Course Guide

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to your Wolsey Hall Guide to the Cambridge IGCSE English as a Second Language course. Please take the time to read carefully through this guide. It will explain how the course is structured, how to get the most out of the course and how your work will be assessed. At the end of this guide you will find the Programme of Study for the course which shows how the course links to the CIE syllabus.

During your course, you will learn about the English language in fun and engaging ways. You will explore interesting topics and practise different styles of writing. By the end of the course, you should be able to:

Understand more English in a variety of situations and styles, both written and spoken.
Communicate more effectively in written English.
Be more aware of different styles of writing for different readers.
Be fully prepared for the IGCSE exam.
Achieve a level of practical communication ideal for everyday use, which can also form the basis for further, more in-depth language study.

We hope you’ll really enjoy your IGCSE English as a Second Language course and studying with Wolsey Hall. The main thing to remember is your tutor is always here to help, so please contact them whenever you have a question, no matter how big or small, and we will do our very best to help you do your very best!

SYLLABUS AND EXAMINATION

This Wolsey Hall course has been written by an English language specialist to prepare you for the Cambridge IGCSE 0511 (A* to G grading) course and final examination. The course is tailored to the Extended option of the exam (not the Core option) as it allows candidates to reach the highest grades.

Please see syllabus here.

At the end of your course, you will sit a final exam, at a local/national exam centre which is administered by Cambridge International.

Please note: Students taking their exam at UK exam centres may choose between 0511 (A* to G grades) and 0991 (9 to 1 grades). Students taking their exam outside the UK will take exam code 0511.

There are three components to the final exam:

Paper 2 Reading and Writing (Extended) - 60% of your overall grade.
Paper 4 Listening (Extended) - 20% of your overall grade.
Component 5 Speaking – - 20% of your overall grade.

Preparation for the Oral component

Please note that there are four half-hour video call lessons to prepare you for your Speaking exam. You need to book these with your tutor at least six months before your exams in order to ensure that you and your tutor both have time to prepare and schedule them. Please don’t leave it to the last minute!

YOUR COURSE BOOK AND RESOURCES

Each subject specialist team carefully selects the best course book from which you will study. The course books for your English as a Second Language course are:

English as a Second Language for Cambridge IGCSE, by Chris Akhurst et al, (Oxford University Press, 2014); ISBN:9780198392880

This is an excellent course book to prepare you for your assignments and your IGCSE examination.

Complete English as a Second Language for Cambridge IGCSE Writing and Grammar Practice Book, (Oxford University Press, 2017); ISBN: 9780198396086

This is a Practice Book to help you develop and improve your grammar and writing skills in key areas. Each chapter is designed to increase your vocabulary, develop your grammar and enable you to write in a broad range of styles. You can check your answers to the exercises on Canvas.

Throughout the course, we recommend that you try all the questions in the course book – the Programme of Study (POS, see below) will highlight which pages you should read for which Module. You should also make full use of the exam preparation material to help you to prepare for your final examination.

We can’t stress this enough: in our experience, those students who spend time preparing well for the examination at the end of the course are the ones who perform significantly better in their exams and get the best grades.

Other Resources

In addition to your course book, your tutors have sourced lots of interesting and fun resources to support your learning. The resources are clearly marked out in the Course Modules and you should make use of these alongside your course book work to ensure that you get the very best out of your course.

HOW YOUR WOLSEY HALL COURSE IS STRUCTURED

All the files required for your Course are uploaded onto our Learning Management System, Canvas. Once you have read through this guide and downloaded a pdf of the POS then you are ready to begin the course.

The Course is divided into nine Modules which cover one section of the syllabus at a time. These IGCSE English as a Second Language Course Modules will help you to get the most out of your Course Book. Each module is subdivided into Topics so that you can study the course in manageable chunks. Each Topic is set out as follows:

Reading – this section will include both the page references and required activities from your course book.
Links – there will be links to resources that will enhance your understanding of key concepts and will give you an opportunity to apply your knowledge.
Extension Material – this section is for those students who would like to do more to extend their knowledge and understanding of that topic material. We would encourage those students aiming for high grades to work through all our extension exercises.

You should only begin the Assignment when you have completed all the reading and worked through all of the exercises in the topics.

HOW YOUR WOLSEY HALL COURSE IS ASSESSED

Your progress will be assessed throughout your Wolsey Hall course by completing assignments.

We recommend NOT looking at the assignments until you've studied all the topics in the module. This will ensure that you focus on everything you need to know. The assignments allow you to think critically about what you have learned and will enable your tutor to see how well you are progressing. Your tutor will mark these and provide you with detailed feedback. Once you have had your marked assignment returned you will be able to access the Mark Scheme and/or a Specimen Answer (an A-grade piece of work). You should consider your feedback carefully, reflect on it and apply it in your future assignments.

We ask that you do not submit multiple assignments at the same time. It is very important that you reflect on your tutor’s feedback before beginning each new assignment, so that you can incorporate their tips for improvement into each new piece of work.

The assignments have been designed to help you prepare for your final examination – all the questions are based on past exam papers. You should read the questions carefully and answer them to the best of your ability, providing relevant examples (where necessary). If you do not do well in your assignment – don’t worry! Your tutor will be able to recommend extra work that will improve your understanding.

You may be wondering – “What does an assignment need to be like for me to get a high grade?” That’s a good question. It’s a question you should ask yourself often as you study the course - but for your first assignment we understand that it can be a daunting prospect.

Here are links to two English Assignments answering the same assignment question. Note where the student loses marks and gains marks and why. Also, note the comments from the tutor.

Example Assignment (1) Download Example Assignment (1)

Example Assignment (2) Download Example Assignment (2)

There are nine assignments throughout this IGCSE course. Each one is split into parts A and B which focus on two of the four key skill areas of Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening. PLEASE NOTE that both parts must be completed and submitted. Before you submit your assignment please ensure you have completed the required reading in the textbook and have worked through both the resources and exercises.

All assignments are submitted via Canvas – you should consult the Canvas Guide for more information.

HAPPY TO HELP

When you study a Wolsey Hall course, you are never alone! There are lots of people who are willing to help you. Everyone is on your side!

Tutors: At Wolsey Hall, all our tutors are friendly and knowledgeable. They are subject experts and you should not be shy about asking them questions about your course. You will meet your tutor via a video call and you should contact them if you have any questions.
Student Progress Managers: You have already been assigned a Student Progress Manager who can help with your assignment schedule.
Exams Officers: Wolsey Hall’s Exams Officers are here to help students with any queries regarding exam centres.
Canvas Help Desk: Canvas is a great virtual learning environment, but we understand that sometimes, even the best things can go wrong! If you have any problems with Canvas (e.g. uploading assignments or unable to access resources) you should submit a Canvas Help Ticket.

For information about how to create and submit a Help Ticket, please refer to the Canvas Guide.

Best Wishes

The Wolsey Hall Team

DOWNLOAD YOUR PROGRAMME OF STUDY