IGCSE English - First Language (0500) — real past-paper questions, marked by AI
IGCSE First Language English (0500) splits into two very different skills. Paper 1 is the Reading paper — comprehension, summary and writers' effects questions on unseen passages — while Paper 2 is Directed Writing and Composition, where you respond to a text with a structured piece and then write a full composition of your own. Writers' effects questions in particular reward close analysis of how language creates meaning, not a checklist of spotted devices, which is where many answers lose marks.
This hub holds 345 real 0500 questions from 30 papers set between 2023 and 2025, with descriptive and narrative composition tasks among the most-examined question types, alongside reading questions built around explicit and implicit meaning. Write a full answer and the AI examiner marks it instantly against the real Cambridge mark scheme, applying the reading and writing assessment objectives the way a human marker would — so a writers' effects answer is judged on the quality of the language analysis, and a summary on how precisely it selects and reports content.
Sit a full paper against the clock or work through every writers' effects question from a session in one go — it is free, with no signup required.
Past papers by year
2025
| Paper | Session | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 11 | May–June 2025 | 3 |
| Paper 12 | May–June 2025 | 3 |
| Paper 13 | May–June 2025 | 3 |
| Paper 21 | May–June 2025 | 5 |
| Paper 22 | May–June 2025 | 5 |
| Paper 23 | May–June 2025 | 5 |
2024
| Paper | Session | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 11 | May–June 2024 | 3 |
| Paper 12 | May–June 2024 | 3 |
| Paper 13 | May–June 2024 | 3 |
| Paper 21 | May–June 2024 | 5 |
| Paper 22 | May–June 2024 | 5 |
| Paper 23 | May–June 2024 | 5 |
| Paper 11 | October–November 2024 | 3 |
| Paper 12 | October–November 2024 | 3 |
| Paper 13 | October–November 2024 | 3 |
| Paper 21 | October–November 2024 | 5 |
| Paper 22 | October–November 2024 | 5 |
| Paper 23 | October–November 2024 | 5 |
2023
| Paper | Session | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 11 | May–June 2023 | 3 |
| Paper 12 | May–June 2023 | 3 |
| Paper 13 | May–June 2023 | 3 |
| Paper 21 | May–June 2023 | 5 |
| Paper 22 | May–June 2023 | 5 |
| Paper 23 | May–June 2023 | 5 |
| Paper 11 | October–November 2023 | 3 |
| Paper 12 | October–November 2023 | 3 |
| Paper 13 | October–November 2023 | 3 |
| Paper 21 | October–November 2023 | 5 |
| Paper 22 | October–November 2023 | 5 |
| Paper 23 | October–November 2023 | 5 |
Practise IGCSE English - First Language by topic
- Writing (17 questions)
Frequently asked questions
Which 0500 papers and years are covered?
Both papers — Reading and Directed Writing and Composition — across every May–June and October–November session from 2023 to 2025, 30 papers in total.
How does the AI marking work for First Language English answers?
You write a full answer to a reading or composition question, and an AI examiner marks it against the real Cambridge mark scheme, applying the same reading and writing assessment objectives a human examiner uses and explaining the mark it gave.
Is 0500 the same as 0990?
They are close relatives: 0500 and 0990 (IGCSE First Language English) share the same course content and exam style, differing only in how the final grade is reported. If your school entered you for the other code, its questions and mark schemes are covered on its own hub at 0990.
Is it really free?
Yes — every question, mark scheme and AI marking run is free, with no signup and no card details.
How should I revise First Language English with past papers?
Practise writers' effects and summary questions from the reading paper topic by topic, then move to full timed papers and use the AI feedback to see which reading or writing objective needs work.
Are these official Cambridge papers?
The questions are transcribed from real Cambridge papers, and answers are marked against the real mark schemes, which remain © Cambridge International. Cambridge Papers is an independent study tool, not affiliated with or endorsed by Cambridge.