Cambridge IGCSE English as a Second Language

Reading

AO1 Reading (35% of the qualification), tested in Component 1 exercises 1 to 4: articles, blogs, reviews, web pages, leaflets, notices and instructions on…

• 1.1 Factual information, ideas and arguments
• 1.2 Ideas, opinions and attitudes and the connections between them
• 1.3 What is implied but not directly stated
• 1.4 Selecting details for a specific purpose

Writing

AO2 Writing (35% of the qualification), tested in Component 1 exercises 5 and 6: an informal email and a more formal article, report, essay or review, each of…

• 2.1 Communicating information, ideas and opinions
• 2.2 Organising ideas with linking devices
• 2.3 Grammatical structures, punctuation and spelling
• 2.4 Vocabulary: words, phrasal verbs, collocations and idioms
• 2.5 Register, style and format

Listening

AO3 Listening (30% of the qualification), tested in Component 2 (about 50 minutes, 40 marks): five exercises on short and longer recordings.

Speaking

AO4 Speaking, Component 3 (about 10-15 minutes, 40 marks): an interview, a short talk and a discussion, separately endorsed with grades 1 to 5.

• 4.1 Interviews and conversations
• 4.2 Short talks and discussions
• 4.3 Pronunciation and intonation