Writing questions

2 (Papers 1 and 2)
Papers 1 and 2 both contain questions that will test your skills at writing English, as
well as being able to understand what you have read. As well as writing your answer
to the summary task you will also have to do two other writing exercises.

The assessment objectives for writing are as follows:

W1 communicate clearly, accurately and appropriately
W2 convey information and express opinions effectively
W3 employ and control a variety of grammatical structures
W4 demonstrate knowledge and understanding of a range of appropriate vocabulary
W5 observe conventions of paragraphing, punctuation and spelling
W6 employ appropriate register/style.

• Remember, the examination tasks will be based on these assessment objectives.

However, they contain important principles to apply for all writing that you
do at all times. Whatever you write, whether it is a short instruction or a more
detailed report (of a scientific experiment, for example), should communicate
its information or instructions as clearly as possible (W1). One way of helping
to ensure that you do this is always to keep in mind the audience for whom you
are writing. Before you start to write, ask yourself some simple questions such as,
‘Does the person who will be reading what I have written know as much about
the topic as I do?’ If the answer is ‘No’ or ‘I’m not sure’, then think carefully
about what background information is necessary to help your reader picture what
you are saying. For example, you might be asked to describe something apparently
straightforward, such as your favourite room in your house and what you like
about it. If you don’t think carefully, there’s a danger that you’ll go straight into
explaining why you like the room and take for granted that your readers are as
familiar with it as you are. It is, of course, highly unlikely that they will be, so
unless you spend some of the first part of your answer giving some basic details
about the layout of the room, your readers are likely to be confused when you
refer to these features. Other questions to ask yourself are ‘What age group is my
audience?’ ‘Are they likely to be familiar with the terminology that my generation
uses?’ and so on.
• W2 refers to the need to write effectively; it is important to remember that
you will not express yourself or your ideas effectively if you don’t have a clear
understanding of what those details and ideas are before you start to write. When
you are writing under examination conditions and having to think in a language
other than your native one, it is essential to think carefully about what you intend
to say before you start to write anything and then to make notes of the main
points before you start your final version. You might be worried that following
this procedure will take a long time, but what you write is far more likely to be
understood easily if you plan your points first, so that you have a completely clear
idea of what you intend to say, rather than writing down the first things that come
into your head without thinking how they can best be ordered or exactly what the
point is that you want to make.

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 2 Writing questions (Papers 1 and 2)

• Assessment objectives W3–W5 are all concerned with the accuracy of your English
expression. In preparation for the examination, you will have been given plenty
of instruction by your teachers about English grammar, spelling and punctuation
and will almost certainly have done exercises to help you practise the rules that
you have learned. You will also have had practice in building and using a range
of vocabulary. The important thing when you are writing under examination
conditions is to be sure that you observe the basic punctuation conventions (when
to use full stops, commas and apostrophes). You should also ensure that what you
write is logically paragraphed – if you have made notes of the main points that
you intend to make before you start to write, then these notes are likely to form
the basis of your paragraph plan. As for spelling, you should certainly prepare
for the examination by revising the spelling of commonly-used English words
and also ensure you know the difference between words that are easily confused
(there/their and too/two/to, for example). However, don’t be afraid to use
the occasional more complicated word in your writing if you are sure that it is
the best word for what you want to express, even if you are not completely sure
how to spell it. As long as the person marking your paper can recognise what the
word is meant to be, he/she will reward you for using it, even if it is marked as a
spelling error.
• W6: The words ‘register’ and ‘style’ may sound rather technical but they are a
way of describing what your writing sounds like. ‘Register’ refers to the tone
of what you write – for example, an ‘informal register’ is the tone you would
use when writing a letter to a friend or close relative, for instance. It is likely
to involve writing in a colloquial (or chatty) way, using abbreviations such as
‘Who’d have thought it?’ etc. However, if you were writing a report to be read
by a Headteacher, then you would write in a formal register, using more serious-
sounding vocabulary and, most probably, longer sentence structures. The overall
impression given by your writing, which is derived from the register you use,
is referred to as the ‘style’ of the particular response. When you are writing an
examination piece, it is important that you show an awareness of the correct
register to use for the audience for whom you are writing. However, remember
that the ultimate audience is the person who is marking your work. Be careful not
to use so much of an informal register that he or she may not understand what
it is you are saying (even though your best friend of your own age may have no
problem at all in understanding you!).

●● Writing tasks
The writing tasks that you will have to do as part of your Cambridge IGCSE Second
Language English examination will be marked both for the quality of your written
English expression and for the relevance and organisation of your content. Both the
Core and Extended papers will require you to answer two different writing tasks and
for both papers you will be asked to write between 150–200 words in response to
each task.
The type of writing you will be required to do will be generally quite
straightforward. You will be given some form of stimulus to give you ideas for what
to write – this may be in the graphical form, bullet points, a selection of quotations
and so on and you should certainly make use of this material to help you structure
your writing. You will also be given the format in which to write (for example a
postcard, short letter, an article for a school magazine) and the audience for whom

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 2 Writing questions (Papers 1 and 2)

you are writing (for instance a friend, relative, other teenagers, your Headteacher
or Principal). Marks will be awarded for the accuracy of your expression, for the use
of an appropriate tone and register (including well-chosen vocabulary) and for the
structure and organisation of your writing – it is important to use well organised and
sensibly linked paragraphs. The type of writing you will be asked to do is most likely
to be informative or descriptive rather than imaginative.
It is important to keep the following points in mind as you write:
• What you write should be relevant and clearly focused on the terms of the
question.
• Your ideas should be sensibly and coherently developed.
• You should structure your work through paragraphs and try to ensure that
you avoid making elementary and unforced errors of spelling, punctuation and
grammar.
• You should try to write within the suggested word limit. Answers which are less
than the recommended lower word limit are likely not to fulfil the requirements
of the task and so your mark for content will be limited. Answers that significantly
exceed the upper word limit are likely to penalise themselves as they may lose
focus and contain many careless errors.
• The most successful responses will show the ability to express both straightforward
and more complex points clearly and in a developed way. They will use details
from the stimulus material but have the linguistic skills to adapt it to the writer’s
own thoughts on the subject. They will be logically structured through the use of
coherently linked paragraphs and will be mainly accurate in spelling, punctuation
and grammar.
• Middle-range responses will communicate clearly at a straightforward level and
be logically structured through the use of paragraphs. The language used will be
adequate to meet the demands of the task and the content will be communicated
clearly – there are likely to be errors of expression but they will not be so serious
that they obscure the writer’s intended meaning.
• The least successful responses will show some very simple structure and the
ability to write some simple sentences accurately. There will be some evidence
of paragraphing and an awareness of the basic grammatical conventions. There
are likely to be a range of errors, many of which are serious, but overall the main
thrust of the writer’s intended meaning will be communicated.

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 2 WRiting questions (PaPeRs 1 and 2)

Practice writing tasks

Exercise 1
You have recently attended a performance given by a performer you have long admired. Your
cousin, who also admires the artist, was unable to attend the performance as he/she was in
hospital for a minor operation.
Write a letter to your cousin telling her/him about the performance.
In your letter you should:
● tell your cousin where the performance was held and what the atmosphere was like in the
venue
● describe the performance of the artist and why you enjoyed it
● explain to your cousin what he/she would have particularly liked about the performance.
Your letter should be between 150–200 words long. Do not write an address.

Exercise 2
You are on holiday with your family and have discovered a place which you have very much
enjoyed visiting.
Write a letter to your best friend telling her/him about this place.
In your letter you should:
● tell your friend what and where the place is and how you found it
● describe how long you spent there and what you did
● explain what you liked so much about it and what your friend would like about it.
Your letter should be between 150–200 words long. Do not write an address.

Exercise 3
There has been a suggestion that a local children's play area should be knocked down in order for
apartments to be built for retired people. The plan has divided opinion among people in your area.
The thoughts of some people are given below:

‘It's only fair that our community should give something back to those people who have
spent their lives working for it. They deserve somewhere comfortable to live in their old age.’
‘There are already too few open spaces for children to play in. If this play area goes, they'll
finish up playing in the road and it won't be long before a child is seriously hurt in an
accident.’

Write an article for a local newspaper giving your views. Your article should be between 150–200
words long.
The comments above may give you some ideas, but you are free to use any ideas of your own.

Exercise 4
A teenage magazine has asked its readers to contribute their ideas on the topic ‘Are social media
(for example Twitter, Facebook) a good or bad thing for young people today?’
Some points already made by readers are given below:

‘Using social media make it easier for students and teachers to access educational
support. It allows quicker circulation of useful information.’
‘The use of social media increases interaction with friends and family.’
‘Spending their time using social media prevents people engaging in face to face
communication.’
‘Young people are spending too much of their time in frivolous online chats – and there’s
always the danger of online bullying.’

Write an article for the magazine giving your views.

Your article should be between 150–200 words long.
The comments above may give you some ideas, but you are free to use any ideas of your own.

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