student 1: The phrase “the menacing cold
surrounded me” has an interesting effect because
it is really memorable and makes me really want to
read on. The effect of the sentence is that I know it
is really cold which sticks in the reader’s head.
Writing about the effect
This is a bad example because:
• It says ‘interesting’ effect – what does that
actually mean? What is interesting?
• It says it is ‘memorable’ but HOW? Why? Which
word?
• Where is the analysis of individual words? What
about the word ‘menacing’?
• It doesn’t explain how the man in the sentence is
affected by what’s happening to him.
• It doesn’t link it to context.
• It does not identify that it is an image.
Writing about the effect
TOP TIPS
• Always think about individual words
• Write down the word and then the meaning
of the word – this can often act as a bridge to
get you to think about the effect.
• Link your thoughts on the words to the
context of the passage
• Be specific with your language, do not say
general things like it is ‘good’
Writing about the effect
Simple structure:
Phrase/word -> meaning/definition -> effect
The volcano
Volcano walkers are taken to the mouth of the crater from
where they are lowered in a basket into the depths of the
earth. People once thought that volcanoes were portals to
Hell and associated with death and destruction and yet the
entrance to the crater is awe-inspiring and almost ethereal.
The vastness of it can feel overwhelming; it is the size of a
cathedral and the Statue of Liberty could easily fit into the
shaft. After 6 minutes and 120 metres, visitors arrive at the
crater base. The ground space is the size of three full-sized
basketball courts placed next to each other. It is an
intimidating size and human beings appear ant-like to the
visitors about to make their descent.
Writing about effect
1. The phrase ‘the mouth of the crater’ is interesting here.
‘Mouth’ means something that humans have to help them
eat food. The effect of this word is that the volcano is
ready to swallow up the tourists in one gulp.
2. Depths of the earth is also important in this description.
The word ‘depth’ means something that is incredibly
deep. The effect is that the tourists are being lowered into
the deepest parts of the earth.
3. Finally, ‘humans appear ant-like’ is a clever description of
the volcano. The word ‘ant’ means an insect that is very
fragile and small. The effect is that the writer compares
humans to the size of ants compared to the large volcano
and that it could crush them with even thinking about it.
The crater
At the bottom there is a reverent hush. People whisper in respect to
the sleeping giant who has lain dormant for 4,000 years. The
subterranean walls are scorched with colours from a divine palette:
magenta red, vibrant purple, burnt orange, vivid green and honey
yellow. The colour intensifies in certain places where 4000 years ago
the magma was pushed out with brutal force. This is Mother Nature’s
secret place, her private art studio where visitors feel like trespassers.
The protruding rock faces show a tapestry of patterns and formations
that have been moulded by heat, pressure and time. Floodlights
illuminate the walls and draw attention to the beauty humans were
never intended to see. A light rain weeps from the porous rock above
and covers the crater sides with a shine that makes it sparkle. The
scorch marks can be seen close up – at one point in time these rock
faces were glowing red with fiery heat. This giant, although sleeping, is
still dangerous: an 80-metre drop into the void is disguised by a
collection of rocks close to where visitors stand.
The crater
At the bottom there is a reverent hush. People whisper in respect to
the sleeping giant who has lain dormant for 4,000 years. The
subterranean walls are scorched with colours from a divine palette:
magenta red, vibrant purple, burnt orange, vivid green and honey
yellow. The colour intensifies in certain places where 4000 years ago
the magma was pushed out with brutal force. This is Mother Nature’s
secret place, her private art studio where visitors feel like trespassers.
The protruding rock faces show a tapestry of patterns and formations
that have been moulded by heat, pressure and time. Floodlights
illuminate the walls and draw attention to the beauty humans were
never intended to see. A light rain weeps from the porous rock above
and covers the crater sides with a shine that makes it sparkle. The
scorch marks can be seen close up – at one point in time these rock
faces were glowing red with fiery heat.
Question 3
a)Notes
What do you learn about kopi luwak coffee from
passage B?
Write your answer using short notes.
You do not need to use your own words.
Up to 15 marks are available for the content of
your answer.
What you learn about kopi luwak coffee:
What you learn about luwak coffee:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Men collect the luwak dropping in woven bowls
The luwaks eat coffee berries
The coffee bean is not digested and is left in the dropping
The bean is found and used to make coffee
The coffee is also known as civet, wolf or cat coffee
The coffee is expensive
It is superior to other coffee
The digestion process the coffee bitter taste
It was developed in the 18th century
Wild luwak droppings are hard to find
Kopi luwak coffee farmers are rare
Luwaks are now often kept in cages
Conditions for the luwaks are poor and they are force fed
Tourists visit the luwak farms to drink coffee
New farming methods make the coffee more readily available