Dear students, please collect the english o level past papers with answers pdf form this list. You’ll get a download link end of this discussion. Before downloading, please see some sample of past papers.
Key messages:
• Candidates are advised to ensure they identify the key words in each task to enable them to satisfy the requirements of the question. This is particularly important in Section 1, especially when the word and in bold type, indicates there are two parts to the bullet point.
• Candidates should manage their time carefully during the exam so as to ensure that they have sufficient time for each question.
• In Section 1, candidates should ensure that they use an appropriate format and style for the required text type.
• Candidates are advised not to exceed the maximum number of words in Section 2.
• Candidates are advised that the majority of marks in this exam are for language and so they should check that tenses are consistent and be careful with spelling and punctuation.
• Candidates are encouraged to proof-read their work for meaning and accuracy.
• The inclusion of graphic violence and/or sexual content is not appropriate.
General comments
• The vast majority of candidates were fully engaged with the questions and there were very few short or irrelevant responses.
• The strongest responses demonstrated highly accurate writing and a very good understanding of the purpose of each question. Many candidates used a wide range of vocabulary appropriately.
• Tenses and agreement are the main challenge in grammar for many. Other common language errors included confusion between homophones, inaccurate capitalization and incorrect usage of commas and apostrophes. Candidates should also avoid the use of slang expressions, e.g. ‘gonna’ or ‘wanna’.
• Section 1 was done well by the large majority of candidates with the bullet points being generally well addressed. Some candidates were less clear about the conventions of speech writing than they are with the conventions of other formats, e.g. letters.
• There were excellent responses to all of the Section 2 questions. The wide range of options meant that all candidates could find a topic they were interested in writing about. The argument questions were quite popular this year with some detailed arguments.
english o level past papers with answers pdf
Question 1: This question required candidates to write a speech about a difficult situation they had been involved in on the way to school. They needed to explain how their best friend had helped them. The purpose and situation were accessible for all candidates as current students. The following points had to be included:
• the name of your friend and where the incident happened
• details of the incident and how your friend helped you
• how both you and your friend benefited from the event in different ways.
For bullet point 1 it was necessary for candidates to name their friend and say where the incident happened. The first part of this bullet point presented no difficulties to the vast majority of candidates who included the name of their friend. Most also achieved the second part of the bullet point by clearly stating where the incident happened, e.g. by giving a street name, explaining that it happened near a particular place, or by saying that it happened on a bus journey between two named places.
Where candidates did not get credit for the second part of the bullet point it was because they were insufficiently clear as to where the incident happened, e.g. by saying only they were on the way to school, or in a car.
For bullet point 2 candidates had to give details of the incident and say how their friend helped them. A wide variety of difficult situations were described and successful responses described these in detail. The most common included transportation problems such as car crashes or bus breakdowns, bullying incidents, muggings or other crimes, and medical problems.
Similarly, the friend provided lots of different types of help, including protecting the candidate from harm, providing a lift, lending money for a bus fare, or giving advice when the candidate was not sure what to do.
Generally, this bullet point was done well with candidates addressing each part in good detail. A few responses used too much of a narrative style approach to this bullet point and turned the speech into a story about what happened and then sometimes neglected the other bullet points. The most effective responses were focused and were clearly written as speeches, rather than stories. A very few responses focused on helping their friend rather than on their friend helping them.
For bullet point 3 candidates had to explain how they and their friend benefited from the event in different ways. Most candidates recognized the need for there to be different benefits as specified in the bullet point. A wide range of ideas were put forward and the most successful responses described these in good detail. Benefits for the candidate included getting to school on time, realizing that they had a friend to rely on and being prevented from getting into trouble.
Benefits for the friend included being rewarded by the school, realizing what they were capable of and being owed a favor. As with bullet point 2, some candidates wrote only about the benefits to them, rather than including benefits to their friend.
In some cases detail was lacking for this bullet point, possibly because the candidates had spent so long on bullet points 1 and 2. The weakest responses sometimes did not include anything specific and commented that they and their friend benefited without giving any details.
Balance is required in selecting material for Task Fulfillment; a number of responses included overlong introductory paragraphs about the importance of friendship, rather than focusing on one specific incident.
Nearly all candidates understood that they were being asked to write a speech and began with ‘Good morning everyone’ as requested. Most added other speech conventions, most commonly by thanking the audience for listening at the end.
However, in a large number of responses the sense of a speech was not sustained throughout. The most successful responses added other speech features such as the use of rhetorical questions and often included direct address to the audience, e.g. ‘you know what I’m like’ or ‘you won’t be surprised to hear’. A few candidates wrote in another format, generally a letter.
There was a good sense of audience in most responses, with candidates understanding that they were being asked to write a speech for their class and using appropriate language for this audience. There was generally appropriate use of formal and informal language, with little inappropriate use of slang. Tone and register were appropriate in almost all responses, with the most successful responses using an effective and engaging style for a speech.
Question 2: Describe two very different places you know where people buy food. The places may be shops, restaurants, markets or any other (Remember you are describing the atmosphere and any people there, as well as the places.)
The description was quite popular with candidates. Buying food was clearly a familiar topic to candidates and most were able to write in some detail. Many candidates wrote about two very different places and described an expensive restaurant and then somewhere cheaper. There were different approaches that could be taken here though and some candidates wrote about two similar places. Most candidates were helped by structuring their response into two sections and very few only wrote about one place to buy food.
The best responses employed the full range of senses to give accounts of their surroundings and made effective use of detail to bring the place they were describing to life. One candidate wrote about market stall holders selling ‘edible pieces of heaven’ and another wrote about how the conversations of the people were ‘therapeutic as they come together with the clinking sounds of the ceramic and porcelain cups and plates’. Vocabulary was often very impressive and included words like ‘aesthetically’, ‘delicately’ and ‘vibrant.’
Less successful responses relied too much on narrative, describing the events of their day or evening, rather than describing the place to buy food. The language in these compositions was less specific with some repetition of expressions like ‘beautiful, ‘tasty’ and ‘amazing.’. The control of tenses was often a weakness in these compositions. The present tense was used well by most but others used the present and past tense inconsistently.
Question 3: ‘Sport is not just good for exercise – it teaches us lessons about values and behavior.’ Do you think this is true? Give reasons and details to support your view.
This was the most popular of the discursive tasks. Most candidates seemed familiar with the topic and a large majority believed that sport was good for more than exercise. Commonly cited arguments were that sport teaches lessons about teamwork, overcoming adversity and sportsmanship. The best responses made convincing use of detail to support their arguments, with some candidates writing from their own experience and others using real world examples of famous sportspeople.
Most candidates also included some arguments against the benefits of sport, for example the fact that it can lead to people becoming too competitive, or that some sportspeople may take drugs to improve their performance.
The most successful candidates produced well-structured pieces, beginning with an introduction and often considering argument and counter argument, before finishing off with a conclusion. These responses also employed some impressive vocabulary including words and phrases like ‘motivation,’ ‘consistency’ and ‘performance-enhancing.’
Less successful responses struggled to advance a clear argument and sometimes became repetitive and unclear. Candidates need to be able to organize and develop ideas logically in order to do well at this task.
Question 4: ‘Every generation should move on and forget the beliefs and practices of previous generations.’ How far do you agree with this? Give reasons and details to support your views.
This was the least commonly answered of the discursive tasks. Candidates who attempted it often did so effectively and there were strong opinions on both sides as to whether generations should forget the beliefs and practices of previous generations. Candidates who supported the proposition wrote about harmful traditions and the progress that has been made with technology and medicine, compared to previous times.
Candidates who opposed the proposition wrote about the importance of learning from the past and about preserving cultural identity. Other responses took a balanced approach, examining the arguments on both sides and opting for a blend of old and new. All of these approaches were acceptable.
As always, candidates who choose the argument essay should ensure they have enough to say. Some candidates ran out of ideas fairly quickly and resorted to repeating points.
Question 5: Write a story which contains the sentence: ‘It was important to meet her face to face because what I wanted to say was too important to put in a text message.’
This was the most popular of the Section 2 tasks. Almost all candidates integrated the given sentence convincingly into the narrative without changing the wording. The sentence could be added at any point in the story and many candidates used it as the precursor to the ending.
Common themes included the candidate finding the courage to share their feelings with a potential girlfriend, having to pass on good or bad news to someone or the need for a face to face conversation to overcome a misunderstanding. There were some very well developed and engaging narratives, often supported by wide and precise vocabulary. These narratives included vivid characters and settings, using features like dialogue to create a sense of immediacy.
Less successful responses tended to struggle to create a sense of character and were sometimes largely a series of events. These responses often relied on simple structures and this could create a monotonous effect.
A few responses included descriptions of sexual activity and this is not appropriate.
Dear students, click on this link to download english o level past papers with answers pdf. Get other educational resources free in Courstika. If you have difficulty downloading, inbox on our Facebook page. Students can SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel to get other notes and suggestions.
Discussion about this post