English : Descriptive Writing IGCSE

Classwork Assignment :
Passage A: The House in the Mist

The house, which I now scrutinised more carefully, was no ordinary farm building, but a rambling old mansion. It
had been made even larger by extensions that jutted out here and there and several out-buildings. Although it was
furnished and lit by candles, it had about it an air of disuse which made me feel like an intruder, despite the welcome

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I had received. But I could not wait any longer. I quickly entered the great room and stood before the blazing logs;
their glow lit up the doorway and made the room seem even more inviting. 40
Read carefully Passage A, The House in the Mist,
Answer all questions using your own words as far as possible.
(a) Give two reasons why the narrator found it difficult to get to the house (paragraph one, ‘My path to the...’).
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(b) Using your own words, explain what the writer means by ‘this odd and picturesque building made me pause’
(line 6).
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(c) Why did the narrator decide not to go back to the road (paragraph two, ‘The quiet and apparent ...’)?
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(d) Re-read paragraph three, ‘But half-way...hurriedly leaving’. What was unusual about the way the man left the
house?
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(e) Re-read paragraph four, ‘As we met...to the man.’. Explain as fully as you can, what caused the narrator to feel
‘puzzled’ about the behaviour of the man.
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(f) Explain as fully as you can, what the narrator says about his attempt to speak further with the man (paragraph
eight, ‘A peculiar greeting...’).
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 (g) Explain how the writer conveys the nature of the house and the narrator’s feelings about it .

Read the following tips you have to follow before your answer the above question :

 This explanation how the writer conveys, requires a comment on the effectiveness of the writer’s use of
language for a particular purpose .Check for phrases and words in the passage..
 Attempt to explain how the writer’s choice of words/images etc. produces the intended response in the
reader’s mind.
 The teacher correcting this part are looking for evidence that have some appreciation of the appropriate
associations and suggestions in the writer’s choice of words, therefore,they are not looking for specific right
or wrong answers to this task.Marks will be awarded on the quality of linguistic analysis shown by you in
order to support your interpretation of the writer’s purpose.
 It is not necessary for you to show knowledge of the names of different figures of speech (simile, metaphor
etc.) to produce a successful answer – what the teacher is looking for is an understanding of how the writer
uses these literary devices.

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English : Writing an Article IGCSE

This is the final exercise of Paper 1 and 2. It can be an article, a report or a review writing. We’ll look at
articles here.
You will be given a topic (more like a question to ponder up on) on which you have to write your views
and opinions. This can either be a two-sided article (for and against) or a one-sided article (just your
opinion). It is up to you to decide.

The topics usually given for this exercise are easy enough that you can come up with points right there in
the exam, but it is good if you read upon various issues from around the word (obesity, technological
influences, environmental issues, animal welfare, teenager issues etc).

So here’s how to attempt this question:

Point 1 :Before you start it is a good idea that you come up with a plan. Use the blank space below the
question to make your plan, in pencil. In your plan write down the answers to these questions:

 The audience: this will be specified in the question (it is almost always a school
magazine). So when you write, keep in mind that you need to write to that audience.
Your language, tone and vocabulary should reflect this.
 Is my article going to be two-sided or one-sided? If you know a lot about the topic
and can weigh up the pros and cons, then go for two-sided. If you’re not too
knowledgeable about it, stick to one-sided.
 How do I introduce the topic? Start off by saying what the topic is and how
important the topic is in today’s world. Why it is such a problem? Or is it a problem?
 What’s in the body? Write down three points. (If it’s two-sided write two pros and
two cons). You will develop your body based on these points. A few points will be
given in your question paper, and you can use those!
 How will I conclude the article? You need to sum up your points and give your
final opinion (even if it’s two-sided, give your final opinion on the matter).

Point 2 :Organise. By now, you’ve pretty much come up with the contents of your article. Now organise
your points into paragraphs.
One-sided Article:Paragraph 1: Introduction
Paragraph 2: First point with justification (or counter-argument)
Paragraph 3: Second point with justification (or counter-argument)
Paragraph 4: Opposing point which you contradict (here, you state a point said
by people who have a different opinion from yours and explain why they are wrong. This is
called argument and counter-argument)
Paragraph 5: Conclusion- summary, (solution?), repeat your opinion
Point 3 :Write. Use a variety of connecting words and argumentative phrases. Examples:
 Expressing opinions:I agree/ disagree with the above statement that
In my opinion
I believe that
I am in favour of
I am against the idea of
It seems to me that
I sympathize with

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  Presenting and contrasting opinions:The main argument in favour/ against is

It is often said that

First of all I should like to consider
Apart from that
Even though
Furthermore
In addition
Moreover
Nevertheless
And
Or
But
Finally
Lastly
Despite the fact that/ In spite of
On the other hand
On the contrary
Whereas
What is more
What matters most in this case is
It is a fact that
Besides
After all
There is no doubt that

 Reasoning:
Because of
As a result of
Owing to
Through
Due to
Consequently
On account of
Therefore
Hence

 Concluding:
To sum up
To conclude
It can be concluded that
I believe that
Thus, I am of the opinion that

 Argumentative verbs (use these instead of say/tell):

Claim
Assert
Insist
Argue
Allege
Suggest
Point out
Maintain

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Here’s an example of a one-sided article. This is one-sided because, even though it weighs up both ‘for’
and ‘against’ points, in each paragraph it contradicts the ‘for’ points and alludes to the same conclusion that
zoos should be abolished. This is called the argument/counter-argument format.

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Tips :

Classwork Assignment :

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 Follow these steps to answer the above question:

1. Read the question carefully and ensure that you know what it is asking for. It may be helpful to underline
the important points in pencil.
2. Make a plan and spend not more than 5 minutes on it. It should give you a rough idea of the details you
want to include in your report, what you want to write in your introduction, body and conclusion.
Remember, the purpose of a report is to reflect on and evaluate something, so make sure you keep that
in mind when drawing up your plan.
3. Come up with a title. It should be brief and relevant and will give you a good start.
4. Write a strong, but concise, introduction. This paragraph should include the most important details of
the event that you are reporting on – the ‘who‘(your class), ‘what‘(a trip), ‘when‘(last week? last
month?), ‘where‘(large recycling centre) , ‘why(learn about recycling)’ and ‘how‘(if applicable).
5. You need to then organise your body according to what the question is asking for. For example, you are
asked to write a report on what you did on the trip (write about three points. Example: spoke to
employees, visited sorting unit, watched a plastic recycling process etc.) and what you learned from it as
well (write about two points. Example: only 50% of materials brought in are recycled, recycling helps
the environment). You could have one paragraph on the former and one on the latter. Be clear.
6. The ending paragraph should briefly conclude the report. In the sample question above, you are asked to
write a suggestion for improvement, so this could be your conclusion. Write a couple of sentences
outlining your views on how the trip went (example: very informative or too long) and one or two
suggestions (example: hands-on-experience, watch a video etc.).

Other tips:

1. You can use the picture prompt as well as the written prompts, but you can score higher marks for your
own ideas.
2. Keep the language reasonably formal and direct, but there’s no need to use jargon or big words.
3. Keep in mind that the exercise is to write a report. Be direct and straightforward in your approach.
Don’t overthink your points and add unnecessary comments and opinions of your own.
4. Keep your points concise. There should be only 150-200 words, after all.
Time Management

For the core paper 1, take about 20 minutes to finish this exercise, 5 minutes to plan, 10 minutes to write
and 5 minutes to check your writing.
For the extended paper 2, take 30 minutes for the whole exercise. Take 5 minutes to plan your report, by
coming up with points to be included in the introduction, body and conclusion. Use 20 minutes for writing
the report and the final 5 minutes to proofread and edit your report.

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English : Writing an Article IGCSE

You'll definitely have to write an article at some time during your school course and for exams. It
might be a piece of writing that needs to persuade, argue and inform, for example. Above all, though,
being an article, it will need to be interesting and lively.

Here are some typical questions:

Write an informative / persuasive article for…

...your local newspaper / a teenage magazine / your school magazine / a travel guide

on the topic of…

...adventure holidays / the benefits of exercise / keeping a pet / eating healthily / cycling to school.

WHAT IS THE EXAMINER LOOKING FOR?

In an article written for the exam, technical accuracy is often worth many marks so spelling and
grammar are important. Marks are also awarded according to the how well your writing shows that
you have considered the following key aspects:

AUDIENCE
This is far more important to the marks you will receive than most students realise. The examiner will
be looking closely for evidence that you have considered your audience in the style of writing you use.

 What style of language will attract and suit the type of reader you are writing for?
 Would a formal style be best? Or a more informal – even chatty style? Or a subtle
combination?
 You absolutely must capture and hold your reader's attention! And this means
being lively and interesting - most especially when you begin writing (a flat sounding...
y-a-w-n ...opening to any article is a sure mark loser!).

The chances are you will need to adopt a quite formal style but... these days, most modern newspaper
and magazine articles often intersperse a little chattiness or informal features as a way to soften the
formality and create a friendly, conversational tone; in girl's and women's mags especially, the tone or
'voice' can sometimes seem to be that of a slightly older, rather wiser friend.

PURPOSE
What style of writing will achieve the aims of your article? Are you writing
to persuade, inform or explain? The Englishbiz pages on these kinds of writing should help.

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GENRE
What style and form (i.e. format) of writing would satisfy the genre conventions you need to follow for
an article?

 Think what you would expect to see and read in such an article: catchy or witty headlines –
maybe using a pun (i.e. a witty play on words) or alliteration, a by-line to show who the
writer is, sub-headings to aid clarity and reading, use of bullet points, lists, images, tables,
etc.

 Would the writing need to be very lively, even chatty or perhaps much more formal -
perhaps a mixture of the two styles (which is an increasingly common aspect of the style of
articles these days)?

CONTEXT

 Where and in what situation is the article likely to be read and understood -
the situation or context of your reader?
 What language choices will help in such a context?
 What tone of voice needs be adopted to suit such an audience in such a context?

Often an article is not read ‘in depth’, pored over and studied because full concentration is often not
possible when a newspaper or magazine is read, so... a catchy lively style which does not demand too much
of your reader and which follows a clear and logical structure is almost certain to be a good choice for
many articles.

WRITING THE ARTICLE

YOU WILL NEED TO WRITE IN A WAY THAT…

...captures your reader’s eye and attention

How can you achieve this? A catchy title or headline? A suitable image or photo? Become the
reader for a moment: what would catch your eye and attention?

...hooks your reader's interest

How can you hook your reader to want to read on? Make the opening sentence intriguing, lively,
‘catchy’! Give the outline facts immediately – answering briefly: What? Who? Where? When?

...is lively and interesting

How can you achieve this? A short opening sentence? A mix of shorter and longer sentences? Use
clear succinct paragraphs that open with a topic sentence, one that gives, in a nutshell, what the

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 rest of the paragraph will explore in more depth. Try hyperbole (exaggeration for effect - but use
with care!).

...gives the most important facts and information first

How can you achieve this? Work out what is most important and interesting and write about this
first? Leave the less important aspects and the finer detail till later?

...sounds authentic and gains your reader’s trust

How can you achieve this? Aim to create a sincere 'voice' – write in
a natural, lively style. Remember that if your writing doesn't capture the trust of your reader, it
won't succeed!

...sounds authoritative and is believable and persuasive

How can you achieve this? Write confidently; include made-up interviews with “experts”; use
made up statistics and evidence for authoritative sources (but keep all this reasonable and
believable). Use a mixture of vocabulary including a few more complex words and a few technical
terms.

...avoids being overly emotional or too personal

An article has a wide and unknown audience – you do not know them and they do not know you.
Write in a way you would expect to be written for: be calm; be polite; be you!

 As you write, try to develop the mind-set of your potential future reader. Stop after each
sentence and briefly re-read what you have just written – but as a future reader might read your
work.
 Is the writing lively? Clear? Interesting? Convincing?
 Would you want to read this article? If not, now's your chance to make adjustments, neatly!

Using photos and images...

It is a feature of articles to use images of one kind or another. These help to attract a reader's eye, help
clarify a point and so on. In the exam, it is important that you do not waste time drawing! Instead, simply
draw a box where the image would be and label it describing what would be there - that is all that's needed.

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See this in action below - this is an extract from a piece written by a top article writer. How many of
the above techniques can you spot? Look out for hyperbole, alliteration, informal chatty tone,
'minor' sentences (i.e. incomplete sentences more typical of conversation):

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