Overview (Cambridge International IGCSE English Language)
This revision note is for exams in 2026. If you are sitting your exam from 2027, please switch to the 'First exams 2027' syllabus edition.
Paper 1 is the compulsory paper for the CIE IGCSE English Language course. You must take Paper 1, but for the rest of the IGCSE you may either be sitting Paper 2 or completing a coursework portfolio.
Paper 1 overview
The Paper 1 exam is 2 hours long and you will have three questions to answer, although questions 1 and 2 are further divided into sub-questions. The exam is worth 80 marks. These marks are divided into two skills - reading and writing - as follows:
- Total marks for reading = 65
- Total marks for writing = 15
As well as your question paper and answer booklet, you will also be given an insert containing the three texts you will use to answer the questions on the exam paper. All three texts will be on a similar topic.
CIE recommends that you spend 15 minutes reading the texts, and approximately 30-35 minutes responding to each question. However, as each question makes different demands on you in the exam and are worth different marks, we suggest that you consider the following timings for this exam paper:
| Question | Marks | Timing (including reading time) |
|---|---|---|
| Question 1(a-e) | 15 | 15-20 minutes |
| Question 1(f) | 15 | 20 minutes |
| Question 2(a-c) | 10 | 15 minutes |
| Question 2(d) | 15 | 20 minutes |
| Question 3 | 25 | 40 minutes |
Paper 1 breakdown
| Question number | Type of question | What you are asked to do |
|---|---|---|
| Question 1(a-e) | Comprehension | Read Text A |
| Respond to a series of sub-questions | ||
| Question 1(f) | Summary | Read Text B |
| Write a summary of no more than 120 words based on the text | ||
| Question 2(a-c) | Short-answer questions | Read Text C |
| Respond to a series of sub-questions | ||
| Question 2(d) | Language task | Read Text C |
| Write 200-300 words in response to a question focused on certain paragraphs in Text C | ||
| Select three relevant examples of interesting uses of language from each of the paragraphs specified | ||
| Analyse these examples to show how the writer uses language to convey meaning and to create effects | ||
| Question 3 | Extended response to reading | Read Text C |
| Write 250-350 words in response to the task | ||
| Use and develop ideas and details from Text C | ||
| Write in your own words in one of the following formats: letter, report, journal, speech, interview or article |
What skills are being assessed
There are only two assessment objectives for this IGCSE, each worth 50% of your overall grade. However, these are then divided into the following sub-objectives:
| AO1: read and respond in different ways to different types of text | Sub-objective | What this means |
|---|---|---|
| R1: demonstrate understanding of explicit meanings | - Show that you understand the obvious meanings communicated in a text | |
| R2: demonstrate understanding of implicit meanings and attitudes | - Show that you can recognise hints and suggestions in a text to understand the more hidden meanings and attitudes of the writer | |
| R3: analyse, evaluate and develop facts, ideas and opinions, using appropriate support from the text | - Evaluate and analyse the facts, ideas and opinions you read by using, explaining and developing them - Refer to supporting evidence from the text where appropriate, such as using quotations or references to the text | |
| R4: demonstrate understanding of how writers achieve effects and influence readers | - Show that you understand how a writer has influenced their reader through their use of language - Consider the deliberate choices a writer has made and why they have made those choices | |
| R5: select and use information for specific purposes | - Select and use relevant and appropriate information from a text to answer the different questions | |
| AO2: write accurately and effectively, using Standard English appropriately | W1: articulate experience and express what is thought, felt and imagined | - Write convincingly to convey real and imagined experience, thoughts and feelings |
| W2: organise and structure ideas and opinions for deliberate effect | - Sequence and connect the ideas and opinions effectively within your written response to interest and influence your reader | |
| W3: use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures appropriate to context | - Use a range of appropriate vocabulary and sentence structures deliberately within each written response to achieve certain effects | |
| W4: use register appropriate to context | - Vary your writing to suit the purpose, audience and form of the task | |
| W5: make accurate use of spelling, punctuation and grammar | - Write accurately, avoiding spelling, punctuation and grammar errors |
You can find detailed notes on how to answer each question on this paper in the following revision guides:
- Question 1: Comprehension
- Question 1: Summary
- Question 2: Short-answer questions
- Question 2: Language task
- Question 3: Extended response
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