Year: 2023

The Magic of Examiner Reports

victortanws
 

Examiner Reports are released by Cambridge International after each examination session. These reports summarize the general performance of students, highlight common strengths and weaknesses, and provide constructive feedback for both students and teachers.

Put simply?

They’re awesome, and if you want to do well on the IGCSE, you should read them.

In this blog post, we will discuss the immense value of reading Examiner Reports for the IGCSE First Language English 0500 examination and how they provide invaluable insights into what examiners are looking for.

At the same time, they reflect the overall judgement of examiners for the essays of students for particular examination sessions and therefore provide key insights into the way that Cambridge as an organisation evaluates different scripts, which in turn can help you to better contextualise the marking criteria that has been provided in the mark scheme documents that you have no doubt seen so far.

“But Victor!!!” you might be saying…“I don’t want to spend my time reading dumb stuff like that!!!!”

Well hold on, hold on.

What if I told you that this ‘dumb stuff’… Was actually one of the master keys towards unlocking excellence on the IGCSE First Language English exam?

Unlocking the Marking Criteria

One of the difficulties of understanding how to do well in a language-based exam for students is that there are various ways to operationalize excellence in language. While it’s true that for other exams such as mathematics and science exams some degree of creativity and insight can lead to novel approaches and answers, it remains true that the possible sample space of excellent responses for First Language English and other exams is much wider, and it also remains true that it is more difficult for students to understand how to operationalize excellence through their work just from reading the marking criteria.

Here is where the \magic/ 🪄 of examiner reports comes in!

Examiner reports are absolutely invaluable in helping you to unlock the marking criteria for the IGCSE First Language English exam, because they offer comprehensive and actionable steps for you if you’re practicing for the exam, and they serve as a wonderful practice aid for you to check whether you are able to do well in particular practice exams.

Let’s look at the first part of the examiner report for the June 2022 IGCSE.

Observe here that there are key messages for each paper, and also general comments about what constituted excellence for the paper. We won’t discuss the entire thing, but there are also specific analyses on a question-by-question basis.

I won’t go into everything here today (more resources will be provided to our Premium members soon).

Here’s one sample:

…And here’s the next:

Wow.

As you can see, the report specifically breaks down these questions.

Think about that and the value that it’s offering – in the first case, it is telling you exactly how the best candidates did question 2d) and how they came to deliver responses on Writer’s Effect.

In the second example, it is literally breaking down Question 3 for you by telling you the ways in which the candidates approached the question and the way that people thought about the question, which you can in turn reference as you write your own exam responses; you could implement a routine of practicing a past paper, following that up by having your essay graded (submissions for essays to our essay bank(s) are open!)

To sum up, why are examiner reports valuable to you?

(sorry to be annoying, but you’ll have to sign up for a free or premium membership to read the next bit c: – reminder that purchasing the book gains you access to premium member privileges… For now!)

This content is for Annual Membership (50% off!) and Free members only.
Please Log In to your members’ account to access this resource. If you haven’t signed up yet, make sure to Join Now!

Conclusion

I hope I’ve shown you that Examiner Reports for the IGCSE First Language English 0500 examination are a powerful tool for students seeking to understand what examiners are looking for in the context of the marking criteria, and also that they are something valuable to look at in your quest for mastery or for convergence towards writing stellar essays that fit the marking criteria while at the same time helping you to excel.

By analyzing these reports, students can gain invaluable insights into the expectations of examiners, avoid common pitfalls, learn from real examples, and fine-tune their writing techniques to achieve the highest possible marks.

As the saying goes, knowledge is power, and in the case of the IGCSE First Language English 0500 examination, Examiner Reports are a key to unlocking that power – they are not the only key, but are definitely something that you should consider as part of your repertoire!

Free Book! (For underprivileged students)

victortanws
 

Recently, some of you asked me about the method of distribution that I’ve chosen for my first book. Expressing your concern, you have come up to me and said:

“Do you control your work from being accessed?”

The answer is no.

“Aren’t you worried that people will pirate it?”

The answer is no.

“People have been sharing your book around recently… Aren’t you afraid?”

…Well, maybe I would be, if you forwarded the book itself to the entire universe! 😂

In fact, if you need the book because you’re underprivileged or poor or unable to pay for the book…

Just fill in this form 🙂

Please fill in this form and I will send the book to you.

Some people proceeded to ask… Aren’t you afraid that people will just pirate the book and send it out to the world?

Honestly, this has been a year of firsts and I never imagined that I would ever be in this position…

But no, I’m not afraid.

Here’s why.

I think that people have a natural instinct to share good things, and that piracy is inevitable. As a creator, it is my first time facing this prospect, yet at the same time though, I think that good works will be rewarded eventually.

…Does that sound naive?

I think that sounds a bit naive, so let me explain my thought process.

If someone pirated the book, I guess that there are three reasons why this could have happened.

The way I see it, if you did choose to pirate the book, there are then three possibilities as to why you might have chosen to do so.

  1. Somebody sent the book to you because they thought that it was just that good.

You may have been thinking: Is this resource for real? Is this person legitimate and can we trust him? Can so much value really be offered in a single webpage? Why are there are hundreds of people visiting it simply within two weeks of its creation and why are people discussing it all over my groups?

Can the book be that good? I need to check I need to check I need to check!!!

See:

See: Artist visualization, lol.

Upon realising its value, you may then have chosen to utilise it on a day-to-day basis, perhaps unconsciously, choosing to use it while forgetting where it has come from.

If that is the case, then I am incredibly satisfied as it looks like I delivered something great! That is exactly the outcome that I intended to achieve, and I am tremendously happy that I have been successful in achieving it.

If you are financially able and you see value in supporting my mission, all I ask is that you will decide to procure it for yourself if you identify with the basic message that I am communicating across and you see it as valuable for me to be able to deliver that message in days ahead. You will be contributing to wards the advancement of this subject and the understanding of many students in the days ahead, and I look forward to meeting you!

If you identify with the basic message and would like to support me as a creator, consider buying the book and fueling the journey forward!

That now brings us to the second possible reason as to why it is that you might choose to pirate:

2. You are in a situation of financial need.

I acknowledge that this is a possibility – there are many people around the world who are both incredibly deserving, while at the same time lacking in the opportunities that put so to elevate them to the next level, and I am always conscious of that because I was one of those people as well.

It’s difficult, isn’t it? You find yourself in a situation where you wish to do the right thing, but somehow or another circumstances, do not allow you to do that, and no amount of reasoning or thinking, is going to resolve that problem immediately.

If that is you and you are poor and incapable of paying, then I want to tell you this: once againyou are in the right place, and if you deeply believe in the transformative power of education, and are looking for the evidence that it may change your life, then all you need to do is think about the person who is saying these words to you now (more on this later!)

If you are indeed in a situation of financial need and you find yourself unable or incapable of purchasing the book without a dire sacrifice to yourself because of familial circumstances or otherwise, you have no need to pirate: simply go up to me and speak with me, and I will send you the book myself. There is no need for you to sacrifice your conscience for some thing as petty as this, and I am happy to send you the book if you feel that it is going to meaningfully benefit you.

If somehow still you are unable to reach me or you feel embarrassed, knows that I do not feel any anger towards you for that and I understand why you did what you did in the situation that you did it: please do what you need to do and go in peace, though I hope you will remember me when you grow older or have a better situation for yourself.

3. You are not in a situation of financial need, but you think “that is a good resource, and I would like to use it without paying for it”.

I think that that is possible.

Whether we like it or not, there are people in this world who sense of ethics does not necessarily accord with those that reflect our own personal sensibilities – is the solution then to simply assume that the entire world is evil? I guess not.

Yet, I think it is also rather unlikely.

While certainly it is possible, that is not what the evidence has told me so far.

The evidence has shown you that those of you who have made the purchase are conscientious, willing to step up, and unwilling to do wrong – even if there are some amongst you who have made the conscious choice to use the book without actually paying for it, the support that I have received from the community at large has been extensive to the point that I have yet to notice, and that even if there are bad elements in our community who have chosen to use this be sauce without paying for it, I can confidently and comfortably ignore that sort of behaviour and instead choose to cherish the abundant good that all of you have chosen to show me in your choices to engage and also to make use of the knowledge that is contained within it.

Thank you!

Thank you for your overwhelming support and your voices of concern.

Thank you for caring about me and for the message that I am sending out – that it is valuable for people to learn how to use English in the best of ways, and to make use of it.

For your concern, I am thankful.

For the ways that you reached out and tell me about the things that you have seen fit to point out, I am abundantly grateful.

It is for this reason and for many more that I have no particular of your of piracy and instead repost in a deep confidence that if you are going to use this resource that you will pay for it fairly and in turn will meet me upon the ground where we are supposed to meet and can therefore engage in the most meaningful of ways as we move on a journey to work is your highest fulfilment.

At the end of the day, the reason that I do this is not primarily for the money. Rather, it is for the sake of trying to create something that is actually beneficial to society because I know that at an earlier time of my life, I would have appreciated something like this as well.

Once again, thank you, and I look forward to seeing you in the members’ section!

A Note To Our Premium Members

victortanws
 

Hello there! If you purchased the book recently, you are entitled to access the premium tier of this website; thank you so much and I hope that it will bring you to where you wish to go, and beyond as you embark on the journey that is education and the IGCSE!

Rest assured that we are doing everything in our power, to refine the membership tier and to bring you a great experience when it comes to the time for memberships to open, and if you don’t receive access within the next week (by 7th April 2023), do send me a message and I will add you in as soon as I can!

In the meantime, I’d also like to define the benefits that members of the premium tier will get briefly in this post, and will do so more extensively at a later point.

  • Full access to all guides
  • Full access to recorded courses 
  • Full access to worked solutions and responses for exams 
  • Priority access to posts
  • Full essay breakdowns and analysis
  • Live office hour (once weekly, at 9pm on Tuesdays via Zoom) 
  • Discounted access to future resources across the entire spectrum 

Additional membership tiers will be defined at a later point perhaps for schools as well, but this is the draft for what I am envisioning for the premium tier at this point in time.


Free members of the website, please know that you will continue to receive access to the same level of high-quality content that you have had access to up until now, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future – Premium will be a cut above though, and if you see value in that, our promotion to grant you one year of access in return for the purchase of the book is still ongoing, and approximately 150 redemptions remain. If you see value in this work, I look forward to seeing you in the members section!


In the meantime, premium members, do give us some time as we prepare the membership area content for you – looking forward to serving you soon!

V.