Six original Directed Writing exam papers for Cambridge IGCSE First Language English (0500), Paper 2 Section A: Question 1(a) and Question 1(b). These are Thorogood English’s own unique papers: every reading text, question, mark scheme and model answer has been written from scratch and closely modelled on the Cambridge format for exams from 2027, so your students get fresh, realistic practice they won’t find anywhere else.

Students only get better at Section A by sitting it, marking it honestly and seeing what a top-band answer looks like. Each paper in this pack gives them all three: two original reading texts and a question paper in exam format, a detailed teacher mark scheme, and a student-friendly debrief with full model answers and a self-mark checklist. That is six full hours of exam practice, ready to print.

6full exam papers
122print-ready pages
6detailed mark schemes
12model answers

Bonus: £5 off the full Directed Writing unit

Buy this pack and you will receive a coupon code for £5 off Directed Writing: Full Unit (currently £28). The code appears on your order confirmation page and in your order email, so the papers pay for themselves when you upgrade.

What’s included?

Six full Section A papers (A to F), each with its own insert of two original reading texts and a question paper with ruled answer space, in the 2027 Cambridge format: 1(a) for 5 marks and 1(b) for 35 marks.
Every 1(b) text type covered: two speeches, a letter, two articles and a report, so students practise writing for every audience and purpose the exam can set.
A variety of source texts: newspaper articles, student blogs, letters, a report with survey statistics and an interview, so students learn to read and combine ideas from any kind of text.
A detailed teacher mark scheme for every paper: each 1(a) attitude with the detail from the text that proves it; the ideas for each 1(b) bullet, with the supporting detail and how each idea can be developed; and full level descriptions (Tables A, B and C) for reading and writing.
“Push it” challenge ideas in every mark scheme: examples of how to question and test the texts, showing exactly what takes strong students into the top band for reading.
“About this paper” notes for the teacher: what each text is doing, where the two texts connect, what the audience needs and the vocabulary to check before students start.
A student-friendly debrief for every paper with a model 1(a) answer, a top-band 1(b) paragraph broken down step by step, and a full 1(b) model answer (about 300 words) with notes in the margin showing what earns each mark.
A self-mark checklist after each model answer, written in plain English, so students can mark their own work, choose their band and set a target for next time.
“Your turn: redraft” pages so students rewrite their weakest paragraph straight away and see the improvement.
Built-in progression: Papers A and F use the same bullet wording as Cambridge’s 2027 specimen paper (outline, explain), so they make good starting papers. Papers B to E stretch students further with evaluate, suggest and recommend.
Ready for the classroom, homework or mock exams: clear one-hour timings (read 10 minutes, 1(a) 7 minutes, plan 8 minutes, write 30 minutes, check 5 minutes), and every part starts on a right-hand page for double-sided printing.
Editable files: Word (.docx) so you can adapt any paper, plus a print-ready PDF of the full 122-page pack.

What are the papers?

Paper A: A later school day (speech to students, parents and teachers). A newspaper article on teenage sleep and a student’s blog about a six-week trial of a later start.
Paper B: Paying students for results (letter to the headteacher). A magazine feature on schools and families that pay for good results and a father’s magazine article on why he stopped paying his son.
Paper C: Limiting tourists (article for a travel website). A travel writer’s visit to a fishing village swamped by visitors and a café owner’s community blog.
Paper D: A plastic-free, plant-based canteen day (report for the student council). A school survey with statistics to interpret and question, and the catering manager’s account in the school newsletter.
Paper E: Esports as a school sport (speech to the PE department). An online article on esports in schools and a magazine interview with a PE teacher who was “the biggest sceptic in the building”.
Paper F: Car-free school streets (article for the local newspaper). A news report on a trial that closed the road outside two schools and a parent’s letter to the editor.

How do I use the pack?

Give students the insert and the question paper only, and keep the mark scheme until they have finished writing.
Mark with the detailed mark scheme, or let students mark their own work.
Hand out the debrief: students compare their answers with the model answers, tick the self-mark checklist and redraft their weakest paragraph.

The papers work on their own or alongside Directed Writing: Full Unit, which teaches the methods used in the debriefs (Name it · Nail it · Link it and Pick it · Prove it · Push it) step by step over fourteen lessons.

What’s inside?

Inserts and question papers in exam format:

Directed Writing exam practice insert and question paper preview 1

Directed Writing exam practice insert and question paper preview 2

Directed Writing exam practice insert and question paper preview 3

Detailed teacher mark schemes:

Directed Writing exam practice mark scheme preview 1

Directed Writing exam practice mark scheme preview 2

Directed Writing exam practice mark scheme preview 3

Student debriefs with full model answers and self-mark checklists:

Directed Writing exam practice student debrief preview 1

Directed Writing exam practice student debrief preview 2

Directed Writing exam practice student debrief preview 3

All papers, texts, mark schemes and model answers are original work by Thorogood English, based on the Cambridge IGCSE First Language English (0500) assessment objectives. Thorogood English is not affiliated with or endorsed by Cambridge University Press & Assessment.

Made by Jacqueline Thorogood

An experienced, qualified English teacher with twenty-six years in the classroom, specialising in Cambridge IGCSE. More about me

Practice papers

Directed Writing Exam Practice: Six Full Papers — Paper 2 Section A — IGCSE First Language English