Cambridge IGCSE English - Literature in English 0475 — 2021 May/June Paper 4 · Variant 3
0475/43/M/J/21 · 25 marks · ≈28 min
The question paper and its mark scheme, free to read here and free to download. This is Cambridge’s own paper, exactly as it was sat.
Question paper8 pages








Mark scheme6 pages
Answers below. Sit the paper first if you are practising.






Paper as text
Question paper, page 1
This document has 8 pages. Any blank pages are indicated. Cambridge IGCSE™ LITERATURE IN ENGLISH 0475/43 Paper 4 Unseen May/June 2021 1 hour 15 minutes You must answer on the enclosed answer booklet. You will need: Answer booklet (enclosed) INSTRUCTIONS ● Answer one question: either Question 1 or Question 2. ● Follow the instructions on the front cover of the answer booklet. If you need additional answer paper, ask the invigilator for a continuation booklet. INFORMATION ● The total mark for this paper is 25. ● All questions are worth equal marks. * 3 2 9 2 2 6 9 0 7 5 * DC (RCL/DF) 200652/1 © UCLES 2021 [Turn over
Question paper, page 2
2 0475/43/M/J/21 © UCLES 2021 You are advised to spend about 20 minutes reading the question paper and planning your answer. Answer either Question 1 or Question 2. EITHER 1 Read carefully the poem on the opposite page. The poet describes rainfall in Spring. How does the poet vividly convey her enjoyment of the rain? To help you answer this question, you might consider: • how the poet describes the beginning of the rainfall • the impact of rain on the senses • how she conveys the effects of the rain.
Question paper, page 3
3 0475/43/M/J/21 © UCLES 2021 [Turn over Privacy of rain Rain. A plump splash on tense, bare skin. Rain. All the May leaves run upward, shaking. Rain. A first touch at the nape of the neck. Sharp drops kick the dust, white downpours shudder like curtains, rinsing tight hairdos1 to innocence. I love the privacy of rain, the way it makes things happen on verandahs, under canopies or in the shelter of trees as a door slams and a girl runs out into the black-wet leaves. By the brick wall an iris 2 sucks up the rain like intricate food, its tongue sherbetty 3, furred. Rain. All the May leaves run upward, shaking. On the street, bud-silt 4 covers the windscreens. 1 hairdos: hairstyles 2 iris: a flower 3 sherbetty : like a powdered sweet 4 bud silt : tree debris
Question paper, page 4
4 0475/43/M/J/21 © UCLES 2021 OR 2 Read carefully the following extract from the opening to a novel. The main character, Dorrigo Evans, is reflecting on a series of childhood memories. How does the writer make this such an intriguing opening to the novel? To help you answer this question, you might consider: • how the writer vividly portrays Dorrigo’s earliest memory in the church hall • Dorrigo’s memories of Jackie Maguire and Tom • Dorrigo’s reflections on the ways in which men express their feelings.
Question paper, page 5
5 0475/43/M/J/21 © UCLES 2021 Why at the beginning of things is there always light? Dorrigo Evans’ earliest memories were of sun flooding a church hall in which he sat with his mother and grandmother. A wooden church hall. Blinding light and him toddling back and forth, in and out of its transcendent welcome, into the arms of women. Women who loved him. Like entering the sea and returning to the beach. Over and over. Bless you, his mother says as she holds him and lets him go. Bless you, boy. That must have been 1915 or 1916. He would have been one or two. Shadows came later in the form of a forearm rising up, its black outline leaping in the greasy light of a kerosene lantern. Jackie Maguire was sitting in the Evanses’ small dark kitchen, crying. No one cried then, except babies. Jackie Maguire was an old man, maybe forty, perhaps older, and he was trying to brush the tears away from his pockmarked face with the back of his hand. Or was it with his fingers? Only his crying was in Dorrigo Evans’ memory fixed. It was a sound like something breaking. Its slowing rhythm reminded him of a rabbit’s hind legs thumping the ground as it is strangled by a snare, the only sound he had ever heard that was similar. He was nine, had come inside to have his mother look at a blood blister on his thumb, and had little else to compare it to. He had seen a grown man cry only once before, a scene of astonishment when his brother Tom returned from the Great War 1 in France and got off the train. He had swung his kitbag onto the hot dust of the siding and abruptly burst into tears. Watching his brother, Dorrigo Evans had wondered what it was that would make a grown man cry. Later, crying became simply affirmation of feeling, and feeling the only compass in life. Feeling became fashionable and emotion became a theatre in which people were players who no longer knew who they were off the stage. Dorrigo Evans would live long enough to see all these changes. And he would remember a time when people were ashamed of crying. When they feared the weakness it bespoke. The trouble to which it led. He would live to see people praised for things that were not worthy of praise, simply because truth was seen to be bad for their feelings. That night Tom came home they burnt the Kaiser 2 on a bonfire. Tom said nothing of the war, of the Germans, of the gas and the tanks and the trenches they had heard about. He said nothing at all. One man’s feeling is not always equal to all life is. Sometimes it’s not equal to anything much at all. He just stared into the flames. 1 Great War : First World War 1914–18 2 Kaiser : The German Emperor
Question paper, page 6
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Question paper, page 8
8 0475/43/M/J/21 © UCLES 2021 Permission to reproduce items where third-party owned material protected by copyright is included has been sought and cleared where possible. Every reasonable effort has been made by the publisher (UCLES) to trace copyright holders, but if any items requiring clearance have unwittingly been included, the publisher will be pleased to make amends at the earliest possible opportunity. To avoid the issue of disclosure of answer-related information to candidates, all copyright acknowledgements are reproduced online in the Cambridge Assessment International Education Copyright Acknowledgements Booklet. This is produced for each series of examinations and is freely available to download at www.cambridgeinternational.org after the live examination series. Cambridge Assessment International Education is part of the Cambridge Assessment Group. Cambridge Assessment is the brand name of the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES), which itself is a department of the University of Cambridge. BLANK PAGE
Mark scheme, page 1
This document consists of 6 printed pages. © UCLES 2021 [Turn over Cambridge IGCSE™ LITERATURE IN ENGLISH 0475/43 Paper 4 Unseen 43 May/June 2021 MARK SCHEME Maximum Mark: 25 Published This mark scheme is published as an aid to teachers and candidates, to indicate the requirements of the examination. It shows the basis on which Examiners were instructed to award marks. It does not indicate the details of the discussions that took place at an Examiners’ meeting before marking began, which would have considered the acceptability of alternative answers. Mark schemes should be read in conjunction with the question paper and the Principal Examiner Report for Teachers. Cambridge International will not enter into discussions about these mark schemes. Cambridge International is publishing the mark schemes for the May/June 2021 series for most Cambridge IGCSE™, Cambridge International A and AS Level components and some Cambridge O Level components.
Mark scheme, page 2
0475/43 Cambridge IGCSE – Mark Scheme PUBLISHED May/June 2021 © UCLES 2021 Page 2 of 6 Generic Marking Principles These general marking principles must be applied by all examiners when marking candidate answers. They should be applied alongside the specific content of the mark scheme or generic level descriptors for a question. Each question paper and mark scheme will also comply with these marking principles. GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 1: Marks must be awarded in line with: • the specific content of the mark scheme or the generic level descriptors for the question • the specific skills defined in the mark scheme or in the generic level descriptors for the question • the standard of response required by a candidate as exemplified by the standardisation scripts. GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 2: Marks awarded are always whole marks (not half marks, or other fractions). GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 3: Marks must be awarded positively: • marks are awarded for correct/valid answers, as defined in the mark scheme. However, credit is given for valid answers which go beyond the scope of the syllabus and mark scheme, referring to your Team Leader as appropriate • marks are awarded when candidates clearly demonstrate what they know and can do • marks are not deducted for errors • marks are not deducted for omissions • answers should only be judged on the quality of spelling, punctuation and grammar when these features are specifically assessed by the question as indicated by the mark scheme. The meaning, however, should be unambiguous. GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 4: Rules must be applied consistently, e.g. in situations where candidates have not followed instructions or in the application of generic level descriptors. GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 5: Marks should be awarded using the full range of marks defined in the mark scheme for the question (however; the use of the full mark range may be limited according to the quality of the candidate responses seen). GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 6: Marks awarded are based solely on the requirements as defined in the mark scheme. Marks should not be awarded with grade thresholds or grade descriptors in mind.
Mark scheme, page 3
0475/43 Cambridge IGCSE – Mark Scheme PUBLISHED May/June 2021 © UCLES 2021 Page 3 of 6 English & Media subject specific general marking principles (To be read in conjunction with the Generic Marking Principles (and requiring further guidance on how to place marks within levels)) Components using level descriptors: • We use level descriptors as a guide to broad understanding of the qualities normally expected of, or typical of, work in a level. • Level descriptors are a means of general guidance, and should not be interpreted as hurdle statements. • Where indicative content notes are supplied for a question, these are not a prescription of required content, and must not be treated as such. Alternative correct points and unexpected answers in candidates’ scripts must be given marks that fairly reflect the knowledge and skills demonstrated. • While we may have legitimate expectations as to the ground most answers may occupy, we must at all times be prepared to meet candidates on their chosen ground, provided it is relevant ground (e.g. clearly related to and derived from a relevant passage/text and meeting the mark scheme requirements for the question). Components using point-based marking: Point marking is often used to reward knowledge, understanding and application of skills. We give credit where the candidate’s answer shows relevant knowledge, understanding and application of skills in answering the question. We do not give credit where the answer shows confusion. From this it follows that we: a DO credit answers which are worded differently from the mark scheme if they clearly convey the same meaning (unless the mark scheme requires a specific term). b DO credit alternative answers/examples which are not written in the mark scheme if they are correct. c DO credit answers where candidates give more than one correct answer in one prompt/numbered/scaffolded space where extended writing is required rather than list-type answers. For example, questions that require n reasons (e.g. State two reasons…). d DO NOT credit answers simply for using a ‘key term’ unless that is all that is required. (Check for evidence it is understood and not used wrongly.). e DO NOT credit answers which are obviously self-contradicting or trying to cover all possibilities. f DO NOT give further credit for what is effectively repetition of a correct point already credited unless the language itself is being tested. This applies equally to ‘mirror statements’ (i.e. polluted/not polluted). g DO NOT require spellings to be correct, unless this is part of the test. However spellings of syllabus terms must allow for clear and unambiguous separation from other syllabus terms with which they may be confused (e.g. Corrasion/Corrosion).
Mark scheme, page 4
0475/43 Cambridge IGCSE – Mark Scheme PUBLISHED May/June 2021 © UCLES 2021 Page 4 of 6 Assessment Objectives The Assessment Objectives are evenly weighted across each question. The assessment objectives for the paper are: AO1 show detailed knowledge of the content of literary texts, supported by reference to the text AO2 understand the meanings of literary texts and their contexts, and explore texts beyond surface meaning to show deeper awareness of ideas and attitudes AO3 recognise and appreciate ways in which writers use language, structure, and form to create and shape meanings and effects AO4 communicate a sensitive and informed personal response The Band Descriptors cover marks from 0 to 25, and apply to the marking of each question. They guide examiners to an understanding of the qualities normally expected of, or typical of, work in a band. They are a means of general guidance, and must not be interpreted as hurdle statements. For the purposes of standardisation of marking, they are to be used in conjunction with the Practice and Standardisation scripts discussed during the coordination meeting and with Team Leaders, as well as the question-specific notes. The supplementary notes for each question are related to the assessment objectives above. Because of the nature of the subject, they are for general guidance; they are not designed as prescriptions of required content and must not be treated as such. The syllabus aims at encouraging candidates to make some personal response to their reading. Whilst there are legitimate expectations of the content of most answers, examiners may see responses that include ideas not covered in the supplementary guidance. For these cases, examiners should credit valid responses fairly and not penalise candidates for including valid points outside the mark scheme.
Mark scheme, page 5
0475/43 Cambridge IGCSE – Mark Scheme PUBLISHED May/June 2021 © UCLES 2021 Page 5 of 6 BAND DESCRIPTOR TABLE Band 8 25 24 23 • demonstrates knowledge by incorporating well-selected reference to the text skilfully and with flair (AO1) • sustains a critical understanding of the text showing individuality and insight (AO2) • responds sensitively and in considerable detail to the way the writer achieves her/his effects (AO3) • sustains personal and evaluative engagement with task and text (AO4) Band 7 22 21 20 • demonstrates knowledge by integrating much well-selected reference to the • text (AO1) • shows a clear critical understanding of the text (AO2) • responds sensitively and in detail to the way the writer achieves her/his effects (AO3) • sustains a perceptive, convincing and relevant personal response (AO4) Band 6 19 18 17 • demonstrates knowledge by supporting with careful and relevant reference to the text (AO1) • shows a clear understanding of the text and some of its deeper implications (AO2) • makes a developed response to the way the writer achieves her/his effects (AO3) • makes a well-developed, detailed and relevant personal response (AO4) Band 5 16 15 14 • demonstrates knowledge by showing some thoroughness in the use of supporting evidence from the text (AO1) • shows understanding of the text and some of its deeper implications (AO2) • makes some response to the way the writer uses language (AO3) • makes a reasonably developed relevant personal response (AO4) Band 4 13 12 11 • demonstrates knowledge by using some supporting textual detail (AO1) • shows some understanding of meaning (AO2) • makes a little reference to the language of the text (AO3) • begins to develop a relevant personal response (AO4) Band 3 10 9 8 • demonstrates knowledge by making a little supporting reference to the text (AO1) • makes some relevant comments (AO2) • shows a basic understanding of surface meaning of the text and language (AO3) • attempts to communicate a basic personal response (AO4) Band 2 7 6 5 • demonstrates knowledge by making a little reference to the text (AO1) • makes a few straightforward comments (AO2) • shows a few signs of understanding the surface meaning of the text and language (AO3) • some evidence of simple personal response (AO4) Band 1 4 3 2 1 • demonstrates knowledge by limited textual reference (AO1) • shows some limited understanding of simple/literal meaning (AO2) • a little awareness of surface meaning of text and language (AO3) • limited attempt to respond (AO4)
Mark scheme, page 6
0475/43 Cambridge IGCSE – Mark Scheme PUBLISHED May/June 2021 © UCLES 2021 Page 6 of 6 Band 0 0 • No answer/Insufficient to meet the criteria for Band 1.
What you needed in this session
Cambridge’s own grade thresholds for 2021 May/June, Paper 4 · Variant 3. A higher threshold means an easier paper — the bar moves with how the cohort did.