About English Language:
The Cambridge O Level English Language syllabus enables learners to communicate accurately, appropriately and effectively and to understand and respond appropriately and imaginatively to what they read and experience. They will employ different forms of writing to suit
a range of purposes and will show that they can understand the contentand argument of given texts.
General Comments by the Author:
Cambridge O Level English is interlinked with real English. You need to be a good writer to get an A*. You might be able to get away with an A with a bad Paper 1, but for an A*, you definitely need to be good in writing. Of course, you can’t account for stuff like writer’s block happening in the paper, that’s sheer bad luck.
O Level English Paper 1 is more driven on your writing style rather than vocabulary. Only fit in those difficult words that you know will sound right. The more you read, the better your grasp of said words. I personally read a lot of online articles which led me to a good Paper 1. My vocabulary isn’t very broad but I have read articles on news, sports etc and as such I know how to write on such issues with conviction. And yes, keep as less grammar mistakes as possible. You cannot write a good paper in a month without luck; it requires a lot of hard work on your end. There’s a general misconception that for English you don’t need to study anything, but the inverse is true; you need to study/read a lot of things to master the language. You must speak a language if you want to be in good in it. Regarding what to read, either follow my tip (read articles on politics, sports, reviews, whatever you like) or go to books (more preferred). The more you read, the more you will write (in school or home), the more practice you will have and the better it will be. That’s just how languages work. However, it isn’t that it is tough. The percentile for this subject is low.
Regarding the word limits, don’t worry about them. I, personally, wrote a 900+ words narrative and secured an A*. It’s good to stick to the word limit, but if you exceed the limit then don’t worry at all as it won’t pose any problems. However, you must keep track of time when writing lengthy scripts!
Also, keep a look out on formats and styles (the formats for different directed writings are discussed in their respective sections. Click here to move to the list of directed writings).But remember, formats are just for presentation, which to some extent should not be totally ignored. So yes follow the formats, but don’t stress over them, rather concentrate on the content and language skills shown by your piece of writing.
Do not the count the words!
The word limit is given for just a rough estimate of how long your composition should be. You never need to count. Its just wastage of time. But, for summary writing in paper 2, you must take care of words.
Now moving to English Paper 2. This paper has a lot of free time available so you can easily revise and think the best solution. You need some practice, but it’s only those 5 word meanings that can catch you out. Recent comprehensions (solve them here) aren’t very difficult. Do answer the first question in your head, whether you can analyze the passage and answer. If you can’t, I recommend googling on tips on how to read critically and applying them. This wasn’t a problem for me so I can’t really help you here (all I would say would be rehashing stuff on Google).
Following are tricks, tips and notes for English Language Syllabus:
- Letters (Formal)
- Letters (Informal)
- Speech Writing
- Report Writing
- Account Writing
- Articles (News Paper articles)