• Paper 2 is the optional second exam for Cambridge IGCSE First Language English. (Paper 1 is compulsory; instead of Paper 2 you could submit a coursework portfolio — but if you're reading this, you're sitting the exam.)
• You get a question paper, an answer booklet, and an insert containing one or two reading texts.
• You must answer Question 1 (Section A — compulsory) and choose one question from Section B.
• Section A and Section B are both worth 40 marks — so split your 2 hours roughly 50/50 (about an hour each).
• Section A has two parts: 1(a) a short 5-mark evaluation question, and 1(b) a longer 35-mark directed writing task based on the insert texts.
• Section B is creative writing with no reading texts — you pick one question from a choice of four (two descriptive, two narrative).
• Marks are split across two Assessment Objectives: AO1 Reading (15 marks, tested only in Section A) and AO2 Writing (65 marks, tested across the whole paper).

The Two Sections, Side by Side

Think of Paper 2 as two completely different skills tests stitched into one exam. Section A is about working with someone else's words — reading them carefully and transforming them into a new piece of writing. Section B is about generating your own world from scratch, with nothing to lean on but your imagination and your control of language.

Section A in Detail: Question 1(a) and 1(b)

Section A is split into two connected parts that both use the same insert texts, but they ask you to do very different things with them.

Question 1(b): The Rules You Must Not Break

• Word count: 250–350 words. Going wildly over or under costs you marks — examiners notice a response that's too thin to develop ideas, or one so long it's clearly unplanned rambling.
• Format choices: speech, letter, article, or report. The question will tell you which one to use — you must match its conventions (a speech needs direct address to an audience; a letter needs a salutation and sign-off; a report needs headings; etc.)
• Content requirement: you must evaluate and develop the information from the texts — not just copy it out. Lifting sentences word-for-word from the insert earns you almost nothing; the examiner wants to see you've understood the material well enough to reshape it in your own voice.
• Register: you must write in a voice and register appropriate to the task — formal for a report to a headteacher, persuasive and rhetorical for a speech to classmates, etc.

Section B in Detail: The Four Composition Choices

Section B has no reading texts — it's a blank canvas. You choose one question from four options, split into two types:

AO2: Writing (65 marks) — The Big One

AO2 is the dominant objective on this paper because Paper 2 is, at its heart, a writing exam. It appears in every single question — both in Section A's directed writing and all of Section B. AO2 breaks down into five sub-objectives, each tagged W1–W5:

AO1: Reading (15 marks) — Section A Only

Unlike AO2, AO1 is only tested in Section A — Section B has no reading texts, so it's impossible to test reading skills there. AO1 breaks into five sub-objectives (R1–R5), and — this is worth memorising — each one maps to a specific question:

Core Numbers

Glossary

Directed writing — writing that transforms information from a given source text into a new format for a new purpose and audience (e.g. turning a newspaper article into a speech).

Insert — the separate booklet containing the one or two reading texts you're given alongside the question paper.

Register — the level of formality and the tone of language used, matched to audience and purpose (e.g. formal register for a report, conversational register for a diary entry).

Explicit meaning — something stated directly and clearly in the text — no interpretation required.

Implicit meaning — something suggested or hinted at, which the reader has to infer rather than being told outright.

Composition — a piece of original creative writing (descriptive or narrative) with no source text to work from.

AO (Assessment Objective) — an official category of skill that the exam board tests and awards marks for — this paper uses AO1 (Reading) and AO2 (Writing).

• I know Paper 2 is optional, and that Paper 1 is always compulsory.
• I know the total time (2 hrs) and total marks (80), split 65 writing / 15 reading.
• I know I must answer Question 1 AND one question from Section B.
• I understand the difference between Question 1(a) (5 marks, short evaluation) and 1(b) (35 marks, directed writing).
• I know the four possible formats for Question 1(b): speech, letter, article, report.
• I know the word count for 1(b) is 250–350 words, and I can judge that length without constantly counting.
• I understand why simply copying the insert text loses marks in 1(b).
• I know Section B has two Descriptive options and two Narrative options, and no reading texts.
• I know the Section B mark split: 16 for content/structure, 24 for style/accuracy — and what that means for my priorities.
• I can list all five AO2 Writing sub-objectives (W1–W5) in my own words.
• I can list all five AO1 Reading sub-objectives (R1–R5) and know which question each is tested in.
• I understand that R3 is tested in both 1(a) and 1(b), making it the most universally important reading skill.
• I understand that R4 (effects on the reader) is unique to Question 1(a).
• I have a time-management plan: roughly 60 minutes for Section A, 60 for Section B.