IGCSE English Second Language

exam board: CIE

A two-year programme developing practical communication skills in reading, writing, listening and speaking, built around twenty topic-based units covering everyday, academic and global themes. The course leads to the Cambridge IGCSE in English as a Second Language and is designed for students who already have a working knowledge of English and want to use it with growing accuracy, fluency and confidence, both in their other subjects and beyond school.

We use an active-learning approach encouraging students to become confident, independent users of English. Each unit weaves together three parallel threads: a skills focus (reading, writing, listening or speaking), a targeted language focus, and regular exam-style practice mirroring the tasks of the IGCSE papers.

Topics are chosen to be relevant to students’ lives and to the wider world, so that new vocabulary and grammar are always met in a meaningful context. Lessons combine pair and group discussion, reading and listening to authentic-style texts, and extended writing, with regular opportunities for students to reflect on their progress and set their own targets.

How the course progresses

In Year 10 the emphasis is on building secure foundations: widening everyday and study vocabulary, strengthening core grammar, and getting to know the style of each exam task. In Year 11 texts become longer and more demanding, topics turn towards global and abstract issues, and students are expected to work more independently, planning, drafting and checking their own work and applying exam techniques under timed conditions.

The exact scheduling of topics below is subject to change, as the small class sizes at FIC allow for the pace and ordering of teaching to be adjusted according to students’ knowledge and progress.

Year 10

Part 1: Leisure and Travel

Students begin with familiar, personal topics, such as hobbies, technology, food and travel, which give them plenty to say while they settle into the course. The focus is on reading for gist and detail, writing clearly organised paragraphs, and listening for specific information.

Unit & Topic skills focus Language focus exam-style practice
Unit 1Sports & Free Time Reading Verbs followed by other verbs Reading: open response
Unit 2Digital Life Reading Adverbs Reading: multiple matching & note-taking
Unit 3Food Writing Linking devices Writing: formal writing
Unit 4Transport Listening The passive voice Listening: sentence completion
Unit 5Holidays Listening Words ending in -ing Listening: short extracts

Part 2: Education and Work

Attention shifts to school, study and the world of work. Students practise the more formal register needed for applications and reports, learn to report what others have said, and take their first steps towards the Speaking test by answering questions about their own experiences and ambitions.

Unit & Topic skills focus Language focus exam-style practice
Unit 6Learning & Study Skills Reading The zero and first conditionals Reading: multiple choice
Unit 7Interviews Listening Writing Imperative verb forms Listening: interview · Writing: informal writing
Unit 8Work Reading Present perfect Reading: open response & note-taking
Unit 9Communication Writing Reporting verbs Writing: formal writing
Unit 10Education Speaking More conditionals Speaking: interview

Year 11

Part 3: People and Achievements

Students read and listen to accounts of remarkable people, organisations and health issues, using more complex tenses to narrate events and relative clauses to add detail. Speaking work extends from answering questions to giving a short, structured talk.

Unit & Topic skills focus Language focus exam-style practice
Unit 11Human Achievements Reading Past perfect simple and past perfect continuous Reading: multiple matching
Unit 12Organisations & Volunteers Writing Non-defining relative clauses Writing: formal writing
Unit 13Success & Fame Reading Discourse markers showing contrast Reading: note-taking
Unit 14Medical Care Listening Writing Future in the past Listening: dialogue · Writing: informal writing
Unit 15Healthy Lifestyles Speaking Reading Quantifying phrases Speaking: short talk · Reading: open response

Part 4: Our Modern World

The final part looks outwards to global questions: the natural world, the environment, food security and the future of technology. Students weigh up different viewpoints, build more precise noun phrases and descriptions, and take part in extended discussion, bringing together everything they have learned in preparation for the final exams.

Unit & Topic skills focus Language focus exam-style practice
Unit 16Animal Life Reading Adjectives with nouns Reading: multiple matching & multiple choice
Unit 17The Environment Reading Writing Reference words Reading: note-taking · Writing: formal writing
Unit 18Feeding the World Writing Noun phrases Writing: formal writing
Unit 19Lifestyles Reading Listening The position of adjectives Reading: open response · Listening: multiple matching
Unit 20Technology & the Future Speaking Describing future events Speaking: discussion
 

Skills Developed Across the Course

Reading

  • Skimming for gist and scanning for specific detail
  • Identifying opinions, attitudes and implied meaning
  • Selecting and summarising key points in note form
  • Working out the meaning of unfamiliar words from context

Writing

  • Adapting tone and register for informal and formal readers
  • Organising ideas into clear, well-linked paragraphs
  • Developing arguments and giving reasons and examples
  • Planning, drafting and proofreading within a word limit

Listening

  • Following monologues, conversations and interviews
  • Picking out facts, figures and specific information
  • Recognising speakers’ opinions and feelings
  • Using the pre-reading time to predict content

Speaking

  • Answering questions fully and extending responses
  • Giving a short, organised talk on a familiar topic
  • Expressing and justifying opinions in discussion
  • Speaking with clear pronunciation and natural intonation
 

Assessment and Progress

Progress is checked regularly throughout the course so that teachers can adapt their teaching and students know what to work on next. Assessment typically includes:

  • End-of-unit checks on the vocabulary and grammar covered in each unit
  • Exam-style tasks in reading, writing and listening, marked against Cambridge-style criteria, with written feedback and targets
  • Speaking practice in pairs and small groups, building up to practice interviews, short talks and discussions
  • Mock examinations in Year 11, giving students experience of the full papers under timed conditions

Students keep a record of their feedback and targets, and are encouraged to act on these in subsequent pieces of work.

 

End of Course Exams
All candidates take three components at the end of Year 11. Papers 1 and 2 are externally assessed and determine the overall grade; the Speaking test is separately endorsed on the certificate with grades 1 (high) to 5 (low).

Paper 1: Reading & Writing

2hDuration
60Marks
70%of Grade
  • Four reading exercises: short answers, multiple matching, note-taking and multiple choice
  • Two writing exercises of 120–160 words: an informal email and a formal article, report, essay or review
  • Writing is marked for both content and the range and accuracy of language

Paper 2: Listening

50mDuration
40Marks
30%of Grade
  • Five exercises based on monologues, conversations and interviews
  • All questions are multiple choice
  • Each recording is heard twice

Paper 3: Speaking

10–15mDuration
40Marks
1–5Endorsement
  • Interview, short talk and discussion
  • Internally assessed and externally moderated
  • Reported separately on the certificate
 

Supporting Learning Beyond the Classroom

Language grows fastest with regular, varied exposure. Students are encouraged to:

  • Read widely in English, including news articles, magazines, blogs and fiction at a comfortable level
  • Listen to English-language podcasts, radio, documentaries and films, with or without subtitles
  • Keep vocabulary lists and definitions across subjects
  • Take every opportunity to speak English, in lessons, around school and at home
  • Review feedback on written work and redraft pieces to act on their targets

Where next? The IGCSE in English as a Second Language is widely recognised as evidence of English proficiency for further study. The skills developed, from reading complex texts and taking notes to writing formally and discussing ideas confidently, support success across the curriculum and provide a strong foundation for post-16 study in English.