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Assessment Blog First Language English

IGCSE English 0500 Coursework: Your Complete Guide to Component 3

Victor Tan
 

Today we’re diving deep into one of the most misunderstood aspects of IGCSE English First Language 0500: the coursework option.

Whether you’re a student trying to figure out which assessment route is right for you, a parent trying to understand what your child is getting into, or a teacher weighing up the pros and cons of offering coursework at your school, this post is going to give you everything you need to know about Component 3 – the Coursework Portfolio.

And here’s the thing: some of you reading this might not even know that coursework is an option. Some schools automatically put everyone through Paper 2, while others swear by coursework. We’ll get into why that is, but first, let’s look at what we’re actually dealing with.

The Official Specification

Before we go any further, let me give you the official documentation.

If you want to dive into the nitty-gritty details yourself, here is an essential resource: the Coursework Handbook.

0500_Coursework_Handbook_(for_examination_from_2020)Download

I strongly recommend downloading that Coursework Handbook. It’s got marked examples, moderator comments, and basically everything you need to understand what good coursework actually looks like.

Don’t just skim it – actually read it, especially if you’re planning to take the coursework route.

Having said that…

What Actually IS Coursework?

Let’s get the basics straight. In IGCSE English 0500, you have two options for your written assessment:

Option 1: Paper 1 (Reading) + Paper 2 (Directed Writing and Composition)
Option 2: Paper 1 (Reading) + Component 3 (Coursework Portfolio)

Both options are worth the same (50% from each component), and both give you access to the full range of grades from A* to G.

The coursework isn’t some “easier” route or a consolation prize for weaker students – it’s a legitimate, rigorous alternative that tests the same skills in a different way, but that some schools or students might prefer.

Why Would Someone Choose Coursework?

This is the million-dollar question, isn’t it? Why would you – or your school – opt for coursework instead of just sitting the exam like everyone else?

The Student Perspective

Let me be honest with you: coursework isn’t for everyone, but for some students, it’s absolutely the right choice. Here’s why:

1. Time to Perfect Your Work

With Paper 2, you walk into an exam hall, you get 2 hours, and whatever you write is what you get marked on. There’s no going back, no second chances, no “wait, I could have said that better.”

With coursework, you get to draft, redraft, refine, and polish. You can take feedback (within limits – more on that later), sleep on your ideas, and come back with fresh eyes. If you’re the kind of person who thinks of the perfect phrase in the shower three days after the exam, coursework might be your friend.

2. Control Over Your Topics

Paper 2 gives you some choice, sure, but you don’t know what the prompts will be until you open the exam paper. With coursework, you get to choose topics that genuinely interest you, that connect to your life, your culture, your experiences.

This isn’t just about making the work easier – it’s about making it better. When you write about something you actually care about, something that resonates with your lived experience, the quality of your writing tends to be substantially higher. Your narrative about navigating cultural identity in Malaysia will be more authentic and compelling than a generic story about a haunted house that you’ve never experienced.

3. Reduced Exam Pressure

Some students just don’t perform well under timed exam conditions. Maybe you freeze up, maybe you second-guess yourself, maybe you just write slower than the exam allows. Coursework removes that artificial time pressure and lets you work at your own pace.

4. Building a Body of Work

There’s something deeply satisfying about having a completed portfolio at the end of your course. It’s tangible evidence of your growth as a writer. You can look back at your three pieces and see the different skills you’ve mastered, the different voices you’ve tried out.

The School Perspective

Now, why might schools choose to offer – or not offer – coursework? This is where it gets interesting.

Schools that prefer coursework often argue:

  • It’s more authentic assessment of writing ability
  • It allows for differentiation (stronger students can tackle more complex topics)
  • It reduces the “exam factory” feel of IGCSE preparation
  • It develops independent learning skills
  • Students produce work they’re genuinely proud of

Schools that avoid coursework often cite:

  • Administrative burden (internal moderation, external moderation, paperwork)
  • Plagiarism concerns (more opportunities for dishonesty)
  • Difficulty ensuring all work is the student’s own
  • Challenges in managing the drafting process appropriately
  • Inconsistency in marking standards across different teachers

Neither position is wrong. It’s about what works for your school’s context, your student population, and your staff capacity.

Coursework vs. Paper 2: The Commonalities

Here’s what you need to understand: the skills being tested are identical.

Whether you’re sitting Paper 2 or submitting coursework, Cambridge is assessing your ability to:

Writing Assessment Objectives (W1-W5):

  • W1: Articulate experience and express what is thought, felt and imagined
  • W2: Organise and structure ideas and opinions for deliberate effect
  • W3: Use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures appropriate to context
  • W4: Use register appropriate to context
  • W5: Make accurate use of spelling, punctuation and grammar

Reading Assessment Objectives (tested in Assignment 1 only):

  • R1: Demonstrate understanding of explicit meanings
  • R2: Demonstrate understanding of implicit meanings and attitudes
  • R3: Analyse, evaluate and develop facts, ideas and opinions
  • R5: Select and use information for specific purposes

The mark distribution is also identical:

  • Paper 2: 40 marks for Directed Writing + 40 marks for Composition = 80 marks total
  • Coursework: 30 marks for Assignment 1 + 25 marks for Assignment 2 + 25 marks for Assignment 3 = 80 marks total

Both routes test your ability to:

  • Write persuasively/argumentatively in response to stimulus material
  • Write descriptively
  • Write narratively

The genres, the text types, the language skills – all the same. The only difference is how you demonstrate those skills.

Coursework vs. Paper 2: The Key Differences

But of course, there are significant differences in how these assessments work:

1. Time Constraints

Paper 2: You have exactly 2 hours to complete both tasks. Time management is crucial. You need to plan quickly, write efficiently, and have no time for extensive revision.

Coursework: You have months (potentially the entire two-year course) to complete your portfolio. You can spend as much time as you need on each piece, though practically, you’ll be balancing this with your other subjects.

2. Drafting Process

Paper 2: What you write is what you get. You might do a quick plan, but there’s no opportunity to draft, get feedback, and redraft.

Coursework: You’re required to submit one first draft with your portfolio. You can plan extensively, write a first draft, receive general feedback from your teacher (though they can’t correct specific errors), and then produce a polished final version.

3. Topic Selection

Paper 2: You choose from the options provided on the exam paper. You don’t know what these will be until exam day, though you can practice with past papers to get a sense of the types of questions asked.

Coursework: You and your teacher negotiate the assignments together and even select texts together. While there are guidelines about what each assignment must achieve, there’s significant flexibility in choosing topics that interest you and suit your abilities.

4. Use of Resources

Paper 2: No dictionaries, no notes, no reference materials. Just you, the exam paper, and your brain.

Coursework: You can use dictionaries, spell-checkers, thesauruses – any resources that help you polish your work. You can research your topics, gather ideas, and draw on a wide range of materials to inform your writing.

5. Stakes and Stress

Paper 2: Everything rides on your performance on one specific day at one specific time. If you’re having an off day – headache, personal problems, just didn’t sleep well – that’s tough luck.

Coursework: Your performance is spread out over time. A bad day doesn’t ruin everything because you can come back to your work when you’re feeling better.

6. Assessment Mode

Paper 2: Externally assessed by Cambridge examiners. Marked anonymously and consistently according to standardized mark schemes.

Coursework: Internally assessed by your teachers, then externally moderated by Cambridge. Your teachers mark your work first, then Cambridge checks a sample to ensure the marking is fair and consistent.

Breaking Down the Three Assignments

Let me give you the quick overview of what you actually have to produce:

Assignment 1: Writing to Discuss, Argue and/or Persuade (30 marks)

This is your “directed writing” equivalent. You’ll respond to a text or texts (about 2 sides of A4) chosen by your teacher. You need to:

  • Select, analyze, and evaluate the ideas and opinions in the text
  • Integrate those ideas with your own views
  • Write in an appropriate form (letter, article, speech, etc.)

Word count: 500-800 words
Marks: 15 for reading, 15 for writing

Example topics that work well:

  • “University: why bother?” – you write a letter to the author arguing for or against their position
  • “Why social media should be banned for under 16s” – you respond evaluating the author’s arguments
  • “Bringing up Chinese children” – you discuss the parenting approaches presented

The key here is that you’re not just summarizing what the text says – you’re engaging with it critically, evaluating the arguments, and presenting your own perspective.

Assignment 2: Writing to Describe (25 marks)

This is pure descriptive writing – non-narrative. You’re creating images, atmosphere, and feelings through language.

Word count: 500-800 words
Marks: 10 for content and structure, 15 for style and accuracy

Example topics:

  • Describe your surroundings and feelings while waiting for someone in a busy place
  • Describe an important gathering or celebration
  • Describe a place at dawn or sunset
  • Describe a sudden storm and its aftermath

Critical point: This must remain descriptive, not slip into narrative. You’re painting a picture with words, not telling a story with a beginning, middle, and end.

Assignment 3: Writing to Narrate (25 marks)

This is your creative fiction or personal narrative. You need to demonstrate features of fiction writing: characterization, plot development, description, convincing detail.

Word count: 500-800 words
Marks: 10 for content and structure, 15 for style and accuracy

Example approaches:

  • Short story with a well-developed plot and characters
  • Diary entries exploring a significant period in someone’s life
  • Autobiographical account of a life-changing event
  • Opening or closing chapter of a novel

Critical point: You need a defined, developed plot. Random events strung together don’t cut it. Your narrative needs structure, purpose, and emotional resonance.

How to Excel in Coursework: General Strategies

Now we’re getting to the practical stuff. How do you actually do well in coursework?

1. Choose Topics That Connect to Your Life

I cannot stress this enough. The best coursework comes from authentic engagement with topics that matter to you. Don’t try to write about exotic locations you’ve never visited or experiences you can only imagine from movies, but instead, about things that you care about or that resonate with you. It’s not easy to find such things right at the outset, but coursework offers an opportunity for you to go on a journey to look for these things which you may not have found otherwise.

If you’re writing about a busy marketplace and you are from Malaysia, describe the pasar malam down the road, not some generic European Christmas market you’ve only seen in films.

If you’re writing a personal narrative, draw on your actual experiences – the anxiety of your first day at a new school, the complexity of family relationships, the moment you realized something important about yourself.

Authenticity produces better writing. Always.

2. Plan More, Write Less (Initially)

One of the biggest mistakes students make with coursework is thinking that because they have time, they should just start writing and see where it goes. Bad idea.

Use the time advantage to plan thoroughly:

  • Brainstorm multiple angles on your topic
  • Create detailed outlines
  • Identify the key images/moments/arguments you want to include
  • Think about structure before you write a single sentence

A solid plan makes the actual writing much easier and results in more coherent, well-structured work.

3. Draft, But Don’t Over-Draft

Yes, you should draft your work. But there’s a point of diminishing returns.

Your process should look something like:

  1. Detailed planning
  2. First draft – get your ideas down, focus on content
  3. Feedback – general guidance from your teacher
  4. Final draft – incorporate feedback, polish language, check accuracy

Don’t do seven drafts. Don’t obsess over every single word choice in your first draft. Get the content and structure right first, then refine the expression.

4. Understand the Difference Between Feedback and Correction

This is crucial: your teacher cannot correct your work. They can’t tell you “change this word” or “fix this comma.”

What they can do:

  • Give general comments about strengths and weaknesses
  • Suggest areas to develop further
  • Point out patterns of error (e.g., “watch your use of tenses”)
  • Advise on overall structure and approach

What they cannot do:

  • Make specific corrections
  • Rewrite sentences for you
  • Tell you exactly what to change

5. Pay Attention to Word Count

The guideline is 500-800 words per assignment. Here’s what you need to know:

  • 500 words is enough for the highest marks if your writing is high-quality
  • Over 800 words often becomes self-penalizing – you lose focus, include irrelevant detail, can’t sustain your style

Many students think “more is better.” It’s not. Concise, focused, well-crafted writing beats rambling every time.

6. Study the Mark Schemes and Example Work

That Coursework Handbook I linked at the start? It includes real student work with moderator comments. Study these carefully. See what gets Level 6 marks vs. Level 3 marks. Notice the specific things moderators praise and criticize.

Understanding how your work will be assessed is half the battle.

7. Tackle Each Assignment’s Unique Challenges

Assignment 1 requires you to genuinely engage with the source text. Don’t just summarize it. Don’t ignore it and write your own essay. Respond to the specific ideas and arguments presented, evaluate them, and integrate your perspective.

Assignment 2 requires you to stay descriptive. The moment you start telling a story with a sequence of events, you’re drifting into narrative territory and losing marks. Create a moment in time, a snapshot that you explore in depth.

Assignment 3 requires proper narrative craft. You need characterization (even if subtle), plot development, and structure. This isn’t just “here’s what happened” – it’s shaped, crafted storytelling.

8. Vary Your Approaches Across the Three Assignments

Your portfolio needs to show range. Don’t write three pieces that all sound the same. Vary your:

  • Register (formal vs. informal)
  • Voice (first person vs. third person)
  • Tone (serious vs. humorous, reflective vs. urgent)
  • Vocabulary level and sentence complexity

Show the examiners that you’re a versatile writer who can adapt to different contexts and purposes.

9. Proofread Ruthlessly

With coursework, there’s no excuse for careless errors. You have time. You have resources. Use them.

After you’ve written your final draft:

  • Read it aloud (you’ll catch errors you miss when reading silently)
  • Check it backwards, sentence by sentence (catches typos)
  • Use spell-check, but don’t rely on it exclusively
  • Have someone else read it (not to correct it, but to spot where meaning is unclear)

Technical accuracy matters. When you are submitting a portfolio work, you should make sure that there are no grammatical errors, whether in tense or punctuation, and you should ensure that your sentences accomplish the goals that you have for them. At the higher levels, the difference between Level 5 and Level 6 often comes down to accuracy.

10. Remember: Same Skills, Different Mode

Here’s the thing I keep coming back to: whether you’re doing coursework or Paper 2, you’re being assessed on the same fundamental skills.

Good writing is good writing, whether it’s produced in 2 hours or 2 months. The assessment objectives don’t change:

  • Can you express complex ideas clearly?
  • Can you organize your writing for effect?
  • Can you use sophisticated vocabulary precisely?
  • Can you adapt your register to suit different contexts?
  • Can you write accurately?

All the techniques you’d use to prepare for Paper 2 – wide reading, vocabulary building, practicing different text types, understanding structure and style – those all apply to coursework too.

The coursework advantage is that you get to demonstrate these skills without time pressure and with opportunities for revision. But the skills themselves? Identical.

This means that strong writers will excel in either format. Weak writers won’t suddenly become strong just because they’re doing coursework. The mode of assessment changes; the standard doesn’t.

A Word on Plagiarism

I need to address this because it’s a genuine concern with coursework: plagiarism is both easier to attempt and easier to detect.

It’s easier to attempt because you have time, you have internet access, you could theoretically copy something or get someone else to write it for you.

It’s easier to detect because:

  • Your teacher knows your writing style from classroom work
  • They can compare Assignment 1 (where you’re constrained by the source text) with Assignments 2 and 3
  • Cambridge has sophisticated plagiarism detection
  • Sudden jumps in sophistication are obvious red flags

More importantly: don’t cheat. Not just because you’ll get caught (though you will), but because you’re literally cheating yourself of the opportunity to develop as a writer. The coursework process – planning, drafting, refining – is where the learning happens. Skip that, and you’ve wasted two years.

Plus, honestly, writing your own work that’s genuinely yours is infinitely more satisfying than submitting something that came from someone else. There’s real pride in looking at a completed portfolio and thinking “I made this.”

So… Should You Do Coursework?

Here’s my honest take on who should consider the coursework route:

Coursework might be right for you if:

  • You perform poorly under timed exam conditions
  • You’re a thoughtful writer who benefits from revision
  • You want to write about topics that connect to your own experience
  • You’re self-motivated and can manage long-term projects
  • You take feedback well and can implement improvements independently
  • You have the time to dedicate to producing high-quality work
  • Your school offers good support for the coursework process

Paper 2 might be better if:

  • You perform well under pressure
  • You’re a quick thinker and writer
  • You prefer to get things done in one sitting rather than spreading work out
  • You struggle with procrastination on long-term projects
  • You’re confident in your ability to produce good first-draft writing
  • Your school doesn’t have strong support systems for coursework

But here’s the reality: you might not get to choose.

Many schools make this decision for their entire cohort. They either offer coursework to everyone, or they put everyone through Paper 2. This is usually based on the school’s capacity to manage the administrative load, their confidence in preventing plagiarism, and their track record with each assessment mode.

If your school only offers one option, that’s your option. Make the best of it.

Call to Action: Let’s Build Some Data

Drop a comment below telling me:

  1. Is your school offering the coursework option, or are you doing Paper 2?
  2. If you’re doing coursework, how are you finding it? What’s working? What’s challenging?
  3. If you’re doing Paper 2, do you wish you had the coursework option? Why or why not?
  4. Teachers – what’s your school’s reasoning for choosing one option over the other?

Your responses will help other students and teachers understand what’s common, what’s working, and what the real-world experiences are with these different assessment modes.

Final Thoughts

The coursework route offers a particular pathway to developing these skills, one that emphasizes depth, revision, and sustained engagement with writing. But it’s not inherently better or worse than Paper 2 – it’s just different.

Whichever path you’re on, commit to it fully. Engage with the process. Take pride in your work. Push yourself to write better than you thought you could.

Because at the end of the day, the qualification matters, sure. But what matters more is who you become as a writer in the process of earning it.

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Assessment GCE O Levels IGCSE English

Best of luck for Paper 1 tomorrow!

Victor Tan
 

Good luck to all of you out there who are taking your 0500 paper 1 tomorrow!

I trust it’s going to be an interesting experience, and as you go into the exam, go in the knowledge that you have already prepared your very best, but do remember some of the following small things.

Remember to read your questions.

When you are navigating, you need an address. If you don’t have the address, it doesn’t matter where you go, what you do, at the end of the day, you still won’t get to where it is that you want to go.

So, learn what you’re supposed to do, read the questions carefully, and then go in that direction.

Don’t just throw yourself along a path while hoping that you’ll get somewhere, because you definitely won’t.

Next tip, make sure to plan out your answers.

I know it’s very easy to just think that you should go in guns blazing, writing as fast as you possibly can, but really, planning out something can be helpful in a whole bunch of different ways.

I can’t remember who it was, but someone, perhaps it was Lincoln, said that if you were given 6 hours to chop down a tree, he would spend the first 4 sharpening the axe.

Obviously, you don’t have 4 hours during the course of your IGCSE exam, and if you try that, then you’ll be off and with no grade. So please don’t follow that advice literally; on the metaphorical front, do take some time to think about what you’re going to say, because that is going to pay dividends down the line when you structure, have a clear idea, and then finish in time.

Next tip, make sure to think about time.

Generally, each of the sections that you complete can be thought of as a 40-minute section, a 40-minute section, and a 40-minute section, respectively for your reading comprehension and then summary, then your reading comprehension, and then explanation and writer’s effect, and then finally, the extended response to reading.

Budget your time well, and make sure that you are going ahead and just ensuring that you have ample time to respond.

Next tip, when you are reading, make sure not to deceive yourself.

Remember that you are reading a text. This is not a time for you to impose your own opinions.

It is a time for you to understand, to retrieve, and from there to synthesize. It’s not time to start campaigning.

None of you are going to become Greta Thunbergs and simultaneously obtain an A-star if the cause that you are going for is environmental science when in fact the paper was actually about running a marathon. It doesn’t work that way.

My last tip, just go in with a sense that you are going to learn something along the way and that you’ve already done your best.

So treat it as a good time to go in, enjoy some interesting text, write a response, and know that you’ve already done your best by that point because it is going to be the best that you’ve done by that point.

You can’t really change anything.

I have no idea if any of you are going to retake things but that’s a separate question. Go in with a feeling that this exam will not determine your life because certainly it won’t. It may decide the kind of grade that you eventually get but that at the end of the day isn’t really going to be consequential relative to the other things that could ostensibly affect your life.

So just go in with the knowledge that it’s going to be an interesting time and that there is going to be something cool to gain right here and enjoy yourself.

That’s all there is.

Alright, good luck everyone, have a great time and I look forward to seeing you on the other side!

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Assessment General English IGCSE English Uncategorized

Understanding the Differences Between IGCSE English and IELTS

Victor Tan
 

If you are reading this, you’ve probably started the journey of exploring English proficiency examinations. 

In particular, you might be thinking about the IGCSE English exams (or have taken them) already, and you may now be considering taking the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) or a comparable English proficiency exam such as the TOEFL. These exams, widely recognized and respected, can open doors to further education and career opportunities. 

That said, they serve different purposes and target different skills, and parents are often a little confused about the differences between them.

No worries, though – that’s why this post exists; in it, you’ll discover some of the differences between the IGCSE English exams and also the IELTS exam, and I hope that it will give you the understanding that you seek 🙂

Let’s dive in!

Firstly, let’s briefly introduce both exams. 

First, let’s talk about the IGCSE English exams.

The IGCSE is an internationally recognized secondary school qualification, and it provides two primary English language (proficiency) exams – First Language English (0500), and English as a Second Language (0510).

First Language English is primarily designed for students who have English as their first language. It focuses on developing students’ ability to communicate clearly, accurately, and effectively in both speech and writing. Students are encouraged to use English in a variety of contexts and to a high level of sophistication, with a rich vocabulary and complex sentence structures. English as a Second Language, on the other hand, is designed to teach English to students who haven’t had extensive exposure to English in their prior schooling or home environments.  

On the other hand, the IELTS examination is an international standardized test of English language proficiency for non-native English language speakers.

The IELTS exam comes in two versions: IELTS Academic, for those who want to study at a tertiary level in an English-speaking country, and IELTS General Training, for those who want to work or undertake training in an English-speaking country.

Let’s now talk about structure. 

First language English requires students to complete assessments in reading and writing, and it asks them to complete exam papers that require them to analyze and deal with texts on a level that requires an appreciation for language and how to analyse and comprehend it.

Generally, the First Language English paper is broken down into two exam papers, one dedicated to reading comprehension and various other questions that come with it, and another paper dedicated to directed writing and narrative/descriptive writing; some students also do coursework, which also involves creating writing samples dedicated to creating higher order narrative or descriptive writing except without as much of a time constraint as what they would encounter with Paper 2. 

IELTS, however, is broken down into four different subsections, each of which has their own exam – reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Additionally, there are two variants of the exam – the IELTS Academic for students who want to study in foreign countries as part of a student visa requirement or a conditional offer, and the IELTS General paper, for people who want to work overseas to fulfill their work visa requirements.

Let’s now talk about purpose.

The IGCSE English exams are assessments that demonstrate evidence of academic pursuit of the English language in a schooling environment with the aim of obtaining a secondary school qualification. They are assessments that allow teachers to develop teaching examples and experiences to allow their students to explore and understand the English language in different ways depending on the level that the subject is being taken at.

IELTS, however, is an internationally recognised English examination that is required both for entry to university is as well as to certain countries, forming part of the Visa requirement for students who want to work overseas (hence why you see that some students insist on getting writing scores for the IELTS that are above 6.5 – it is part of their visa requirement).

But do you need to take it though?

In this blog post, we will delve into the specifics of both the IGCSE First Language English and the IELTS examination, breaking down their structure, purpose, content, and the skills they aim to develop. We’ll also discuss their relevance and implications for you, helping you decide which one fits best with your future plans.

Let’s start talking about who needs to take the IELTS. 

Generally speaking, you will need to take the IELTS if you are a resident of a non-English speaking country and you are seeking either employment or formal education within an English speaking country. 

But Victor, you might say – I already took the first language English examinations! 

Do I really need to take the IELTS? Unfortunately, the answer to this question is most likely a yes – many countries and jurisdictions do discriminate on the basis of where you originate from geographically (example: The UK Home Office designation of majority English speaking countries), which does mean that even if your English is significantly better than someone from an English speaking country, you will still have to take the IELTS in order to prove your capabilities.

In other words, if you are not from one of these countries…

…It’s likely that you’ll have to take the IELTS.

See:

The most dramatic illustration that I have seen of this is the case study of my friend Alicia’s conditional offer to enter Cambridge University to study law – Although she had taken FLE and even A Level English Literature, because she was from Malaysia, she was required to take the IELTS and to receive a score of 8.5 and above (essentially the same overall score as me – but it was a requirement!) in order to meet the terms of her conditional offer despite the fact that Cambridge specifies that it requires a minimum overall band of 7.5, clearly demonstrating that first of all your mileage will vary, and second of all that you may need IELTS even if you obtain A*’s in First Language English or otherwise. 

…Unless you receive an exemption.

Another natural question arises:

Can you use an IGCSE English qualification or any national curriculum English exam in lieu of the IELTS?

It’s true that the IELTS is not cheap (MYR858 to register, the last time I checked), but as a resident of a non-English speaking country, In most cases, you should expect to take both the IGCSE English qualification that you have chosen to take (or SPM English/whatever your national English curriculum reflects) alongside the IELTS.

That said, it is possible to take First Language English rather than take the IELTS exam in order to enter a university (sometimes)… But note that such a scenario is the minority of all cases and would typically constitute a situation of a waiver of IELTS or comparable English proficiency exam rather than anything else.

This may be something that you should consider doing a little more if budget is a huge concern for you and taking one extra exam is likely to break the bank… But it is important to note that not all universities will accept the secondary school qualifications that you’ve chosen, and you would probably cover more ground if you were to take IELTS as well and therefore have more options at the end of the day.

It is possible for you to identify a list of universities that only require a sufficiently strong FLE grade, but personally I think that that’s a waste of time – as long as your mastery of the English language (which is the most important thing in the first place) is secure, you’ll have no problem taking the IELTS and obtaining a good grade, and the IELTS will serve as the exam that validates your English proficiency. 

The natural next question is…

Can you simply take the IELTS rather than even take a secondary school qualification in the first place?

While I think that the answer to this question is a yes, particularly if the student is able to obtain a high score in the IELTS despite not having a secondary school qualification in English, success at IELTS requires a student to have a decent grasp and formative understanding of the English language, the development of which requires numerous years of experience and also exposure to good teachers. 

A student who has received adequate preparation for this throughout the course of their secondary school career, which would naturally lead into the obtainment of a secondary school qualification such as the IGCSE or otherwise, would be much more likely to obtain a good IELTS score; correspondingly, while it is possible to develop the requisite mastery of English to do well in the IELTS without necessarily taking First Language English or English as a Second Language, it would be rare or otherwise unlikely for us to find a student who is able to do well at the IELTS who has not done any sort of secondary school English qualification, because that would mean that they had not learned in a structured learning environment.

It is not something that I recommend – getting formal training from a skilled instructor is important.

That said, those of you who are considering IELTS and IGCSE English may be wondering…

Which exam is more difficult?

It depends on what you’re comparing exactly.

I think that many people would say that First Language English is more difficult compared to the IELTS, because the first language English examination is an examination of analysis and critical thinking as well as writing that requires not only comprehension and basic sentence construction, but recruits much more sophisticated skills that require a student to develop a strong understanding and facility with language usage.

On the other hand, IELTS is an exam that aims to assess how well students can perform in everyday English language usage situations; accordingly, it requires students to demonstrate mastery of the English language across more modalities, although it does not require advanced language skills in order to do well in it.

IELTS merely requires the ability to speak, write, and think fluently and articulate one’s thoughts, demonstrating good comprehension along the way, and in that sense is more similar to English as a Second Language rather than to First Language English because of its focus on the mechanics of the English language rather than on using it for more cognitively demanding tasks such as analysis and evaluation, per the First Language English syllabus. 

It’s crucial to note, though, that just because First Language English is of a high(er) level of difficulty relative to the IELTS, that does not mean that a student who is able to do well at FLE will automatically be able to do well at the IELTS – Because First Language English students do not need to practice listening or speaking, it’s still quite possible for a good FLE student to be caught off guard by the IELTS exam and therefore crucial to obtain specific practice for it. 

Are there some other considerations that I should be aware of?

IELTS results are only valid for two years, while IGCSE results are valid for life.

This means that you generally have no reason to take the IELTS extremely early – most students who take IELTS for academic purposes do so either right after they obtain their conditional offers from university, or sometime during the year that they are taking A Levels, IB, or whatever pre-university qualification it is that they are working on.

At the same time, while there isn’t an immediate rush for you to do the IELTS, it is something that you’ll want to make sure that your child can do well on. With that in mind, you may be asking yourself…

“Can my child do well for FLE and for IELTS?“

At the end of the day, the most important factor that underpins whether a student will succeed in the First Language English or IELTS exams is their raw ability at using the language effectively – the extent of their grammaticality, the strength of their skills of analysis, their ability to comprehend written information, and otherwise; it is something that requires specific practice and training for, and it isn’t something that you’ll automatically be good at just because you’ve spent a certain number of years in school.

Still, at the end of the day, although a student’s abilities and practice for one of these exams is likely going to correlate with their performance in the other, it’s crucial to perform targeted practice for each exam because their curricula are markedly different and they assess different things. 

It’s crucial to develop a strategy of targeted practice for any exam, and the same is true whether you’re taking First Language English or IELTS, and it is important to be able to get a sense of the difficulty and your preparedness for the curricula through an independent perspective.

Consider dropping a message if you’d like to assess your child’s suitedness for the curricula, and I’ll look forward to chatting with you soon!

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