Cambridge IGCSE™

FIRST LANGUAGE ENGLISH 2 hours

SAMPLE
PAPERS

Paper 1
Reading
INFORMATION
• This insert contains the reading texts.
• You may annotate this insert and use the blank spaces for planning. Do not write your answers on
the
insert.
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Read Text A, and then answer Questions 1(a)–1(e) on the question paper.

Text A: Endurance events

I’m not sure when endurance events like triathlons, adventure races and
ultra-marathon running races (through jungle, desert and mountainous
terrains) started to become popular, but they are here to stay and continue
to challenge the limits of every competitor.

Not so long ago, a marathon runner was a mythical beast – we all knew someone who
knew someone who had run a 42 km marathon, but most of us had only actually seen
5
them on TV. Now everyone knows a marathon runner and they just look
like normal people.

Somewhere along the way, marathons became commonplace and a whole

new breed of extreme activities arrived: the Ironman triathlon, crazy ultra-
marathons and adventure
races that defy description, like the Tough Mudder. While a lot of extreme challenges
10
are to do with ultra-endurance, the Tough Mudder is short but involves
getting hurt. Sometimes by electric shocks. And fire. Why would you?

I’ve no idea what has made extreme sports such a phenomenon, but I do
know what happened for me. After many years of corporate life and habitual
laziness I found myself
with a large belly, unable to get to the buffet without puffing. Horrified, I signed up
15
immediately for a 10 km run, then a marathon. And then an Ironman. It
becomes a rapidly escalating obsession. What seemed like a hardcore
event reserved solely for proper endurance fanatics soon becomes just
within reach.

My personal theory for the rise of extreme sports is that life has become sterile. The
chances of getting an adrenaline rush in the average workplace are minimal, so, tired
20
of the rat-race, people search out ways to re-engage with life.

After completing two Ironman events, I can testify that the feeling of
sweeping down the finish chute after 226 km to pumping pop music,
flashing lights and a cheering crowd is the ultimate buzz. But to the true
athlete, finishing a classic marathon, quietly in an
empty car park, in pouring rain, is easily its equal for an overwhelming inner sense of
25
achievement.
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Read Text B, and then answer Question 1(f) on the question paper.

Text B: Tough Mudder

Jayden Dee is a participant in Tough Mudder, an obstacle course endurance race. In this article,
he has been interviewed by his local newspaper, the Redmond Gazette (RG).

Jayden Dee knows about hard work and dedication, as the 27-year-old
athlete and army captain is keen to prove. Despite missing the deadline to
enter this year’s Tough Mudder World Championship, airing on national
television this weekend, he repeatedly emailed the company responsible
for the event, asking to be included in the endurance
contest. Eventually, they gave in and allowed Dee to compete. 5

Tough Mudder isn’t his first competition. Dee, who spent four years at a
prestigious military school on a wrestling scholarship, competed in his first
Ironman triathlon a few months ago. But the Tough Mudder event is
something different altogether. It’s billed as ‘the most insane race
around’, featuring obstacles with names such as ‘Kong’ and
‘Devil’s Beard’. Participants bench-press sandbags, climb walls, crawl and run through
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mud, among other things that will make them wet, tired and dirty.

Tough Mudder was held earlier this summer, with entrants competing for a
substantial cash prize. We spoke to Dee beforehand about his preparation.

RG: How did you find out about Tough Mudder?

Dee: I found out online through social media, and I was like, ‘I think I can compete with
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these guys’. I literally stayed up all night watching the one-hour special
from last year’s competition, and that’s when I was hooked. I said to
myself, ‘I need to find a way to get into this.’

RG: Is that typical of you?

Dee: Well I was super-competitive through school, and then I kinda needed a break,
20
which was good because I went to Hawaii. So the last four years in Hawaii,
I stayed active, but also made a point to relax. I always knew I’d come
back and compete in something. I just was waiting for the right time. Then
I did the Ironman competition and got the bug again. I was in really good
shape when I found out about this event. It
seemed like now was the time to come back. 25

RG: How do you see yourself doing?

Dee: I want to win the whole thing! A lot of my role models, people I really
look up to are in this competition, so I’m extremely realistic, but I also
truly believe I can win. So I’m gonna do my best. I want to represent
Redmond well. It’s easy for people to forget
where they come from, but I don’t. This way while I’m home on leave I can get a
chance 30
to inspire kids as the ‘Redmond Guy’.

[Turn over
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Read Text C, and then answer Questions 2(a)–(d) and Question 3 on the question paper.

Text C: What it’s like to be married to a future Ironman

In this blog post the writer looks back on their husband’s preparations to compete in an Ironman
event.

I’m a little hesitant to publish this because there’s a risk that I’ll just be
moaning and I’ll come across as whiny, but it’s information I wish someone
had given me before we signed up for the whole Ironman thing.

My husband, Sam, started training in January for Ironman Canada at the end of July.
He got himself an expert coach and monthly training plans. I felt reassured this meant
5
he might at least survive the 3.86 km swim, a 180.25 km bicycle ride and a
marathon (42.20 km) run, raced in that order.

His training ramped up as you’d expect. Initially, it didn’t really impact

our lives too much. If anything, it was a good thing. Now, we were both
training for things – it felt like
a real partnership as we plotted our weekends to give us time to train and time
together 10
as a family. It was fun. If we went away, we had to fit his bike ride of 1–3
hours into the weekend but that was totally do-able. We’ve a pool where we
live which really helped
– not having to drive to/from water at least saved travelling time.

By May he was training early and most of both weekend mornings. Being honest, I
resented that. I agreed sullenly, yes, I still wanted him to do the Ironman, and no, I
didn’t 15
expect him to drop out. I was just fed up with his absences.

June was all about Ironman. Endless weekends with Sam gone until 5pm
each day. After exercise he would need to sleep for an hour or so, thus he
was technically gone for longer. I was desperate for us to go away and
have a break from it.

I tried to book a weekend camping but abandoned it. We would have spent the whole
20
time fitting Sam’s training around what we were doing, and it wasn’t worth
it. That year the kids didn’t go camping at all.

My own freedom to run was curtailed. Saturdays became all about

childcare. I only managed one Saturday trail-run with the girls from April
onwards and that was thanks
to wonderful friends who got up at 6.45 on a Saturday to watch my son. I got fed up
25
with not being able to say yes to invitations.

We didn’t do any family hiking for months. Sam justifiably didn’t want to
hike after exercising.

There was so much laundry (‘different road conditions’) so much extra food (‘fuel’) and
so much gear (multiple pairs of goggles with different tints ‘because you never
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know…’)! 30
Smiling understandingly, Sam assured me the next one will be cheaper. Next one?

‘Because it’s there,’ I’d snarl to anyone who dared question why any sane
mortal would tackle an Ironman. I enjoyed mercilessly shaming his less-
than-supportive business partner into recognising the potentially
boundless benefits of Sam’s well-publicised
adventure for their newly-established, fledgling travel company. A flurry of online
articles 35
described me as ‘a runner married to a triathlete’ – it took me a few
moments to recognise our family and beam with immeasurable pride.
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Our son missed having Dad around at the weekends, especially if he woke
up after Sam had left to train on a Saturday when sometimes there were
tears. But he got used
to the different dynamic. He was given an ‘Ironman’ superhero toy as a birthday gift
by 40
some relatives and immediately started making it swim, bike and run! The
poor child thinks that this is how normal families operate.

Having said all that, watching Sam emerge god-like from the water, power
past us on his bike and rocket down the finishing chute, head held high as
our kids cheered with
the crowd – utterly incredible and intoxicating, one of life’s rare pinnacles of
perfection. 45
It had been an epic journey for all of us. I’m so glad we did it. And next
year? Well yes, it’s my turn…
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