™

Cambridge IGCSE

FIRST LANGUAGE ENGLISH 0500/12

Paper 1 Reading October/November 2022
INSERT 2 hours

INFORMATION
• This insert contains the reading texts.
*7047985992-I*

• You may annotate this insert and use the blank spaces for planning. Do not write your answers on the
insert.

This document has 8 pages. Any blank pages are indicated.

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Read Text C, and then answer Questions 2(a)–(d) and Question 3 on the question paper.

Text C: The dancer

This text is taken from a longer narrative. Veda is a young girl with aspirations to become a dancer.

I pause in the doorway and bite my lip. ‘I got a letter saying I got through to the finals for the
dance competition. If I win, I win a place at the dance college,’ I finally say.

Grandma retreats into the kitchen. She has told me that she doesn’t think it’s her place to
interfere with her son and daughter-in-law. Pa’s eyes rove from Ma to me. He’s caught in
the middle. 5

Ma’s diamond earrings flash at me like angry eyes. ‘Veda, you need to study hard. If you
don’t do well in your exams this year ...’

For once my voice doesn’t stick in my throat. ‘I am studying hard. To be a dancer. I’m not
planning to become an engineer. Or a doctor.’ Or any profession that Ma finds respectable.

Ma launches into a lecture. ‘Dancing is no career. You need to study something useful in 10
college so that you can get a well-paid job.’

I sigh unnecessarily loudly. My dance teacher isn’t rich but his house is larger than ours.
Clearly he earns more than Ma at her bank job and Pa at his library.

Back when I was younger, I’d struggle to be better at school for Ma’s sake. But numbers
and letters soon grew too hard for me to hold and I grew far away from them, and Ma grew 15
out of patience.

All my life Ma’s dreamt I’ll do well at science and mathematics so that I could end up being
what she wanted to be: an engineer. All my life I’ve been waiting for her to appreciate my
compulsion to do the one thing I excel at: dance.

I think back to my conversations with Grandma. ‘Steps came to you early. Speech came 20
late,’ she’d say. She’d tell me how I used to heave myself by the restricting bars on my
prison-like cot at eight months, my limbs urgently craving release. I could shape thoughts
with my fingers, she said. While words stumbled in my throat, losing their way before reaching
my lips, my hands spoke my first sentences like lotus buds blossoming. They would shape
themselves effortlessly into the hand symbols of classical dancing. 25

Grandma always understood everything my hands said.

********

My dance teacher sits cross-legged on the ground, tapping beats out on his hollow wooden
block with a stick.

I leap and land on my sure feet, excitement mounting as his rhythm speeds, challenging me 30
to repeat my routine faster. My heels strike the ground fast as fire-sparks. Streams of sweat
trickle down my neck. My braided hair flies free into the air, then whips sharply around my
waist. Nothing else fills me with such elation as chasing down soaring music, catching and
pinning rhythms to the ground with my feet, proud as a hunter rejoicing in his skill.

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This brings me to the hardest pose of all. Balancing on my left leg, I extend my right upwards 35
in a vertical split. Then I bend my right knee, bring my right foot near my ear. Locking my
breath in my chest to control my trembling, I push myself to hold the pose for an entire
eight-beat cycle. A familiar thrill shoots up my spine. I enjoy testing my stamina, my balance.

My dance teacher’s stick clatters heavily to the floor. He claps spontaneously. ‘Perform like
that and you’re sure to win.’ I can see tears brimming like dew-drops in his eyes. 40

******

Three days later, I arrive home. Grandma opens the door. I can hardly speak. ‘The judges
loved me! I have a place at the dance school. Grandma, I am so excited.’

Grandma hugs me. ‘I am delighted, Veda. You need to tell Ma and Pa but don’t worry: I have
been talking to Pa, and I think you can persuade them, if you answer their questions sensibly 45
and explain yourself.’

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Permission to reproduce items where third-party owned material protected by copyright is included has been sought and cleared where possible. Every reasonable
effort has been made by the publisher (UCLES) to trace copyright holders, but if any items requiring clearance have unwittingly been included, the publisher will
be pleased to make amends at the earliest possible opportunity.

To avoid the issue of disclosure of answer-related information to candidates, all copyright acknowledgements are reproduced online in the Cambridge Assessment
International Education Copyright Acknowledgements Booklet. This is produced for each series of examinations and is freely available to download at
www.cambridgeinternational.org after the live examination series.

Cambridge Assessment International Education is part of Cambridge Assessment. Cambridge Assessment is the brand name of the University of Cambridge Local
Examinations Syndicate (UCLES), which is a department of the University of Cambridge.

© UCLES 2022 11_0500_12_2022_1.12

 www.dynamicpapers.com

™
Cambridge IGCSE

FIRST LANGUAGE ENGLISH 0500/12

*7047985992*

Paper 1 Reading October/November 2022

2 hours

You must answer on the question paper.

You will need: Insert (enclosed)

INSTRUCTIONS
• Answer all questions.
• Use a black or dark blue pen.
• Write your name, centre number and candidate number in the boxes at the top of the page.
• Write your answer to each question in the space provided.
• Do not use an erasable pen or correction fluid.
• Do not write on any bar codes.
• If additional space is needed, you should use the lined pages at the end of this booklet; the question
number or numbers must be clearly shown.
• Dictionaries are not allowed.

INFORMATION
• The total mark for this paper is 80.
• The number of marks for each question or part question is shown in brackets [ ].
• The insert contains the reading texts.

This document has 16 pages. Any blank pages are indicated.

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Re-read Text C, The dancer, in the insert and then answer Question 3 on this question paper.

Question 3

You are Veda. It is a few months later and you have started studying at your new dance school. You
write a letter home to your parents, reflecting on your past experiences.

In your letter you should explain:

• why dancing has always been so important in your life

• how the adults in your life felt about your dancing and how this made you feel
• your thoughts now about the conversation you had with your parents after you won the competition.

Write the words of the letter.

Base your letter on what you have read in Text C, but be careful to use your own words. Address each
of the three bullet points.

Write about 250 to 350 words.

Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer, and up to 10 marks for the quality
of your writing.

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Additional Page

If you use the following lined page to complete the answer(s) to any question(s), the question number(s)
must be clearly shown.

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If you use the following lined page to complete the answer(s) to any question(s), the question number(s)
must be clearly shown.

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BLANK PAGE

Permission to reproduce items where third-party owned material protected by copyright is included has been sought and cleared where possible. Every reasonable
effort has been made by the publisher (UCLES) to trace copyright holders, but if any items requiring clearance have unwittingly been included, the publisher will
be pleased to make amends at the earliest possible opportunity.

To avoid the issue of disclosure of answer-related information to candidates, all copyright acknowledgements are reproduced online in the Cambridge Assessment
International Education Copyright Acknowledgements Booklet. This is produced for each series of examinations and is freely available to download at
www.cambridgeinternational.org after the live examination series.

Cambridge Assessment International Education is part of Cambridge Assessment. Cambridge Assessment is the brand name of the University of Cambridge Local
Examinations Syndicate (UCLES), which is a department of the University of Cambridge.

© UCLES 2022 11_0500_12_2022_1.12

Cambridge IGCSE™

FIRST LANGUAGE ENGLISH 0500/12

Paper 1 Reading October/November 2022
MARK SCHEME
Maximum Mark: 80

Published

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 should be read in conjunction with the question paper and the Principal Examiner Report for
Teachers.

Cambridge International will not enter into discussions about these mark schemes.

Cambridge International is publishing the mark schemes for the October/November 2022 series for most
Cambridge IGCSE™, Cambridge International A and AS Level components and some Cambridge O Level
components.

This document consists of 21 printed pages.

© UCLES 2022 [Turn over

0500/12 Cambridge IGCSE – Mark Scheme October/November
PUBLISHED 2022

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. Nonetheless, the content must be clearly related to and derived from the texts.

Question 3

This question tests reading assessment objectives R1, R2 and R3 (15 marks):

R1 demonstrate understanding of explicit meanings

R2 demonstrate understanding of implicit meanings and attitudes
R3 analyse evaluate and develop facts, ideas and opinions, using appropriate support from the text

and writing assessment objectives W1, W2, W3, W4 and W5 (10 marks):

W1 articulate experience and express what is thought, felt and imagined

W2 organise and structure ideas and opinions for deliberate effect
W3 use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures appropriate to context
W4 use register appropriate to context
W5 make accurate use of spelling, punctuation and grammar.

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0500/12 Cambridge IGCSE – Mark Scheme October/November
PUBLISHED 2022

Question Answer Marks

3 You are Veda. It is a few months later and you have started studying at 25
your new dance school. You write a letter home to your parents,
reflecting on your past experiences.

In your letter explain:

• why dancing has always been so important in your life
• how the adults in your life felt about your dancing and how this
made you feel
• your thoughts now about the conversation you had with your
parents after you won the competition.

Write the words of the letter.

Base your letter on what you have read in Text C, but be careful to use
your own words. Address each of the three bullet points.

Write about 250 to 350 words.

Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer and up to

10 marks for the quality of your writing.

Use the Marking Criteria for Question 3 (Table A, Reading and Table B
Writing)

Notes on task

Candidates should select ideas from the text (see below) and develop them
relevantly, supporting what they write with details from the text. Look for an
appropriate register for the genre, and a clear and balanced response which
covers the three areas of the question, is well sequenced, and is in the
candidate’s own words.

Annotate A1 for references to reasons why dancing was so important to

Veda

Annotate A2 for references to how the adults reacted to her dancing and how
this made her feel

Annotate A3 for references to the conversation she had with her parents
after she had won

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0500/12 Cambridge IGCSE – Mark Scheme October/November
PUBLISHED 2022

Question Answer Marks

3 A1: Reasons why dancing was always so important in Veda’s life

• school (det. struggled in academic subjects, speech came late) [dev.

felt a failure]
• wanted to dance as a career (det. not an engineer, not a doctor) [dev.
she felt it was less boring than other ‘respectable’ jobs / been a lifelong
dream / possible to earn a good living]
• talent (det. steps came to her early; heaving herself up on cot bars) [dev.
she knew she was good]
• way to express herself (det. communicating with her hands) [dev. an
escape]
• sense of fulfilment (det. elation felt while dancing, responding to
music, excelled at it) [dev. enjoyed the challenge of chasing down the
music]
• competition (det. win a place at dance school) [dev. ambitious /
determined / knew this was the only way she would be able to go to
dance school]

A2: How the adults reacted to her dancing and how this made her feel

• mother (det. lectures Veda, a respectable career, wants her to do

something useful) [dev. upsetting for Veda / wanted her mother to be
proud of her / frustrating and demoralising for Veda / did not
understand]
• father (det. father’s eyes rove between Veda and her mother) [dev.
didn’t want to cause trouble in the house / caught in the middle / Veda
wished he would speak up]
• grandmother (det. didn’t like to interfere, understood Veda) [dev.
motivated her / made Veda feel good about herself / strong bond]
• dance teacher (det. words about her chances in the competition, eyes
full of tears) [dev. proud of his student / encouraged her / believed in
her / gave her confidence / really enjoyed watching Veda dance]
• judges (det. ‘loved’ her) [dev. vindicated / the work was all worthwhile /
extreme happiness / worried about how parent(s) will react]

A3: Her thoughts about the conversation she had with her parents after
she had told them she had won

• grateful that Grandmother paved Veda’s way to speak to her parents

(det. spoke with Pa) [dev. hoped they would support her / feeling more
optimistic / nervous beforehand]
• father intervened (det. did not previously) [dev. less rigid in his views /
understands more]
• answer(ed) questions sensibly (det. advised by Grandma) [dev.
devastated if not persuaded / relieved if persuaded]
• mother relents and is excited as can see Veda is determined / mother
refuses (det. she wanted to be an engineer) [dev. understands she
can’t live her own life through Veda / can’t give up Veda fulfilling her
own dream]
• Grandmother’s excitement (det. hugs her) [dev. shows she is proud of
Veda]

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 0500/12 Cambridge IGCSE – Mark Scheme October/November
PUBLISHED 2022

Marking Criteria for Question 3

Table A, Reading

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

Level Marks Description

5 13–15 • The response reveals a thorough evaluation and analysis of the text.
• Developed ideas are sustained and well related to the text.
• A wide range of ideas is applied.
• There is supporting detail throughout, which is well integrated into the response,
contributing to a strong sense of purpose and approach.
• All three bullets are well covered.
• A consistent and convincing voice is used.

4 10–12 • The response demonstrates a competent reading of the text with some evidence
of basic evaluation or analysis.
• A good range of ideas is evident.
• Some ideas are developed but the ability to sustain them may not be consistent.
• There is frequent, helpful supporting detail, contributing to a clear sense of
purpose.
• All three bullets are covered.
• An appropriate voice is used.

3 7–9 • The text has been read reasonably well.

• A range of straightforward ideas is offered.
• Opportunities for development are rarely taken.
• Supporting detail is present but there may be some mechanical use of the text.
• There is uneven focus on the bullets.
• The voice is plain.

2 4–6 • There is some evidence of general understanding of the main ideas, although
the response may be thin or in places lack focus on the text or the question.
• Some brief, straightforward reference to the text is made.
• There may be some reliance on lifting from the text.
• One of the bullets may not be addressed.
• The voice might be inappropriate.

1 1–3 • The response is either very general, with little reference to the text, or a
reproduction of sections of the original.
• Content is either insubstantial or unselective.
• There is little realisation of the need to modify material from the text.

0 0 • There is very little or no relevance to the question or to the text.

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 0500/12 Cambridge IGCSE – Mark Scheme October/November
PUBLISHED 2022

Table B, Writing: Structure and order, style of language

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

Level Marks Description

5 9–10 • Effective register for audience and purpose.

• The language of the response sounds convincing and consistently appropriate.
• Ideas are firmly expressed in a wide range of effective and/or interesting language.
• Structure and sequence are sound throughout.
• Spelling, punctuation and grammar almost always accurate.

4 7–8 • Some awareness of an appropriate register for audience and purpose.

• Language is mostly fluent and there is clarity of expression.
• There is a sufficient range of vocabulary to express ideas with subtlety and
precision.
• The response is mainly well structured and well sequenced.
• Spelling, punctuation and grammar generally accurate.

3 5–6 • Language is clear but comparatively plain and/or factual, expressing little opinion.
• Ideas are rarely extended, but explanations are adequate.
• Some sections are quite well sequenced but there may be flaws in structure.
• Minor, but more frequent, errors of spelling, punctuation and grammar

2 3–4 • There may be some awkwardness of expression and some inconsistency of style.
• Language is too limited to express shades of meaning.
• There is structural weakness and there may be some copying from the text.
• Frequent errors of spelling, punctuation and grammar.

1 1–2 • Expression and structure lack clarity.

• Language is weak and undeveloped.
• There is very little attempt to explain ideas.
• There may be frequent copying from the original.
• Persistent errors of spelling, punctuation and grammar impede communication.

0 0 • The response cannot be understood.

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