8021_m26_er — 2026 March English General Paper 8021 Examiner Report · Cambridge CAIE AS & A Level

Writing descriptively instead of analytically and evaluatively

“Many responses were more descriptive than argumentative, overall, while mid-range and better responses did not only present information, but they did so in a way that proved a point and answered the question.”— 8021 Paper 1, May/June 2024

How to fix: After every example, ask 'so what?'. Don't merely describe what happens (e.g. listing what museums do); explain WHY it answers the question (e.g. why these institutions are 'still necessary'). Integrate evaluation throughout — weigh advantages vs disadvantages, consider counter-perspectives, or add a new angle in each paragraph rather than dumping evaluation only into the conclusion.

Vague, generic or fabricated examples instead of specific named ones

“Discussion of well-chosen specific, named examples (the actions of Dr Martin Luther King Jr, Rosa Parks, Gandhi, #MeToo and Black Lives Matter activists) offers much better and more convincing support for the arguments presented.”— 8021 Paper 1, May/June 2024

How to fix: Build a bank of named, plausible examples per topic area before the exam (politics, science, environment, media, society, culture, economy, law). Use real countries, real people, real events — never invent statistics. Vary your examples: a candidate who uses the same example in every paragraph 'does not demonstrate a range'.

Informal register — contractions, colloquial vocabulary, conversational tone

“Frequent use of it's, don't, wouldn't, could've, what's, and they're instead of it is, do not, would not, could have, what is, and they are. Other frequent errors included alot instead of a lot.”— 8021 Paper 1, May/June 2024

How to fix: Banned in essays: contractions (it's, don't, gonna, wanna, could've), 'kids', 'stuff', 'things', 'crazy', 'cool', 'fun', 'pretty', 'huh?', 'you guys', 'alot'. Banned rhetorical questions: 'What do you think?', 'Do you not think…?', 'Surely you agree…?'. Even when a question asks for 'your view', do NOT lapse into second-person address or advice — keep the tone academic.