Cambridge IGCSE English - Second Language (count-in oral) 0511 — 2011 May/June Paper 1 · Variant 2
0511/12/M/J/11 · 56 marks · ≈63 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 paper16 pages
















Mark scheme7 pages
Answers below. Sit the paper first if you are practising.







Paper as text
Question paper, page 1
This document consists of 13 printed pages and 3 blank pages. IB11 06_0511_12/FP © UCLES 2011 [Turn over *7996537462* UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE INTERNATIONAL EXAMINATIONS International General Certificate of Secondary Education ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE 0511/12 Paper 1 Reading and Writing (Core) May/June 2011 1 hour 30 minutes Candidates answer on the Question Paper. No Additional Materials are required. READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST Write your Centre number, candidate number and name on all the work you hand in. Write in dark blue or black pen. Do not use staples, paper clips, highlighters, glue or correction fluid. DO NOT WRITE IN ANY BARCODES. Answer all questions. Dictionaries are not allowed. The number of marks is given in brackets [ ] at the end of each question or part question. www.XtremePapers.com
Question paper, page 2
2 © UCLES 2011 0511/12/M/J/11 Exercise 1 Read the following article about a group of office workers who ride their bicycles in Copenhagen, and then answer the questions on the opposite page. Life in the Cycle Lane Staff cyclists There are fifteen people in the office and fourteen of them regularly cycle to work. Only the Director regularly drives his car to work and keeps his bike for the weekend. Why so popular? The workers thoroughly enjoy cycling, and it is the quickest way of getting through the city. In addition, cycling is good, healthy exercise, it is cheap and excellent for carrying shopping. To top it all, cycling is very environmentally friendly. Some unusual bikes Elke, the accounts clerk, says her bike is big, black and beautiful. It is the latest model which, unlike most cycles, doesn’t need a chain. No more rattling chains for her, ever! Jan, who works in marketing, claims that a trailer is an extremely convenient way of transporting his children, aged three and five, around town. He even has an additional front wheel which can be attached to make the trailer more stable. Cycling in Copenhagen Copenhagen has always been a cyclist’s paradise. It is very flat and there are cycle lanes almost everywhere. The amount of motor traffic in Copenhagen has increased enormously within the last few years, resulting in congestion everywhere. Consequently, more and more people have decided to get on their bikes. At some traffic lights you may see as many as fifty cyclists waiting for the next green light so that they can ride over the crossroads. Parking facilities Unfortunately, there is a great shortage of bicycle parking spaces behind the office. Cyclists can spend quite a lot of time rushing around trying to find somewhere safe to leave their bikes. The Director says that it is always important to lock your bike securely; a lot of them are stolen. Office services Many people cycle to work even if this means arriving hot, sweaty and exhausted. Office staff have asked for showers to be installed in the building, but so far their request has not been accepted. Up until now, they have also been unsuccessful in their demand for separate rooms for males and females, where all of them can change into their everyday work clothes.
Question paper, page 3
3 © UCLES 2011 0511/12/M/J/11 [Turn over (a) When does the Director go cycling in Copenhagen? [1] (b) Apart from speed, what are the advantages of cycling in Copenhagen? Give two details. [1] (c) What is unusual about the design of Elke's bicycle? [1] (d) What does Jan use his trailer for? [1] (e) Why have so many people recently started cycling in the city? [1] (f) What causes cyclists to waste their time on arrival at the office? [1] [Total: 6]
Question paper, page 4
4 © UCLES 2011 0511/12/M/J/11 Exercise 2 Read the following article about a gardener who plants trees in his home town, and then answer the questions on the opposite page. We can all make a difference ! D F C B G A @ H 8 6 I G H U I J S K L Q E M N P O P O Q R N c b M a Z L Y X K W W Adam Johnson’s tree planting programme 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 0 1000 900 800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 number of trees planted actual expected ho really cares about the community? For some people, brightening up their environment or helping and supporting others is all in a day’s work. Adam Johnson is a gardener. He has always loved trees and says that his ambition is to plant a thousand trees within a period of five years. He asks us to imagine what it would be like if all the gardeners in the world were to work together: they could plant a rain forest. Adam has always been interested in the environment. As a child, he used to visit his grandfather, who grew vegetables, and that was what inspired him to love gardening. He grew up at a time when a number of children’s television programmes were encouraging young people to cultivate their gardens and recycle their rubbish. He started gardening about three years ago. To start with, he planted a tree in his own garden. Then he suddenly thought it would be a good idea to put a few more around the neighbourhood. So he started planting them in his friends’ gardens and began to look around to see if there were any local areas that would benefit from the presence of a few trees. There were, and since then he has planted trees all over the town. Adam usually plants fruit trees, apples, pears and plums, because they are the easiest trees to plant. When they produce their fruit, he says he can pick some for himself, and other people can do the same. The public parks are well looked after by the local authorities and Adam does not want to interfere with their efforts. At the moment, he is working on a hospital garden and he is always on the lookout for new places, but he no longer goes into private gardens. He has his eye on a local government compound which he would like to brighten up, but he is not sure if he will be given permission. As well as his gardening activities, Adam also does whatever paid work he can so that he can earn money to buy more trees. He lives a simple life. He grows his own vegetables and what he cannot grow himself he buys from his local co-operative food store. He likes this shop because it supports local farmers. At home, he uses a wood fire and puts the ash from it on the garden. He uses low-energy light bulbs and does not have a car or computer. If he needs to use the internet, he goes to the library as that is another way to support the community. The one thing he does own is an MP3 player because, after gardening, music is the love of his life. Adam says that when it comes to the environment, we must constantly look for solutions. “You’ve got to keep positive and give people answers. Let’s see if we can save what we can and do what we can. My ambitions are simple; I like to care for my local community and improve the environment. We can all do something towards that. We could all plant a fruit tree or a native tree. I wish I could plant more myself. But if any people in my community want to buy trees, I’ll happily plant them.”
Question paper, page 5
5 © UCLES 2011 0511/12/M/J/11 [Turn over (a) What is Adam Johnson hoping to do? [1] (b) When Adam was young, what advice did he hear on children's television? Give two details. [1] (c) After his own garden, where did Adam plant the next few trees? [1] (d) According to the graph, how many trees does Adam hope to have planted by 2012? [1] (e) Why does he particularly like to plant fruit trees? Give two details. [2] (f) Which two places is Adam now careful to avoid? [1] (g) In addition to his planting activities, why does Adam have to take paid work? [1] (h) How do we know that Adam likes music almost as much as gardening? [1] (i) What does Adam offer to do for other people to make the neighbourhood better? [1] [Total: 10]
Question paper, page 6
6 © UCLES 2011 0511/12/M/J/11 Exercise 3 Patricia Hernandez, who likes to be known as Patti, lives with her parents and older brother, Toni, at 29 Cervantes Street in the port city of Cadiz, south-west Spain. Their phone number, for those calling from abroad, is 00 956 442187. Patti will be 18 in February 2012. She will be taking her 'A' level exams next year and will leave school soon afterwards. Patti's father, Bruno, is captain of a large sea-going fishing boat. He is also an experienced sailor and owner of a 15-metre ocean-racing yacht, which he regularly enters in national and international competitions. On Patti's eighth birthday, he took her out in his yacht into Cadiz Bay and gave her her first sailing lesson. Patti proved a quick and enthusiastic learner, and during the past ten years she has been happy to accompany Bruno and Toni as a member of the crew of her father's yacht. Together, they have made many voyages around the bay and up and down the surrounding coastline. Twelve months ago, the three of them sailed all the way to Gibraltar, a distance of 250 nautical miles there and back, to attend the annual maritime festival. Patti also sails with Toni in his small yacht. In 2009, they achieved second place in the series of races for their class of boat during the national championships. They won a silver medal, competing against the best sailors from all over Spain. However, Patti's greatest ambition is to take part in an ocean race for tall ships. You can imagine her excitement when she read an advertisement in the latest monthly edition of a yachting magazine. The owner and captain of the three-masted sailing ship “Nautilus” was advertising for young people to act as his crew in the 2012 Transatlantic Race from Liverpool to New York. Bruno Hernandez has offered to pay for his daughter to fly on 8 July 2012 to Liverpool, where the race will start. Patti has obtained a form to apply for a place on one of the ships in the race. She hopes that if her application is successful, she can use the experience to win a place on the Spanish national sailing team at the 2016 Olympic Games. Imagine you are Patti. Fill in the application form on the opposite page, using the information above.
Question paper, page 7
7 © UCLES 2011 0511/12/M/J/11 [Turn over 2012 Ocean Race For Tall Ships (Liverpool to New York) Application Form for Crew Members Section A Personal Details Full name:… Home address (including country):… Telephone number: … Age (on 1 July 2012): … Section B Personal Experience Are you an experienced sailor? (delete as appropriate) Yes / No For how many years have you been sailing? (please tick one box only) 0 to 5 6 to 10 11 to 15 more than 15 not applicable Give details of any large yacht you have sailed in: … … Give details of the longest sea voyage you have made: … … Section C Start of Race (15/07/12) Name of ship you want to join: … How will you travel to Liverpool? (please circle one) car bus train plane ship Who will pay your travel costs? (please circle one) self parent employer sponsor other Expected date of arrival in Liverpool: … Section D In the space below, write one sentence describing any awards you have won for sailing, and one sentence stating what you hope to achieve after next year’s transatlantic race is over. [Total: 10]
Question paper, page 8
8 © UCLES 2011 0511/12/M/J/11 Exercise 4 Read the following article about the development of new “super robots”, and then complete the notes on the opposite page. For some time now, scientists have been promising to introduce us to a new generation of mobile robots that can do almost everything to make our lives easier. We are told that they will be able to clean our houses, do all the weekly shopping at the supermarket, successfully steer our cars through the crowded city streets and guide us effortlessly to our holiday destinations. So far, unfortunately, the promise has remained unfulfilled. This is mainly because the scientists have failed to programme their robots to distinguish between the permanent features of a typical street scene and those which are temporary and can move from place to place. Some things which are seen in a street – buildings, street lamps and so on – will always be in the same place. Other things, however, such as cars, trucks and buses, and even smaller objects, like bicycles or babies’ pushchairs, will almost certainly have been moved elsewhere. We humans have no difficulty in accepting these minor changes when we observe familiar scenes, but for robots up to now it has been a serious problem. Earlier robots became confused by these insignificant changes and were consequently unable to function properly. Recently, however, it has been reported that members of the Robotics Research Group at the University of Oxford have given their robots a new kind of visual memory which makes them much more successful. The new computer program, called Clever Map, trains the robot to recognise familiar objects as a whole and to accept the movement of some objects, such as cars, from one place to another. So when, for instance, a vehicle which the robot has formerly seen in a particular location is not in the same place again, it can dismiss the absence of the vehicle as unimportant. At the same time, the robot is no longer confused by the fact that identical features such as bricks, doors and windows may appear in different locations. The research workers first took their robot for walks around the buildings and gardens of their university college. Once the robot managed to recognise the familiar surroundings, they took it out into the streets of the city of Oxford and it successfully produced maps of the whole city centre. The next step was to put a robot in the passenger seat of a car and to test it out on a thousand kilometre journey around the countryside. This has resulted in the production of the largest robot-created maps to date. These latest “super robots” have the ability to learn the details of their surroundings and to use a set of rules in their computer programs to deal with changes. We have not yet reached a stage of development when we can employ a robot to serve all our domestic needs, but the time is now not so far distant.
Question paper, page 9
9 © UCLES 2011 0511/12/M/J/11 [Turn over Your teacher has asked you to tell your technology group about recent attempts to create a new generation of “super robots”. You need to make notes in order to prepare your talk. Make your notes under each heading. What we would like the robots to do for us • … • … • … What the latest robots have managed to do using Clever Map • … • … • … [Total: 6] Exercise 5 Imagine that you have given your talk to the technology group. Your teacher has now asked you to follow this up with a written summary to give to the other students. Look at your notes in Exercise 4 above. Using the ideas in your notes, write a summary about robots. Your summary should be no more than 70 words. You should use your own words as far as possible. [Total: 4]
Question paper, page 10
10 © UCLES 2011 0511/12/M/J/11 Exercise 6 A friend is coming to your country for the first time and will be arriving just before a national celebration. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter you should: • describe what the celebration is; • outline what you and your family do on the day of the celebration; • explain what your friend may find particularly interesting. Any one of the pictures above may give you some ideas, but you are free to use any ideas of your own. Your letter should be between 100 and 150 words long. Do not write an address. You will receive up to 5 marks for the content of your letter, and up to 5 marks for the style and accuracy of your language.
Question paper, page 11
11 © UCLES 2011 0511/12/M/J/11 [Turn over [Total: 10]
Question paper, page 12
12 © UCLES 2011 0511/12/M/J/11 Exercise 7 Your Principal has suggested that all books should be removed from the school library and replaced by a larger suite of computers. He has asked for students’ opinions to be published in the school magazine. Here are some comments from your friends on the subject: Write an article for your school magazine stating your views. Your article should be between 100 and 150 words long. The comments above may give you some ideas but you are free to use any ideas of your own. You will receive up to 5 marks for the content of your article, and up to 5 marks for the style and accuracy of your language. "Books are boring. Surfing the net is easier and more fun." “You can find all kinds of varied information on the internet. A book is restricted to a single subject.” "I really like to hold a book in my hands and turn to the page I want." "Reading a book is much more rewarding and enjoyable."
Question paper, page 13
13 © UCLES 2011 0510/12/M/J/11 [Total: 10]
Question paper, page 14
14 © UCLES 2011 0511/12/M/J/11 BLANK PAGE
Question paper, page 15
15 © UCLES 2011 0511/12/M/J/11 BLANK PAGE
Question paper, page 16
16 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. University of Cambridge International Examinations is part of the Cambridge Assessment Group. Cambridge Assessment is the brand name of University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES), which is itself a department of the University of Cambridge. © UCLES 2011 0511/12/M/J/11 BLANK PAGE
Mark scheme, page 1
UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE INTERNATIONAL EXAMINATIONS International General Certificate of Secondary Education MARK SCHEME for the May/June 2011 question paper for the guidance of teachers 0511 ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE 0511/12 Paper 1 (Reading and Writing – Core), maximum raw mark 56 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 must be read in conjunction with the question papers and the report on the examination. • Cambridge will not enter into discussions or correspondence in connection with these mark schemes. Cambridge is publishing the mark schemes for the May/June 2011 question papers for most IGCSE, GCE Advanced Level and Advanced Subsidiary Level syllabuses and some Ordinary Level syllabuses. www.XtremePapers.com
Mark scheme, page 2
Page 2 Mark Scheme: Teachers’ version Syllabus Paper IGCSE – May/June 2011 0511 12 © University of Cambridge International Examinations 2011 Exercise 1 Life in the Cycle Lane (a) (at the) weekend(s) [1] (b) (good healthy) exercise/cheap/good for carrying shopping/environmentally friendly/convenient for transporting children/flat/cycle lanes ANY TWO FOR 1 MARK [1] (c) (it has) no chain [1] (d) transporting (his) children (around town) [1] (e) increase in traffic/congestion [1] do not accept ‘quicker’ on its own (f) looking for (safe) place to leave bike/need to find (secure) parking space/the shortage of (bicycle) parking spaces [1] [Total: 6] Exercise 2 We can all make a difference (a) plant 1000 trees in (a period of) five years [1] (b) cultivate gardens/gardening recycle (rubbish) BOTH NEEDED FOR ONE MARK [1] (c) (in his) friends' garden(s)/around the neighbourhood [1] accept ‘local areas’ but do not accept ‘all over the town’ (d) 700 [1] (e) (fruit trees/they are) easy to plant/easiest to plant he/other people can pick the fruit ONE MARK EACH DETAIL [2] (f) (public) parks AND private gardens BOTH NEEDED FOR ONE MARK [1] do not accept ‘local government compound’ or ‘hospital garden’ (g) to buy (more) trees [1]
Mark scheme, page 3
Page 3 Mark Scheme: Teachers’ version Syllabus Paper IGCSE – May/June 2011 0511 12 © University of Cambridge International Examinations 2011 (h) he has an MP3 player/after gardening music is the love of his life [1] (i) plant their trees/plant trees they buy [1] [Total: 10] Exercise 3 2012 Ocean Race for Tall Ships (Liverpool to New York) Application Form for Crew Members Note: correct spelling is essential throughout the form-filling exercise. Upper case letters required at the start of proper nouns. The conventions of form-filling (i.e. instructions to tick, circle, delete) must be observed with total accuracy. Section A: Personal Details Full name: Patricia / Patti Hernandez Home address (including country): 29 Cervantes Street, Cadiz, Spain Telephone number: 00 956 442187 Age (on 1 July 2012): 18 Section B: Personal Experience Are you an experienced sailor? (delete as appropriate) DELETE No For how many years have you been sailing? (please tick one box only) TICK 6 to 10 Give details of any large yacht you have sailed in: 15 metre / ocean-racing (yacht) ACCEPT EITHER DETAIL Give details of the longest sea voyage you have made: (12 months ago I / we) sailed to Gibraltar / sailed a distance of 250 nautical miles Section C: Start of Race (15/07/12) Name of ship you want to join: Nautilus How will you travel to Liverpool? (please circle one) CIRCLE plane Who will pay your travel costs? (please circle one) CIRCLE parent Expected date of arrival in Liverpool: 8 July 2012 / 08/07/12 Max. total for Sections A, B and C: 6 marks
Mark scheme, page 4
Page 4 Mark Scheme: Teachers’ version Syllabus Paper IGCSE – May/June 2011 0511 12 © University of Cambridge International Examinations 2011 Section D Max. total for Section D: 4 marks Sentence 1 and 2 must be written in the first person. Sentence 1: it is expected that the candidate will write a sentence explaining that (together with her brother) she won a silver medal/came second (in their class) in the Spanish national sailing championships (in 2009). Sentence 2: it is expected that the candidate will write a sentence stating her ambition to win a place in the Spanish/national sailing team at the (2016) Olympic Games. For each sentence, award up to 2 marks as follows: 2 marks: proper sentence construction; correct spelling, punctuation and grammar; gives the information asked for 1 mark: proper sentence construction; 1–3 errors of punctuation/spelling/grammar (without obscuring meaning); gives the information asked for 0 marks: more than 3 errors of punctuation/spelling/grammar; and/or does not give the information asked for; and/or not a proper sentence; and/or meaning obscure Absence of a full stop at the end should be considered as 1 punctuation error. Absence of an upper case letter at the beginning should be considered as 1 punctuation error. [Total: 10]
Mark scheme, page 5
Page 5 Mark Scheme: Teachers’ version Syllabus Paper IGCSE – May/June 2011 0511 12 © University of Cambridge International Examinations 2011 Exercise 4 Where am I, Robot? Correct responses only apply if they are placed under the correct sub-heading (as detailed below). Add the correct answers to give a total out of 6. Remember that this exercise is marked for content (reading), not language. What we would like the robots to do for us (max. 3 marks this section) • clean (our) house(s) • do (weekly supermarket) shopping • steer (our) cars/drive (our) cars • guide us to (our) holiday destinations What the latest robots have managed to do using Clever Map (max. 3 marks this section) • recognise familiar object(s) (as a whole) • accept the movement of object(s)/can dismiss the absence of vehicles OR objects (as unimportant) • no longer confused that identical features (of an object may) appear in different locations • produce maps (of the city centre/of the countryside) • learn details of surroundings • use set of rules to deal with changes [Total: 6] Exercise 5 Where am I, Robot? Summary This exercise is marked for language, not content, but if content is entirely irrelevant to the task, a mark of zero should be awarded. Count words and do not mark anything exceeding 70 words, as specified in the question. Candidates will not be assessed on anything they have written after this limit, but will not be penalised per se for exceeding it. 0 marks: meaning obscure because of density of language errors and serious problems with expression/nothing of relevance 1 mark: expression weak/reliance on lifting from the passage 2 marks: expression limited/reliance on copying out the notes, but some sense of order 3 marks: expression good, with attempts to group and sequence ideas in own words 4 marks: expression very good: clear, orderly grouping and sequencing, largely own words [Total: 4]
Mark scheme, page 6
Page 6 Mark Scheme: Teachers’ version Syllabus Paper IGCSE – May/June 2011 0511 12 © University of Cambridge International Examinations 2011 Exercise 6 National Celebration Exercise 7 Computers to replace books The following general instructions, and table of marking criteria, apply to both exercises. • Award the answer a mark for content (C) [out of 5] and a mark for language (L) [out of 5] in accordance with the General Criteria table that follows. • Content covers relevance (i.e. whether the piece fulfils the task and the awareness of purpose/ audience/register) and the development of ideas (i.e. the detail/explanation provided and how enjoyable it is to read). • Language covers style (i.e. complexity of vocabulary and sentence structure) and accuracy (of grammar, spelling, punctuation and use of paragraphs). • When deciding on a mark for content or language, first of all decide which mark band is most appropriate. There will not necessarily be an exact fit. Then decide between 2 marks within that mark band. Use the lower mark if it only just makes it into the band and the upper mark if it fulfils all the requirements of the band but doesn’t quite make it into the band above. • When deciding on a mark for content, look at both relevance and development of ideas. First ask yourself whether the writing fulfils the task, in terms of points to be covered and the length. If it does, it will be in the 4–5 mark band. • When deciding on a mark for language, look at both the style and the accuracy of the language. A useful starting point would be first to determine whether errors intrude. If they do not, it will be in the 4–5 mark band. • The use of paragraphs should not be the primary basis of deciding which mark band the work is in. Look first at the language used and once you have decided on the appropriate mark band, you can use the paragraphing as a factor in helping you to decide whether the work warrants the upper or lower mark in the mark band. • If the essay is considerably shorter than the stated word length, it should be put in mark band 2–3 for content or lower for not fulfilling the task. • If the essay is totally irrelevant and has nothing to do with the question asked, it should be given 0 marks for Content and Language, even if it is enjoyable to read and fluent. • If the essay is partly relevant and therefore in mark band 2–3, the full range of marks for language is available. [Total Exercise 6: 10] [Total Exercise 7: 10]
Mark scheme, page 7
Page 7 Mark Scheme: Teachers’ version Syllabus Paper IGCSE – May/June 2011 0511 12 © University of Cambridge International Examinations 2011 GENERAL CRITERIA FOR MARKING EXERCISES 6 and 7 (CORE TIER) Mark band CONTENT: relevance and development of ideas (AO: W1, W2, W6) Mark band LANGUAGE: style and accuracy (AO: W1, W3, W4, W5) 4–5 Satisfactory: • Relevance: Fulfils the task, with reasonable attempt at appropriate register, and some sense of purpose and audience. A satisfactory attempt has been made to address the topic, but there may be digressions. • Development of ideas: Material is satisfactorily developed at appropriate length. 4–5 Safe: • Style: Mainly simple structures and vocabulary, sometimes attempting more sophisticated language. • Accuracy: Meaning is clear, and work is of a safe, literate standard. Simple structures are generally sound, apart from infrequent spelling errors, which do not interfere with communication. Grammatical errors occur when more sophistication is attempted. Paragraphs are used but without coherence or unity. 2–3 Partly relevant: • Relevance: Partly relevant and some engagement with the task. Does not quite fulfil the task, although there are some positive qualities. Inappropriate register, showing insufficient awareness of purpose and/or audience. • Development of ideas: Supplies some detail and explanation, but the effect is incomplete. Some repetition. 2–3 Errors intrude: • Style: Simple structures and vocabulary. • Accuracy: Meaning is sometimes in doubt. Frequent, distracting errors hamper precision and slow down reading. However, these do not seriously impair communication. Paragraphs absent or inconsistent. 0–1 Little relevance: • Limited engagement with task, but this is mostly hidden by density of error. Award 1 mark. • No engagement with the task, or any engagement with task is completely hidden by density of error. Award 0 marks. If essay is completely irrelevant, no mark can be given for language. 0–1 Hard to understand: • Multiple types of error in grammar/ spelling/word usage/punctuation throughout, which mostly make it difficult to understand. Occasionally, sense can be deciphered. Paragraphs absent or inconsistent. Award 1 mark. • Density of error completely obscures meaning. Whole sections impossible to recognise as pieces of English writing. Paragraphs absent or inconsistent. Award 0 marks.
What you needed in this session
Cambridge’s own grade thresholds for 2011 May/June, Paper 1 · Variant 2. A higher threshold means an easier paper — the bar moves with how the cohort did.