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4.4.1 Short-answer questions on Text C

Short-answer questions on Text C: understand the syllabus point

  1. Cambridge requirement. Short-answer questions: this question requires candidates to respond to Text C. • Candidates respond to a series of sub-questions which require answers of different lengths.
  2. What successful performance shows. The learner applies the requirement accurately and purposefully in an unfamiliar context. Quality depends on relevant choices, developed support and clear control, not on a memorised label.
Key Idea
  • Turn the syllabus wording into an action you can demonstrate under timed conditions.

Short-answer questions on Text C: a reliable method

  1. Prepare a flexible line of thought. Choose a focused topic, gather reliable supporting material and anticipate several directions the conversation could take. Prepare ideas rather than a memorised script.
  2. Shape the talk for listeners. Use a clear opening, purposeful sequence and concise ending. Examples and signposts should help the listener follow the argument.
  3. Control delivery. Speak audibly, vary pace and emphasis, and use vocabulary suited to the topic. Notes should prompt rather than replace genuine communication.
  4. Sustain interaction. Listen to the entire question, answer directly, justify viewpoints and extend the exchange with relevant detail. Ask for clarification if necessary.

Short-answer questions on Text C: application and improvement

  1. Worked thinking. If a follow-up question challenges the talk's main claim, acknowledge the concern, answer it with a relevant example and explain whether the challenge changes or qualifies your position.
  2. Diagnose the weakness. Name the precise problem, such as copied wording, unsupported inference, feature spotting, weak organisation or inaccurate expression, then revise that feature and compare the result.
Exam technique
  • For Cambridge IGCSE First Language English 0500/0990, follow the paper and option entered by your centre. Read command words, source boundaries and word guidance carefully, and reserve time to check accuracy and task fulfilment.
Common Mistake
  • Do not force a generic paragraph structure onto every task. Use the structure that makes the required thinking clearest.
Self review
  • Can I explain short-answer questions on text c in my own words?
  • Can I apply the four-step method to an unfamiliar task?
  • Have I used precise evidence or deliberate crafted choices?
  • Can I identify and correct one likely weakness?
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Questions

Put it into practice with exam-style questions

40 exam-style questions

Practice questions

Question 1

1 mark

The birdsong stops

Original fiction extract.

The recording had been playing for ten minutes while we tried to identify the birds. I had just persuaded myself that one call belonged to a thrush when the sound stopped abruptly. My brother looked up from his sheet. There was no final announcement or fading music, only the small click of the speaker. On the table, the phone displayed an empty battery. We could still hear the real sparrows outside the window. My brother wrote their name on his sheet, though I pointed out that they were not part of the test.

Use your own words to explain what the word “abruptly” means in this extract.

4.4.1 Short-answer questions on Text C Revision Guide

  1. IGCSE
  2. /English Language
  3. /4.4.1 Short-answer questions on Text C

Revision notes for CIE IGCSE English Language 4.4.1 Short-answer questions on Text C: explanations and worked examples.

Revision guides