Free CIE IGCSE English Language
Practice Paper

A candidate receives the following composition task: 'Write a description of a place that holds special memories for you.' Which approach would be most appropriate for this task?

1. Writing a story with a clear beginning, middle and end set in the place
2. Creating a detailed, atmospheric description that evokes the place through sensory details and personal reflection
3. Writing an argumentative essay about why the place should be preserved
4. Listing factual information about the place's history and geography

Which of the following sentences uses the 'rule of three' effectively for persuasive impact?

1. Climate change affects weather patterns in many different ways around the world.
2. We must act now — for our children, for our planet, for our future.
3. Scientists have conducted numerous studies on environmental issues.
4. The government should consider implementing new policies soon.

Read the following extract from a travel article: 'The market square erupted with colour as dawn broke over Marrakech. Traders unfurled bolts of silk in shades I had no names for, while the aroma of fresh mint tea mingled with spices that made my eyes water.' What is the writer's main purpose in this extract?

1. To persuade the reader to visit Marrakech
2. To create a vivid impression of the market atmosphere
3. To inform the reader about Moroccan trading practices
4. To argue that markets are important cultural spaces

Read the following sentence: 'While some economists argue that minimum wage increases lead to unemployment, recent studies from Germany and South Korea suggest that moderate increases have minimal impact on job losses.' What is the function of this sentence in a discursive essay?

1. To provide a one-sided argument supporting minimum wage increases
2. To use emotive language to persuade the reader
3. To present contrasting evidence from different sources
4. To conclude the essay with a definitive statement

A passage about renewable energy in Germany provides information about solar panels, wind farms and government subsidies. The directed writing task asks candidates to write an article for a school magazine. One candidate writes: 'Germany has lots of solar panels and wind farms and the government gives money to help people buy them and this is good for the environment.' How could this sentence be improved?

1. By adding more connectives such as 'and' and 'also'
2. By breaking it into shorter sentences with varied structures and more precise vocabulary
3. By making it longer to include more information from the passage
4. By removing all references to the passage to show originality

Read the following extract from a speech by an environmental campaigner: 'We must act now. Not tomorrow. Not next year. Now. Because every day we delay, another species vanishes. Another forest falls. Another child inherits a broken world.' Which combination of techniques does the writer use to create urgency?

1. Extended metaphor and passive voice
2. Repetition, short sentences, and the rule of three
3. Formal register and complex sentence structures
4. Rhetorical questions and conditional clauses

A student is writing an argumentative essay with the title: 'Social media has done more harm than good to young people.' The student writes: 'Everyone knows that social media is terrible for teenagers. Only a fool would disagree.' Which flaw in argumentation is demonstrated?

1. Using hedging language that weakens the argument
2. Presenting a counter-argument without refutation
3. Making unsubstantiated generalizations and using ad hominem language
4. Including too much statistical evidence

A student writes: 'The sunset was beautiful. The colours were amazing. It was really nice to watch.' This writing would be marked down primarily because it:

1. contains grammatical errors
2. uses vague, imprecise vocabulary that fails to create a vivid image
3. is written in the past tense instead of present tense
4. includes too much specific detail