Tips on IGCSE English First Language

IGCSEs are right around the corner! The hard core study season for students is starting, and teachers are beginning to end lessons and start practice papers. Seeing how our dear friends and classmates are about to take their IGCSEs, let’s discuss one of the most tedious subjects, English as a First Language. As for our junior readers who are still deciding whether to take the English exam, take a look for insight into the difficulty of the paper, what there is to expect, and how you can prepare in advance! Here are our own EFL teacher’s comments on my attempt at a Paper 2 question (on the anthology The Necklace ). Read to the end to see useful tricks and tips for the exam given by Mr Josh, Ms Sam, Mr Aaron and Mr Brian!

CLICK ON ME to see a past paper question answered with comments and suggestions from our teachers.

Analysis hints:

• In anthologies like The Necklace , there are multiple parts of the text where the description of setting/character contrasts positive and negative effects. This can and should be used as a point for structure when analyzing.
• Don’t forget the real question ! (In this case, “importance of money & possessions”)
• Compare and show how characters, actions, or feelings contrast
• Your points can be as simple as the title! (The necklace can be analyzed to be a form of symbolism, motivation, class, greed, status symbol in society, etc) — “sounds simple but it’s affective”
• Use SCASI ! (Setting, character, action, style, idea)
• For a smoother flow of analysis, coordinate the order of your points with the action of the story—exposition, conflict, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution. (If a negative point was mentioned in the beginning, analyze that then show how that point had progressed and turned into a positive later on in the story. Show how they are similar/different)
• Link all pieces of analysis that have similar points. Instead of writing another paragraph, it saves time and you can score higher points
• DO NOT put all your time on 1 point, instead link the evidence used together
• Explain the points! Don’t keep repeating the same words
• Your introduction and conclusion are worth exactly 0 marks, don’t overthink it
• Don’t be afraid to criticize the character (not the writer) to score points! (eg. Character's motive, action, the divide in social class at the time, etc.)
• Remember to analyze the STRUCTURE of the anthology (foreshadowing, length of paragraphs/sentences, chronological order, backstories, built of backstory and climax’
• Simple but ignored: grammar, diverse conjunctions, smart vocabulary, consistency of UK or US writing, (over)use of quotations

CLICK ON MEfor edited version after teacher’s comments

How to prepare for the exam:

• Do the practice papers alongside the mark scheme (it’s all online!) consistently.
• There are videos on YouTube and other resources on the internet where they analyze the anthologies line by line (ex. Mrs Rumsey)
• TIMED writing: these exams will go by quickly! Learn to read, write, think quickly, effectively and efficiently. Do NOT over think!
• Mimic the real exam environment: write on a physical piece of paper, do not type ! In the real exam, it’s just you and your pen, no grammarly, autocorrect & especially the internet. Also, you wouldn’t want to get a hand cramp mid-exam. Practice with a pen!
• Practice planning quickly —note down only the important points you’re going to make in the analysis
• Apart from past papers, read, expand your vocabulary, do creative writing, journal (or better yet join the Newtonian :) )

Things to CONSIDER!!!

1. Choose the right subject! - juniors pay attention You’ve got 2 options, to learn ESL or EFL. EFL is more focused on reading and writing, while ESL has more parts: speaking and listening. If your main objective is to just learn with a foreigner or a native speaker (in EFL), but you’re planning to take ESL, it’s like “learning biology to take a chemistry test”. The classes are different, they teach you what you need to know for each exam, which are very different, SO PICK THE RIGHT CLASS.

It’s strongly advised for you to decide your class by the first term of Y10 (most students take their exams at the end of Y11), and STICK WITH IT. From that point on, teachers will start teaching you the material. If you change your mind mid-way, changing classes will be suboptimal because you will miss half the materials. (Note: if this is your case, and the IGCSEs are on your must-do list, feel free to ask your teacher for the missing materials and self study!)

1. Annotate/take notes! English is a subject that requires you to RETAIN information. The ability to listen, think, process, and accept information is something we all occasionally lack. In class, we listen to what teachers say, we think about it, and we process it. However, something we don’t do most of the time is ACCEPT the information. And yes, I asked the same question you’re asking right now. “What do you mean by accept?” “So how do we accept what we’re taught?’ When discussing anything in class—no matter whether it’s analyzing anthologies or discussing new concepts, write them down. This is the easiest way to accept and retain information. Most importantly, do NOT EVER hesitate to ask questions, in class, after class, or online.
2. “How much do I have to write?” The answer to that my dear friends is ‘quality over quantity’. If you write 5 analyzing paragraphs that all support the same point, at the end of the day it will only score you 1 mark. Use your time and effort to prove and analyze multiple points. It’s recommended that you write AT LEAST three points for each bullet point given in the question.

In summary, if you are taking EFL IGCSE, make sure you’ve understood all anthologies clearly, and you know how exactly to score the maximum points possible by analyzing the character and plot on a detailed level. Good luck to all of you taking the exams!

Additionally, I would like to thank all the EFL teachers— Mr Josh, Ms Sam, Mr Aaron, Mr Brian— who gave feedback and took their time to suggest methods that can help us prepare for IGCSEs. Please feel free to ask your teachers for further concerns or suggestions!