Exam strategy
Exam strategy that saves marks
Timing, planning and checking habits that help your child use every minute of the paper.
Exam strategy
Annotating a passage under time
How to annotate an IGCSE English passage quickly under pressure: read with the question in mind, mark only a little, and answer from your marks.
Exam strategy
Checking for accuracy in the last ten minutes
How to use a reserved checking time in IGCSE English: look for your own common errors and win back marks in the final minutes.
Exam strategy
Choosing a composition title
How to choose an IGCSE English composition title under pressure: compare the options with your strengths and decide quickly.
Exam strategy
Handling word limits
How to work within IGCSE English word guidance under pressure: plan to the limit, judge length by eye, and cut when you run long.
Exam strategy
Handwriting and legibility
How to keep your handwriting readable under exam pressure in IGCSE English: write at a steady pace and fix mistakes cleanly.
Exam strategy
Listening paper technique
How to approach an IGCSE English listening paper under pressure: use the reading time to predict answers and catch detail without falling behind.
Exam strategy
Managing exam nerves
How to manage nerves in an IGCSE English exam: settle in the first minutes and use a steady routine to stay in control.
Exam strategy
Planning a descriptive piece
How to plan a descriptive composition fast in IGCSE English: choose a tight focus, order your senses, and build a mood without plot.
Exam strategy
Planning a narrative fast
How to plan a narrative composition fast under exam pressure in IGCSE English: decide the ending first and keep the plot small.
Exam strategy
Planning in five minutes
How to plan an IGCSE English answer fast under exam pressure, with a short routine that gives your writing direction without using up your time.
Exam strategy
Prioritising marks
How to prioritise marks in an IGCSE English exam: spend effort where the credit is, win the easy marks first, and do not over-polish low-value questions.
Exam strategy
Quotation technique
How to quote quickly under exam pressure in IGCSE English: choose short quotations, build them into your sentences, and explain them.
Exam strategy
Reading the question stem
How to read an IGCSE English question stem carefully under pressure: understand command words, find the focus, and answer what is asked.
Exam strategy
Revising English effectively
How to revise IGCSE English well: practise the skills the papers test, use past papers actively, and work from your own feedback.
Exam strategy
Speaking test structure
How to approach the IGCSE English speaking test: understand its shape, use preparation time well, and develop answers without a script.
Exam strategy
Structuring an answer
How to structure an IGCSE English answer under time pressure: fit the shape to the question, lead with the point, and keep each paragraph on task.
Exam strategy
The summary under time
How to write the IGCSE English summary under pressure: choose points, rewrite them in your own words, and avoid copying and padding.
Exam strategy
The week before the exam
How to use the last week before an IGCSE English exam: light, targeted practice, rest, and a calm start.
Exam strategy
Timing the reading paper
How to pace the IGCSE English reading paper: split your time by marks, keep a short checking time, and stop early questions using up the time you need later.
Exam strategy
Timing the writing paper
How to pace the IGCSE English writing paper: split time between tasks by marks, keep time for planning and checking, and finish every piece.
Exam strategy
Unseen poetry under time
How to approach an unseen poem under exam pressure in IGCSE English: read for meaning first, follow the feeling and the change, then look at how it is made.
Exam strategy
Unseen prose under time
How to handle an unseen prose extract under pressure in IGCSE English: read for the whole, follow method and mood, and finish your answer.
Exam strategy
Using the source material
How to use the source text well in IGCSE English directed writing: take ideas from it, adapt them to the task, and avoid copying or ignoring it.
Exam strategy
When to move on
How to decide when to leave a question in an IGCSE English exam: notice when extra time is not helping, set soft limits, and come back later.
Exam strategy
Writer's effects under time
How to answer the writer's-effects question under pressure in IGCSE English: choose telling words, explain the effect, and pace your points.