They then write in a set form, such as a letter, speech, article or report, for a given audience and purpose. Marks reward both handling the ideas from the reading and writing well for the reader. Our teachers train your child to evaluate the sources, not just repeat them.
What this task asks in Cambridge International 0500
The first part of the 0500 composition paper gives you two texts on one topic. The task names a form, an audience and a purpose. You write that piece, often a letter, speech, article or report, using the ideas in the texts.
Crucially, you must also evaluate them: weigh which are convincing, develop some, and shape them for your reader. The marks divide between reading (using and assessing the source material) and writing (form, structure, register and accuracy). It is not a summary of the texts and not a free essay.
The exact word guidance and mark split vary by syllabus version. Confirm the current details with your school or the board's 0500 syllabus.
How we approach it, step by step
- Read both texts and mark the ideas you can use, noting where they agree, clash or leave a gap.
- Identify the form, audience and purpose in the task, and picture the specific reader you are writing for.
- Plan an order for your points rather than working through the texts one after the other.
- Evaluate as you write: signal which ideas are strong, which are weak, and why, rather than listing them flat.
- Open in the conventions of the form, such as a salutation for a letter or a hook for a speech. Then hold that register throughout.
- Develop the source ideas in your own words and add reasoning. The piece sounds like a thinking writer, not a paraphrase.
- Leave time to check accuracy and that you have met the audience and purpose the task set.
An original model: directed writing
Imagine a task asking for a speech to a school council on a proposed later start time. You have two texts we supplied. This is a model paragraph showing how to use and evaluate their ideas.
The passage and model above are our own original teaching material, written to show the technique. None of it is a reproduced exam text or mark scheme.
A teacher can turn Directed writing: Cambridge International 0500 into clear, practised skills. The trial hour shows how.
Where students lose marks
- Students summarise the two texts in turn instead of selecting, reshaping and evaluating their ideas for the task.
- They ignore the form or audience, writing a general essay when the task asked for a letter, speech, article or report.
- They repeat the sources' wording rather than developing the ideas in their own voice.
- They present every idea as equally true, missing the marks for weighing which are convincing and which are not.
- They lose accuracy and register marks by writing too casually for the stated reader.
Practise it
Start with the skills guide for the method. Then try the Cambridge International 0500 practice tasks.
In a paid trial lesson, an experienced teacher can mark your child's own attempt against the criteria. Lessons are one-to-one and online, from RM70/hr.
Marks and word guidance can change between syllabus versions. Confirm the current requirements for your exam year with your school or the board's official syllabus, linked below.