IGCSE English as a Second Language: Listening, Writing, and Speaking
Preparing for your IGCSE English as a Second Language (ESL) exam can feel daunting. You are not just learning grammar
Learn how to write step-by-step answers, and score A* in your exam!
Announcement: Cambridge IGCSE, O Level and AS & A Level June 2025 past papers are now available.
You may be asked to write an informal letter to a friend or family member. Often, the question will require you to describe or explain something, or it may ask you to say what you think about a suggestion or a plan. The exam question will give you some ideas, and will tell you what you should include in your letter.
Remember: It is important to show that you can write in an informal style.
Write a short introduction for this post:
Make sure that you follow all instructions very carefully and write the required number of words. Aim for 15 words plus or minus from the maximum word limit guideline.
For English First Language Extended syllabus, aim for 435 words or so; or in the range of 435－465 words.
For English as a Second Language Extended syllabus, aim for 145 words or so.
Though there is no penalty in writing more than the suggested limit, it would be self-penalising to wrote more as you leave no time for other questions.
When you write, use your imagination as much as possible, but remember that your answer must always be relevant to the question.
One way to improve your writing is by using more adjectives and adverbs.
Example:
We had food and the music was good.
The above sentence could be made better by applying some adjectives like the below sentence.
We ate delicious food and the music was fantastic!
For example: Up to nine marks are awarded for content, and up to nine marks for language.
“Content” refers to the relevance and development of ideas; “language” refers to style and accuracy.
Below are some important points about writing a formal letter in your IGCSE exam:
You may be asked to write an article or a narrative, describe something or to write something persuasive. It is important that you read the question very carefully and that you express yourself effectively. You should also show that you can vary the style of your writing, depending on the topic.
In all the English subjects papers, you’ll be required to summarise a text. Below are some important points to help you score maximum marks for this section:
You may be asked to write your opinion about something in the form of a newspaper article, or perhaps for your school newsletter or magazine.
For English First Language, be sure to cover all the bullet points given.
For English as a Second Language, usually you will be given help in the form of a list of ideas or other people’s opinions, but you do not have to use them in your answer. You are free to use your own ideas, just be sure to keep to the topic.
You must show the examiner that you can use the English language for a specific purpose and that you can organise your ideas in a logical way.
Although you don’t have much time for planning, you should underline the key word(s) in the question to ensure you do exactly what is asked.
Write very brief notes, putting your ideas into a logical order. Also, check for repetition. When you have finished your writing, check your spelling, grammar and punctuation.
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616 responses
Is there any tips for writer’s effect?
Hello there,
For Writer’s Effect segment, you must build your ability to spot the required phrases or words. You need to give a full range of explained effects and link them into an overview which shows understanding of what the writer was trying to achieve in the passage as a whole. Try to avoid generalised comments such as ‘The writer makes me feel as though I am there’ and ‘The passage is cleverly written’. These will gain no marks and give the impression that you are failing to find things to say. You need to explain HOW this is the case.
These A* Model Answers could help you in this, and you are able to see what is an A* answer like: https://www.skolatis.com/igcse-exam-resources/
You might also want to check out our free lessons here: https://www.skolatis.com/free-english-online-course-and-qa-session/. The free lesson for this month is ‘Using paragraphs to organise ideas’. There’s a short video tutorial and you can leave your question regarding the topic inside the comment section. Our subject matter experts would then answer your questions.
Hey guys!
How’s it? So I’m taking English as a 2nd Lang l8r and was wondering a bit abt the summaries. Got some a dem tips on writing em pretty gud?
Hello there,
Please kindly read this article: https://www.skolatis.com/how-to-write-a-summary/ where we listed Summary writing tips.
You can also check out our upcoming free lessons here: https://www.skolatis.com/free-english-online-course-and-qa-session/. Vote for the topic that you would like us to cover and we will provide short video tutorials and Q&A session on the winning topic.
May I also get free courses and tips for:
French, Maths, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Business Studies and ICT?
Thanks IGCSE Centre!
Hello Chidalu,
You may want to subscribe to our newsletter where we send out valuable FREE email courses. Join now at: https://www.skolatis.com/newsletter/ to learn exam techniques & score A* in your exam!
Hello , I am attending English as second language exam very soon and I wanted to ask you
igcse team about how to write a review, report and article and anything else important to know about them.
Hello Maryam,
Before you begin writing, decide if you’re going to write about the topic from two sides (for and against) or from just one (your opinion). If you write a two-sided (balanced) piece of writing, remember to include your opinion in the last paragraph. If you want to write only from your own point of view, include it in the first paragraph.
Furthermore, try to think of your own ideas on the topic which match the task and include them in your writing. For each of the ideas included in your answer, support them with evidence or examples. Note, the examiner knows that the evidence or examples will be made up and doesn’t expect these to be correct.
Lastly, remember to organise your writing: include an introduction, a middle section and a Conclusion.
You can also use our available resources to help improve your English writing skills:
Exam model answers – https://www.skolatis.com/igcse-exam-resources/
Revision course – https://www.skolatis.com/cambridge-igcse-revision-courses/
You can also get your practice papers marked by a qualified subject expert here: https://www.skolatis.com/mark-your-papers/
Hello! Thanks for your help! About the English As a second language, if the rubric says, “write an article for you teacher” so the audience is my teacher, should I start by using a question in the very first paragraph to address the reader? E.g. Can you imagine…? Have you ever thought…?
Hello Mary,
You are very much welcome.
For this exercise, it is important to check that you know why you are writing, who you are writing for and whether you should be writing
informally or formally. For the content mark, the examiner is looking at whether you have done exactly what the task asks, including showing an awareness of purpose, audience and register.
Here are some tips for you:
– Before you begin writing, decide if you’re going to write about the topic from two sides (for and against) or from just one (your opinion).
– Remember to organise your writing: include an introduction, a middle section and a conclusion.
You may be interested in our exam model answers. Our model answers will show you what is an A* answer is like for the writing questions/exercises: https://www.skolatis.com/igcse-exam-resources/