Cambridge English


English in

 2 levels  

English as first language

or

English as second language

English as a first language

The aims:

• Read a wide range of texts, fluently and with good understanding, enjoying and appreciating a variety of language.

• Read critically, and use knowledge gained from wide reading to inform and improve their own writing.

• Write accurately and effectively, using Standard English appropriately.

• Work with information and with ideas in language by developing skills of evaluation, analysis, use and inference.

• Listen to, understand, and use spoken language effectively.

•  Acquire and apply a wide vocabulary, alongside a knowledge and understanding of grammatical terminology and linguistic conventions.

Cambridge IGCSE (9–1) First Language English offers candidates the opportunity to respond with understanding to a rich array of reading texts during the course as a whole. Candidates will use these texts to inform and inspire their own writing, and write in a range of text types for different purposes and audiences.

Candidates will develop both their speaking and their listening skills, delivering a presentation, and responding to questions and engaging in conversations. Candidates are encouraged to become appreciative and critical readers, writers, speakers and listeners.

two by two hour papers  to finish “English as a first language”:

Reading

In developing reading skills, candidates should engage with a range of genres and text types from the twentieth and/or twenty-first centuries, including literature, fiction and non-fiction, and other forms of writing, such as discursive essays, reviews and articles. This study should include focus on writers’ use of language and style and the ways in which writers achieve effects and influence readers. Candidates should study how influence may include fact, ideas, perspectives, opinions and bias.

Writing

As developing writers themselves, candidates should be introduced to a range of writing skills, including the ability to create and compose texts with a variety of forms and purposes, e.g. descriptive, narrative, discursive, argumentative and persuasive. This study should include focus on the following text types: letter, report, article, journal, speech, interview and summary.

Read more about the curriculum and aims for English as a first language
Cambridge English. Cambridge English. Cambridge English. Cambridge English. Cambridge English.

Cambridge English as a second language

Choose core or extended:

Candidates may do either the Core curriculum or the Extended curriculum. The highest grade in the core curriculum is a C. The highest grade in the extended curriculum is an A* 

The aims:

  • Develop learners’ ability to use English effectively for the purpose of practical communication
  • Form a solid foundation for the skills required for further study or employment using English as the medium
  • Develop learners’ awareness of the nature of language and language-learning skills
  • Promote learners’ personal development.

3 different exams- English as a second language

Reading

  • Understand factual information, abstract ideas and arguments from a range of texts, e.g. leaflets, articles, blogs and webpages.
  • Identify relevant information and select correct details from a wide range of texts.
  • Identify ideas, opinions and attitudes from a wide range of texts and understand the connections between them.
  • Understand what is implied but not directly stated, e.g. gist, purpose and intention.

Writing

  • Communicate factual information, abstract ideas and arguments with good expansion.
  • Select and organise relevant information and ideas into coherent paragraphs and use a range of appropriate linking devices.
  • Respond to a written stimulus and use appropriate register and style/format for the given purpose and audience, e.g. a summary, an informal email, an article, a report and a review.
  • Produce written texts with a wide range of language structures (i.e. grammatical and lexical).
  • Produce written texts that show very good control of punctuation and spelling.

listening

  • Understand factual information, abstract ideas and arguments from a wide range of sources, e.g. recorded phone messages, announcements, dialogues, informal conversations, interviews and formal talks. A variety of voices and accents will be heard in recordings to reflect the various contexts presented.
  • Identify relevant information and select correct details from a wide range of sources.
  • Identify ideas, opinions and attitudes from a wide range of sources and understand the connections between them.
  • Understand what is implied but not directly stated, e.g. gist, purpose and intention.

Speaking

  • Communicate factual information, abstract ideas and arguments with good expansion.
  • Organise and link ideas with a range of appropriate linking devices.
  • Engage in a conversation on a wide range of topics, e.g. natural environment, arts, science and global issues.
  • Produce responses with a wide range of language structures (i.e. grammatical and lexical).
  • Produce responses that show good control of pronunciation and intonation.
Read more about skills and exams here