IGCSE English Language Topics by Exam Board: Full List

As a student of IGCSE English Language, you need to understand how your course is structured and what is expected in each exam. As a teacher with almost 20 years’ experience of teaching English, I always start by ensuring my students are as familiar as possible with the structure of their course.

This guide provides a detailed breakdown of IGCSE English Language topics for CIE, Edexcel (A and B), and Oxford AQA IGCSE English Language courses, outlining the content and examination format to help you focus your studies effectively.

CIE IGCSE First Language English (0500/0990)

The Cambridge IGCSE English — First Language course is designed to help students develop skills in reading, writing and spoken language. It is divided into the following areas:

1. Reading

• Demonstrating understanding of written texts, and of the words and phrases within them

• Summarising and using material for a specific context

• Developing, analysing and evaluating facts, ideas and opinions

• Demonstrating understanding of how writers achieve their effects and influence readers

• Selecting appropriate information for specific purposes

• Recognising and responding to linguistic devices, figurative language and imagery

2. Writing

• Expressing what is thought, felt and imagined

• Organising and conveying facts, ideas and opinions effectively

• Demonstrating a varied vocabulary appropriate to the context

• Demonstrating an effective use of sentence structures

• Demonstrating an understanding of audience, purpose and form

• Demonstrating accuracy in spelling, punctuation and grammar

3. Speaking and Listening (optional endorsement)

• Presenting and responding to ideas in spoken language

• Engaging in discussions and conversations

Exam structure

All candidates take:

• Paper 1: Reading (50%): three structured and extended-response questions on three texts

And:

• Paper 2: Directed Writing and Composition (50%): one directed writing task and one composition task

Or:

• Component 3: Coursework Portfolio (alternative to Paper 2): three extended writing assignments

Candidates can also take:

• Component 4: Speaking and Listening (optional endorsement): assessed presentation and discussion

Check out our detailed revision notes and model answers for every question in the CIE IGCSE English — First Language qualification here:

Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE English Language

These resources cover the 2024-2026 syllabus, and we will be updating these with the 2027 syllabus soon.

Edexcel IGCSE English Language A (4EA1)

Edexcel IGCSE English Language A focuses on reading comprehension and writing skills, incorporating fiction and non-fiction texts.

1. Non-Fiction Texts and Transactional Writing

• Analysing contemporary non-fiction texts from Part 1 of the Pearson Edexcel International GCSE English Anthology

• Comparing and evaluating viewpoints across different texts:

  • Example texts include letters, magazine articles, travel writing and interviews

• Writing transactional texts such as letters, reports, and speeches

Component 1 Section A: Pearson Edexcel International GCSE English Anthology – Part 1: Non-fiction Texts

• Extract from The Danger of a Single Story – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

• Extract from A Passage to Africa – George Alagiah

• Extract from The Explorer’s Daughter – Kari Herbert

• Explorers, or boys messing about? Either way, taxpayer gets rescue bill – Steven Morris

• Extract from 127 Hours: Between a Rock and a Hard Place – Aron Ralston

• Young and dyslexic? You've got it going on – Benjamin Zephaniah

• Extract from A Game of Polo with a Headless Goat – Emma Levine

• Extract from Beyond the Sky and Earth: A Journey into Bhutan – Jamie Zeppa

• Extract from H is for Hawk – Helen Macdonald

• Extract from Chinese Cinderella – Adeline Yen Mah

2. Poetry and Prose Texts and Imaginative Writing

• Studying poetry and prose texts from Part 2 of the Pearson Edexcel International English Anthology

• Writing imaginative, narrative, and descriptive pieces based on given prompts

Component 2 and Component 3 Section A: Pearson Edexcel International GCSE English Anthology – Part 2: Poetry and Prose Texts

• ‘Disabled’ – Wilfred Owen

• ‘Out, Out–‘ – Robert Frost

• ‘An Unknown Girl’ – Moniza Alvi

• ‘The Bright Lights of Sarajevo’ – Tony Harrison

• ‘Still I Rise’ – Maya Angelou

• The Story of an Hour – Kate Chopin

• The Necklace – Guy de Maupassant

• Significant Cigarettes (from The Road Home) – Rose Tremain

• Whistle and I’ll Come to You (from The Woman in Black) – Susan Hill

• Night – Alice Munro

Exam structure

• Paper 1: Non-Fiction and Transactional Writing (60%) – reading comprehension of an unseen non-fiction text and one from the anthology; one transactional writing task.

• Paper 2: Poetry and Prose and Imaginative Writing (40%) – one essay on a set text from the anthology; one imaginative writing task

• Component 3: Coursework (alternative to Paper 2; 40%) – analytical essays and creative writing tasks

• Spoken Language Endorsement (optional assessment) – assessed presentation and discussion

Check out question-by-question revision notes, including a guide to all of the texts in the anthology, here:

Edexcel IGCSE English Language A

Edexcel IGCSE English Language B (4EB1)

This course offers a single examination focusing on reading, transactional writing, and imaginative writing.

1. Reading and Analysis

• Analysing two unseen extracts from fiction and non-fiction sources

• Exploring how writers use linguistic and structural techniques

• Example texts for this component include articles, biographies, short stories and opinion columns

2. Transactional and Imaginative Writing

• Writing for a given audience, form, or purpose

• Developing discursive, descriptive, and narrative writing skills

Exam structure

• Component 1: Reading and Writing (100%):

  • Section A: two reading comprehension tasks on unseen texts

  • Section B: one directed writing task (letter, article, review, etc.)

  • Section C: one extended imaginative writing task (narrative, descriptive, or discursive writing)

• Spoken Language Endorsement (optional assessment): assessed presentation and discussion

Oxford AQA IGCSE English Language (9270)

Oxford AQA’s IGCSE course develops students’ skills in reading, writing, and critical thinking.

1. Literary Non-Fiction and Composition

• Analysing non-fiction texts such as autobiographies, memoirs, travel writing, and letters

• Writing descriptive, imaginative, and argumentative pieces

• Example texts for this component include extracts from memoirs, historical accounts and contemporary essays

Exam structure

• Paper 1: Literary Non-Fiction and Composition (60%):

  • Section A: close analysis of a single non-fiction text

  • Section B: one extended writing task (imaginative, descriptive, or discursive)

• Paper 2: Source-Based Reading and Directed Writing (40%):

  • Section A: comparative analysis of multiple source texts

  • Section B: one directed writing task (speech, article, letter, or report)

• Non-Exam Assessment (NEA): optional coursework including analytical and creative writing tasks

• Speaking and Listening Endorsement (optional assessment): assessed presentation and discussion

Improve your grades with Save My Exams

Why not get started on your revision straight away by using the detailed IGCSE resources created by the English experts at Save My Exams? Here you’ll find:

• Revision notes

• Past papers and mark schemes

• Examiner tips
  

IGCSE English Language Resources

References

Cambridge IGCSE English - First Language (0500)
Edexcel International GCSE in English Language A
Edexcel International GCSE in English Language B
Oxford AQA IGCSE English Language