IGCSE Options: Extra English

Why study this subject?

IGCSE Second Language English offers students the opportunity to improve their language skills and knowledge. They will be become more confident speakers and writers of English, which will have positive effects on their educational progress at Runnymede.

Through studying this IGCSE, students will develop:

  • better communication in English – focusing on speaking, listening, reading comprehension and writing
  • improved understanding of English in a variety of registers and styles
  • language-learning skills and greater awareness of how language works
  • building vocabulary and use of idiomatic expression
  • specific skills such as structuring essays and writing for different purposes and audiences
  • additional practice in skills for First Language IGCSE (Note-taking & Summary, Directed Writing)
  • addressing spelling and grammatical accuracy and eliminating second language errors
  • strengthening their general language base which is important for other subjects taught in English, including History, Drama and Geography

What will I study and learn?

In Year 10, students will be prepared for the IGCSE Second Language English, which they will take at the beginning of the next academic year.

Year 11 is dedicated to practising and reinforcing the language skills required for English First Language IGCSE. Students will spend the year ensuring that they do as well as possible in the First Language IGCSE, while also consolidating their written communication skills in general, which will support their learning in most other IGCSE subjects.

How will I be assessed?

Reading and Writing Paper
2 hours
Listening Paper
50 mins
Speaking
15 mins

Future opportunities (degrees and careers)

By developing their speaking, writing, reading and listening skills in English, students will be able to enter the sixth form feeling more confident about their language abilities, which will feed into success in any subject taught in English. This may also lead them to feel more capable of choosing Economics, English Literature, Geography or History at A Level, for example.

Fluency in English is an increasingly essential skill in today’s competitive job market, so any subject which allows students to improve their articulacy and eliminate common errors will be useful for university study and a professional career in the UK, USA or Spain.