Latin language — IGCSE Latin (0480) questions by topic
Translating a passage on Caesar crossing the Rubicon, answering detailed comprehension questions on the Athenians' reaction to a Persian attack, and identifying a named figure's military rank make up this Latin-language page's 12 questions, drawn from 2023 to 2025 papers and worth between 50 and 110 marks. Explain, state, give, translate and describe test both accurate rendering of Latin and careful reading of exactly what a question asks.
Because marks here run unusually high per question, submit your full translation or comprehension answer for instant marking to see precisely where a missed detail or an untranslated word is costing marks against such a demanding total.
What examiners look for
- Examiners repeatedly note that harbours were wrongly mentioned by some candidates when they were not involved in the passage.
- A recurring criticism is candidates understanding the Latin but not reading questions carefully enough to give the full detail the marks demanded, and confusing quorundam with 'some' or 'any' rather than 'certain' or 'particular' men.
- Specific errors flagged include wrongly answering 'in the middle of the night' for a phrase meaning 'down from the wall', and giving 'friendship' alone without also conveying 'have in mind' and 'old'.
- Other errors include treating Caesar as addressing 'a few of them' rather than speaking little himself, and confusing attulerat (brought) with abstulerat (stolen).
- Strong answers, according to the reports, gave correctly spelled English derivations such as mural, prohibition and veteran, attempted a translation of every word, and rendered domi and causa idiomatically as 'at home' and 'for the sake of'.
May–June 2025, Paper 12
Translate the following passage into English. Write your translation on alternate lines. The passage (Ovid, Metamorphoses 8.183-234, adapted) narrates the myth of Daedalus and…
Answer this question and get it marked →Line 1 (Datis ... duxit): what was the military rank of Datis?
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 13
Translate the following passage into English. Write your translation on alternate lines. The passage (adapted from Ovid, Metamorphoses 4.55-146) tells the story of Pyramus and…
Answer this question and get it marked →Read the passage and answer the questions in full detail. Lines 1-3 (cum ... deberent): (i) what was the Athenians' reaction to the news of the Persian attack? [3] (ii) what did…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 12
Translate the following passage into English. Write your translation on alternate lines. Why Caesar crossed the Rubicon ... and what happened next. Caesar iam rediens ex Gallia…
Answer this question and get it marked →Read the passage and answer the questions in full detail. Lines 1-2 (Quinctius ... iubet): (i) when did Quinctius give orders to his soldiers? [2] (ii) what did he tell his…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 13
Translate the following passage into English. Write your translation on alternate lines. Why Caesar crossed the Rubicon ... and what happened next. Caesar iam rediens ex Gallia…
Answer this question and get it marked →Read the passage and answer the questions in full detail. Lines 1-2 (Quinctius ... iubet): (i) when did Quinctius give orders to his soldiers? [2] (ii) what did he tell his…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 12
Translate the following passage into English. Write your translation on alternate lines. Cato and the women. olim accidit res parva quidem, sed quae maximum certamen facta sit.…
Answer this question and get it marked →Read the passage and answer the questions in full detail. Line 1 (Caesar ... iubet): what order did Caesar give?
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 13
Translate the following passage into English. Write your translation on alternate lines. Cato and the women. olim accidit res parva quidem, sed quae maximum certamen facta sit.…
Answer this question and get it marked →Read the passage and answer the questions in full detail. Line 1 (Caesar ... iubet): what order did Caesar give?
Answer this question and get it marked →Other IGCSE Latin topics
- Latin literature (36)