PMT

UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE INTERNATIONAL EXAMINATIONS

International General Certificate of Secondary Education

MARK SCHEME for the May/June 2011 question paper

for the guidance of teachers

0500 FIRST LANGUAGE ENGLISH

0500/23 Paper 2 (Reading Passage – Extended), maximum raw mark 50

This mark scheme is published as an aid to teachers and candidates, to indicate the requirements of
the examination. It shows the basis on which Examiners were instructed to award marks. It does not
indicate the details of the discussions that took place at an Examiners’ meeting before marking began,
which would have considered the acceptability of alternative answers.

Mark schemes must be read in conjunction with the question papers and the report on the
examination.

• Cambridge will not enter into discussions or correspondence in connection with these mark schemes.

Cambridge is publishing the mark schemes for the May/June 2011 question papers for most IGCSE,
GCE Advanced Level and Advanced Subsidiary Level syllabuses and some Ordinary Level
syllabuses.
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Note: All Examiners are instructed that alternative correct answers and unexpected approaches in
candidates’ scripts must be given marks that fairly reflect the relevant knowledge and skills
demonstrated.

Question 1

This question tests Reading Objectives R1–R3 (15 marks):

• understand and collate explicit meanings

• understand, explain and collate implicit meanings and attitudes
• select, analyse and evaluate what is relevant to specific purposes

AND Writing Objectives W1–W5 (5 marks):

• articulate experience and express what is thought, felt and imagined

• order and present facts, ideas and opinions
• understand and use a range of appropriate vocabulary
• use language and register appropriate to audience and context
• make accurate and effective use of paragraphs, grammatical structures, sentences, punctuation
and spelling.

Imagine that you are the old man described in the final paragraphs (When we returned…after
our visit).

Write a letter to your sister, who lives in a different part of the country.

In your letter, you should:

• describe, in your own words, what has happened to the town;

• express your thoughts and emotions about the past, present and future.

Begin your letter, ‘Dear Sister…’.

Base your letter on what you have read in Passage A and be careful to use your own words.

Write between 1½ and 2 sides, allowing for the size of your handwriting.

Up to fifteen marks are available for the content of your answer, and up to five marks for the
quality of your writing. [20]

General notes on likely content:

Good answers will characterise the old man in terms of, for example, shock, weariness, sadness,
nostalgia and will make different thoughts and emotions clear. Basic answers will tend to lack
distinction, repeating information from the text and not effectively matching it to the likely feelings of
the old man.

Look for the fullest answers making a wide and varied use of the passage. The content must clearly
be related to and derived from the passage. Note that candidates may reasonably assume that the
two old men mentioned in the passage are the same. Look for a clear response, not in any particular
format, but well structured and in the candidate’s own words.

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Candidates may use the following:

A the explanation of what has happened

• It is important that the events surrounding the tragedy should be brought to life in the
candidate’s own words. Allow additional details if they are relevant to a reading of the
passage.

B feelings about the past

• Memories of work, friendship with other workers, maybe the man who was knocked over, or
even the bosses and/or a nostalgic view of the town as it was in the old man’s youth – good
responses will make him involve the sister with memories based on textual details.

C feelings about the present and about the future

• The present – the trauma of the explosion, grief at the destruction, the ugly remains of the
silo, unemployment in the town, the layer of dust (spoiling the town and prolonging the
memory), the noisy tourists – yet life goes on.
• The future – fear that the beauty and atmosphere will be destroyed, the town bigger and
busier, full of noisy youths and tourists, governed by the urge to make money (and other
valid ideas). Here the ability to extrapolate may be the deciding factor in the content mark.

Marking Criteria for Question 1

A CONTENT (EXTENDED TIER)

Use the following table to give a mark out of 15.

Band 1: The answer reveals a thorough reading of the passage. A good range of well-
13–15 developed and equally weighted ideas is applied to all parts of the question. There
is an appropriate amount of supporting detail, which is well integrated into the
letter, contributing to a strong sense of purpose and approach. Characterisation
and the ability to turn facts into feelings add significantly to the overall effect.
Band 2: There is evidence of a competent reading of the passage. The letter explains the
10–12 events well and expresses some feelings. Some ideas are developed, but the
ability to sustain content may not be consistent. All parts of the question may not
be equally weighted. There is some supporting detail throughout.
Band 3: The passage has been read reasonably well, but the answer may not reflect the
7–9 range and detail of the original. There may be some evidence of a mechanical use
of the passage. There is focus on the task and satisfactory reference, but
opportunities for development are not always taken. Supporting detail is used, but
not consistently.
Band 4: Some reference to the passage is made without much inference or more than
4–6 brief, factual development. Answers may be thin or in places lack focus on the
passage, but there is some evidence of general understanding of the most
important details.
Band 5: Answers are either very general with little specific reference to the passage or a
1–3 reproduction of sections of the original. Content is insubstantial and there is little
realisation of the need to modify material from the passage.
Band 6: There is little or no relevance to the question or to the passage.
0

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B QUALITY OF WRITING: STRUCTURE AND ORDER, STYLE AND LANGUAGE (EXTENDED TIER)

Use the following table to give a mark out of 5.

Band 1: The language of the letter has character, expresses feeling and is consistently
5 appropriate. There is a clear and effective sense of audience. Ideas are firmly
expressed and developed in a wide range of effective and/or interesting language.
Structural presentation is sound throughout.
Band 2: Language is mostly fluent and there is clarity of expression. There is some sense
4 of audience. There is a sufficient range of vocabulary to express some ideas and
emotions effectively and to develop them with some subtlety. The letter is
consistent and is mainly well structured.
Band 3: Language is clear and appropriate, but comparatively plain, even when expressing
3 feelings. The sense of audience is slight though the style is generally consistent.
Individual points are rarely extended, but explanations are adequate. There may
be flaws in structural presentation.
Band 4: There may be some awkwardness of expression and some stylistic inconsistency.
2 The sense of audience is weak. Language is too limited to express shades of
meaning. There may be structural weakness in the presentation of material.
Band 5: There are problems of expression and structure. Language is weak and
1 undeveloped. The letter may not start well and the purpose for writing may not be
clear. There is little attempt to explain thoughts and emotions. There may be
frequent copying from the original.
Band 6: Sentence structures and language are unclear and the response is difficult to
0 follow.

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Question 2

This question tests Reading Objective R4 (10 marks):

• understand how writers achieve effects.

Re-read the descriptions of:

(a) the elderly tourists in paragraph 2;

(b) the explosion and its effects on the area in paragraph 4.

Select words and phrases from these descriptions, and explain how the writer has created
effects by using this language [10]

General notes on likely content:

This question is marked for the candidate's ability to select effective or unusual words and for an
understanding of ways in which the language is effective. Expect candidates to select words that
carry specific meaning, including implications, additional to general and to ordinary vocabulary.
Alternative acceptable explanations should be credited. Mark for the overall quality of the answer, not
for the number of words chosen.

The following notes are a guide to what good candidates might say about the words they have
chosen. They are free to make any sensible comment, but only credit comments that are relevant to
the correct meanings of the words and that have some validity.

Candidates could score full marks for excellent comments on comparatively few words from each
part of the question. Do not take marks off for inaccurate statements. It is the quality of the analysis
that attracts marks.

(a) the elderly tourists in paragraph 2

Responses may give the overview that the tourists were not only surprisingly noisy and
excitable (it does illustrate the unexpected energy of older people in a group of peers) but
also disorganised in the way in which they set off into the town. Some may suspect that the
effect of the words is to exaggerate what actually happened. Responses in the top band
should be aware of images and be able to deal with them.

Responses should explain the image of the excited gang of little children. It is ironic that
those at the end of their lives should be compared to those at the very beginning. Little
children suggests (daringly) that they do not know how to behave, whilst gang is the
strongest part of the phrase suggesting disruptive almost criminal behaviour.
This theme of indiscipline is strengthened by tumbled. Of course they didn’t tumble at all –
they would have injured themselves – but the word suggests disorganisation and a certain
violence of movement.
Their visit to the town becomes an assault, which suggests a stage in a battle; an
exaggeration; the town is unsuspecting of this assault. The image is intensified by the
cameras at the ready as this is likening the way they hold their cameras like soldiers
advancing into a war zone. This idea is strengthened when they shatter the midday peace. It
is a violent word, like breaking glass, expressing suddenness (perhaps like the explosion
itself).
Scatter could suggest disorganised and sudden movement or an attacking force spreading
out.
Responses may also comment on noisy chatter, again like children.

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(b) the explosion and its effects on the area in paragraph 4

Here responses can be conducted methodically. Good responses will explore why the
reference to golden rain should be ironic. Responses should link the words that give a visual
image of the destruction.

Responses may start with like a thunderbolt, which expresses the suddenness and the
shock of the explosion. They should understand the connection between an explosion and
thunder.
A firework display could bring to mind a continuous show of intensely bright fragments
arcing into the sky in a noisy fashion suggesting beauty, excitement and wonder, but this
being the very opposite and might be said to be ironic.
The golden rain creates a similar effect but the way parts of a firework fall to the ground is
also captured, plus the parallel of the gold of the firework and of the grain. Credit responses
which attempt either of these.
There will be some identifications of the meaning of imploded.
There are two visual descriptions of the fallen concrete. The force of the explosion has made
them jagged and they lie not in a heap but scattered over, perhaps, a wide area
haphazardly.
There are also two descriptions of what is left of the silo. Again the force of the explosion
has left the edges serrated (we think of concrete in blocks, not with pointed edges). This is
emphasised by describing the points as spiky.

Marking criteria for Question 2

READING

Use the following table to give a mark out of 10.

Band 1: Wide ranging discussion of language with some high quality comments that add
9–10 meaning and associations to words in both parts of the question, and demonstrate the
writer's reasons for using them. May group examples to demonstrate overview of
meaning/inference/attitude. Tackles images with some precision and imagination.
There is clear evidence that the candidate understands how language works.
Band 2: Reference is made to a number of words and phrases, and some explanations are
7–8 given and effects identified in both parts of the question. There is some grasp of
overview although this is not consistent. Images are recognised as such and the
response goes some way to justify them. There is some evidence that the candidate
understands how language works.
Band 3: A satisfactory attempt is made to identify appropriate words and phrases. Responses
5–6 mostly give meanings of words and any attempt to suggest and explain effects is weak.
One half of the question may be better answered than the other. Responses may
identify linguistic devices but not explain why they are used. Explanations are basic or
in very general terms.
Band 4: Responses provide a mixture of appropriate words and words that communicate less
3–4 well. Explanations are only partially effective and occasionally repeat the language of
the original, or comments are very general and do not refer to specific words.
Band 5: The choice of words is partly relevant, sparse or sometimes unrelated to the passage.
1–2 While the question has been understood, the response does little more than give very
few words and make very slight, generalised comments. The answer is very thin.
Band 6: The response does not fit the question. Inappropriate words and phrases are chosen.
0

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Question 3

This question tests Reading Objectives R1–R3 (15 marks):

• understand and collate explicit meanings

• understand, explain and collate implicit meanings and attitudes
• select, analyse and evaluate what is relevant to specific purposes

AND Writing Objectives W1–W5 (5 marks):

• articulate experience and express what is thought, felt and imagined

• order and present facts, ideas and opinions
• understand and use a range of appropriate vocabulary
• use language and register appropriate to audience and context
• make accurate and effective use of paragraphs, grammatical structures, sentences, punctuation
and spelling.

Summarise:

(a) what makes the Jiuzhaigou valley and lakes attractive to tourists, as described in Passage B;

(b) what made the town attractive to the writer and his wife, as described in Passage A.

Use your own words as far as possible.

You should write about 1 side in total, allowing for the size of your handwriting.

Up to fifteen marks are available for the content of your answer, and up to five marks for the
quality of your writing. [20]

A CONTENT

Give one mark per point up to a maximum of 15.

(a) what makes the Jiuzhaigou valley and lakes attractive to tourists (Passage B)

1 nature reserve/World Heritage site/rare plants and animals

2 no pollution/away from industry and cities
3 many hotels are available
4 many buses to take you up the valley
5 stroll where you want/along boardwalks
6 height/land climbs to 3,000 metres
7 many long, thin lakes
8 waterfalls
9 variety of trees
10 colours of water/strange shapes in water
11 lake names associated with legends
12 shopping centre
13 cafeteria
14 Tibetan sellers of trinkets

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(b) what makes the town attractive to the writer and his wife (Passage A)

15 bank of a river/hillside
16 market
17 squares and walkways
18 peaceful/quiet atmosphere
19 old stone buildings
20 church with monuments
21 public gardens
22 neat little cottage/garden
23 museum

Note: In points (3) and (4) the italicised words also indicate aspects which must be present in
an answer for the point to be awarded.

Marking Criteria for Question 3

B QUALITY OF WRITING: CONCISION, FOCUS AND WRITING IN OWN WORDS

Use the following table to give a mark out of 5.

Band 1: Both parts of the summary are well focused on the passage and the question, and
5 are expressed concisely throughout.
Band 2: Most points are made clearly and fluently. Own words are used consistently (where
4 appropriate). The summary is mostly focused on the passages and question but
may have an inappropriate introduction or conclusion.
Band 3: There are some areas of concision. There may be occasional loss of focus or
3 clarity. Own words (where appropriate) are used for most of the summary.
Responses may be list-like or not well sequenced.
Band 4: The summary is occasionally focused, but there may be examples of comment,
2 repetition, unnecessarily long explanation and/or some quotations in lieu of
explanation. The response may exceed the permitted length.
Band 5: The summary lacks focus and is wordy, or is over long. It may be answered in the
1 wrong form (e.g. a narrative or a commentary). There may be frequent lifting of
phrases and sentences.
Band 6: Excessive lifting; no focus; excessively long.
0

It is important that candidates follow the instruction about writing a side in total for the summary,
allowing for the size of the handwriting. The guidelines are as follows: large handwriting is
approximately five words per line, average handwriting is eight words per line, and small
handwriting is eleven and more. Typed scripts consist of approximately 15 words.

Note: A few candidates will copy the text word for word or almost so. These candidates will be
penalised.

© University of Cambridge International Examinations 2011