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IGCSE ESL Past Exam Papers - Reading and Writing - May / June 2011-Answer Key

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IGCSE ESL Past Exam Papers - Reading and Writing - May / June 2011

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The answer key will be posted on Monday, June 7  2012   

Christmas Lunch - Reading Comprehension

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions which follow . Complete sentences are not necessary but your answers must be accurate!

The English are not particularly famous for their tasty food.
However, there are occasions when even the English do
themselves proud, and one of these is Christmas. Christmas for
the English is a time of "goodwill and peace to all men", a time
when children are spoilt silly and stay up all night, and grown
ups have no guilt feelings about being extra lazy and self­
indulgent. It is a time when relations are nice to each other,
when they sing carols together and eat, drink, and make merry
to their heart's content.

Preparations for the next Christmas begin almost as soon as the
last one is over. The famous Christmas pudding, which consists
of raisins, dates and an assortment of nuts and brandy, is made
immediately after the previous Christmas and is left to mature
for a whole year. The goose, turkey or duck - most people have
turkey these days, is bought some days in advance and hung to
allow it to become tender and acquire flavour. On Christmas
day, it is thoroughly cleaned and then stuffed. Two stuffmgs are
generally used; a herb stuffmg, consisting of bread mixed with
herbs, spices and onions, and a chestnut stuffmg. The bird is
placed in a hot oven and allowed to roast slowly for between
three and six hours. The pudding is steam-boiled in water for
about an hour.

After a glass of sherry or mulled wine, heated red wine with
sugar, cloves and a little brandy, the meal proper begins. The
first course is something light, either sliced melon or grapefruit,
often with a sugared sherry on top. This whets the appetite and
prepares the palate for the main course. The bird, which by this
stage should be crisp and brown, is cut into slices and served
with stuffmg, roast potatoes and a variety of vegetables, the
favourites being Brussels sprouts and carrots. All this is
accompanied by a rich brown gravy poured over everything.
Then comes the pudding. It is taken out of its bowl, steaming
hot, and brandy is poured over it and lit, so that the pudding,
often with a bit of holly stuck in the top, arrives at the table
flambe. It is served with brandy butter (brandy mixed with
butter) and whipped cream. Those who still have an empty
corner somewhere finish off with cheese - Stilton or Cheddar,two famous English cheeses. Throughoutthe meal, of course, red or white wine is drunk.

When the meal is over, people retire to the sitting- room for
brandy, liqueurs or coffee to gather strength for the washing-up.
Finally, the assembled company is jolted back to reality by the
lady of the house who reminds everyone about the washing-up.
Traditionally, this was done by the ladies, but today everybody,
regardless of age or status, pitches in. Some gather the dirty
dishes while others wash, dry and put away. Christmas day is
perhaps the only day of the year when noone begrudges lending a hand with the washing up.

 

1. What's Christmas like for the English?

2. What does Chistmas pudding consist of?

3.  Why is the bird hung a few days before Christmas?

4. What's mulled wine?

5.  What's the stuffing for the bird?

6. How does the Christmas pudding arrive at the table?

7.What's the gravy for?

8. What do the English eat after Christmas lunch if the 've still got an empty corner?

9. What do people do after the meal is over?

10. Who does the washing up?

 

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

 

---

 

IGCSE Exam Practice - Reading Comprehension

Read the following article and choose the best answer

The world's oceans have warmed 50 percent faster over the last 40 years than previously thought due to climate change, Australian and US climate researchers reported Wednesday. Higher ocean temperatures expand the volume of water, contributing to a rise in sea levels that is submerging small island nations and threatening to wreak havoc in low-lying, densely-populated delta regions around the globe.

The study, published in the British journal Nature, adds to a growing scientific chorus of warnings about the pace and consequences rising oceans. It also serves as a corrective to a massive report issued last year by the Nobel-winning UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), according to the authors.

Rising sea levels are driven by two things: the thermal expansion of sea water, and additional water from melting sources of ice. Both processes are caused by global warming. The ice sheet that sits atop Greenland, for example, contains enough water to raise world ocean levels by seven metres (23 feet), which would bury sea-level cities from Dhaka to Shanghai.

Trying to figure out how much each of these factors contributes to rising sea levels is critically important to understanding climate change, and forecasting future temperature rises, scientists say. But up to now, there has been a perplexing gap between the projections of computer-based climate models, and the observations of scientists gathering data from the oceans.

The new study, led by Catia Domingues of the Centre for Australian Weather and Climate Research, is the first to reconcile the models with observed data. Using new techniques to assess ocean temperatures to a depth of 700 metres (2,300 feet) from 1961 to 2003, it shows that thermal warming contributed to a 0.53 millimetre-per-year rise in sea levels rather than the 0.32 mm rise reported by the IPCC.

(c) AFP 12/23/2008

1. What happens when the ocean's temperature rises?
  (a) It causes sea levels to rise.
  (b) It causes sea levels to remain constant.
  (c) It causes sea levels to decrease.

2. The rise in water levels is especially dangerous for small island nations and:
  (a) low-lying urban areas.
  (b) all coastal cities.
  (c) people who live on the beach.

3. The new study:
  (a) shows that thermal warming contributed to a 0.32 millimeter-per-year rise in sea levels.
  (b) did not reveal anything that scientists didn't already know.
  (c) used new techniques to assess ocean temperatures.

4. Ultimately, the new study should help scientists to:
  (a) lower water levels.
  (b) better predict climate change.
  (c) bury sea-level cities like Dhaka and Shanghai.

5. What was the main finding of the study?
  (a) That not enough is being done about global warming.
  (b) That ocean waters have warmed faster than scientists had previously thought.
  (c) That the warming of the world's oceans is not a threat.

SOURCE: infosquares

ANSWERS

1a / 2a / 3c / 4b / 5b

IGCSE Reading - Exam Practice - Exercise 5: Answer Key

Reading Comprehension Reference

A.Reading Comprehension

1. True
2. False
3. True
4. True
5. True
6. False
7. True
8. True
9. False

B. Summary

The aim of the project is to encourage young children to take up cricket. The best approach to teaching cricket to young children is to get the children's concentration, keep everyone active and involved as well as let all the children have some time to hit the ball. At William Davies school, the project links with the interest children's families, who are largely Asian, already have in cricket. It is also popular because it introduces children to the ideas of team work, fair play, and the mental attitudes required to learn a game successfully. (96 words)

Source: Success International by Marian Barry

IGCSE Reading - Exam Practice - Exercise 5

Photo Credit

A. Reading Comprehension

Read this article on kwik cricket and answer the questions which follow it.

Cricket is not the easiest sport to introduce to youngsters. The traditional game demands time and patience and a high level of skill, something that small children do not always possess. They like action and non-stop involvement compressed into short periods of the primary school day.

The London Schools' Cricket Project has met these difficulties head-on. Desperately keen that more youngsters should be introduced to the sport, it sends coaches to hundreds of primary schools to give concentrated instruction and supervision of Kwik cricket.

The William Davies School in Forest Gate, East London did not have the most cheerful of January afternoons last week to introduce youngsters to England's traditional summer game. The sun may have been shining but a sharp wind cut across the playground. With 30 pupils eager to exercise, it did not seem a suitable day for refining individual technique.

Yet, what was remarkable was the amount of individual tuition that was possible by one coach, while still keeping the interest of the rest of the class. During bowling practice, the youngsters would deliver their balls and then run across the tarmac to swap places with their partners.  In this way, not only did they keep warm, but they also got more exercise.

Vic Griffith, the coach said: "I always try to get their attention, to get them to focus on me and, while they are in the cold, to get them in move up and down. They should have as much enjoyment and exercise as possible.

At this co-educational school, he is preaching, if not always to the converted, at least to the interested. 95% of the 250 pupils come from the ethnic minorities, particularly the Indian sub-continent.

Gill Gordon, the head teacher said: "They know far more about cricketers than footballers and their fathers will often play cricket with them on the park. They support England against Australia or the West Indies, but when England are playing India or Pakistan, they sometimes don't know where they are."

She has always welcomed the Project's suggestion to send in a coach for five sessions a year.

"Cricket teaches teamwork and the discipline of learning a game, with its rules and need for fairness,"

The project has a budget of about £100,000 for this year to help pay for two full-time and ten part-time coaches to tour the London schools. This total includes £5,000 from Tesco - the supermarket chain - plus a further £5,000 from the government and funds from charitable and cricket trusts and donations from the schools.

Oliver McClintock, the debuty coordinator of the Project, says: "We are not only creating the players of the future. We are also creating the parents and paying public of the future."

This hour-long session ended with 25 minutes of Kwik cricket, which allows everyone to have a go either hitting Griffith's deliveries across the playground to everyone's delight or missing the ball."

One pupil, Bilal Hassan, 9, said: " I like whacking the ball a long way." He was bowled by one ball that may have turned on the tarmac. "The ball went wonky", he said.

(a) Are the following statements true or false?

1. Traditional cricket is an ideal game for young children.

2. Secondary schools have been involved in the Project.

3. The coach tries to keep children as active as possible.

4. The William Davies School is a multi-cultural school for boys and girls.

5. The parents have encouraged their children's interest in cricket.

6. The head teacher is disappointed with the benefits the children get from the game.

7.  A number of organisations have contributed money to the Project.

8. The Project hopes to make an impact on cricket in the future.

9. Not all the children get a chance to hit the ball during the session.

 

(b) Read the article again and write a summary describing the aim of the project, the best approach for teaching cricket to young children, and the reasons why the William Davies School supports the project. Your summary should not be longer than 100 words. Use your own words as far as possible.

Source: Success International by Marian Barry

IGCSE - Exam Practice - Answer Key

Reading: Exam Exercise 2 (Extended)

Planning and Running a School Library

Answers

a. A library card

b. By getting a list from the school office or personnel department

c. It is placed inside the reader ticket, filed alphabetically.

d. If it has been requested by another user

e. Any four from:

• get students to design them
• include school logo
• tickets could be colour copied
• write users' names on tickets
• tickets could be laminated or put into plastic pockets

f. They are more durable and reduce librarian time, but they can be more costly.

g. Because it can cause damage.

 h.

• lack of use
• damaged beyond repair
• information is out of date
• information has become culturally insensitive

IGCSE - Exam Practice

 

Reading: Exam Exercise 2 (Extended)

The following article is about how a school library should be organised. Read it carefully and answer the questions which follow.

 Issuing Resources manually

In order to borrow books and other materials, all users need a library card. The librarian can obtain a list of staff and pupils from the school office or personnel department in order to prepare library cards.

The normal length of borrowing depends on the person running the library, but two weeks is the suggested period of loan. The book to be borrowed is stamped two weeks in advance. The catalogue card is removed from the book, placed inside the reader ticket, and the tickets are then filed alphabetically in trays displaying the due-back date. Readers can renew any resource if not requested by another user.

Usually, fines are set if users fail to return items on or before the due date. The librarian sets the fines if chosen to do so.

Some items, such as videos or reference-related materials, might be borrowed on an overnight loan; again, libraries can set the rules on how resources may be borrowed.

Issuing resources using an automated system

Details of all pupils and staff using the library are imported on the system. Any additions can be entered in the "borrower" record field. All users are issued with a library ticket. These may be made manually. The following suggestions may be helpful in producing library tickets for your school:

• The tickets could be designed by the students (as a competition) and copied.
• The school logo and the name of the school should be included.
• The tickets should be colour copied or just photocopied on to card. You should be able to get at least eight tickets per sheet of card. The tickets can then be cut and barcoded.
• Write the users' names on the tickets.
• Go to the borrower's records on the system. Find the borrower's name and scan in the barcode to register the user.
• When all the borrowers have been registered, the library tickets can be laminated or put into plastic wallets.

Alternatively, there are reputable companies who produce library cards for schools and other organisations, tailored to the purchaser's needs. Although these may work out more costly, the cards are more durable and reduce valuable librarian time.

When a resource is loaned, the barcode on the ticket is scanned, which brings up a screen with the borrower details; the barcode on the resource is then scanned, thus recording the loan. Due-back dates can be set within the system.

Maintaining resources in good condition

Resources should be kept clean and any minor repairs dealt with immediately. All paperbacks should be covered with either a plastic jacket or plastic covering. This prolongs the life of the books, especially when heavily borrowed, and the cover can be easily cleaned. Avoid using sticky tape on any resource, instead, use recommended book tape for carrying out any maintenance or minor repairs on books as sticky tape can cause damage.

An annual check of all stock is recommended in order to ascertain missing resources, resources in need of repair, and resources to be withdrawn from stock. The latter may be necessary, due to lack of use or because the resource has been damaged beyond repair; alternatively, the information contained within the resource may have gone out of date or have become culturally insensitive.

Adapted from "Planning and running a school library", University of Cambridge International Examinations, June 2002.

a. What must a user have in order to borrow something from the library? [1]

b. How can the librarian know who needs a library card? [1]

c. What two things happen to the catalogue card after it is taken out of the book? [2]

d. When is it not possible to renew a book? [1]

e. Give four pieces of advice about the design of library tickets.[2]

f. What are the advantages and disadvantages of buying ready-made library cards? [2]

g. Why should sticky tape not be used on books? [1]

h. Based on what you have read, make a list of four reasons why a resource may need to be removed from a school library. [4]

[Total: 14]

Source: IGCSE English as a Second Language - Coursebook 2 by Peter Lucantoni (p. 36)

 

Approaching Exercise 2 of the IGCSE Reading and Writing Paper

What to expect

In Exercise 2 of the IGCSE Reading & Writing paper, you should expect a longer text - usually an article - often with pictures or visual material, such as maps, charts or diagrams.

How to approach:

1. Skim the text: have a quick look at the text reading only titles and subtitles and paying attention to visuals. In this way, you will be able to get the gist and have a vague idea of what the text is about.

2. Scan the text: read through the text quickly highlighting the main idea in each paragraph.

3. Read through the text carefully so that you may be able to get more details relating to the main ideas.

4. Read the questions carefully and highlight keywords which will help you find the correct answers.

5. Your answers must be brief and accurate, yet in Exercise 2 some questions may require longer answers. Use only the space provided for your answers.

6. You don't need to use your own words, you can copy the answer from the text. However, do not copy chunks of text which you don't quite understand. Make sure what you copy is clear and answers the question accurately.

7. Don't forget the ABC of the IGCSE Reading  Paper:

A for Accuracy

B for Brevity

C for Clarity

IGCSE Reading Practice - Answer Key

READING

Reference - Approaching IGCSE Reading

1. One afternoon in the last week of term, I saw three children from my son's school in tears being comforted by teachers. That morning, my 11-year-old had stomach pains and had been retching into a bowl. Talking to other mothers, I heard about other children with stomach-ache or difficulty sleeping the night before.

2. What caused so much distress? Sports day - not sports day at a highly-competitive independent school, but at a large village primary. For the children that can fly like the wind, it causes no problem. For those who are poorly coordinated, overweight, or just not good at sport, it is a nightmare. Even for those who enjoy running, but who fall half way down the track in front of the entire school and their parents, it can prove a disaster.

3. Why do we put our children through this annual torment? Some may say competition is character building, or it's taking part that's important - not the winning; or that it's a tradition of school life. I just felt immense pity for those children in tears or in pain.

4. Team games at the end of the "sports" produced some close races, enormous enthusiasm, lots of shouting and were fun to watch. More importantly, the children who were not so fast or so nimble at passing the ball were hidden a little from everyone's gaze. Some of them also had the thrill of being on the winning side.

5. I wish sports day could be abandoned and replaced with some other summer event. Perhaps an afternoon of team games, with a few races for those who want them, would be less stressful for the children and a lot more fun to watch.

Now try to answer these questions without looking back at the text if possible. Remember that complete sentences are not necessary but your answers must be accurate.

1. What symptoms do children who are afraid of sports day show?

Stomach pains, being sick, difficulty in sleeping

2. Where was the sports day held?

At a large village primary school

3. Why do some of the children who like running still find sports day traumatic?

Because they fall half way down the track in front of the whole school and their parents.

4. What does the writer feel for young children who are upset by sports day?

Immense pity

5. How did the children feel about the team games played after the race?

Very enthusiastic

6. What alternative to sports day does the writer suggest?

An afternoon of team games and a few races for those who want them.

Finding the main ideas

Match the following main ideas to the relevant paragraphs (1-5) of the article.

A. How team games produced a positive atmosphere on sports day. (Par. 4)

B. The reasons why sports days are still a part of school life. (Par. 3)

C. An alternative to the traditional sports day. (Par. 5)

D. The explanation for the children's illnesses and fears. (Par. 2)

E. The physical symptoms that fear of sports day produces. (Par 1)

SOURCE : Success International by Marian Barry - Georgian Press