Cambridge & Pearson Edexcel Past Paper Questions

'People try too hard to be like other people. It is much better to concentrate on being yourself.' How far do you think this is true? Give reasons ...

'I believe everyone should now be forced by law to recycle.' What is your opinion? Give reasons and examples to support your view.

Write a story which includes the sentence: 'It wasn't what the woman said to me but the way she said it which made me hesitate.'

Write a story about someone who moves back to their home town after a long time away and finds their new life there more difficult than expected.

Read Passage 1, Paper, in the insert and answer all the questions below.

Re-read paragraphs 2, 4 and 5 and write down one piece of advice given by the writer from each of these paragraphs.

From paragraph 1 3 What decision had the writer's son 'expected' his parents to make?

From paragraph 2 4 (i)

From paragraph 3 5 The writer was 'glad there was a hospital on the mainland'. What did he think might happen?

From paragraph 4 6 The writer says, 'it always looked as though someone had rearranged the route'. What had happened to give this impression?

From paragraph 5 7 The café owner acted as a kind of 'impromptu counsellor'. Explain in your own words how the café owner acted.

From paragraphs 1-5 8 For each of the words and phrases below, circle the letter (A, B, C or D) which has the same meaning that the word or phrase ...

Re-read paragraphs 2 and 4, which contain phrases describing scenes in (i) the restaurant (ii) the street. Explain: • the meaning of each phrase a...

Read Passage 1, Cinemas and Streaming, in the insert and answer all the questions below.

Re-read paragraphs 3, 5, and 7 and write down one piece of advice given by the writer from each of these paragraphs.

Read Passage 2, A New Beginning, in the insert and answer all the questions below. From paragraph 1

From paragraph 2 'Would it be a disaster?' What is the 'disaster' the writer is referring to?

From paragraph 3 'Sunlight streamed into the hold'. What do you think had just happened?

From paragraph 4 The bus driver was 'saying repeatedly that he was innocent'. What exactly is he being accused of?

From paragraph 5 What 'strenuous work' do you think the young man was doing?

From paragraph 6 Nano knew that the incident would 'eternally be part of village folklore'. Explain in your own words what Nano knew would happen f...

From paragraphs 1–5 For each of the words or phrases below, circle the letter (A, B, C or D) which has the same meaning that the word or phrase has...

Re-read paragraphs 1 and 4, which contain phrases about (i) the writer and (ii) the grandmothers. Explain: • the meaning of each phrase as it is us...

A talented classmate has been chosen to represent your country at an international competition (this might be in sport, music or any other competit...

Describe two events you went to, one of which was much better than you expected and one of which was disappointing. (Remember you are describing th...

'In order to have a positive effect on society, it is far more important to be kind than to be clever.' Do you think this is true? Give reasons and...

'Most young people think that solving environmental problems is the responsibility of older people.' Do you agree? Give reasons and details to supp...

Write a story which includes the sentence: 'As they arrived at the station, their cousin appeared from nowhere.'

Write a story in which misunderstanding a message plays an important part.

You spent part of your recent long vacation at an adventure camp, doing a wide range of activities with lots of other young people. You really like...

Describe a typical lunch break at your school. Remember you are describing what people are doing (such as chatting to friends, playing sport or eat...

'The benefits of healthy eating are now so well understood that no one has any excuse to eat an unhealthy diet.' Do you agree? Give reasons and exa...

'It is better to have one or two really close friends than lots of different friends.' What is your opinion? Give reasons and details to support yo...

Write a story which includes the sentence: 'Even though the weather was bad and their clothes were unsuitable, they knew they had to go.'

Write a story in which a lost phone plays an important part.

Read Passage 1, Farming, in the insert and answer all the questions below.

Re-read paragraphs 5 and 6, and write down two pieces of advice given by the writer in paragraph 5, and one piece of advice given by the writer in ...

From paragraph 1 What decision did the writer have to make?

From paragraph 2 Why do you think the writer changed 'names, places and situations'?

From paragraph 3 What do the words 'usual student rituals' tell us about her graduation day?

From paragraph 4 Why was the writer so surprised that the publisher wanted to print her story?

From paragraph 5 The writer 'moved absent-mindedly' along the shelves. Which one word used later in the paragraph conveys the opposite idea?

From paragraph 6 'my mother was incredulous and my father began to brag about me'. Explain in your own words how the writer's parents reacted to he...

Re-read paragraphs 4 and 5, which contain phrases about (a) the publisher's attitude to the novel and (b) the writer's feelings. Give: • the meanin...

Read Passage 1, Salt, in the insert and answer all the questions below.

Re-read paragraphs 4 and 5, and write down one piece of advice given by the writer in paragraph 4, and two pieces of advice given by the writer in ...

From paragraph 1 Why was it natural for the writer to go to the doctor's wife to ask for a summer job?

From paragraph 2 Why do you think that the writer says she had a 'thousand things' in the canvas bag?

From paragraph 3 '...uneasily, she ventured' to say a few words to the girls. Explain in your own words how Marisa is behaving here.

From paragraph 4 '...unwillingly,' Marisa led Linda away. Which one word used later in the paragraph repeats this idea of 'unwillingly'?