iGCSE CAMBRIDGE BOARD ENGLISH LANGUAGE PAPER 2
There are 2 questions .
Question 1 will be a piece of directed writing based on a
Reading Resource. For this paper it will be one of three genres
of directed writing ( remember this differs from the directed question
on Paper 1 which has a choice of 6 genres of directed writing)
(i) a letter (formal or informal)
(ii) a speech
(iii) an article
(i) the letter may be formal or informal (the wording of the
question will make this clear). A formal letter will be written to
somebody in authority such as a headteacher, a member of
parliament or an editor of a newspaper.
For formal/ business letters there is a format that needs to be
followed. The writer’s address is in the top right corner with the
date written on the line below it and then the recipient’s address
in the left hand corner. If the letter is addressed ‘Dear Mr./ Mrs./
Miss.’ etc then it needs to be signed off with ‘yours sincerely’. If
however it is addressed to ‘Sir/ Madam’ then it is to be signed
off with ‘yours faithfully’
The language needs to be formal with no contractions and no
colloquialisms.
“ I would like to draw your attention to..”
“I am contacting you regarding recent developments within…”
“Further to our recent conversation on the matter of….”
“Following our recent meeting……”
, “I have a matter of great concern to bring to your attention…”
“In the light of recent developments…”
Conclude / close with
“I look forward to hearing from you at your convenience”
“I look forward to hearing from you in due course”
“I trust that you will give these matters your full and undivided
attention in order to attain a satisfactory conclusion for all
parties concerned.”
For informal letters you still use ‘Dear’ but it will be followed by
the person’s first name ‘Dear John’, ‘Dear Sarah’ however you
can sign off with ‘Best wishes’, ‘see you soon’, ‘all the best’
…so basically the tome is conversational. Be careful not to slip
into using colloquialisms - it is very important to use standard
English. Try and use some ambitious vocabulary while still
maintaining a relaxed and friendly tone.
(ii) A speech can be formal or informal - you must read the
question very carefully to ensure that you are clear who your
audience is. If your address is to the school teachers/
governors for example you do not want your tone to be too
‘chatty’; you need to be deferential and maintain a tone that is
directed to people who have a degree of authority over you. If
you are addressing your peers the tone needs to be more
informal however do not revert at any point to using
colloquialisms (slang) - standard English is required at all times.
For a speech to your peers you also need to refrain from using
vocabulary that is too advanced (difficult) as this could render
your tone patronising. In all speeches it is advisable to use the
pronoun ‘we’ so as to make your audience feel included. It will
also serve as a means of keeping their undivided attention.
Rhetorical questions also serve this purpose. By posing
There are 2 questions .
Question 1 will be a piece of directed writing based on a
Reading Resource. For this paper it will be one of three genres
of directed writing ( remember this differs from the directed question
on Paper 1 which has a choice of 6 genres of directed writing)
(i) a letter (formal or informal)
(ii) a speech
(iii) an article
(i) the letter may be formal or informal (the wording of the
question will make this clear). A formal letter will be written to
somebody in authority such as a headteacher, a member of
parliament or an editor of a newspaper.
For formal/ business letters there is a format that needs to be
followed. The writer’s address is in the top right corner with the
date written on the line below it and then the recipient’s address
in the left hand corner. If the letter is addressed ‘Dear Mr./ Mrs./
Miss.’ etc then it needs to be signed off with ‘yours sincerely’. If
however it is addressed to ‘Sir/ Madam’ then it is to be signed
off with ‘yours faithfully’
The language needs to be formal with no contractions and no
colloquialisms.
“ I would like to draw your attention to..”
“I am contacting you regarding recent developments within…”
“Further to our recent conversation on the matter of….”
“Following our recent meeting……”
, “I have a matter of great concern to bring to your attention…”
“In the light of recent developments…”
Conclude / close with
“I look forward to hearing from you at your convenience”
“I look forward to hearing from you in due course”
“I trust that you will give these matters your full and undivided
attention in order to attain a satisfactory conclusion for all
parties concerned.”
For informal letters you still use ‘Dear’ but it will be followed by
the person’s first name ‘Dear John’, ‘Dear Sarah’ however you
can sign off with ‘Best wishes’, ‘see you soon’, ‘all the best’
…so basically the tome is conversational. Be careful not to slip
into using colloquialisms - it is very important to use standard
English. Try and use some ambitious vocabulary while still
maintaining a relaxed and friendly tone.
(ii) A speech can be formal or informal - you must read the
question very carefully to ensure that you are clear who your
audience is. If your address is to the school teachers/
governors for example you do not want your tone to be too
‘chatty’; you need to be deferential and maintain a tone that is
directed to people who have a degree of authority over you. If
you are addressing your peers the tone needs to be more
informal however do not revert at any point to using
colloquialisms (slang) - standard English is required at all times.
For a speech to your peers you also need to refrain from using
vocabulary that is too advanced (difficult) as this could render
your tone patronising. In all speeches it is advisable to use the
pronoun ‘we’ so as to make your audience feel included. It will
also serve as a means of keeping their undivided attention.
Rhetorical questions also serve this purpose. By posing
