Free flashcards · Cambridge O Level · 1123

English Language flashcards

24 cards covering every topic of the 1123 syllabus (2024-2026). Study one topic or mix them all, turn each card, and mark yourself honestly.

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Topic 1: Reading

How is 1123 Paper 1 Reading set out?: 2 hours, 50 marks, 50% of the qualification. 80% of its marks are for Reading (AO1) and 20% for Writing (AO2). The two texts are in a separate insert; no dictionaries.
What do the Reading objectives R1 to R5 test?: R1 explicit meanings; R2 implicit meanings and attitudes; R3 analysing, evaluating and developing facts, ideas and opinions; R4 how writers achieve effects; R5 selecting and using information for a purpose.
What does Paper 1 Question 1 (Comprehension) require?: 16 marks on Text A, a narrative of about 900 words. Explicit sub-questions ask you to locate and restate (R1); implicit ones need an inference grounded in specific detail (R2).
What does Paper 1 Question 2 (Use of Language) require?: 9 marks, testing R4: quote briefly and explain the effect of the writer's word or phrase on the reader. A correct paraphrase of meaning alone does not earn the marks.
What does Paper 1 Question 3(a) (Summary) require?: A summary of Text B (about 550–600 words) in continuous prose of no more than 150 words: 10 Reading marks (R1, R5) and 10 Writing marks (W2, W3), awarded independently.
What happens to summary points written after the 150-word limit?: They are not credited. Bullet points and copied phrases also cost marks, so select the points first, then join them in your own words.
What does Paper 1 Question 3(b) require?: 5 marks testing R2 only: a clear inference about Text B, grounded in its specific wording.
How do you check whether a point belongs in the summary?: Test it against the exact focus of the instruction, not just whether it is true of the text. An accurate point about something else earns nothing and wastes words.
What does a strong Use of Language answer look like?: A short quotation plus its effect in context, for example: the metaphor "the crowd was a river" suggests people moving as one uncontrollable mass, stressing the narrator's helplessness.
What do the command words identify, explain and summarise require on Paper 1?: Identify: name, select or recognise. Explain: set out reasons and say why or how, with evidence. Summarise: give the main points only, without incidental detail.
What is the effect of personification in a narrative?: Giving an object or place human qualities makes it seem alive or active, often making a setting feel threatening, sympathetic or watchful.
Why should you read the questions before the passage?: It focuses your first reading on what you actually need to find, rather than absorbing every detail equally.

Topic 2: Writing

How is 1123 Paper 2 Writing set out?: 2 hours, 50 marks, 50% of the qualification. 80% Writing (AO2) and 20% Reading (AO1), the mirror of Paper 1. Section A Directed Writing and Section B Composition, 25 marks each.
What do the Writing objectives W1 to W5 reward?: W1 articulating experience, thought and imagination; W2 organising ideas for deliberate effect; W3 a range of vocabulary and sentence structures; W4 register appropriate to context; W5 accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar.
What does Paper 2 Section A (Directed Writing) require?: One compulsory task: use one or two source texts (about 400–450 words) to write a speech, email, report, letter or article of about 250–350 words for a set audience and purpose.
How are the 25 Directed Writing marks split?: 15 for writing (all of W1–W5) and 10 for reading (R3, R5): how well you analyse, evaluate and develop the source material, not merely refer to it.
What is the most common way to lose marks in Directed Writing?: Writing a general opinion essay instead of grounding every point in the given texts. Draw at least one specific point from each source.
What does Paper 2 Section B (Composition) require?: One piece of about 350–450 words chosen from four titles: two descriptive and two narrative. No source text; all 25 marks are for writing.
Why is register (W4) not assessed in the Composition?: There is no set audience or format, so only W1, W2, W3 and W5 are assessed.
Descriptive or narrative composition: what is the difference?: Descriptive writing builds a vivid, controlled picture of a person, place or situation with no plot needed. Narrative writing tells connected events with a beginning, development and resolution or turning point.
What conventions does a formal letter need?: An appropriate greeting and sign-off, a clear opening stating the purpose, paragraphs for each point, a register suited to the recipient, and a closing that states what you want to happen next.
What conventions does a speech need?: Direct address to the audience, a strong opening, signposting so listeners can follow, rhetorical devices such as questions and patterns of three, and a memorable close.
What is the effect of a rhetorical question in persuasive writing?: It involves the reader or listener by making them answer silently, usually with the answer the writer wants.
Which accuracy errors cost W5 marks most often?: Subject–verb agreement, inconsistent tense, comma splices (sentences joined only by a comma) and apostrophes confused between possession and plurals.

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Written for Cambridge O Level English Language (1123), syllabus 1123 (2024-2026).

Cards by Marlbridge Academic Team; 7 restate definitions from the 1123 revision notes. This deck has not yet been reviewed as a whole by a subject teacher. Report an error.

All 1123 notes, practice and topics