English Today

IGCSE Listening Test - June 2008 - Answer Key

Click on the link below to download the question paper. You will find the recordings at the sidebar of my page under Podcast.

Download IGCSE-LISTENING-JUNE08

And here are the answers to the questions.

Questions 1-6

1. She has left it late. / The birthday is tomorrow.

2. Parents' wedding anniversary.

3. (i) prepare for your IGCSE

   (ii) 3645679

4.  (1)Another youth hostel

    (2) Other side of the town

5. Tickets are half-price / can get tickets for £15 or less / queue for half -price tickets. (any ONE out of three)

6.

• phone to the ferry terminal
• ask boat to wait

Question 7

 

Company Philosophy : attitude / creative / cleaner

Company Aims : mineral water / help

Clean water projects : pumps

How some profits are used : water / one / month 

Conventional bottles: plastic / centuries(long time)

"Water for all" bottles : corn / 12 weeks

Each "rubbish muncher": forty-five(45) tonnes

Question 8

Location of tea planter: 390 km /2,000 metres above Great Rift Valley

Tea harvesting machines:

• pick tea faster than manual workers
• could bring about loss of 63,000 jobs
• will deprive tea-pickers of the ability to feed and educate their families.

Tea Farming history in Kericho:

• tea farming began : 1920s
• tea became Kenya's leading export

Daily tea yield :

• by hand: 50kg, by machine: 1,300kg

Disadvantages of mechanical harvest : machine unable to select leaves and tea will be of poorer quality

How consumer can help: buy hand-picked tea only

Question 9 :

(a) Higher than 3,800 metres above sea level

(b)

• 1984
• 2,3 billion pounds

( c ) (i) ultra violet filter / double-paned

   (ii) oxygen rich air / oxygen regulators

(d) Could wreck culture and traditional way of life / animals may be harmed / damage to the environment

(e)

• highest station
• cross river on hundreds of km (of bridge)

Question 10

(a) To guide motorists to destination

(b)

• saves time and petrol
• helps traffic flow / reduces stress
• no need to follow map / good for environment

( c ) Satellites send out signals

(d) The speed

(e) Current systems are cheaper / smaller/ easier to fit/ already built-in/ no wires to connect (any two)

(f)

• use your common sense / don't just rely on system
• remove the system from parked car

IGCSE Listening Test - June 2008

You can find the recordings on the left sidebar of my page under Podcast / IGCSE Listening - June 2008.

Click on the link below to download the PDF file of the question paper (June 2008) 

Download IGCSE-LISTENING-JUNE08

IGCSE Writing

Developing a Mature Style

Look at these two examples describing a village:

Example 1 :

The village is very pretty and very nice. The houses are not very big but they are beautiful. The village is surrounded by hills which give a very nice view of the area.

Example 2

The village is strikingly pretty and unspoilt. The houses, rising up from the harbour, are pale-coloured with painted shutters and made of stone. Pine-clad hills provide panoramic views of the area.

The vocabulary in Example 1 is limited to basic and definitely not up to IGCSE register.Examiners would simply cross it out! Example 2 makes use of a wide range of vocabulary making the description lively and interesting to read. Examiners would give it full marks for register.

USEFUL TIPS

There are many ways you can make your writing more mature:

1. Choose your adjectives with care and use them accurately. You don't really need a great many - just a few fresh and powerful ones. But please avoid using dull, boring, commonplace adjectives like : good, bad, nice, beautiful.

2. Remember that you can create adjectives by adding suffixes to nouns or adjectives : e.g. panoramic, colourful, quaint-sounding, picturesque, boyish, hopeless etc

3. You can make common adjectives more emphatic by using adverbs as intensifiers: e.g. strikingly pretty, exceptionally interesting, amazingly beautiful.

4. Adjective collocations, such as crystal clear, are another way of adding impact to your description. e.g. icy cold (adjective + adjective) , stone cold(noun + adjective)

5. Use relative clauses to link ideas -  beginning with which / where / when / whose

6. Use comparisons : not as much as ... / far more interesting than ..../ much less exciting than ....

All the above techniques will help you to write more concisely - using fewer words to greater effect.

NOW YOUR TURN

Rewrite the following description in a more mature style:

The town developed around  a marketplace. The marketplace is very, very old. It is the shape of a rectangle. In the town , the people live in the way that they used to live hundreds of years ago.  They like visitors. They do not commit crimes. They will always help you. You do not need to be afraid of them.. They wear clothes that are very simple. They wear long, loose, white, cotton robes. The town has many very, very old buildings. The buildings were built in the 13th century. It also has many restaurants. You can eat nice food there. The food is from different cultures.

Heart Idioms and Proverbs

A. IDIOMS

1. a bleeding heart
someone who shows too much sympathy for everyone The anti-hunting campaigners are just a bunch of bleeding hearts who don't understand the countryside.

2. a heart of gold
a kind and generous character He plays the part of a tough cop with a heart of gold.
Opposite of: a heart of stone

3. at heart
(a) as what someone cares about the most Your academic adviser should have your best interests at heart. I'm an English teacher at heart but also a writer. 
(b) in the most basic way He was at heart a conservative man.

4. somebody, eat your heart out!  (humorous)
something that you say which means that you or someone you know can do something better than a person who is famous for doing that thing I'm taking singing lessons. Celine Dion, eat your heart out!

5. break someone's heart
to cause someone great emotional pain. It just broke my heart when Tom ran away from home. Sally broke John's heart when she refused to marry him.

6. somebody's heart sinks
if someone's heart sinks, they start to feel sad or worried He looked at the huge pile of work on his desk and his heart sank.

7. to your heart's content
if you do something enjoyable to your heart's content, you do it as much as you want to The pool is open all day so you can swim to your heart's content.

8. somebody's heart is in their mouth
if someone's heart is in their mouth, they feel extremely nervous My heart was in my mouth as I walked onto the stage.

9.in your heart of hearts
if you know something in your heart of hearts, you are certain of it although you might not want to admit it I knew in my heart of hearts that something was wrong, but I just wasn't ready to deal with it. Do you believe in your heart of hearts that things will get better?

10. know/learn something (off) by heart
if you know or learn something, especially a piece of writing, by heart, you know or learn it so that you can remember it perfectly He's my favourite poet. I know several of his poems by heart

11. pour your heart out
to tell someone your secret feelings and worries, usually because you feel a strong need to talk about them (often + to ) I'd only met him once, and here he was, pouring out his heart to me.

12. one's heart misses a beat and one's heart skips a beat
Fig. one's heart flutters or palpitates; one has a strong emotional reaction. Whenever I'm near you, my heart skips a beat. When the racehorse fell, my heart missed a beat.

13. young at heart
having a youthful spirit no matter what one's age.  I am over 70 but I still feel young at heart.

14. tear your heart out
to make you very sad Your article on the death of those students tore my heart out.

15. one's heart goes out to someone
one feels great sympathy for someone. My heart goes out to the grieving family. Let your heart go out to those who are suffering, and pray for their improvement.

B. PROVERBS

1. wear your heart on your sleeve
to make your feelings and opinions obvious to other people John's always worn his heart on his sleeve, so there's no doubt who he'll be supporting.

2. A heavy purse makes a light heart.
If you have plenty of money, you will feel happy and secure. Everyone in the office is especially cheerful on payday, since a heavy purse makes a light heart.

3. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
You will like someone or something better if that person or thing is far away. Ever since Carla's boyfriend moved away, she can't stop thinking about him. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

4. Cold hands, warm heart.
People whose hands are usually cold have kind and loving personalities. Nancy: I don't like holding hands with Joe. His hands are so cold. Jane: Cold hands, warm heart.

5. way to a man's heart is through his stomach
If you want a man to love you, you should feed him good food. Sue: I want Keith to notice me, but he doesn't even know I'm alive. Mother: Invite him over and cook him a good meal. The way to a man's heart is through his stomach.

6. What the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't grieve over.
You cannot be upset by something you do not know about. When Robbie cracked his mother's favorite vase, he simply turned the cracked side toward the wall. "What the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't grieve over," he thought.

7. It is a poor heart that never rejoices. and It is a sad heart that never rejoices.
Even a habitually sad person cannot be sad all the time. (Sometimes used to indicate that a habitually sad person is happy about something.) Jill: I've never seen Sam smile before, but today, at his retirement party, he smiled. Jane: It is a poor heart that never rejoices.

8. Home is where the heart is.
People long to be at home.; Your home is whatever place you long to be. I've had a lovely time visiting you, but home is where the heart is, and I think it's time I went back. If home is where the heart is, then my home is my parents' old house. I've never loved my own apartment the way I love their place.

9. Faint heart never won fair lady.
 A timid suitor never won his lady. (Used to encourage boys or men to be bold in courting women.) Bill: I'd really like to go out with Alice, but what if she says no? Alan: You won't know till you ask her. Faint heart never won fair lady. Don't be so shy about talking to Edith. Faint heart never won fair lady.

10. let your heart rule your head
to do something because you want to rather than for practical reasons Don't let your heart rule your head. If you lend him that money you'll never see it again.

IGCSE Writing

THE OPINION COMPOSITION

(a) How to plan an opinion composition

Introduction: : express your opinion on the topic.

Paragraph 2:  justify your opinion with examples.

Paragraph 3: Present the opposing viewpoint.

Conclusion: Restate your opinion but do not just repeat yourself. Consider writing about consequences or a new dimension of the same issue.

(b) How to plan an opinion composition suggesting advantages and disadvantages:

Introduction: Introduce the problem and state its causes.

Paragraph 2: Write about the advantages and develop through examples

 Paragraph 3: Write about the disadvantages and develop through examples.

Conclusion: State your opinion and pick up a side!.

( c ) Beginnings and Endings

There are many ways of beginning(introduction) and ending(conclusion) an opinion composition. Read the following model paragraphs and pay special attention to the expressions in bold. These are only suggested ways of beginning and ending an opinion composition. IGCSE examiners love them,though!

Introduction:

Have you ever wondered what it must be like to wake up in the morning and realise that you can no longer use your computer? For millions of people this is certainly a frightening thought. Indeed, they cannot possibly imagine their lives without them. Because of this dependence on the computer which we have developed, I strongly believe that it has become indispensable to us and it is here to stay!

Conclusion:

It is true to say that the computer has invaded our lives and changed the way we communicate forever. Let us not forget, though, that the computer has also promoted a very passive lifestyle.

Brief Reminder

Remember the essential paragraph structure : -

-topic sentence: it introduces the main idea of your paragraph

-supporting sentences: they provide examples, illustrations or arguments which support the topic sentence.

-closing sentence: round off your paragraph with a kind of conclusion

Remember to use transitions to pass on smoothly from one sentence to another and from one paragraph to the next.

Remember! Unless you think you can master English better than your own language DO NOT attempt to write one sentence for a paragraph!

YOUR TURN!

Scientists have made the production of food easier and cheaper by using chemicals and other artificial procedures.

Write an article stating your opinion about this statement.

The comments below may give you some ideas but you are free to use any ideas of your own.

"This is the answer to feeding the world. No one will be hungry ever again!"

"If you use chemicals, then who knows what will happen to our health?"

"It means that people who work on the land will have no work"

"It's a really cheap way to grow good-quality food."

DO NOT WRITE MORE THAN 200 WORDS. YOU WILL BE SEVERELY PENALISED FOR EXCEEDING THE WORD LIMIT!

IGCSE Writing

Well, the countdown has started. The IGCSE November 2009 session is coming up soon - actually end of October. On Wednesdays, I'll try to help out with writing by providing tips, plans and some exercises.

THE INFORMAL LETTER / EMAIL

There are many types of informal letter / email. For example, you can write a letter of thanks,advice or invitation. When you are writing an informal letter or sending an email to a friend, it is very important for the examiners to try and make it sound friendly and chatty. However, do bear in mind that informal register means something between spoken and written language. You will be likely to fail the exam if your letter to your dear friend Bobby starts like this: " Hey Bobby! how r u?" Or "I ain't gonna do nothing tonight" or "I got a present 4 u" Remember , it's a British exam and you are expected to use either informal British English or informal American English. Both are accepted. Online chat "language" won't be accepted.You will also be severely penalised if you use online chat expressions or if you mix British and American English both in expressions and in spelling :

Example : I can't afford buying a car. Gas has gone up recently in my area which means that petrol costs £5 a gallon.

or : I love going to the theatre but our local theater has closed down.

The following phrases may help you achieve the right tone:

(a) Greeting

Hi Bobby / Dear Bobby

(b) Opening

I'm sorry I haven't written for such a long time but I've been really busy lately

Thanks for the email. It was great to hear from you.

I thought I'd drop a line to ....

I haven't heard from you for a long time and I thought we could catch up on our news.

Hey! I've given you up for lost. What's up?

( c ) Main Body (useful expressions)

- you won't believe ....

- you'll never guess....

- believe it or not ....

- by the way ....

- in fact ...

- hey! cheer up!

- don't let it get you down

- listen. don't worry too much about it

(d) Closing

- that's all for now

- I must love you and leave you! I've got homework to finish. Write back soon.

- Take care

- Have a lovely day / week

-Say hi to Sue

- Remember me to your mother

(e) Sign-off

Love

Lots of love

Yours

PLANNING AN INFORMAL LETTER

1. Greeting : Hi / Dear + first name 

2. Say why you are writing

3. Suggestions / advice / questions and perhaps some more details.

4. Conclusion / closing remark (see phrases above)

TIP - Always make sure you have answered the examiners' prompts appearing at the bottom of the task!

NOW YOUR TURN

 Write about 200 words on the following topic:

 Imagine you have just moved to the city from a rural area. Write a letter to your friend telling him/her about a few of the problems you are facing.The picture below may help you. 

In your letter you must tell your friend :

- about your first impressions

- some of the problems you are facing

- what you do to deal with these problems

If you wish, you can email me your answer and I promise to correct, comment and send it back to you

Easily Confused Words 4

VOCABULARY

1. toy / game / ride

toy = a child's plaything

The children were playing with their toys in the garden.

My son is 4 years old and loves toy cars.

game = form of play with regulations

He usually plays a great game at chess

The children are playing Noughts and Crosses - they just love this game.

What's your favourite board game? ~ Monopoly. 

ride = what you ride on at an amusement park

When we visited Eurodisney, we went on all the rides. They're exciting! 

Useful Expressions

to toy with something = not to think seriously about it

He toyed with the idea of buying a boat

to beat / play someone at their own game =to beat someone or fight back against them by using the same methods as they do

Jackie decided to play Dean at his own game and left without paying the bill.

to give someone a rough ride = make things difficult or unpleasant for someone in authority

The journalists gave the Prime Minister a pretty rough ride. 

3. coarse / course

coarse = not refined

You must never use coarse sugar to make a cake.

course = (a) movement, direction

The ship changed its course due to the strong winds.

(b) series of lessons

We have just completed an advanced course in English

Useful Expressions

in due course = in the natural order of things

Ann will get married in due course

in the course of time = as time goes by

Everything went wrong between Brian and Maggie in the course of time.

4. house / home

house = the building

Our house is not very big but it's comfortable and we love it!

home = the family environment

I met Jenny on my way home NOT on my way to my house

Useful Expressions

make yourself at home (spoken) =tell someone who is visiting you that they should feel relaxed as if they were at their own home

Make yourself at home while I get some coffee.

be on the house = if drinks and meals are on the house, you don't have to pay for them because they are provided free by the owner of the bar or restaurant.

Customer : Can I have the bill, please?

Waiter: Here you are, Sir. Your coffees are on the house. 

Easily Confused Words 3

VOCABULARY

Here are a few pairs of words which are easily confused:

1. clothes / cloth

clothes = what people wear to cover their body

What kind of clothes do you feel most confident in ?

I love casual clothes like jeans and T-shirts.

cloth =  (a) material made by weaving for special purposes

a dish-cloth, a floor-cloth etc

    (b) the clerical profession as shown by the clothes worn

A certain respect is due to the cloth. ( = to the priests)

2. look at / watch

look at = set your eyes at a certain direction

Look at this picture! Isn't it beautiful?

watch = keep the eyes on something moving

Juanita watches TV in the afternoon

Did you watch the game last night?

We were watching the children play while chatting in the garden.

3. last / latest

last = coming at the end

When was the last time you saw him?

latest = most recent

Ann always follows the latest fashion trends.

Did you hear the latest news about the hijackers?

4. remember/remind

(a) remember to do something = not to forget to do sth

Did you remember to call John before leaving the office?

(b) remember doing something = not to forget having already done sth in the past

I remember meeting her at a party last summer.

remind of / about / to = cause someone to remember

Hearing that song always reminds me of a certain night in Santa Cruz. (=the song brings back the memories of that night)

NOT hearing that song remembers me of .....

Will you remind me about that important appointment?

Corinne reminds me of myself when I was her age.

BUT : I remember Corinne wearing a floral dress when I first met her.

He reminded me to call John before leaving the office (=he asked me to remember to do so)

Useful Expressions

remember me to someone = ask someone to give a greeting from you to someone else = say hi

Please remember me to your mother