Cambridge & Pearson Edexcel Past Paper Questions
Browse 35,704 questions from Cambridge O-Level & A-Level and Pearson Edexcel IGCSE & IAL exams. Click any question to practice.
Describe the occasion and your feelings when you had to make an important speech.
How is your life similar to that of your grandparents and how is it different?
Write about an occasion when your friend was right to be ambitious.
Mistakes.
Write a story which includes the words: ‘Would he be able to convince them?'
You were recently walking in a local town when you saw a woman have her bag snatched. The police need you to give an account of the incident. Writ...
Section 1: Directed Writing You are advised to write between 200 and 300 words. Total marks for this part: 30. Task Your aunt has written to you a...
Describe your favourite time of the year and explain what makes it special. (Remember that you are describing the characteristics of the time and n...
'Many films are a bad influence on young people.' What is your view?
Write a story which includes the sentence: 'I could not believe how much the place had changed since last year.'
Trophies.
Write a story about an occasion when someone witnessed a very poor musical performance. (Remember that you should include full details of what is p...
Section 2: Creative Writing Begin your answer on a fresh page. Write on one of the following topics. At the head of your essay put the number of th...
You recently enjoyed a performance given by your favourite singer or group. A newspaper published an article saying that the concert was very poor ...
Describe the life you expect to be living five years from now.
What do you think has been the greatest achievement in your country during the last ten years? Give reasons to support your view.
Write a story which includes the sentence: 'When the driver heard the words, he clearly lost all his concentration.'
Classrooms.
Write a story in which forgiving someone plays an important part.
Section 1: Reading for Ideas Read Passage 1 in the insert and answer all the questions below.
From your reading of paragraph 1, decide whether each of the following statements is true or false, and for each statement tick the box you have ch...
From your reading of paragraph 3, select and write down two opinions.
Section 2: Reading for Meaning Read Passage 2 in the insert and answer all the questions below. From paragraph 1
From paragraph 2 Before she ‘extricated her fingers from Elspeth's', in what two ways was Alice misbehaving? (i) (ii)
From paragraph 3 Inside the antiques shop, Alice saw a table with a ‘polished' surface. What did the surface of the table remind her of?
From paragraph 4 What effect is created by the word 'looming' that would not be created by, for example, the word 'appearing'?
From paragraph 5 Explain precisely the two methods, according to the shop owner, for deciding whether pearls are real pearls or fake. (i) (ii)
From paragraph 8 'Don't be ridiculous.... Are you running a business or what?' Explain fully what Elspeth means by this.
From the whole passage Choose five of the following words. For each of them give one word or short phrase (of not more than seven words) which has ...
Read Passage 1 in the insert and answer all the questions below.
From your reading of paragraph 1, decide whether each of the following statements is true, false, or not stated in the passage, and tick the boxes ...
From paragraph 3, select and write down two opinions.
From paragraph 1 Why is the ship described as 'groaning'?
From paragraph 2 'The ship began to sway ... and then to roll from side to side.' What is causing this to happen?
From paragraph 3 As Kitty lay 'crumpled on the bed', what are the two indications that she might be 'desperately ill'?
From paragraph 4 What did the girls' mother disapprove of?
From paragraph 5 When the girls' grandmother decided she would take them shopping, what evidence suggests they were 'like beggars'?
From paragraph 6 Why do you think 'Kitty felt for Esme's hand and squeezed it'?
Topics 2–6 What do you most admire about visitors to your country and what do you least admire? Give examples and reasons to support your view.
Topics 2–6 Write a story which includes the sentence: 'When I thought about it, I couldn't ignore the fact that we had been dishonest.'
Topics 2–6 Leisure.
Topics 2–6 Write about a brother and sister who are always trying to be better than each other.
'almost every established culture has used gold to symbolise power, beauty and happiness' (paragraph 1). From your own knowledge or experience, giv...
From your reading of paragraph 2, decide which one of the following statements is true and tick the box you have chosen.
From paragraph 4, select and write down two of the writer's opinions. You may use the words of the text or your own words.
From paragraph 2 The woman's curls were ‘like a swarm of bees'. What impression of her curls is given by this comparison? [1]
From paragraph 3 The man spoke his wife's name ‘as though he held honey in his mouth'. What does the writer wish to convey about the man's feelings...
From paragraph 4 Griet's mother was ‘hunching her shoulders as if against a winter chill'. Explain fully why she was doing that. [2]
From paragraph 5 Without using the words of the passage, explain the two reasons why the neighbours 'would not gloat'. [2]
Paragraph 2 gives two examples of 'down time'. From your own knowledge or experience give two examples of 'down time' as defined in lines 13–14. Do...