Descriptive vs Narrative Essays
The IGCSE English First Language exam places a strong emphasis on creative writing, with writing descriptive and narrative essays being
Announcement: Cambridge IGCSE, O Level and AS & A Level June 2025 past papers are now available.
Cambridge IGCSE past exam papers are copyrighted by UCLES. Cambridge IGCSE is being offered by CIE (Cambridge International Education) board from The University of Cambridge.
Notes:
If you need help in finding your exam centre or exam timetables, please feel free to drop us a message in the comment section below. One of our friendly Team Skolatis heroes will attend to you shortly.
In order to avoid high late entry fees, you must send in your exam registration form in time. Find out the exam registration key dates, and get the form submitted before the due dates.
If you would like to change your exam entries, please feel free to drop us a comment below, and we shall guide you on how you can do so.
I’ve learned advanced things much faster than a teacher could have taught me!
“I am really enjoying Skolatis! It is very helpful. I feel that the way you teach the subjects are very helpful and aid in helping people learn more complicated things. For example I’m a lot ahead in chemistry and biology. I’ve learned many more advanced things much faster than a teacher could have taught me it. Skolatis has really helped me improve in chemistry and biology!”
~ James Armenis (Greece)
To get your Cambridge IGCSE past exam papers, please follow these steps:
Note:
We do not host Cambridge IGCSE past papers on this website. You can search for Cambridge IGCSE past exam papers on the internet or purchase from CIE. Alternatively, you may ask our friendly Team Skolatis to search for you.
This is our voluntary service, some nice words would be appreciated.
If you are searching for an exam board that offers free past exam papers, you may consider the Edexcel board.
Join 61,338 (and counting) IGCSE & AS/A Level subscribers who've taken our insanely valuable FREE email courses. Learn exam tips & score A* in your exam!
Join 61,338 (and counting) IGCSE & AS/A Level subscribers who’ve taken our insanely valuable FREE email courses. Learn exam tips & score A* in your exam!
Lanja Omer
United Arab Emirates
The IGCSE English First Language exam places a strong emphasis on creative writing, with writing descriptive and narrative essays being
In the IGCSE English First Language Directed Writing task, you’ll be required to either write a speech, letter, or article
In Chemistry, writing a balanced chemical equation is a skill that needs practice. This article will discuss all the tips
In the face of violence and uncertainty, education stands as a beacon of hope, offering students the tools to navigate
11,037 responses
Which is harder the Indian board meaning like cbse and icse or Cambridge
Hi Nathan,
We cannot confirm which qualification is the hardest.
Please choose the exam board that best fits your goals and plans.
For example, if you wish to study at an international university, it is best to take the IGCSE. International universities accept IGCSE certificates to gain entry into their universities.
We suggest that you take time to plan and align your goals. It will help if you learn about the different qualifications.
Here are some blog posts that might be helpful to you:
Cambridge IGCSE: https://skolatis.com/what-is-igcse/
Cambridge O Level: https://skolatis.com/what-is-o-level/
Edexcel iGCSE: https://skolatis.com/what-is-edexcel-international-gcse/
We hope this helps! Good luck!
Is there any age restriction when writing the igcse exam
Hi Nathan,
There’s no age restriction to sit for the IGCSE. However, if you are a schooled candidate, the minimum age is usually 14 years old.
Let us help you prepare for the IGCSE. We have revision courses that help students score an A*. You can check them out here: https://skolatis.com/revision-courses/.
Feel free to contact us if you need any assistance.
See you around!
i cant get the past papers for any subject . i subscribed too!!
Hi Jiya,
Don’t worry! Just play our Skolatis Explorer game at https://skolatis.com/explorer/.
Collect gold coins, and we will download the past exam papers for you.
Hi!
Kindly offer some tips on descriptive and narrative writings for English as a First Language (0500).
Thank you!
Hi there,
Thank you for your writing. We’ll be glad to give you some tips. Please check them out below.
Descriptive composition tips:
1. To write a strong descriptive essay, you will need to use a wide range of vocabulary and even use imagery to engage reader interest. Unless the readers can see the picture, they will not be able to relate to the experience
2. You will need to evoke all five senses to create an environment and atmosphere and size, shape, and colour details.
3. Descriptive compositions must not become a narrative, which means character and event should not take over or be dominant.
Narrative composition tips:
1. Decide on a tense and then stick to it; do not jump between present and past. The typical narrative tense is past, and those who try to write in the present usually forget to do so after a while, so it is safer to start in the past.
2. Don’t try to do too much; you can’t cover many events and many years in one short composition. Select key moments and skip over the rest, changing the pace according to the intensity of the moment.
3. End your narrative deliberately. Stories need a conclusion, where things are either resolved or purposely left unresolved as a cliff-hanger. You must not give the impression that you just stopped writing because you ran out of time, ink or ideas.
We hope this helps!
For more detailed guidance and tips, please join our English First Language revision course at https://skolatis.com/revision-courses/.
Thank you!
How do we Study English Literature Prose and Poems for exams? IGCSE
Does anybody have tips for this subject?
Hi Aiba,
Thanks for asking. Here’s how you can prepare for the English Literature Paper 1: Prose and Poems:
1. Set texts rotate on the syllabus regularly and may change from one examination year to the next. Please make sure that you check the set text list for the year in which you will take their examinations. You may download the subject syllabus here: https://skolatis.com/cambridge-igcse-subjects-syllabuses/.
2. Read the assigned texts and take notes on them. You must learn how to interpret. Why did the poet do that? Why did the poet choose this meter? You should get examples (quotations) for all these points and write about their effects on the readers.
3. Practice with past exam papers. This can help you figure out where you stand and what you need to improve. We can help you get past exam papers here: https://skolatis.com/cambridge-igcse-past-exam-papers/.
4. Learn from the model answers. You can see how the essays are structured and how the quotations are used in an A* answer. You can check out our English Literature model answers at https://skolatis.com/exam-model-answers/.
We hope this helps! Good luck!