Cambridge IGCSE™

ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE 0510/21

Paper 2 Reading and Writing (Extended) October/November 2020
MARK SCHEME
Maximum Mark: 80

Published

This mark scheme is published as an aid to teachers and candidates, to indicate the requirements of the
examination. It shows the basis on which Examiners were instructed to award marks. It does not indicate the
details of the discussions that took place at an Examiners’ meeting before marking began, which would have
considered the acceptability of alternative answers.

Mark schemes should be read in conjunction with the question paper and the Principal Examiner Report for
Teachers.

Cambridge International will not enter into discussions about these mark schemes.

Cambridge International is publishing the mark schemes for the October/November 2020 series for most
Cambridge IGCSE™, Cambridge International A and AS Level and Cambridge Pre-U components, and some
Cambridge O Level components.

This document consists of 10 printed pages.

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Generic Marking Principles

These general marking principles must be applied by all examiners when marking candidate answers.
They should be applied alongside the specific content of the mark scheme or generic level descriptors
for a question. Each question paper and mark scheme will also comply with these marking principles.

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 1:

Marks must be awarded in line with:

• the specific content of the mark scheme or the generic level descriptors for the question
• the specific skills defined in the mark scheme or in the generic level descriptors for the question
• the standard of response required by a candidate as exemplified by the standardisation scripts.

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 2:

Marks awarded are always whole marks (not half marks, or other fractions).

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 3:

Marks must be awarded positively:

• marks are awarded for correct/valid answers, as defined in the mark scheme. However, credit
is given for valid answers which go beyond the scope of the syllabus and mark scheme,
referring to your Team Leader as appropriate
• marks are awarded when candidates clearly demonstrate what they know and can do
• marks are not deducted for errors
• marks are not deducted for omissions
• answers should only be judged on the quality of spelling, punctuation and grammar when these
features are specifically assessed by the question as indicated by the mark scheme. The
meaning, however, should be unambiguous.

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 4:

Rules must be applied consistently, e.g. in situations where candidates have not followed
instructions or in the application of generic level descriptors.

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 5:

Marks should be awarded using the full range of marks defined in the mark scheme for the question
(however; the use of the full mark range may be limited according to the quality of the candidate
responses seen).

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 6:

Marks awarded are based solely on the requirements as defined in the mark scheme. Marks should
not be awarded with grade thresholds or grade descriptors in mind.

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This component forms part of the Extended tier assessment of Cambridge IGCSE English as a
Second Language and tests the following Assessment Objectives:

AO1: Reading
R1 identify and select relevant information
R2 understand ideas, opinions and attitudes
R3 show understanding of the connections between ideas, opinions and attitudes
R4 understand what is implied but not directly stated, e.g. gist, writer’s purpose, intentions and
feelings

AO2: Writing
W1 communicate information/ideas/opinions clearly, accurately and effectively
W2 organise ideas into coherent paragraphs using a range of appropriate linking devices
W3 use a range of grammatical structures accurately and effectively
W4 show control of punctuation and spelling
W5 use appropriate register and style/format for the given purpose and audience

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Exercise 1

Question Answer Marks

1 (around) 215 million years ago 1

2 Award 1 mark for each detail up to a maximum of 2 marks: 2

extreme weather
rocky (locations)

3 (around) 50 1

4 inspire (people) to study dinosaurs 1

5 Award 1 mark for each detail up to a maximum of 2 marks: 2

how dinosaurs moved

food (different) species ate / what dinosaurs ate

6 learn (computer) programming 1

7 hardly any for adults / mainly for children 1

8 Award 1 mark for each detail up to a maximum of 4 marks: 4

1 enormous / giants
2 stupid / small brains
3 green or brown / green and brown
4 scaly skin / skin like crocodiles
5 changed quickly

Exercise 2

Question Answer Marks

9(a) C 1

9(b) A 1

9(c) D 1

9(d) C 1

9(e) A 1

9(f) B 1

9(g) A 1

9(h) C 1

9(i) B 1

9(j) D 1

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Exercise 3

Question Answer Marks

10 Award 1 mark for each acceptable response, up to a maximum of 3 marks. 3

Acceptable responses are:

What students at Abbey High School learn from keeping bees:

1 (how to) make things from wood / how to make hives

2 (why bees) are important for the environment
3 ways people (around world) use bees / relate research to bees / how
bees used
4 use honey to make (delicious) dishes

11 Award 1 mark for each acceptable response, up to a maximum of 3 marks. 3

Acceptable responses are:

What can be difficult about introducing beekeeping in a school:

5 persuading parents (it’s safe)

6 cost of equipment / cost of (protective) clothing / buying equipment
7 takes (up a lot of) time / (takes) lot of time
8 finding location / finding land not built on, with wild plants

12 Award 1 mark for each acceptable response, up to a maximum of 3 marks. 3

Acceptable responses are:

What surprised Maria when she first started beekeeping:

9 how gentle the bees were / bees are gentle

10 bees do well in city
11 relaxing
12 how helpful beekeepers were / beekeepers helpful

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Exercise 4

Question Answer Marks

13 Award up to a total of 16 marks. 16

NB: Some content points relate to video games / e-sports and some relate
to the Olympic Games, so content points must be expressed in such a way
as to make this clear.

Arguments for including video gaming in the Olympic Games:

1 popular internationally / watched worldwide / international

2 increases audiences
3 (potential source of) income / more (ticket) sales
4 need (more) young followers /encourages young followers
5 gamers train for as long as athletes / gamers train for a long time

Arguments against including video gaming in the Olympic Games:

6 Games (too) big / events should be removed / events should not be

added
7 doesn’t have many rules / doesn’t have many regulations
8 reaching agreement about video games to include impossible
9 doesn’t encourage physical activity / Olympics should encourage
physical activity
10 Olympics about humans / Olympics not about machines / electrical
power required / motor power required

Up to 8 marks to be awarded for Language (Writing).

See generic marking criteria for Exercise 4.

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Generic marking criteria for Exercise 4

Marks Language (Writing)

7–8 • Points are very well organised and coherent. Cohesive devices are used effectively.
• Very good use of own words.
• High level of accuracy of vocabulary and grammatical structures.

5–6 • Points are well organised and coherent. Cohesive devices are used appropriately.
• Good use of own words.
• Good level of accuracy of vocabulary and simple grammatical structures.

3–4 • Points are partly organised and reasonably coherent. Cohesive devices are used
generally appropriately.
• Some attempt to use own words, with some reliance on language from the text.
• Reasonable level of accuracy of vocabulary and simple grammatical structures.

1–2 • Little or no attempt to organise points. Cohesive devices are either not used or are not
used appropriately.
• Heavy reliance on language from the text.
• Limited control of vocabulary and grammatical structures.

0 • No response worthy of credit.

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Generic marking criteria for Exercises 5 and 6

The following general instructions, and table of marking criteria, apply to both Exercises 5 and 6.

• You should decide on a mark for Content and Language separately.

• Content covers the relevance (i.e. whether the piece fulfils the task and the awareness of
purpose/audience/register) and the development of ideas (i.e. the detail/explanation provided).

• Language covers range (i.e. complexity of vocabulary and sentence structure) and accuracy (of
grammar, spelling, punctuation and text organisation).

• When deciding on a mark for Content or Language, first of all decide which band is most
appropriate. There will not necessarily be an exact fit. Then decide between the lower or the
higher mark. Use the lower mark if it fulfils some of the requirements of the band and the higher
mark if it fulfills all the requirements of the band.

• When deciding on a mark for Content, look at both relevance and development of ideas. First
ask yourself whether the writing fulfils the task, in terms of points to be covered and the required
length. If the task is generally fulfilled it will be awarded at least 3–4 marks.

• When deciding on a mark for Language, look at both the range and the accuracy of the
language. A useful starting point would be first to gain an impression of the level, then to focus on
the level descriptors in order to decide on the best fit.

• If the writing is considerably shorter than the stated word length, i.e. below 105 words, it should
be given a maximum of 3 marks for Content.

• If the writing is only partly relevant and therefore can be awarded only 1–2 Content marks, the
full range of marks for Language is still available.

• If the writing is totally irrelevant and has nothing to do with the question asked, it should be
given 0 marks for Content and Language.

Question Answer Marks

14 Award up to a total of 16 marks. 16

Up to 8 marks to be awarded for Content

Plus up to 8 marks to be awarded for Language. See generic marking

criteria for Exercises 5 and 6.

15 Award up to a total of 16 marks. 16

Up to 8 marks to be awarded for Content

Plus up to 8 marks to be awarded for Language. See generic marking

criteria for Exercises 5 and 6.

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Marks Content (maximum 6 marks) Marks Language (maximum 6 marks)

7–8 Relevance 7–8 Range and accuracy

• Task is fulfilled. • Uses a wide range of common and
• Consistently appropriate style and less common vocabulary
register for the text type. effectively.
• Excellent sense of purpose and • Uses a wide range of structures,
audience. both simple and complex,
effectively.
Development of ideas • High level of accuracy of language
• Content is very well developed, at throughout. Occasional errors may
appropriate length. be present but these do not
• Content is communicated skilfully impede communication.
and effectively. • Errors are related to less common
vocabulary or more complex
structures.

Organisation
• Effectively organised and
sequenced.
• Uses a wide range of linking words
and other cohesive devices,
effectively.

5–6 Relevance 5–6 Range and accuracy

• Task is fulfilled. • Uses a good range of common
• Generally appropriate style and vocabulary appropriately, and
register for the text type. attempts to use some less
• Generally good sense of purpose common vocabulary.
and audience. • Uses a good range of simple
structures appropriately, and
Development of ideas attempts to use some more
• Content is developed, at complex structures.
appropriate length. • Good level of accuracy of language
• Content is generally throughout. Errors do not generally
communicated clearly. impede communication.
• Errors are generally related to less
common vocabulary or more
complex structures.

Organisation
• Well organised and sequenced.
• Uses a good range of linking
words and other cohesive devices,
appropriately.

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Marks Content (maximum 6 marks) Marks Language (maximum 6 marks)

3–4 Relevance 3–4 Range and accuracy

• Task is generally fulfilled. • Uses mainly common vocabulary,
• Reasonably appropriate style and reasonably appropriately.
register for the text type, although • Uses mainly simple structures,
this may not be consistent. reasonably successfully.
• Some sense of purpose and • Reasonable level of accuracy of
audience. language. Errors may impede
communication in places.
Development of ideas • Errors may occur when using
• Some development of content, common vocabulary or simple
although in places it may be structures.
incomplete or repetitive.
• Content is communicated, but may Organisation
lack clarity in places. • Reasonably well organised and
sequenced.
• Uses some linking words and
other cohesive devices,
reasonably appropriately.

1–2 Relevance 1–2 Range and accuracy

• Task may only be partially fulfilled. • Limited use of vocabulary.
• Style and register for the text type • Limited use of structures.
may be inappropriate. • Lack of control of language.
• Insufficient sense of purpose and Meaning is often unclear.
audience. • Errors occur when using common
vocabulary and simple structures.
Development of ideas
• Limited attempt to develop content, Organisation
although there may be gaps, • Organisation lacks sequencing.
irrelevance and/or repetition. • Limited attempt to use linking
• Limited attempt to communicate words and other cohesive devices.
content, but it lacks clarity in
places.

0 • No response worthy of credit. 0 • No response worthy of credit.

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