Cambridge IGCSE First Language English

Cambridge IGCSE
First Language English
Coursebook, Third edition
Marian Cox
978 0521 74359 4 Cox: IGCSE First Language English Coursebook Cover. C M Y K

Marian Cox
Cambridge IGCSE First Language English,
Third edition brings a fresh, modern look and
up-to-date content matching the specifications
Cambridge IGCSE
of the University of Cambridge International

First
Examinations (CIE) First Language English course
(0500). The series is written by a senior examiner
and team leader for this syllabus, and is endorsed
by CIE, ensuring that it is tailored to exam
board requirements.
The Coursebook content has been revised, and
features a new, attractive and student-friendly
design. A complementary, up-dated Workbook and
a Teacher’s Resource Book with CD-ROM, by the
same well-known and respected author, are also
available.
Language

Coursebook Third edition

English
The Coursebook contains:
• comprehensive coverage of the CIE syllabus
• four themed sections selected for their relevance
to students worldwide
• discrete units within each section based on the
specific skill areas of the syllabus: Reading,
Directed Writing, Composition, Speaking and
Listening
• clear, practical support for students
• language accessible to students of a wide range
of abilities
Coursebook
• progression of skills development through
imaginative exercises Third edition
• a diverse range of topical stimulus material to
enliven the subject
• tasks to test students’ understanding and for
further practice at the end of each unit
• exam tips that build confidence and help develop
the skills needed for students to fulfil their
potential in the examinations

Cox
• a glossary of key terms.

Other titles available for

Cambridge IGCSE First Language English:
Workbook ISBN 978-0-521-74362-4
Teacher’s Resource Book ISBN 978-0-521-74369-3
with CD-ROM

Endorsed by Endorsed by
University of Cambridge University of Cambridge
International Examinations International Examinations
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Marian Cox
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Contents
Introduction to the third edition v
Objectives of the examination vi
Components of the examination vii

Part 1 Leisure: sport, travel, pastimes

Unit 1: Reading: skimming and scanning, selecting points for
summary, making notes using your own words, looking
at writers’ language choices 1
Unit 2: Directed Writing: diaries, formal and informal letters,
considering audience, choosing a style 9
Unit 3: Composition: planning continuous writing, descriptive
writing, adjectives and imagery 18
Unit 4: Speaking and Listening: preparing a talk, conversation
skills 27

Part 2 Work: information, education,

employment
Unit 5: Reading: understanding, selecting and organising
material for summary questions 34
Unit 6: Directed Writing: presenting and transforming
information, news reports, formal reports 43
Unit 7: Composition: giving an account, organising
information 55
Unit 8: Speaking and Listening: role-play dialogues, preparing
an interview 63

Part 3 People: society, lifestyles,

relationships
Unit 9: Reading: expanding notes, sentence structure,
vocabulary building, summary style, collating texts,
looking at how writers achieve effects 71

Contents iii

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Unit 10: Directed Writing: persuasive devices, analysing

techniques, writing publicity material, drawing
inferences, writing in role, targeting an audience 82
Unit 11: Composition: composing narratives, engaging the
reader, dialogue punctuation 93
Unit 12: Speaking and Listening: paired and group discussion,
facts versus opinions 104

Part 4 Ideas: art, science, technology

Unit 13: Reading: collating texts, analysing style, vocabulary
building, advanced punctuation 113
Unit 14: Directed Writing: expressing and supporting a view,
collating and ordering information, reports and
articles 114
Unit 15: Composition: making a case, constructing an
argument, presenting a discussion, rhetorical devices,
improving spelling 133
Unit 16: Speaking and Listening: defending opinions,
delivering a speech 142
List of terms 150
Acknowledgements 151

iv Contents

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Part
1 Leisure:
sport, travel, pastimes
This unit focuses Unit 1: Reading
on reading for gist
and for specific 1 You are going to read a passage about an island. To get you in the mood,
information, and on with your partner jot down words associated with islands. Create a spider
diagram, with islands as the central ‘body’ and associated ideas (e.g.
the selection of key tropical, remote, coconuts) as the ‘legs’.
points for summary,
and on writers’ 2 Looking at your spider diagram, think about possible answers to the
following questions:
choice of language.
a Which islands or types of island are you imagining?
b Why are islands generally considered attractive?
c What are the disadvantages of living on or being on an island?

3 Skim-read the passage on page 2, written by a travel writer about the

island of Corsica.

EXAM TIP
Time is allowed for you to read exam texts twice. First, skim the text to get
the gist (the main ideas and features). Second, scan for specific information to
answer the question. On Paper 2 you are expected to spend 15 minutes reading
the two passages of 600–700 words each, linked by a common theme. The first
passage will contain description. You are advised to answer Questions 1 and 2
before reading the second passage, which relates to Question 3 only.

Unit 1 Reading 1

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A circuit of Corsica
C
orsica is France, but it is not French. It is a
mountain range moored like a great ship with a
cargo of crags a hundred miles off the Riviera. In
its three climates it combines the high Alps, the ruggedness
of North Africa, and the choicest landscapes of Italy, but
most dramatic are the peaks, which are never out of view
and show in the upheaval of rock a culture that is violent and
heroic. The landscape is just weird enough to be beautiful
and too large to be pretty. On the west are cliffs which drop straight and red into the sea; on the south
there is a true fjord; on the east a long, flat, and formerly malarial coast with the island’s only straight
road; on the north a populous cape; and in the centre the gothic steeples of mountains, fringed by forests
where wild boar are hunted.
There are sandy beaches, pebbly beaches, boulder-strewn beaches; beaches with enormous waves
breaking over them and beaches that are little more than mud flats; beaches with hotels and beaches that
have never known the taint of a tourist’s footprint. There are five-star hotels and hotels that are unfit for
human habitation.
A car seems a necessity, but cars are easy to hire, and, driving, one discovers how small Corsica is,
how much can be seen in a week. All the roads are dangerous; many are simply the last mile to an early
grave. ‘There are no bad drivers in Corsica,’ a Corsican told me. ‘All the bad drivers die very quickly.’ But
he was wrong – I saw many and I still have damp palms to prove it. I had decided to make a circuit of
Corsica, to rent a car and drive slowly around the edge of the island, then pause and make my way over
the mountains, from Moriani-Plage via Corte to Île Rousse, arriving where I had begun, in Ajaccio, the
capital city.
Two decades ago the island was dying economically, but the arrival of ex-colonials from Algeria
brought mechanised wine-making methods and the growing of mandarin oranges to Corsica. And now
there is a degree of prosperity in Corsica’s agriculture, with the export of cheap wine. The good wine –
and it is not the plonk the mainlanders say it is – is drunk locally. The Corsican table wine that is exported
is little more than red ink.
The Corsicans have a reputation for being unfriendly. They certainly look gloomy, and their character
is incontestably sullen; but they are not smug or critical, they can be helpful, and they seem genuinely
interested in strangers. ‘Simple in manner and thoroughly obliging,’ wrote the English poet Edward Lear,
‘anxious to please the traveller, yet free from compliment and servility.’ One old woman in the market at
Île Rousse told me in pidgin Italian that she thought Americans were ‘sweet’. It is not a sentiment I have
heard expressed anywhere else in Europe.
fjord long, narrow, rock-bound inlet

Adapted from Paul Theroux, 4 Without looking at the passage, answer the following general questions.
‘A circuit of Corsica’, Atlantic
Compare your answers with your partner’s.
Monthly, November 1978.
a What is the most noticeable feature of the scenery?
b Where can tourists spend their time?
c What is the main means of transport?
d What is the basis of the Corsican economy?
e How do the locals appear to visitors?

5 Now scan the passage and find the single word in each paragraph which
could be used as a heading for that paragraph. Are your choices the same
as your partner’s?

2 Part 1 Leisure

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EXAM TIP
A summary is a reduced version of a text and its aim is informative. When you
write a summary of a passage, you need to identify the key words in the text
(single words or phrases which tell you what each part of the text is about). It is
useful to have two highlighters, in different colours, with you in the exam so that
you can select different kinds of summary material for the two-part question.

6 Skim-read the passage below and decide where it should be divided into
paragraphs.


 
W ith its majestic Table Mountain backdrop, Cape Town is
one of the most beautiful cities in the world. A harmonious
blend of architectural styles reflects the tastes of the past as
well as today’s more functional requirements. Between the high-
rise office blocks, Edwardian and Victorian buildings have been
meticulously preserved, and many outstanding examples of Cape
Dutch architecture are found. Narrow, cobblestone streets and the
strongly Islamic presence of the Bo-Kaap enhance the cosmopolitan
ambiance of the city. Cape Town’s shopping options invite you to
endlessly browse. Elegant malls such as the Victoria Wharf at the
V & A Waterfront, antique shops, craft markets, flea markets and art galleries abound. Specialist boutiques
offer an enticing array of unusual items not readily obtainable elsewhere. One of Cape Town’s biggest tourist
attractions, the Waterfront, evokes images of the early activities of the harbour. Much of its charm lies in
the fact that this busy commercial harbour is set in the midst of a huge entertainment venue with pubs,
restaurants, shops, craft markets, theatres and movies. Table Mountain is undeniably the biggest tourist
attraction in South Africa, drawing local holidaymakers as well as tourists from the four corners of the globe.
The summit can be reached by trails or cable-car, but mountaineers do it the hard way. On a clear day, the
spectacular views from the summit (1,086 metres above sea level) stretch across the mountainous spine of
the Cape Peninsula and beyond Table Bay and Robben Island. Robben Island, which lies about 11 kilometres
north of Cape Town, has over the years become synonymous with the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa.
It was here that activists such as Nelson Mandela and Walter Sisulu, among many others, were imprisoned
because of their opposition to apartheid. The historical importance of Robben Island (meaning ‘Seal Island’)
can be gauged by its designation as a cultural heritage site. Stretching away from Table Bay Harbour, the
Atlantic seafront features virgin beaches along undeveloped frontages to the north, and densely populated
Sea Point to the south, leading on to the Clifton, Camps Bay and Llandudno beauty spots, among others. The
western coastline is characterised by rocky outcrops and beautiful beaches. Major national and international
windsurfing competitions are held at Bloubergstrand. Seal watching is an amusing diversion. Boat trips around
the harbour and along the coast are always popular.

Adapted from
www.sa-venues.com
EXAM TIP
A paragraph is a logical way of dividing text into topic areas. Paragraphs group
similar information together, and a break between paragraphs shows a change of
idea, time or place. As well as being necessary for structuring text, paragraphs are
a courtesy to the reader.

Unit 1 Reading 3

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7 How many paragraphs did you make? Compare and discuss with your
partner why you would put breaks in the places you chose.

8 Scan the passage and, for each of the paragraphs, think of a heading to
indicate its topic, as if for a tourist brochure. This time, instead of using
words from the passage, try to think of synonyms (words or phrases with
the same meaning).

EXAM TIP
If you are asked to respond in your own words, be careful to avoid ‘lifting’ from
the text – i.e. copying whole phrases or sentences. ‘Lifting’ is penalised in the
writing marks for Questions 1 and 3 on Paper 2.

Day 56 - Luxor
420 miles south of Cairo, in
mor ning the train pull s into Lux or, known by the Greeks as Thebes,
At 5.35 in the rst time in my life.
excitement at being here for the fi
Upper Egypt. I cannot conceal my , gilded details on the doors, eagle
ntal in decoration, with tall columns
Luxor Station is tastefully monume rporating power stat ions , railways and ancient history. Figu
res
hier ogly phic desi gn som eho w inco for long in Egy pt.
heads and a er stand on your own
m to offer us taxi rides. You will nev
materialise from the pre-dawn gloo the river to find our boat
se for the nex t leg of our journey, and as we drive along
We shall be joining a Nile crui d up along the riverbank,
I can see rank s of chu nky four -sto reyed vessels, maybe 100 in all, line
– the Isis –
e back.
awaiting the day the tourists com se name is Tadorus but who
, mat chst ick- thin aristocrat of the business who
My guide to Lux or is a tall, stra ight doesn’t look the sort you argue
easi er.’ I wou ld rather call him Tadorus, but he n
asks me to call him Pete r … ‘It’s ogist Howard Carter first pushed ope
. He is 83 year s old, and as a boy of 14 was present when the archaeol
with
the door of Tutankhamun’s tomb. t Bank opposite the city.
the Nile ferry to a cluster of mud buildings on the Wes .
Peter take s me acro ss on al financed by the Russians in 1960
are driv en past fi elds of sug ar cane and alongside an irrigation can rew n dese rt. The n we are into
We ding road up into barren, rubble-st
ptly as we clim b a win
The greenery ends abru rock debris,
mbles a gigantic quarry, littered with
the Valley of the Kings, which rese the tom bs in dry and
e the bus and walk up towards
bleached white by the sun. We leav ius, 104° Fah renh eit.
temperature at 40° Cels
scorching heat. Peter estimates the King dom ,
remains of 62 Pharaohs of the New
This vast necropolis contains the ed – ‘red isco vere d’, as
0 years ago. It was discover
established in Thebes 3,000 to 3,50 n foun d, and all, bar one , had
40 of the tombs have bee
Peter corrects me – in 1892. Only
been emptied by robbers. paintings
eses III. The walls are covered in rich
We walk down into the tomb of Ram Pha raoh on his jour ney
ng the progress of the
and complex inscriptions illustrati ents , croc odil es and othe r crea tures
wicked serp
through the underworld, filled with erve d, an
the dry desert air, they are well pres
waiting to devour him. Because of
extraordinary historical document. the ferry. At this
ey of the Kings when we return on
The sun is setting behind the Vall the lower sky spills
when the rich golden brown of
indescribably beautiful time of day, the palm tree s along the
it an intense amber, and
onto the surface of the Nile, turning it is not diffi cult to ima gine
in the reflection,
bank glow for a few precious minutes bea ring the God -Kin g’s bod y across
ral procession
the power and spectacle of a fune ng of his last and
sand years ago, at the beginni
this same river, three and a half thou
most important journey.

Adapted from Michael Palin, Pole to Pole,

4 Part 1 Leisure BBC Publishing, London, 1995.

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9 Summarise in one sentence the attractions Cape Town has for visitors,
according to the passage.

EXAM TIP
It is good style, saves time and words, and avoids repetition to use complex
sentences when writing English. A complex sentence has at least two clauses
(groups of words containing finite verbs): one main clause, which could stand
as a sentence on its own, and one or more subordinate clauses, which are not
grammatically complete as sentences on their own and should be separated
from the main clause by commas. Subordinate clauses are usually introduced
by connectives. There is an example of a complex sentence at the end of the
passage on page 4.

10 Read the passage on page 4 about a stop in Egypt during a journey from
the North Pole to the South Pole without using air transport.

11 Six words in the passage are underlined. Can you guess their meaning by
looking at their context (the other words around them)? Use a dictionary
to check your guesses and write synonyms for the six words in your
personal vocabulary list.

EXAM TIP
Don’t worry about a few unfamiliar words in an exam text. You can often
guess a word’s meaning from its context or by recognising part of the word
or its prefix. In any case, you may not need to understand every word in a
text to write a summary of the parts of it which are specified in the question.
Nevertheless, it is useful exam preparation to keep a personal vocabulary list
during the course. Writing down words helps you to remember them and to use
them in your own writing.

12 Which words and phrases in the passage best illustrate the appearance of
a the West Bank and the Valley of the Kings (paragraph 5)?
b the tomb of Rameses III (paragraph 7)?
c the Nile at sunset (paragraph 8)?
For each of your choices, explain their effectiveness.

EXAM TIP
Paper 2 Question 2 requires you to select and quote examples of the way the
writer of the first passage has used language to convey particular effects, and
to comment on why your choices are powerful. This is a two-part question for
which you are expected to answer in about one side of writing, which includes
about five choices for each part.

13 Scan the passage for the information given about Luxor and make brief
notes.

Unit 1 Reading 5

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EXAM TIP
You are allowed to write on your question paper in the exam. Highlight only
the essential points in a text – the key words – rather than whole sentences or
paragraphs. When selecting material for a summary task, avoid including
repetitions imagery
minor details examples
quotations or direct speech lists.

14 Make a grid as shown below and put your notes into it. Then paraphrase
them (put them into your own words) as far as possible. Try to make your
own phrases shorter than the ones from the text, because summary is a
process of reduction.

Highlighted phrase Own words

 XWhh[d"hkXXb[#ijh[mdZ[i[hj  ijed[#Yel[h[ZmWij[bWdZ

EXAM TIP
If you are not sure what a particular word means, it is safer not to change it,
although you can still change other words in the phrase. Some technical words
do not have synonyms and therefore cannot be replaced, or would take too
many words to paraphrase.

15 Use your answers to Exercises 5 and 13 to summarise the characteristics

of (a) Corsica and (b) Luxor in about half a side of writing. Use one
paragraph for each place.

EXAM TIP
You don’t have time in the exam to write a first draft of a summary, so group
and order your material before you begin to write. The best way to do this is by
bracketing and numbering your list of notes. Do not confuse a summary with a
commentary: you are not required to present information in the same order as
in the passage, to compare the passages or to give your views on the material.

16 With your partner, discuss what you already know or think about the
following topics:
a Robinson Crusoe
b desert islands
c books, films or television series set on desert islands
d survival techniques.

17 Read the text opposite, which is an extract from a novel written in 1719
which includes journal entries.

6 Part 1 Leisure

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September 30, 1659.

Robinson
November 17.
Crusoe
I, poor miserable Robinson Crusoe, being This day I began to dig behind my tent into the rock.
shipwrecked, during a dreadful storm, came on shore Note, three things I wanted exceedingly for this work,
on this dismal unfortunate island, which I called the viz. a pick-axe, a shovel, and a wheelbarrow or basket;
Island of Despair, all the rest of the ship’s company so I ceased my work, and began to consider how to
being drowned, and myself almost dead. supply that want and make me some tools. A spade
All the rest of that day I spent in afflicting myself at was so absolutely necessary, that indeed I could do
the dismal circumstances I was brought to, viz. I had nothing effectually without it; but what kind of one to
neither food, house, clothes, weapon, or place to fly make, I knew not.
to; and in despair of any relief, saw nothing but death
before me; either that I should be devoured by wild January 1.
beasts, murdered by savages, or starved to death for
Very hot still, but I went abroad early and late with
want of food. At the approach of night, I slept in a tree
my gun, and lay still in the middle of the day. This
for fear of wild creatures, but slept soundly, though it
evening, going farther into the valleys which lay
rained all night.

From the 1st of October to the

towards the centre of the island, I found there was

24th.
plenty of goats, though exceeding shy, and hard to
come at. However, I resolved to try if I could not bring
my dog to hunt them down.
All these days entirely spent in many several voyages
to get all I could out of the ship, which I brought January 2.
on shore, every tide of flood, upon rafts. Much rain Accordingly, the next day, I went out with my dog, and
also in these days, though with some intervals of fair set him upon the goats; but I was mistaken, for they
weather; but, it seems, this was the rainy season.

October 26.
all faced about upon the dog; and he knew his danger
too well, for he would not come near them.

I walked about the shore almost all day to find out a January 3.
place to fix my habitation, greatly concerned to secure I began my fence or wall; which being still fearful of
myself from an attack in the night, either from wild my being attacked by somebody, I resolved to make
beasts or men. Towards night I fixed upon a proper very thick and strong.
place under a rock, and marked out a semicircle for All this time I worked very hard, the rains
my encampment, which I resolved to strengthen with hindering me many days, nay, sometimes weeks
a work, wall, or fortification …

The 31st,
together; but I thought I should never be perfectly
secure till this wall was finished. And it is scarce
credible what inexpressible labour everything was
in the morning, I went out into the island with my done with, especially the bringing piles out of the
gun to see for some food, and discover the country; woods, and driving them into the ground; for I made
when I killed a she-goat, and her kid followed me them much bigger than I need to have done.
home, which I afterwards killed also, because it would In the next place, I was at a great loss for candle; so
not feed. that as soon as ever it was dark, which was generally

November 1. by seven o’clock, I was obliged to go to bed.

Adapted from Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe.
I set up my tent under a rock, and lay there for the
first night, making it as large as I could, with stakes
driven in to swing my hammock upon.

Unit 1 Reading 7

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18 In one sentence, describe the situation of Robinson Crusoe on the Island

of Despair by answering these questions in any order:
Who? When? Why?
What? Where? How?

19 You are going to write a summary of Robinson Crusoe’s

needs fears
difficulties disappointments.
First, make brief notes under each heading. Then, write a one-paragraph
summary, in modern English, using all your notes.

EXAM TIP
Rather than using one sentence for each point, try to combine material into
complex sentences. Avoid beginning each sentence the same way or repeating
the same structure (e.g. don’t start every sentence with ) and avoid the
overuse of . Before you write each sentence, plan in your head its structure
and style. Check your summary for accuracy of expression, omissions and
repetitions.

20 With your partner, list future incidents or problems which Robinson

Crusoe may face later in the novel, based on evidence in the extract. Share
and support your predictions with the rest of the class.

Further practice
a You have become stranded on a desert island! Write a description of the
imaginary island. Think about its landscape, climate, vegetation, wildlife,
food and water sources. You can use information from the island passages in
Exercises 3 and 17 of this unit.
b List the main features of your home town or rural area. Use the list to write
an information leaflet for tourists, in which your notes appear as bullet points.
Group the points, divide them into sections, and give a topic heading to each
section (e.g. ). The passage in Exercise 6 will help you.
c From what you have read in this unit, would you rather visit Corsica, Cape
Town or Luxor? Give reasons for your preference, using evidence from the
texts.

EXAM TIP
Paper 2 Question 2 asks candidates to select the language from a passage which
gives a particular impression to the reader. In addition to quoting a range of
short examples (often one word for each), you should also make clear that you
understand both their meaning and their effect. In the exercise above, your
reasons for preferring a destination should be linked to the descriptive phrases
which make it seem attractive.

8 Part 1 Leisure

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