DDCambridge Lower Secondary Checkpoint End of Series Report May 2024 v2_tcm143-712836-DD (2).pdf

DDCambridge Lower Secondary Checkpoint End of Series Report May 2024 v2_tcm143-712836-DD (2).pdf

1. © Cambridge University Press & Assessment 2024 Cambri
dge Lower Secondary Checkpoint End of Series Report
1



Cambridge Lower Secondary Checkpoint End of Series Report

May 2024

2. © Cambridge University Press & Assessment 2024 Cambri
dge Lower Secondary Checkpoint End of Series Report
2
Contents 1.

Introduction ..................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................ 3

2.

Cambridge Lower Sec
ondary Checkpoint English as
a Second La
nguage 0876 ........................................................
....................................................................... 4

2.1

Cambridge Lower Secondary Chec
kpoint English as a Second
Language 0876 –
Component 01..........................................
.................................................. 4

2.2

Cambridge Lower Secondary Chec
kpoint English as a Second
Language 0876 –
Component 02..........................................
................................................ 11

2.3

Cambridge Lower Secondary Chec
kpoint English as a Second
Language 0876 –
Component 03..........................................
................................................ 16

3.

Cambridge Lower Se
condary Checkpoint
English 0861 .............................................................................
...................................................................................... 18

3.1

Cambridge Lower Se
condary Checkpoint Englis
h 0861 – Com
ponent 01 ..............................................................
.................................................................. 18

3.2

Cambridge Lower Se
condary Checkpoint Englis
h 0861 – Com
ponent 02 ..............................................................
.................................................................. 23

4.

Cambridge Lower Secondary Chec
kpoint Mathematics 0862 .........................................................................
.................................................................................. 26

4.1

Cambridge Lower Se
condary Checkpoint Mathemat
ics 0862 – Com
ponent 01 ..........................................................
............................................................. 26

4.2

Cambridge Lower Se
condary Checkpoint Mathemat
ics 0862 – Com
ponent 02 ..........................................................
............................................................. 33

5.

Cambridge Lower Se
condary Checkpoint
Science 0893 .............................................................................
..................................................................................... 40

5.1

Cambridge Lower Se
condary Checkpoint Scienc
e 0893 – Com
ponent 01 ..............................................................
................................................................. 40

5.2

Cambridge Lower Se
condary Checkpoint Scienc
e 0893 – Com
ponent 02 ..............................................................
................................................................. 46

6.

Cambridge Lower Se
condary Global Pers
pectives 1129 ............................................................................
...................................................................................... 52

3. © Cambridge University Press & Assessment 2024 Cambri
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3
1. Introduction This document reports on learner performance for this exam se
ries. Performances for each syllabus are reported separately.
Overall and sub-group performances can change from series to se
ries. You can use the report to compare sub-group performances f
or this syllabus in this series.
You should not use the information to compare performance changes over time. For each syllabus the following information is provided: •
examiner comments on specific questions within each component of the test

4. © Cambridge University Press & Assessment 2024 Cambri
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2. Cambridge Lower Secondary Checkpoint English as a Second Language 0876 2.1 Cambridge Lower Secondary Checkpoint English as a Second Language 0876 – Component 01 General comments This was third administration of the revised test format. This
session there appeared to be few unclear answers such as erasure
s and overwriting.
Part 1 (Questions 1–8) An 8-gap, multiple-choice sentence completion test, required learners
to select an appropriate item to fill 8 gaps in a text ca
lled ‘
Collecting sneakers
’ and to circle the
word of their

choice; correct usage of lexical and function words was tested. There was a high proportion of correct answers for
Questions 4
,
5
and
7
, with the most
difficult appearing to be
Questions 1
and
2
.
Part 2 (Questions 9–13) In this part, learners were required to select the correct meaning of the message shown in an image. Learners needed to circle
one of the three choices given.
The task required careful reading and accurate matching of information to determine the correct response. Learners needed to be
good at making

inferences and
identifying different ways to convey a message; errors are o
ften made when learners focus on words shared by the text and the m
ultiple-choice option and do not
consider the wider context of the message.
Questions 9
and
13
were the most successfully answered and
Question 12
the least.
Part 3 (Questions 14–18) In this part, learners were required to complete a short conversation between a girl in a bookshop and a shop assistant by sele
cting appropriate responses from
options given. Most learners scored well on this task,

with
Questions 15
and
17
being the most successfully answered and
Question 18
the least. Errors are often
made when learners find an item to match the sentence before or after but not both. In this part and
Part 2
some learners changed their minds several times and, rather than
crossing out their original marking, wrote over their first

answer or
erased unclearly. This occasionally resulted in an illegible response. It would be preferable for learners to completely cross
out the rejected response and write the

preferred one next to it. There were also a few ambiguously formed letters and it was occasionally difficult to see if E or F o
r C or G was the

intended final answer
in cases where there was overwriting and/or incomplete erasur
e), though there were no answers seen that were completely illegib
le.

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Part 4 (Questions 19–26) For
Questions 19–26
, learners were required to put
one
word only into the gaps to complete a text called ‘
Ultimate Frisbee’
. The words needed to fit grammatically
and to

carry the intended meaning to complete the text.
As in previous sessions, a lot of the incorrect answers seemed
to be produced because the words chosen often fitted the words e
ither side of the blank in terms of
grammar or meaning but learners
sometimes
did not take into account the wider context of sentence/discourse level. Possibly more focus is needed on this aspect
when teaching reading skills to learners. This appears to

be an important area for improvement as it is also noted in reports for previous sessions.
Spelling needed to be accurate and the mark scheme allowed for alternative

answers to
Questions 19
,
20
and
23
. The only question requiring an initial capital
letter on the answer was
Question 21
. This part proved to be a good discriminator though a lot of
learners scored full marks. The most successfully answered
questions were
19
,
22
and
24
, and the most difficult were
20
and especially
25
and
26
.
Part 5 (Questions 27–36) Learners needed to choose which of 4 paragraphs in the text ‘
My love of painting’
contained the answers to 10 questions by writing
A
,
B
,
C
or
D
.
There were a lot of No Responses. The mo
st successfully answered questions were
28
,
32
,
33
and
34
, and the most difficult were
30
,
31
,
35
and
36
.
Part 6 (Questions 37–42) This task comprised multiple-choice questions on a longer text with the title ‘
Cheerleading
’.
The need for learners to use a wide range of reading skills, including inference and deduction makes this a challenging part of
the test.
Questions 37
,
38
and
41

seemed to be the most successfully answered and
Questions 39
,
40
and
42
the least.

Comments on specific questions Part 1 Question 1 Often incorrect (correct ‘
likely
’); the most common incorrect answer: ‘
frequent
’.

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Question 2 Often incorrect (correct: ‘
intending
’); the most common incorrect answer: ‘
considering
’.
Question 3 Often correct ‘
gone
’; the most common incorrect answer: ‘
got
’.
Question 4 Usually correct ‘
condition
’; the most common incorrect answer: ‘
appearance
’.
Question 5 Usually correct ‘
extremely
’; incorrect responses were divided between ‘
exactly
’, ‘
absolutely
’ and ‘
completely
’.
Question 6 A high proportion of incorrect answers (correct: ‘
charge
’); the most common incorrect answer: ‘
spend
’.
Question 7 Usually correct ‘
expect
’; the most common incorrect answers divided between ‘
suggest
’ and ‘
approve
’.
Question 8 Usually correct ‘
result
’; the most common incorrect answer: ‘
reason
’.
Part 2 Question 9 A high proportion correct
A
(‘
If parents arrive later than requested they could miss part of the concert
.’); the most common incorrect answer:
C
(‘
parents can only
attend the concert if they have reserved seats
.’).
Question 10 Usually correct
C
(‘
Visitors pay less to see the caves if they book their trip before arriving
.’); the most common incorrect answer:
B
(‘
There is an extra charge to go
on a tour of the caves with a guide
.’)

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Question 11 Usually correct
A
(‘
describe the aim of a class trip
.’); the most common incorrect answer:
C
(‘
give information about what species to write about’
).
Question 12 Usually correct
C
(‘
offering to give Jonas a lift to hockey practice’
); the most common incorrect answer:
B
(‘
telling Jonas what time hockey practice starts
’).
Question 13 A high proportion correct
B
(‘
If your bicycle folds you can take it on a train whenever you like
.’); the most common incorrect answer:
C
(‘
Folding bicycles are the only
type of bicycle allowed on trains
.’).
Part 3 Question 14 Usually correct
C
(‘
Well, do you have anything about travel, perhaps
?’); the most common incorrect answer:
B
(‘
Just a card. She likes ones with animals
.’).
Question 15 A high proportion correct
G
(‘
That sounds good, but she’s more into true stories
.’); the most common inco
rrect answers divided between
C
(‘
Well, do you have
anything about travel, perhaps?
) and
E
(‘
That’s exactly her sort of thing
.’).
Question 16 Usually correct
E
(‘
That’s exactly her sort of thing
.’); the most common incorrect answer:
D
(‘
It sounds great – have you sold many?
’).
Question 17 A high proportion correct
F
(‘
Really? That’s perfect. My sister likes writing too!
’); incorrect answers divided between the other options.
Question 18 Often incorrect (correct
B
- ‘
Just a card. She likes ones with animals
.’); the most common incorrect answer:
A
(‘
No, I’ll just pay for this thanks
.’)

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Part 4 Question 19 A high proportion correct ‘
did/do
’; most common incorrect answer: ‘
if
’.
Question 20 Often correct ‘
as/in
’; the most common incorrect answer: ‘
with
’, and also common were ‘
is
’, ‘
for
’ and ‘
on
’.
Question 21 Usually correct ‘
There
’; most common incorrect answer: ‘
there
’ (with lower case ‘
t
’) and ‘
They
’.
Question 22 A high proportion correct ‘
the
’; most common incorrect answer: ‘
a
’.
Question 23 Usually correct ‘
which
/
that
; most common incorrect answer: ‘
it
’, ‘
and
’, and misspelling ‘
wich
’.
Question 24 A high proportion correct ‘
of
’; no common incorrect answer noted
but among incorrect answers were: ‘
had
’, ‘
like
’, ‘
for
’, ‘
as’
and ‘
same
’.
Question 25 Usually incorrect (correct: ‘
from
’); the most common incorrect answer: ‘
to
’, and also common were ‘
at
’, ‘
fo
r’ and ‘
between
’.
Question 26 A high proportion incorrect (correct: ‘
soon
’); common incorrect answers were words wh
ich are commonly found in the structure ‘
as…as…
’ but did not fit the particular
context: ‘
far
’, ‘
long
’, and ‘
much
’; also ‘
points
’ and ‘
when
’ were often found.
Part 5 Question 27 Usually correct
C
; common incorrect answers:
A
and
B
.

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Question 28

A high proportion correct
B
; incorrect answers divided between
C
and
D
.
Question 29 Usually correct
A
; the most common incorrect answer:
C
.
Question 30 Often correct
B
; the most common incorrect answer:
A
and
D
.
Question 31 Usually correct
A
; incorrect answers divided between
B
,
C
and
D
.
Question 32 A high proportion correct
C
; incorrect answers divided between
A
and
B
.
Question 33 A high proportion correct
D
; the most common incorrect answer:
A
.
Question 34 A high proportion correct
C
; the most common incorrect answer:
D
.
Question 35 Often correct
D
; the most common incorrect answer:
C
.
Question 36 Usually correct
A
; the most common incorrect answer:
B
.

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Part 6 Question 37 Usually correct
B
; the most common incorrect answer:
D
.
Question 38 Usually correct
A
; the most common incorrect answer:
D
.
Question 39 Often correct
C
; the most common incorrect answer:
A
.
Question 40 Often incorrect (correct:
A
); the most common incorrect answer:
B
.
Question 41 Usually correct
D
; incorrect answers divided between
A
,
B
and
C
.
Question 42 Usually correct
C
; the most common incorrect answer:
A
.

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2.2 Cambridge Lower Secondary Checkpoint English as a Second Language 0876 – Component 02 General comments In almost all cases answers were clear but an occasional proble
m was that a lot of learners used erasers to try to change answe
rs and they did not always appear to
be entirely effective in those

answers written in pen. Unless the correction was very boldly written, the resulting lack of clarity sometimes made it difficul
t to decide
what the intended answer was; again,

though, this problem appears to be becoming much less common than in some past sessions. The rubric on the question paper
does not disallow the use of erasers but centres should

be aware of their limitations.
On a positive note, problems of illegibility and lack of clarity
in final answers appear to be decreasing over time – no respon
ses that were completely illegible were
seen. In
Part 3
(gapfill task) this time there were no acceptable misspellings as the correct answers were words common at lower secondary lev
el with the exception of
Question 14
, where the answer was spelt out on the recording.
Part 1 (Questions 1–5) Learners identify one of three pictures from short discrete dial
ogues. Many learners scored well here, the most successfully an
swered were
Questions 1
and
5
and
by far the most difficult item was
Question 3
.
Part 2 (Questions 6–10) This task involved short monologues/dialogues.
Question 11
was the most successfully answered and
Question

13
,
14
and
15
the least successful.
Part 3 (Questions 11–15) In this task learners had to fill in five gaps to complete the information with title ‘
Climbing centre’
.
This time there were no acceptable misspellings as the correct answers were words common at lower secondary level with the exce
ption of
Question 11
, where
the answer was spelt out on the recording. The responses to
Questions 12–15
required a plural form (the final /z/ or /Iz/ sounds were clea
r on the recording) but many incorrect answers involved the sing
ular
form and it was noticeable that some learners wrote the singular
of each and therefore answered
most of this part incorrectly.

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Part 4 (Questions 16–20) This involved multiple-choice questions based on a longer dialogue which was an interview with a girl about photography. Many l
earners scored well on this part.
Question
16
and
17
were answered most successfully and
18
and
19
the least successfully.
Part 5 (Questions 21–25) Learners needed to match what each of 5 speakers said about di
fferent music festivals they have
been to with the correct speake
r.
Question

21
and
24
were the
most successfully answered and
Question

22
,
23
and
25
the least.
Comments on specific questions Part 1 Question 1 A high proportion correct
B
; incorrect answers divided between
A
and
C
.
Question 2 Usually correct
A
; the most common incorrect answer:
B
.
Question 3 Often incorrect (correct
C
); the most common incorrect answer:
A
. The selection of correct item between
A
and
C
depended on knowing the difference between
‘wide’ and ‘narrow’. Question 4 Usually correct
B
; incorrect answers divided between
A
and
C
.
Question 5 A high proportion correct
B
; by the most common incorrect answer:
A
.

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Part 2 Question 6 Usually correct
C
(‘
revise some information
’); most common incorrect answer:
B
(‘
prepare some questions
’).
Question 7 A high proportion correct
B
(‘
It was challenging
’); incorrect answers divided between
A
(‘
It cost a lot
’) and
C
(‘
It was popular
’).
Question 8 Often correct
A
(‘
surprised by the story
’); the most common incorrect answer:
C
(‘
amazed by the special effects
’).
Question 9 Usually correct
B
(‘
The photos are useful
’); incorrect answers divided between
A
(‘
The articles are interesting
’) and
C
(‘
Some videos are better than others
’).
Question 10 Usually correct
B
(‘
Students should write about real events
’); the most common incorrect answer:
A
(‘
Entries must have at least 500 words
’).
Part 3 Question 11 Usually correct ‘
Dorridge
’; misspellings often included ‘
aa
’ instead of ‘
rr
’, ‘
t
’ for ‘
d
’ and incorrect vowels for ‘
I
’, for example ‘
Dorradge
’ or ‘
Dorredge
’.
Question 12 Often correct ‘gloves’; common incorrect answers: ‘glove’, ‘trai
ners’, ‘door’ and a number of learners did not attempt this que
stion.
Question 13 Often incorrect (correct ‘
stairs
’); common incorrect answers: ‘
gym
’, ‘
stair
’ and ‘
entrance
(
to
/
of

the

gym
)’.
Question 14 Often incorrect (correct: ‘
posters
’); common incorrect answers: ‘
poster
’, ‘
video(s)
’, ‘
classroom
’, ‘
behind
’ and a number of learners did not attempt this question.

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Question 15 Often incorrect (correct: ‘
juices
’); common incorrect answers: ‘
juice
’ and various misspellings, for example ‘
jucies
’, ‘
juces
’, ‘
juses
’, ‘
juises
’, ‘
crisps
’, ‘
energy
bars/drinks
’ and a number of learners did not attempt this question.
Part 4 Question 16 A high proportion correct
C
(‘
take every opportunity that becomes available
’); the most common incorrect answer:
B
(‘
plan photography sessions in advance’
).
Question 17 A high proportion correct
A
(‘
visit places close to home’
); the most common incorrect answer:
B
(‘
save up to go to unusual locations’
).

Question 18 Usually correct
B
(‘
She’s patient
’); incorrect answers divided between
A
(‘
She’s talented’
) and
C
(‘
She’s brave’
).
Question 19 Usually correct
A

(‘have a photography exhibition
’); the most common incorrect answer:
B
(‘
learn new photography skills
’).
Question 20 Usually correct
B
(‘
interrupting their conversations
’; the most common incorrect answer:
C
(‘
making sure everyone received the photos they wanted
’).

Part 5 Question 21 Usually correct
F
(‘
I tried camping the first time
’); the most common incorrect answers:
A
(‘
I met some well-known musicians
’),
B
(‘
I made several new friends
’) and
H
(‘
I felt inspired by one of the performers
’).
Question 22 Often incorrect (correct:
H

‘I felt inspired by one of the performers
’); the most common incorrect answer:
C
(‘
I discovered a new talent
’).

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Question 23 Often correct
A
(‘
I met some well-known musicians
’); the most common incorrect answer:
H
(‘
I felt inspired by one of the performers
’).
Question 24 Usually correct
D
(‘
I performed on the stage
’); the most common incorrect answers:
A
(‘
I met some well-known musicians
’) and
G
(‘
I did well in a competition
’).
Question 25 Often correct
B
(‘
I made several new friends
’); the most common incorrect answers divided between
C
(‘
I discovered a new talent
’),
E
(‘
I ate some amazing food
’)
and
H
(‘
I felt inspired by one of the performers
’).

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2.3 Cambridge Lower Secondary Checkpoint English as a Second Language 0876 – Component 03 General comments Both questions seemed straightforward and accessible. There was,
however, a considerable variety in learner responses due to a
wide range in ability, from very
high to low, and cultural background, with learners from differ
ent regions of the world approaching the tasks in different ways
.
Comments on specific questions Question 1 This was possibly trickier for learners than it initially l
ooked. Quite a few learners (low
er-ability) had trouble identifying
‘is coming to visit' as a verb form with future
meaning because of the present continuous
form of ‘come’. For this reason, many di
d not seem to understand the general context
of the situation. Often points were
attempted rather than fully covered. A few learners referred
to visits in the past, and others
(although not many) wrote about
things they did or travels on their own
holiday. Some answers were difficult to follow, as the visit apol
ogised for in CP1 was not always the same as that addressed by
CP1 and 2, which was sometimes a
further visit during which the writer and reader would be together. Organisation seemed a weaker strand this year
as the linkers were very basic but t
he majority of learners scored well on Langua
ge.
CONTENT POINT1 Most of the learners who
understood the context recognis
ed the function and were able to say ‘sorry’ and give a
reason for being away – often
trips for school/work, to see family me
mbers, go on holiday, etc. T
he ones who thought it referred to the present could usually
manage the apology but some came
out with things like ‘will be back in 10 minutes’, ‘back tomorrow’
and then suggested things to do together or things to do at
their home, which did not really cover
CP2. Some failed to include a clear apology. Some apologised for bei
ng away but suggested meeting when they got back later in t
he day or following days.
Sometimes learners attempted apologies using
constructions such as ‘Unf
ortunately...’ and ‘I'm sad to
say/tell you...’ also fea
tured occasionally.
CONTENT POINT 2 Many learners managed something for CP2. Many
recommended a local cafe/eatery or a park, shopping mall, cinema,
skate park – all of which
were fine. This CP possibly caused confusion for some learners
who arranged to meet up in their area in spite of being away! Oc
casionally the activities related to
things to do at the writer's house but not ‘in the area’ (e.g. wa
tching videos, playing computer games). When places were menti
oned, the activity/activities were
usually implicit but not clear enough for full marks. CONTENT POINT 3 This was mostly fine, with lots of suggestions
for different forms of transport
from bikes, buses, cars, trains
and planes! A few had slightly
different interpretations such as using m
aps, sat navs, etc., which was also fine. Pa
ssports, use an app, travel the world, fol
low directions, walk to a neighbour's or to
the venue, etc., were mentioned in CP2. It wa
s also the CP most frequently omitted.

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Question 2 The topic of sports stars seemed to be wi
dely accessible as many learners wrote ex
tensively and knowledgeably about a favourite
sports star (or stars), though a
few weaker essays indicated that some learners did not understa
nd that the ‘stars’ were people as they wrote only about sports
they liked or did not like. The topic
and question gave higher-ability learners the chance to use a
good range of language and vocabulary to argue their points, but
lower-ability learners
were also able
to express simple ideas successfully. Many of the learners agreed with the st
atement and gave a good range of
points to back up their opinions e.g., can lead to thei
r own good health, fitness, being
inspired by stories of hardship and trium
ph, having goals to go for, etc. In
Part 2
, most answered the question well, with a
lot agreeing and discussing the benefits of
admiring and copying sports people, with lots of mentions of
Ronaldo and Messi! Other learners made the point about the way spo
rts people can be poor role
models – this was often tied up with religion and immoral behav
iour. Reasons given not to be influenced often included drug tak
ing, and excessive alcohol drinking,
common behaviours with some stars. Other learners examined other role models – professionals, cele
brities, influencers, parents and very occasionally a teacher. S
ome stated that the only people who
should be admired or copied are muslims because they are the on
ly people who can be a positive role model. Lower-ability learne
rs tended to focus on sports stars
they liked, and explained why they admired t
hem without really engaging with the questi
on. But there was certainly a real diffe
rence in the quality of the essays
learners are writing and the use of the correct ta
sk conventions compared to last year’s session.
Essays that did not fully inform tended eit
her to describe sports that the learner di
d but without much reference to the influe
nce of stars on the choice of sport, or
long, detailed biographies of a sports star (usually a foot
baller) which sometimes only minimally addressed their influence.
Most learners made a reasonable attempt at essay style and some
were very well organised, though others seemed to have been tra
ined to insert a number of
linking words and phrases that were not alwa
ys used appropriately. In a number of case
s, punctuation was missing or inaccurate
and sometimes brought the
Organisation mark down from a potential 3 to 2. However, some
responses were excellent and empl
oyed a really extensive vocabula
ry.

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3. Cambridge Lower Secondary Checkpoint English 0861 3.1 Cambridge Lower Secondary Checkpoint English 0861 – Component 01 General comments Generally, this was thought to be an interesting text. Most young
people like pizza. It did not really matter that some learner
s had never heard of ‘pizza savers’ and it
did not prevent them from understanding. The material in the insert was accessible
to most learners. In some short answer questions, learners lost marks not through lac
k of understanding of the material but
because they did not adhere precisely enough to the terms of t
he question e.g., one word, a phrase, 40 words. It was quite surp
rising that learners who performed
poorly on
Section A
wrote much more confidently on
Section B
and sometimes vice versa. Handwriting was an issu
e with a few learners, some scripts verging on
the illegible. Section A Reading Question 1 (a)
Very few learners appeared
to understand the use of ‘
phrase
' in a grammatical sense. Most learners included the word ‘she’ and immediately ruled out the
‘phrase
’. Many answers were far too long, showing no understanding of w
hat a phrase was. A large majority of learners scored no mark h
ere.
(b)
Most learners identified the correct use of inverted comma
s. The most frequent incorrect
response was the second box, ‘
to indicate an unusual meaning for
a word
’. Nearly all learners ticked one box, most used ti
cks; some used crosses to indicate their response.
(c)
Learners who were awarded the mark for th
is question mostly gave a response that
fitted the first bullet point. This question
was reasonably well
answered. Incorrect responses included mention of the tripod
being an everyday object or ever
yday objects being discussed.
Question 2 (a)
Common incorrect responses included ‘
ingenuity
’ and ‘
epitome
’. It was disappointing to note how many learners gave two words (‘
throwaway thing
’)
despite being asked for one in the question.
(b)
This was well done, overall. Most learners got at
least one mark and a great many got both available marks.

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Question 3 Learners lost marks on both parts of this question due
to lack of precision when referring to the tripod (
it
,
item
) or the general conclusion about other objects/items
(
the tripod
,
it
,
the item
).
More learners correctly answered the firs
t part by identifying the fact that the tr
ipod has other uses. The second part was not
as well answered – most incorrect
responses just referred to objects being used for different purposes. Question 4 Nearly all learners identified one quote.
A smaller percentage identified two quotes matched with correct explanations. General
ly, learners found and copied quotes
with some accuracy, although some quotes included more than the acceptable words. The explanations did not always ‘get’ the
irony in the answers. Some learners just
explained the quote as it stood, and some ju
st said the writer was being ironic, but
not explaining why. Incorrect quotes referred
to the tripods being used to make decorations.
Most learners were able to select the correct quotation, but m
any offered a literal translation
which was the opposite of the i
ntended answer.
Question 5 (a)
Where learners did not gain the available marks, they often i
dentified the correct phrase, but
did not include the relevant n
oun (item/scaffold), suggesting
an incomplete understanding of the parts of a noun phrase.
(b)
This question was not well answered. Learners often referred
to the tripod squatting in the box or looking like someone squat
ting. Some identified the fact it
was short but did not relate this to fitting between the
lid of box and the pizza. Most learners took the ‘
squatting
’ option or failed to link a suitable
characteristic with what it achieved.
(c)
This question was reasonably well answered. Some incorrect answer
s referred to the tripod being criticized or that it does not
have a purpose, and a small
number of learners gave ‘
cheap looking
’. The most popular correct responses gave
answers based on the second bullet point (
functional
,
efficient
). Most
learners grasped the idea of the object’s
functionality or lack of visual appeal.
Question 6 (a)
Most learners opted for something approaching the first
bullet answer but often relied too heavily on the words ‘
some
/
someone
’ without explaining
anything.
(b)
The large majority of learners had no idea what a noun phrase was or what ‘
ovoid
’ meant as it was excess denies in nearly every case – ‘
round and ovoid
objects
’ every time.

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Question 7 The most frequent correct answers referred to the first bullet
point. A few picked up on the speed of the text being increased,
however, some lear
ners wrote that the
text was slowed down. ‘To grab attention
’ and ‘
dramatic effect
’ were common incorrect responses.
Question 8 (a)
Most learners gained at least two marks for identifying correc
t details; many gained all 3 marks. The Material was clearly un
derstood, as was the Intended
use. The Disadvantages were
poorly understood, as ‘
cheap-looking
’, ‘
bland’
and ‘
expensive
’ kept coming up, but Other uses was good, albeit with quite a
bit of repetition.
(b)
Very few learners were awarded zero. Some learners who went
over the word count gave an over-long introduction or included in
formation not relevant or
mentioned in their response to the previous question, e.g., about
washing the tripods to use again or focusing on the text cont
ent of the design of the tripod
(fine example of a functional design). Nearly all learners ga
ve a balance of function and desc
ription in their responses.
The word count was generally adhered to though, inev
itably, there were a few who went well over it.
Section B – Writing Question 9 There were some fantastic answers to this
question featuring close attention to det
ail, clear awareness of audience and purpose
, and a firm command of structure
and vocabulary. Most essays had something interesting to say and
were written in a clear introductory paragraph/two or three de
velopment paragraphs/concluding
paragraph style. A few essays were difficult to follow because of
a weak grasp of the language,
however almost all responses co
ntained creditworthy features.
Pens and pencils were extremely popular as
subjects, as were rulers and erasers, and most kind of stationery. Mini fans, hair t
ies, ‘Fidgit’ toys, mobile phones,
airpods and bottle caps came up time and again. There were some
quirky inventions such as ‘sporks’ (spoon/forks) to go along wi
th the more mundane objects.
Some learners mistakenly felt they had to invent an item. Most
of these learners went throug
h the three bullet hints and wrote
well about what the item meant to
them. These learners were also generally clear they were writi
ng a competition article and referenced the fact very often, even
in the title.
Wc – Creation of texts Some learners lost focus by spending most of the response givi
ng instructions how to work their object, or several paragraphs a
bout how things can be small and
beautiful/serve more than one purpose than their original design wi
thout relating their thoughts to
the object they were descri
bing. Responses that did not achieve
the higher mark did not have a clear relationship with the reader or a target audience and so came across as quite impersonal. A range of objects was chosen, with toothpicks, erasers and pen
s/pencils the most popular. Less common choices included hair st
raighteners, mini magnets and a
bracelet cleaner.

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Some responses were derivative of the tex
t, sometimes incorporating phrases and whole sentences into the writing. This interrup
ted the overall cohesion, partly as
these extracts were not in the learner’s voice and we
re too general to apply to the article they had chosen.
Better responses had a clear voice, often spoke to the audience as a friend and often included some humour to add appeal. Wv – Vocabulary and Language Nearly all learners were awarded two or three marks. Responses
included some very effective vocabulary, though in some cases th
ere were some words and
phrases lifted from the text. Learners who did well used a range
of phrases to describe their object rather than repeating ‘it’
or the object’s name. A range of
technical vocabulary was used effectively in many cases. Ws – Structure of texts Most learners were awarded four marks and above. A small percen
tage used bullet points, and these were used effectively. A rang
e of connectives helped order
paragraphs, the most common being ‘firstly
’, ‘secondly’, ‘in conclusion’. ‘Although’, ‘however’ and ‘moreover’ were used in par
agraphs. However, some learners who
did not do as well overused ‘and’ and ‘but’ to link ideas. Wg – Grammar and Punctuation Most learner’s marks were four or above,
though slightly more were in the 2–3 band t
han for the Structure marks. Lack of punctu
ation/inaccurate punctuation and
grammar errors such as inconsistent verb forms kept some mar
ks in the 2–3 band. Most learners
included some expanded phrases. C
omma use was sometimes
inaccurate, either over-use, which interrupt
ed the flow of a sentence, or not used at all, especially in longer constructions.
Some correct use of more complex
constructions, subordinate clauses and re-positioni
ng of clauses was evident in better responses.
Punctuation and use of apostrophes seemed to
be an issue. Full stops were also overused
or were missing for the weaker learners
.
Common punctuation errors included: •
inappropriate use of colons and semi-colons – they often us
ed the former before any list, but both were overused and not neces
sary most of the time.
•
random use of commas, including often separating subject (especially if a noun phrase) and verb
•
comma between last two items in a list instead of ‘and’
•
I, personally, was commonly used but without commas
•
‘it’s’ to indicate possession (very common).
Ww – Word structure (Spelling) Very few responses were awarded one mark. Spelling of common and le
ss common words was generally accurate. Most learners were a
ble to spell longer and
more difficult words correctly but misspelt more commonly used word
s. Most of the words from the
text were correctly transcribe
d, although ‘stationary’ and
‘stationery’ were often confused.

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Advice for Centres •
Learners need to read the question carefully, underlining or mark
ing the relevant criteria, e.g., a phrase, one word, etc.
•
Where the instruction is ‘tick two box
es’ then by only ticking one or no boxes the learners cannot gain full marks.
•
A deeper understanding of more complex inference needs to be work one
•
Summary writing – learners need to develop the skill of keeping with
in the word count or they will not attain maximum marks.
•
Work on developing the skill of usin
g vocabulary specific to the content.
•
Work on improving paragraphing so that
paragraphs link logically and cohesively.
•
Develop the use of more complex, varied sentence ty
pes as well as more accurately used complex punctuation.

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3.2 Cambridge Lower Secondary Checkpoint English 0861 – Component 02 General comments Section A Reading Question 1 For a first question, many learners got this
wrong. The most common failure was to tr
anscribe the entire sentence rather than t
he appropriate phrase (which was
highlighted in the question). Question 2 Very few learners understood the
requirement of the question to identify separat
e clauses, even when examiners allowed for the
identification of some sort of
separation function within the sentence. Question 3 Most learners gained at least one mark here, but a number of
learners ticked only one box. When the question specifically instr
ucts learners to tick two boxes, it’s
difficult to know how to avoid this problem other than to teac
h learners to carefully read each question, which teachers probab
ly already do.
Question 4 Generally well answered. Question 5 Often the second option rather than the third was selected. Question 6 (a)
Most correct answers referred to Hector being ‘
better than the others
’.
(b)
Many learners got one mark for this.
Question 7 Generally good, but many learners ticked box 3.

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Question 8 This was a question that clearly divided learners between thos
e who understood it and got it completely correct, and those who
did not.
Question 9 Mostly correctly answered. Question 10 Very few learners seemed to understa
nd what the question was seeking.
Question 11 The large number of correct Reason/Quotation combinations made th
is difficult for many learners
to answer concis
ely or correctl
y. There was widespread use of a
Quotation given as a Reason, thus rendering
an identical Quotation redundant and incorrect.
Question 12 (a)
Generally well answered.
(b)
Generally well answered.
Question 13 (a)
Mystery widely offered as correct answ
er, but many learners gave the answer ‘
because he was wearing a grey suit
’ (or other words to that effect), which
was true, but could not be credited.
(b)
As for
Question 11
.
Section B – Writing Question 14 Wc – Creation of texts The theme of super-powers opened up opportunities for a wide range
of imaginative writing and exciting scenarios, and some of t
he stories were remarkable in their
inventiveness. However, it also opened the way for re-telling and
reinterpretation of Super Hero origin stories and adventures
straight from films and comics; Marvel
and Manga being major sources. This approach produced rather
leaden stories with little original thought, although the stories
were technically proficient.

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Wv – Vocabulary and Language Where written without an intention to impress, language use
was fluent and well handled. It was apparent which learners had lea
rned and used word lists of ‘hard
words’ as these were either over-used or contextually entirel
y inappropriate. There is still also a tendency to unnecessarily o
ver-adjectivise sentences producing
florid turns of phrase that add nothing to the
progression of the story other than to pad it out.
Ws – Structure of texts Almost all learners handled progression through their stories.
Some more sophisticated learners successfully managed non-linear
structure. Correct paragraphing
presents problems, with a number of learners arbitrarily splitti
ng their text into blocks that only looked like paragraphs. Int
ernal cohesion was also an issue for
learners who lost their train of thought
or through losing control of tense.
Wg – Grammar and Punctuation Following on from Ws above – controlling tense is a big issue for ma
y learners. Many learners atte
mpt to write in the continuou
s present and inevitably trip over,
leading to a collapse of cohesion. Use of commas would help to un
tangle otherwise unwieldy sentence
s, and learners seem averse
to the use of short sentences
(perhaps thinking they appear to be too simple). Correct punctuat
ion of speech remains very erratic, and learners who lean on a
lot of dialogue in their stories suffer
as a result. Obvious and unnecessary colons and semi-colons seem
to be included to impress and are best avoided, unless, of cou
rse, their use is required and they
are used correctly. Ww – Word structure (Spelling) As usual the great majority of spelling fell into the 2–categor
y which showed most learners had a good working grasp of common
spelling requirements. There is still
evidence of using difficult to spell words to impress. The
problem with this being that the words can be entirely inappropriate
and/or spelled incorrectly anyway.

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4. Cambridge Lower Secondary Checkpoint Mathematics 0862 4.1 Cambridge Lower Secondary Checkpoint Mathematics 0862 – Component 01 General comments Learners who performed best generally attempted all the questions
, showed understanding of the requirements of the question, se
t out working in clear steps and
had good basic knowledge of number and algebra skills. Learners w
ho did less well left many questions not attempted and did not
read questions carefully, missing
key aspects. Areas for development include very big and very sma
ll units of measurements, stem
-and-leaf diagrams, quadratic
n
th terms, estimating cube roots and
order of operations in questions involving fractions. Learners
rarely showed working when answering multiple-choice questions.
When these questions require
working, rather than recalling a mathematical
fact, it would be good practice to show
the working that leads to an answer and t
hen match the answer to a given
option. It is worth noting that whenever gr
aphs require straight lines to be drawn,
no lines should be drawn freehand, a ruler
should always be used. Some learners
presented work that was difficult to read, particularly when t
hey changed their minds with answers. Learners are encouraged to
cross out incorrect answers and
replace them, rather than trying
to correct work by overwriting figures. Many l
earners did their working out in the wrong place
, e.g., on an additional piece of paper,
rather than the workspace provided. Some
learners crossed out their working but did
not replace it. Learners are encouraged to
show all their working in the answer
space provided so it can be considered for part marks. Learners
should only cross out
work they do not want to be marked. There
was little evidence learners were
short of time on this paper as latter questi
ons were mostly attempted and if questions were not attempted, it was more commonly
because of the level of difficulty or
lack of subject knowledge (e.g., the higher omit rates were for
Question

11(a)
,
17(b)
,
19
and
21
.)
Question 1 This question was well answered by many learners. A
common error was to write the second inequality as
>
or to give both signs as
≤
or both signs as
<
. The lower
ability learners often gave numbers as answers, usually
values between the –5 and the 17 given in the question.
Question 2

The majority of learners answered this correctl
y. The most common incorrect answers were –3 and
3
1
200
.
Question 3 Another well answered question. Correct answers were usually accomp
anied by clearly set out working. The main error came from l
earners not consistently adding
each of the three pairs of terms
in the two equations to eliminate
y
. Some thought they needed to subtract, leading to them solve 4
x
= 56. Others subtracted just the
x
s leading to 4
x
= 60. Although not necessary, some multiplied the fi
rst equation by 5 in an attempt to eliminate the
x
s, then made the same error of not consistently
subtracting. Learners who decided to use the substitution method and made
x
the subject often made a sign error when rearranging e.g.,
x
= 2
y
– 2. Many were able
to follow through from their initial error to successfully obtain a mark for
their
two values satisfying one of the original equations.

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Question 4 There were a lot of good attempts, however approximately half of
responses did not have the correc
t answer of 36. Of the correc
t responses seen, many did not
show working. Where working was shown,
the majority of correct answers used 360
÷
10 and the rest of the answers often
came from the method of finding the sum
of the interior angles, dividing this by 8 and then subtracting
this answer from 180. The latter method being less efficient an
d more prone to errors. The error seen
quite regularly was to find the total of the interior angles, gi
ving an answer of 1440, then some went on to divide this by 8 t
o give the interior angle 144. Quite a few
learners did not attempt this question. Question 5 This was one of the best answered questions on the paper and was
often correct. Learners were able to continue the sequences an
d patterns, finding the 12 and 6
correctly, although the 60 was more often the value that was
incorrect with 50 often seen. Less frequently, 11 instead of 12 wa
s seen, as was 59, 72 or 720 instead
of 60. Question 6 The correct answer of order
k
was chosen by approximately half of the learners. The most
common incorrect box chosen appeared to be the bottom box,
order
k
+ 1. Some learners ticked more than one box, also including that
the order is clockwise along with a correct or incorrect other
box ticked.
Question 7 (a)
This question was a little more challenging for the lower
ability learners; however more
answered this correctly than
part (b)
. Many thought the first pair
were not correct. The higher ability learners could be seen to rewrite
y
= 2 –
x
and y = 7 – 5
x
into the form
y
=
mx
+
c
to help them decide if the
y
-intercepts
were positive. This was rarely s
een among the lower ability learners.
(b)
A significant proportion of learners di
d not attempt this part; the higher ability le
arners answered this
part well so it was
a good discriminator. A very
common error was to give the gradient as 3. The intercept was
more often correct, though a common
error was to state –7. More l
earners attempted to
rearrange the equation into the form
y
=
mx
+
c
than was seen in
part (a)
. Sign errors were common and some learners stated the gradient as –3
x
. Those
that knew to substitute
x
= 0 into the equation to find the intercept,
occasionally made the numerical error of 3
×
0 = 3 which led to an incorrect value of 4.
Question 8 This question was one of the more challenging on the paper with
only a small minority answering correctly by ticking the two bo
xes of ‘not correct’. There was no
common error as the responses were very varied, alth
ough the majority ticked one correct and one incorrect box.

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Question 9 Approximately half of the learners answered this correctly. Thos
e who did not get this correct often had a filled in circle at
the wrong end or at both ends or had an
unshaded circle at both ends. Some included incorrect arrows on
the diagram, not realising that there should be no arrows for i
nequalities in this form. Some did not
include circles to mark the end points and just
used arrow heads, dots or circles so sm
all it was difficult to determine if the
y were shaded or not. Some used two
arrows in place of one line. A small minority started their line at
–1 instead of –2. It was clear that some learners understoo
d the meaning of the inequality but were
not aware how to represent it on the number line correctl
y, for example by shading the region between –2 and 4.
Question 10 A good proportion of learners worked thr
ough the problem and scored all 4 marks for t
he correct answer. Many learners scored th
e first mark for the first correct step
of subtracting 3 lots of 70 from 360 and a large number then went
on to divide this by 3 to get the centre angles of 50. Some d
id not know how to proceed from here
and many made the mistake of thinking the angles in a quadrilate
ral summed to 180 instead of 360. Consequently, it was very com
mon to see learners subtracting
two lots of 50 from 180 rather than 360 so the third mark was le
ss frequently awarded. A large number of learners made incorrec
t assumptions about the diagram,
the most common being that 2 lots of 70 and one of the missing angles
at the centre made a straight line. Some drew a line acro
ss the bases of two of the
rhombuses to make an isosceles triangle and assumed a straight line with the base angle and
x
. Others assumed that the angles at
the centre were all the same at
70. Learners are advised that these assumptions should
never be made when a diagram says ‘NOT TO SCALE’.
Question 11 (a)
Lower ability learners found this question difficult and a si
gnificant proportion did not attempt it. This question had the h
ighest omit rate on the paper. This
question was a very good discriminator with the higher ability learne
rs answering it well. Learners often placed the smallest v
alue of 7 in the correct row but
many also placed a 5 in this row, not appreciating it could
not go there as then 17 would no longer be the minimum height. This
5 placed, to make 15,
came from incorrectly subtracting the range of 26 from the larg
est value of 41 in the given stem-and-leaf diagram. Learners wou
ld have benefitted from
placing the minimum height of 17 first so that they would then
have calculated 17 + 26 to give the correct largest value of 43.
For the modal height, many
added just one 9 to the 30s row, not identifying that there were
already two 27s so they needed three 39s rather than just two,
and also not appreciating
the question said there were 12 outdoor plants. Placing only three
values on the diagram did not create a total of 12 leaves. S
ome learners wrote a
seemingly random number in every empty box in the di
agram in both sides of the stem-and-leaf diagram.
(b)
A significant number of learners did not attempt this part que
stion. Those who did attempt it usually answered it well. A com
mon error was 21 from
subtracting 9, the first leaf on the left,
from 30 instead of 7. Some attempted an
average, usually the mean or median, instead
of the range but this was
relatively rare.

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Question 12 This was well attempted with the majority of learners getting
the correct answer. This was t
he question learners found easiest
on the paper. Working was generally
well presented and if they did not score 2 ma
rks, many learners were able to score 1 mark for the correct division of their num
erator by 10 or for the value 81 for 3
4
.
Some showed an incorrect evaluation of
110
10
their
or forgot to include the 3 in the numerator, leaving
the numerator as 7. Some left their answer unprocessed and
did not divide by 10. The evaluation of 3
4
and 3
×
4 = 12 or continuing to the next power giving 243 were er
rors seen most often here.
Lower ability learners often
attempted to simplify the fraction by cancelling the 3
4
and 3 resulting in
4
3+29
3+7
becoming
3
3+29
1+7
or
3
3+29
7
.
Question 13 (a)
This part was well answered by many learners with 62
×
10
3
being the most common incorrect answer. Th
ere were also a few negative indices seen but
these were less common.
(b)
This was answered much better than
part (a)
with many correct answers seen. The most comm
on incorrect answers were 0.081 or 0.00081, although
other incorrect answers which contained no decimal point at all
were also seen. Some missed the negative power and gave the ans
wer 8100 and some left
the answer as an unprocessed fraction containing a decimal i.e.,
8.1
1000
.
Question 14

A significant proportion of learners did not attempt this quest
ion. Approximately half of the l
earners made the connections wit
h the properties of the shape and made
the link that 6 triangles would fit inside
the hexagon. Despite this, less than a thir
d of learners gave a correct answer. Many
began by dividing 140 by 6 and then
multiplying by 3, often ending up with arithm
etic errors or an answer with premature
rounding errors such as 69.9 rather than t
he exact 70 required. Very few simply
halved the 140 because the three shaded triangles would fill half
the hexagon. There were many area calculations seen in workin
g such as triangles and trapeziums.
Learners should be advised to look at the marks assigned to a qu
estion to have an idea of how much working is involved. This wa
s a 1-mark question which
indicates minimal working would be required. Question 15 (a)
This question was well answered by many with the most common mark
being 3. Some missed the last mark as they did not join the
ir points, or incorrectly
joined their points with curves instead of straight lines. It
was rarer to see a ‘line of best fit’ error that has been common
in the past. A common error was to
plot the heights at one or other end of each interval rather
than at the midpoint. In almost all of these cases, the heights we
re correct and so 1 mark was
often scored. A significant number of learners were drawing bar ch
arts which, although they correc
tly convey the values given i
n the table, unless
accompanied by a correct frequency polygon, will
score 0 when a frequency polygon is asked for.
(b)
This was less well answered than
part (a)
. The most common error was circling the middle interval given: 12
≤

m

<
16. Others incorrectly circled 4
≤

m

<
8.

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Question 16 This question was well answered by many. Approximately
a third of learners scored 1 mark for showing that
7 9
= 0.7 or 0.77…. . Fewer went on to correctly round
this to 3 decimal places, with 0.777 and 0.78 being the most co
mmon incorrect roundings, or not rounding at all and giving the
answer 0.7. Common incorrect
answers scoring 0 marks were 0.7 and 0.700. Question 17 (a)
Almost half of learners correctly found 24. The 9999 proved mo
re difficult, in fact the 9999-answer space was often blank. Ve
ry few found 9999 and not 24.
If 24 was not correct, the answer given was often a number very cl
ose to it, in the range 18 to 23. Incorrect answers to 9999 w
ere more random. Some
learners may have demonstrated partial understanding of
what they needed to do with the answers 999 or 99
999.
(b)
A significant proportion of lower ability learners did not a
ttempt this part. This question was a good discriminator as the h
igher ability learners answered it
well. Approximately one fifth of the learne
rs scored 2 marks for the correct answer
n
2
+ 1 or an unsimplified version of this, often
n
2
– 1 + 2. The
answer
n
2
– 1 was an extremely common incorrect
answer to this question which still sco
red 1 mark for real
ising a quadratic
n
th term was required. Many
did not give a quadratic answer but just a linear
n
th term or even a numerical answer.
Question 18

Learners of higher ability scored both marks here by ticking the co
rrect box for all four of the calculations. Many scored 1 ma
rk for 3 correct boxes, with the most
common incorrect boxes being the first two. The more successful
learners wrote out the numbers as ordinary numbers which helped
those who were struggling to
compare the calculations in their head. Question 19 This was a very challenging question and although many learners
made some attempt, many left the question blank. Very few score
d both marks, around 10 per
cent of learners. It was more common to see the coordinate of point
A
correctly stated so some were able to score
1 mark. Many attempted to find the coordinate of
the midpoint, and although the
y
-coordinate was often correctly identified as 22, the
x
-coordinate was more likely to be stated as 30 or 120. This error then led to
incorrect coordinates of (90,
0) or (240, 0) for point
B
. Occasionally a learner interpreted point
P
(60, 11) as the midpoint of
AB
, resulting in point
A
(0, 22) and point
B
(120, 0). Coordinates were sometimes swapped by lower ability lear
ners so the reverse of both
correct and incorrect coordinate
s such as (44, 0) and (0, 120) were
seen.

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Question 20 Many learners did not attempt this question. The majority who did
attempt this question missed t
he fact that integer values wer
e required. Learners are encouraged
to highlight key words in questions, such as ‘integer’, to help
prevent this. It is possible they had not missed the word ‘inte
ger’ and were simply unable to answer the
question, giving a decimal value of
x
for 1
<

x

<
2 rather than for 1
<

3
x

<
2. Consequently, it was common to see de
cimal answers between 1 and 2. Following on
from this, learners then thought there were 9 possible values (1.1
, 1.2, 1.3 etc.,) for the second part, with many others stati
ng there were an infinite number of
answers. Of those scoring 1 mark, it was more common to
award it for correctly identifying a possible value of
x
, than for finding the total number of possible values
of
x
.
Question 21

A significant proportion of learners did not attempt the questi
on. The higher ability learners answered it well with the questi
on being a good discriminator. Learners
often gave a negative value of
x
and prime value of
y
but the additional important aspect that the pair of va
lues needed to satisfy the equation, was missed by many
of the lower ability learners. Those who scor
ed full marks almost always had (–1, 7),
(–3, 11) and occasionally (–4, 13) or (–6
, 17). Of those scoring 1 mark, it was
almost always (–2, 9), (–5, 15) or slightly rarer (0, 5)
, (1, 3). A few learners had answers including the letters
x
and
y
or had both coordinates negative or the
x
-
coordinate prime and the
y
-coordinate negative.
Question 22 Learners demonstrated a good knowledge of dealing with fractions and t
here were many correct answer
s. Many scored 3 marks as th
ey had a correct improper
fraction (usually
7 6
) or a correct mixed number (usually 1
3
18
), but did not give their answer as both a mixed number and in its simplest form i.e., 1
1 6
, a requirement
of the question. Learners are advised to highlight important requi
rements like these in the question e.g. by underlining it as
they read it. One of the issues in the
question was dealing with the order of operations wi
th a large number of learners incorrectly adding
8 9
and
4 3
before attempting to do the division, but those who
made this error could still obtain 2 marks if they continued correctl
y. The vast majority of learners scored the mark for conve
rting the mixed numbers into improper
fractions. Many were then able to deal with the division correc
tly for the second mark. Lower ability learners made errors at t
his stage, for example, finding the
reciprocal of the first fraction or both of them, when changi
ng to a multiplication. Some found common denominators but very fe
w understood how to proceed with
the division after this, with many still inverting and carrying out
multiplications with large numbers. Some also thought that
a common denominator was necessary for
multiplying and often then multiplied the numer
ators, leaving the denominator. The most
successful learners used the more effic
ient lowest common denominator for
their addition. Many others made the calculation more difficult
by using large numbers without cancelling, for example adding
8 9
and
20 72
and using 9
×
72 as the
denominator which is time consuming and inevitably led to arithmetic errors.

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32
Question 23 (a)
Many attempted this question, however circling 2 was far mo
re common than circling the correct answer, which was rarely seen.

(b)
More learners missed this part out than
part (a)
. Values were often seen in an attempt
to solve this numerically such as 200
×
200 following an incorrect
answer of 200 in
part (a)
. Learners who scored 1 mark oft
en provided an expression involving
x
2
. This was more commonly 4
x
2
following on from an
incorrect answer of 2 in
part (a)
rather than the correct 9
x
2
. Of those circling 3 correctly in
part (a)
few gave the correct answer of 800%, it was more
common to see the error of stating 900%.

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33
4.2 Cambridge Lower Secondary Checkpoint Mathematics 0862 – Component 02 General comments Learners who performed best generally attempted all the questions
, showed understanding of the requirements of the question, le
arned and understood formulae
involving circles and cylinders, set out working in clear step
s and had good basic knowledge of number and algebra skills. Lear
ners who did less well left many
questions unattempted, rounded prematurely part way through a calc
ulation, or did not read questions carefully missing key aspe
cts. Areas for development include
transformations, applying ratio in the context of geometry, simplifying
x
2
+
x
2
, understanding tree diagrams for probability, in
terpreting pie charts, questions involving
Pythagoras’ theorem when a right-angled triangl
e is not immediately obvious and solving equations containing fractions. It is w
orth noting that whenever graphs
require straight lines to be drawn, no lines should be drawn freeha
nd, a ruler should always be used. Some learners presented w
ork that was difficult to read,
particularly when they changed their minds wi
th answers. Learners are encouraged to cr
oss out incorrect answers and replace the
m, rather than trying to correct
work by overwriting figures. M
any learners did their working out in the wrong
place, e.g., on an additional piece of paper, rat
her than the workspace provided. There
was little evidence learners were short of time on this paper as
the last two questions were attempted by nearly all and if que
stions were not attempted, it was more
commonly because of the level of difficulty or lack of subject knowledge (e.g., the higher omit rates were for
Questions

13
,
15
,
16
,
17
, and
24
.)
Question 1 This question was well answered by
many with the lower ability learners often givi
ng answers such as 3.5 (from halving 7) or 4
(rounding 3.5 to an integer) or 2 (from
dividing 6 by 3). Question 2 The majority of learners were awarded this mark. The most comm
on error was to calculate each value separately, rounding the two
answers prematurely, giving a
final answer close to 3 but not exactly 3 as required. Learners ar
e advised in this sort of question, when there is only 1 mark
, there is no requirement to show interim
values and they should be typing the calcul
ation into their calculator in one step.
Question 3 Correct answers, often from the higher ability learners, were ei
ther from finding 115% of 4 and then 115% of 4.6 or from using
the compound growth formula
4
×
(1 +
15
100
)
2
. This question was a good discriminator. Lower ability lear
ners frequently gave the comm
on incorrect answer of 5.2
 kg from applying simple growth
rather than compound growth. Accompanying working was either 4
+ 0.6 + 0.6 or learners found 30%
of 4 and added it onto 4. Othe
rs stated just the simple growth
of 1.2
 kg as their final answer, ignoring the initial mass of the baby.

34. © Cambridge University Press & Assessment 2024 Cambri
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34
Question 4 Almost all learners answered this question correctly with the
most common incorrect response being 70%. A few gave the answer 0
.3 or
3
10
on the answer line
where there was also a percentage sign. Learners are advised not
to change a percentage probability to a fraction or decimal if
they do not need to.
Question 5 It was more common to see an incorrect answer than a correct answer
in this question, although many correct answers were seen a
mong the higher ability learners.
The more successful learne
rs showed the estimated
probability calculation of
486
1200
= 0.405, then correctly used t
he fact this was close to
2 5
to answer the
question. For the lower ability learners, it
was rare to see any working and so this question was more challenging and common i
ncorrect answers included many of
the other letters, often C. Some learners gave a numerical an
swer which did not appear to correspond with the spinners.
Question 6 There were many learners who obt
ained all 3 marks and almost as many who scored
2 marks for 400 and 5. A large proportion did n
ot understand that the square
root could also be negative and so it was common to see positive
5 in both answer spaces for the input. Some thought that it sh
ould be something else very close to
5 such as 5.01. The most common error for the output answer aros
e from incorrectly using the order of operations i.e., 1600 fro
m (4
×
10)
2
rather than 400
from 4
×
10
2
and this error was compounded for the input as it was common to see 2.5 (and sometimes –2.5) from
100
4
. The question was a good discriminator
with the higher ability learners nearly always pe
rforming better than the lower ability learners.
Question 7 This question was well answered by approximately
two thirds of learners. A common error was
b
= 28 from incorrectly assuming
b
matched up with 28 stated in the
left hand and middle expressions. Some correctly stated
a
= 3 even though they chose
b
= 28; however it was more commonly accompanied by
a
= 1.5 where the
middle expression was ignored. Some calculated 1.5 x 1.5 and showed 2.25 =
2a

×

2a
, but were not able to completely solve to find
a
.
A few of the higher ability learners made the problem more comp
lex than needed, by trying to solve an equation from all three e
xpressions. In trying to get to an
equation with just a single = sign, errors arose such as changing 252 = 28
a
2
= 4
a
2
b
into –28
a
2
– 4
a
2
b
= 252. This method usually led to a variety of equations
involving
a
and
b
which the learner could not solve.

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35
Question 8 About half of learners ticked the correct box ‘Question A bec
ause it asks for quantitative data’. The next frequently box ticke
d was also for Question A ‘because it
asks for qualitative data’. A larger prop
ortion than usual ticked more than one box
which gave contradictory responses.
Question 9 Approximately two-thirds of learners
answered this correctly. (4, 2) was the most popular incorrect answer.
Question 10 This question was a good discriminator, with higher ability learners
often scored full marks in this question. Some of those wh
o found the correct decimal answer
missed the third mark due to not truncating to the nearest intege
r (as they were asked for the whole number of cubes). A large
proportion of learners used the
correct formula for the volume of a cylinder and obtained a mark
for this. The vast majority t
hen did not understand that the v
olume of the cylinder should be divided
by the volume of the small cube, and it was most commonly divi
ded by 2, or less frequently 4,
or rarely 24 (the surface area of
the cuboid). Almost half of learners
scored 0 for this question. Many lower ability learners made so
me or all of these common errors: using incorrect formulae (ofte
n surface area rather than volume);
halving or doubling the correct formula; multiplying 4.1 by 7
as a starting point and then multiplying and/or adding various ot
her values. There were many instances
of lengths, areas and volumes being combined. Some learners scor
ed 1 mark for understanding that
the value they worked out must
be truncated to give a whole
number of cubes, although many could not achieve this mark as t
hey did not show a more accurate decimal answer in their working
.
Question 11 This question was a good discriminator with higher ab
ility learners performing well. Clear working showed
60
360

×
324 = 54,

40
360
×
324 = 36 and then either 54 – 36
= 18 or stated 18
≠
20. Occasionally, the second mark was not
earned if ‘correct’ was then ticked. Work
ing that gained a mark often found 1.1… but
did not interpret
this to mean each pizza is 1.1 degrees, or
found 0.9 but did not interpret this to mean each degree is 0.9 pizzas. More than ha
lf of learners scored 0, often for
showing 60 – 40 = 20 and ticking correct. A significant number tick
ed one of the boxes but offered no working. Some learners co
nverted the two angles to
percentages which did not help them to consider Mia’s statement. Question 12 This was well answered by many, with the majority of response
s demonstrating good understanding of how to find the area of a tr
iangle. The most common incorrect
responses were
y
2
or
+ 2
yy
and a few substituted values for
y
giving a numerical answer. Some incorrectl
y included units in their expression, e.g.,
×
cm cm
2
yy
, or
incorrectly simplified an other
wise correct answer, with
y
×

y
often wrongly being simplified to 2
y
rather than
y
2
. Learners are advised that the question asked for an
expression and whilst writing e.g., A =
2
y 2
was considered acceptable, with
A standing for area, writing e.g.,
y
=
2
y 2
(which was sometimes seen) is not acceptable.
Question 13

36. © Cambridge University Press & Assessment 2024 Cambri
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36
A significant proportion of learners did not attempt this que
stion. There was often no working for this question when an answer
was given so the most common
marks awarded were 0 or 2. Working leading to incorrect answers
suggested that the learners were trying to multiply 180 by a nu
mber of triangles inside the
polygon, but this was not always 5. It was more often 180
×
7 rather than 180
×
(7 – 2). Lower ability learners
often scored 0, this quest
ion was a good discriminator.
It was also common to see 900 correctly found and the calculation
900 – 855 correctly written, but
then to see the answer to th
is calculation wrongly given as 5
rather than 45. Question 14 There were many correct answers gained from differing approaches.
Many learners used a ‘cover
up’ type of method i.e., stating
that
56
7
= 8 so
y
+ 1 = 7. Many
followed this by correctly finding
y
= 6; however some went on to give an answer of
y
= 8 or
y
= 7. Some went straight to
56
8
=
y
+ 1 as their first line of working and
others took an extra step by writing 56 = 8 (
y
+ 1) as their first line of working. Of those who then expa
nded the brackets, rather than the more efficient method of
dividing by 8 as the next step, it was common to
see an error at this stage, e.g., expanding 8 (
y
+ 1) to reach 8
y
+ 1. Some missed out the line 56 = 8 (
y
+ 1) and
went directly to either 56 = 8
y
+ 1 or 56 =
y
+ 1
×
8 without brackets; neither of these could score a ma
rk. There were many algebraic misconceptions such as
56
y
= 8 – 1 or 56
×
8 =
y
+ 1 as a first step, consequently 8
and 447 were common incorrect answers.
Question 15 A significant proportion of learners did not attempt this quest
ion and of those who did attempt the question, a significant num
ber also offered no working leading to
their answer. Learners are advised that when
a question is worth 2 marks writing just an answer prevents them from scoring any
possible marks that can be
awarded for a correct method. Co
rrect solutions, usually
from the higher ability learners, gen
erally arose from calculating 330
0
÷
25 to reach $1 = 132 yen. Then
scaling up by multiplying by 40 to get t
he answer. A small minority used $5 = 660 yen
then scaled up by multiplying by 8 but th
is was less frequent. Some interpreted
the coordinate correctly and doubled the values to state $50 = 6600
yen but then could not scale this to find how many yen for
$40. Many were confused by the lack
of a scale on the axes and a very common
error was to misread the coordinate given
on the graph as a single value. It was commo
n to see 253
 300 divided by 40 to
reach 6332.5 or 6333, or 253
 300 multiplied by 40 to reach 10
 132
 000. Others read the comma as a decimal point i.
e. that (25, 3300) was as 25.3300 and multiplied
this by 40 resulting in 1
 013.20. Learners appeared to be ignoring the coordinate brackets
and the point marked on the line with this misconception.

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37
Question 16 This question had the highest omission rate on the paper with app
roximately one fifth of the learners offering no response. One
fifth of the learners scored 2 marks
and another one fifth scored 1 mark, usually for translation, with
the remaining learners scoring 0. Learners are advised to pa
y careful attention to words written in
bold such as ‘single’. It was common to see more than one transfor
mation described, although in the majority of cases, translat
ion (or move) was written twice. A
small minority gave the wrong transformation with rotation, refl
ection and enlargement all seen. Many of learners simply restat
ed the information given in the
question in a different way, for example the most common incorrec
t answer was simply to describe the vectors (and transformatio
n) in words e.g., ‘move 2 right and
1 up then 3 left and 7 up’. Of those attempting to combine the two
vectors to create the single transformation, the final vecto
r was often incorrect. There were a
variety of incorrect ones given with

−
1
6
,

−
5
8
,

−
1
8
, and (–1, 8) being the ones seen most often.
Question 17 Whilst a significant proportion of learners did not attempt th
is question, approximately half of
the learners answered correctl
y. Many learners simply connected the
two given arcs to make a whole arc going across the shape. A co
mmon incorrect answer was to put extra arcs on the straight line
s that formed the angle and none
on the bisecting line. Correct answers genera
lly used the given arcs and used the same radius, rather than making their own arc
s. A few used the ends of the lines.
There were occasional attempts at arcs in approximately the corr
ect place which clearly had not used a pair of compasses, but t
his was relatively rare. Learners
should have access to a pair of compasses as
part of the standard equipment for the papers.
Question 18 Many learners gave thor
ough reasoning and used the ratios to calculat
e all 3 angles. Many just showed that
8
16

×
180 = 90 which was also enough. Many appeared
to understand that the ratio had to show a right angle but were not
able to convey this mathematically, with statements such as
5 + 3 = 8 or 8
 :
 8. Some scored 1
mark for a partial explanation such as
180
16
= 11.25 but then did not continue to show the right angle. Ot
hers correctly summed the ratio to 16 but then did not know
how to proceed, while some used 360 instead
of 180 and therefore a right
angle was not reached. Some tried to use an argument i
nvolving Pythagoras’ theorem,
confusing the side lengths with angles. It was rare to see no respon
se to this question; however there were many who simply tic
ked a box without showing any
reasoning or calculation. Question 19 This question was very answered well by mo
st learners, with a minority scoring 0 and
the majority scoring 3. Learners are advis
ed that, for accuracy, lines should be
ruled in this question. A few plotted the 3 correct points but
did not join them. Very few scored the follow through line mark
if one or more values in their table were
incorrect, but it was occasionally awarded. 1 mark was more co
mmonly scored for one or two corr
ect coordinates, usually the one
s where
x
= 0 or
y
= 0, as the
coordinate that was most often incorrect was (6, 10). Some plotted the
x
and
y
coordinates the wrong way round, this wa
s more common in the points on the axes.

38. © Cambridge University Press & Assessment 2024 Cambri
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38
Question 20 This question was well answered, t
he majority correctly identifying 14
 cm
2
as the area of the semicircle. The most common incorrect answer was 28
 cm
2
. The more
successful learners took advant
age of the answer space provided to work out the
correct answer. Of those who did not use this s
pace, it was more common for them
to get an incorrect answer. Question 21 Approximately half of the learners answer
ed this correctly. 62, 67 and 77 were common
incorrect answers for this question, sugg
esting that the learners may have
been looking more at the pattern in the
y
-values than considering that the
x
-values were not increasing in equal increment
s. 62 arose from looking at the difference
of 5 between 27 and 32 and adding this to 57; 77 arose from look
ing at the difference of 20 between 37 and 57 and adding this t
o 57, and 67 arose from using a gap
of 10 between 27 and 37. Also seen was 74 (from doubling the
y
-value for the
x
-value of 7). There were other incorrect answers where working was not shown and
values did not end in either a 2 or 7 so it was hard to know where they came from. Question 22 The majority of learners made the first step of isolating 2
x
by subtracting 20 and most did this correctly. It
was very common to see sign errors, usually arising from
either 2
x

≤
20 – 16 or 20 – 16
≤
2
x
. From the correct starting point of 2
x

≤
16 – 20, many learners gave the correct answer with the correct inequality sign. Some
reached
x

≤
–2 in their working but then gave the answer
x
= –2 or just –2 on the answer line, so were unable to score the final mark as they did not appreciate the
answer had to be an inequality and not an equality or single value. T
here were some who followed a correct starting point of 2
x

≤
–4 with
x

≥
–2 i.e., they reversed
the inequality, perhaps thinking that any division involving a
negative number causes the inequality sign to reverse. Some bega
n by attempting to divide by 2 first;
however it was not common for learners to
be successful with this approach as most had their next line of working as
x
+ 20
≤
8 rather than
x
+ 10
≤
8, i.e., forgetting
to divide all three terms by 2. Question 23 This question was well answered with approxim
ately three quarters of the learners scor
ing 2 or 3 marks. Many knew how to expand
the single bracket so a mark for
x
2
+ 4
x
was frequently obtained. Some lear
ners made the mistake of thinking
x

×

x
is 2
x
in both expansions but were still able to obtain 1 mark for the second
expansion if they had the three other terms correc
t. Fewer learners scored the mark for expanding (
x
−
3) (
x
+ 5). Sign errors in expanding (
x
−
3) (
x
+ 5) were
common leading to e.g.,
x
2
– 5
x
+ 3
x
+ 15. Learners unfamiliar with expanding a double bracket gave responses such as
x

−
3 +
x
+ 5 or
x

−
3
×

x
+ 5. Collecting
terms to simplify once brackets had been expanded was difficult for many. Although
x
terms were usually combined correctly to give 6
x
, it was very common for
x
2
+
x
2
to become
x
4
.

39. © Cambridge University Press & Assessment 2024 Cambri
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39
Question 24
This question was one of the more challenging questions on the pa
per with nearly a fifth of learners offering no response. Howe
ver, almost a third of learners were
able to score 3 marks, often with no working or from a trial
and improvement approach. Good solu
tions, from the higher ability
learners, began with equating the two
expressions
9
5
c
+ 32 and 2
c
+ 30 and rearranging to solve showing clear correct steps. Many
learners who attempted to equate and solve, either struggled w
ith
signs or more frequently did not deal with the denominat
or of 5 correctly. So common errors following
9
5
c
+ 32 = 2
c
+ 30 were e.g.,
9
5
c
– 2
c
= 2, 9
c
+ 160 = 2
c
+ 30, 9
c
+ 32 = 10
c
+ 150 or the same error of following a correct
9
5
c
– 2
c
= –2 by 9c – 2c = – 2 x 5. Consequently, –
10
7
,was a very
common incorrect answer. Some more
successful learners converted
9 5
to 1.8, therefore not making an error when cl
earing the denominator of 5 that many made.
Of those who used a trial and improvement
approach, starting values were often
c
= 1 or
c
= 2 so attempts were often abandoned before getting close to the correct
value of
c
= 10. Others listed pairs of numbers with no indication of the values of
c
that were being trialled. Some started with rearranging each formula to make
c
the
subject which rarely ended up with correct values. Some appeared
to realise simultaneous equations were the right starting poin
t but wanted to do this by equating
coefficients. They attempted to rearrange and multiply each equati
on by a constant to get both of their equations into the form
‘integer
×
f
+ integer
×

c
= integer.’
This strategy was rarely successful. Question 25 This question was the best discriminator on the paper, with t
he higher ability learners generally performing well. Approximatel
y half of the learners found 0.7 and
placed it correctly on the diagram. Few obtai
ned 3 marks, particularly
among the lower ability learne
rs whose most common mark
was 0. Some put 0.4 in the correct
place at the top of the second
bag section, but this was often with incorrec
t numbers on the other 3 branches. 0.4 and 0.6 reve
rsed on both pairs of second bag
branches was common. Question 26 This was another good discriminating question with higher abilit
y learners understanding the requirement to use Pythagoras’ the
orem to find the missing length and
these usually went on to score full marks. Those who found the mi
ssing length correctly occasionally made an error in finding t
he perimeter, such as also including
the vertical height of 12 which split the shape in two parts, pe
rhaps because they had just used it to find the 15. The majorit
y of learners scored 1 mark in the
question. Even if they could not
correctly find the missing side, they often went
on to find the perimeter and multiply by 23 t
o find the cost. Quite a few chose a value,
often a reasonable estimate, for the length of the diagonal side
of the shape and values from 12 to 17 were seen quite regularl
y. They could then go on to score a
mark for using
their
perimeter
×
23 if all other sides were correct. Some did not obtain this ma
rk as they also missed out another side or did not show any wor
king.
Those who did not score were often finding areas or did not show
enough working for the perimeter. 0, 1 and 4 were the most com
mon marks with 2 or 3 marks only
occasionally being scored.

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40
5. Cambridge Lower Secondary Checkpoint Science 0893 5.1 Cambridge Lower Secondary Checkpoint Science 0893 – Component 01 General comments This question papers included a significant proportion of new t
opics from the curriculum framework particularly with regard to
Earth and Space. Learners often found
these topic areas challenging. A significant
proportion of the learners did not attempt some or all of the questions on the car
bon cycle.
Learners found aspects of Thinking and Working Scientifically
challenging particularly when presenting data in a graph.
There was some evidence that learners did not have sufficient ti
me to finish the examination however this may also be due to th
e topic areas being assessed.
Question 1 This question was about the pathway of water through a plant. (a)
At
X
some learners just referred to root cells rather then root hair cells. At
Y
many learners wrote xylem and at
Z
many wrote transpiration. Alternative
answers for
Z
included evaporation and diffusion, common misconceptions being photosynthesis or osmosis.
(b)
Nitrate and potassium were the most co
mmon correct answers. Nitrogen was allowed even
though this is not really a mineral. Co
mmon misconceptions
included oxygen, carbon, carbon dioxide and water.
Question 2 This question was about atomic structure and the Periodic Table. (a)
Many learners identified C as
the symbol of the element with an atom with onl
y 6 electrons. The name carbon was also accepted
for this question. The
most common misconception was O an element
with six electrons in the outer shell.
(b)
Some learners were able to give the correct electronic struct
ure of 2.8.8.1 The most common mi
sconceptions were 2.8.1 and 2.8
.9.

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41
Question 3 This question was about density. (a)
Most learners were able to ident
ify the correct description for density.
(b)
Many learners appreciated that
water and oil have different densities, and most
of these learners deduced that oil is less de
nse than water. Many learners
referred to oil floating on the water, but others referred correc
tly to oil and water not mixing or oil not dissolving in water
. The most common misconception
was that the oil stopped th
e water from evaporating.
Question 4 This question was about the inheritance of sex and fetal development in humans (a) (i)
The concept of a Punnett square diagram wa
s not understood by many lear
ners. The most common answers given gave two pairs of ch
romosomes such
as XX and XY or XX and XX rather than ju
st two separate chromosomes X and Y.
(ii)
The term gamete was not well known by learners and often answers
such as zygote and sex cells were given. A very small number
of learners referred to
haploid cells rather than gametes.
(b)
Most learners were able to give one other factor that affe
cts fetal development. The most common answers were drinking alcoho
l and the use of drugs.
Some learners ignored the rubric in the q
uestion and gave factors related to smoking.
Question 5 This question was about the movement of tectonic plates. (a)
Most learners identified the correct dire
ctions of movement of the tectonic plates.
(b)
Many learners appreciated that most vo
lcanoes are along the boundaries of tectonic pl
ates rather than in the middle of the te
ctonic plate.

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Question 6 This question assessed Thinking and Wo
rking Scientifically skills and involved presenting data in a graph.
(a)
A significant proportion of the learners did not attempt t
he question and other learners just identified the anomalous result
. If an anomalous point was
identified, it was often correct but many learners either did
not draw a line of best fit ignoring the anomalous point or drew
straight lines between the points.
Many of the curves drawn were very thi
ck and feathery rather than a thin smooth
line. Learners should be encouraged to draw a s
olid single pencil line as
a line of best fit.
(b)
The learners could either use the graph drawn or the data in
the table to deduce the result
at 3 minutes. Any result between
59 and 61
 cm
3
inclusive was
given a mark. Alternatively, values obtained from the curve drawn
were accepted providing they were within half a small square.

Question 7 This question was about temperature and heat. (a)
Learners found expressing their ideas very challenging and only
the best answers appreciated that only heat or thermal energy
is given by the flame. Some
learner stated that it was the metal cook
ing pan that gave the thermal energy and did
not try to correct the statement from the
question.
(b)
Conduction was a popular answer, but a significant
proportion of the learners gave convection instead.
Question 8 This question was about the carbon cycle and there were significant
proportion of learners leaving some or all of the answers b
lank.
(a)
Many learners were able to identify one pr
ocess that releases carbon dioxide. The most
popular answer was combustion or burni
ng, with respiration and
decomposition being less popular. Breathing was not allowed
since this is a different process to respiration.
(b)
Some learners identified decomposition or decay often lear
ners confused the spelling of decomposition with combustion.
(c)
A significant proportion of the learners did not identify
feeding and either left the question blank or gave respiration.
(d)
Many learners gave photosynthesis,
but others gave respiration instead.

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Question 9 This question focused on mass extinction of animals and plants. (a)
Some learners gave the correct answer as 5 and others count
ed all of the peaks and got 19. Some
learners gave answers with a
decimal point which was
impossible.
(b)
Some learners referred to ideas about climate change but di
d not always give an explanation about how this happens. Other lea
rners mentioned the
formation of carbon dioxide during volcanic eruptions and then lin
ked this to global warming. Learners who mentioned that ash a
nd dust entered the
atmosphere did not extend their answers to
explain the significance of this in terms of stopping photosynthesis, so plants die.

Question 10 This question focused on making salts such as zinc chloride. (a)
Learners did not always give the correct name for sulfuric acid
and gave answers such as sulfur acid, sulfic acid or sulfric
acid that were not given credit.
Learners often gave magnesium carbonate or just magnesium, but ot
her learners gave magnesium compounds that were not carbonates
and these were
not awarded a mark.
(b)
The practical details for making pure zinc chloride crystals
were often vague and contradict
ory. The best answers appreciated
that the mixture is first
filtered and then the filtrate is heated until the first appearance
of crystals (the formation of a saturated solution) and the
n this solution was left at room
temperature to cool down and crystallise.
Many answers either missed out the filter
ing stage or had it after heating the aqueou
s zinc chloride. Other
answers did not make it clear that the
filtrate must not be heated to dryness but
must be left to evaporate slowly. A significa
nt proportion of
the learners did
not attempt this question.
Question 11 This question was about conservation of energy. (a)
Some learners were able to complete the sentence about the
law of conservation of energy. A common misconception was to refer
to energy changed, or
energy wasted. A significant proportion of t
he learners did not attempt this question.
(b)
Some learners calculated the correct answer as 20
 J but others gave 140
 J and some 0.75
 J.
Question 12 Most learners gave answers that indicat
ed that the population decreased until it reac
hed zero. The most common answer gave a li
ne slanted down to the present
day rather than an almost vertical line to 65 millions of years
ago. Some learners had the population rising before falling thi
s was not given credit within the mark
scheme.

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Question 13 This question was about natural selection and also asse
ssed aspects of Thinking and Working Scientifically.
(a)
Many learners realised that the charac
teristics were controlled by genes but in te
rms of the first sentence often gave organi
sms or variation rather than
species.
(b) (i)
Learners often gave answers explaining what
was meant by natural selection rather
than focusing on whether the results support
ed the theory. Answers
often did not mention the results given in
the stem of the question. Credit was giv
en for either answers that stated no in whic
h case the answer had to state
that the characteristics do not change or ye
s that some characteristics do change.
(ii)
Learners rarely mentioned using secondary sources to get new in
formation but often suggested us
ing a different species instead
. This was given credit in
the mark scheme.
Question 14 This question was about rates of reaction and the particle model
. A significant proportion of the learners did not attempt one
or both of these questions.
(a)
Some answers referred to the difference
between the surface area of the powder compared to the ribbon. Some learners had the
misconception that
ribbon has a larger surface area. To be awarded a second mark le
arners had to refer to more collisions with the powder. Alterna
tively referring to more
exposed particles with the powder was also
allowed on the mark scheme. The very best
answers stated that the collision frequenc
y was higher with
powder compared to ribbon.
(b)
Many learners appreciated that
hot acid contains more energy than cold acid but
to score a mark the learners had to refer to
particles for example the
particles in hot acid move faster or the
particles have more energy. To be awarded t
he second mark the learners had to refer to
collisions and the best
answers referred to either more successful
collisions or an increased collision frequency.
Question 15 This question was about waves. (a)
Many learners gave the answer
that the frequency increases however some referred
to an incorrect characteristic of the wave s
uch as volume increases,
amplitude increases which were not given credit.
(b)
Many learners did draw arrows on the di
agram, but a significant proportion of learne
rs drew contradictory arrows. Some learne
rs drew several arrows and
in these cases all the arrows had to be correct to award a mark.
Other learners were not very accurate with their arrows going
above the peak height.

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Question 16 This question was about the formation of the Moon. (a)
Most learners were able to recognise the correct theory.
(b)
Learners often gave a suggestion why Moon rocks were analysed ra
ther than focusing on why a large number of Moon rocks were a
nalysed in term of
improving reliability. Learners often referred to having a fair in
vestigation or making the investigation more accurate rather
than more reliable. Only a small
proportion of the learners referred to having a more representati
ve sample of Moon rocks. A significant proportion of the learn
ers did not attempt this
question.
Question 17 This question was about electrical circuits and also assessed Th
ing and Working Scientifically. A
significant proportion of the
learners did not attempt one or all of
these questions. (a)
Learners often included a symbol for an ammeter and a voltme
ter but sometimes drew a line though the symbol which made the sy
mbol incorrect. Many
learners appreciated that the ammeter had to be in series with
the lamp, but a smaller proportion of the learners appreciated t
hat the voltmeter had to be in
parallel with the lamp. Some learners did not draw a complete ci
rcuit in which case they could only be awarded a maximum of one
mark for the question.
(b)
Learners often focused on the danger of having a hot object and
suggested using goggles or gloves. In terms of this investiga
tion the best comment about
safety is to insert a switch into the circuit and turn it off
immediately after readings are taken on the meters. Alternatively
, a lower current could be used
using less cells or a variable resistor so the lamp does not get hot.
(c)
A significant proportion of the learners misinterpreted t
he question and tried to explain why the current would change with t
emperature instead of outlining
a plan to test the hypothesis. The simplest plan involved using
two values of the current and s
eeing if the temperature of the
lamp changes or using two
different temperatures and measuring the current. A common misconc
eption was to use two ammeters one before the lamp and one af
terwards.

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5.2 Cambridge Lower Secondary Checkpoint Science 0893 – Component 02 General comments This question papers included a significant proportion of new t
opics from the curriculum framework particularly with regard to
Earth and Space. Learners often found
these topic areas challenging. Learners found aspects of Thinking and Working Scientifically
challenging particularly with regard to presenting data in graphs
and also taking precise readings from
diagrams of equipment. There was some evidence that learners did not have sufficient time
to finish the examination since some of the later questions
were left blank by a small proportion
of the learners. Question 1 This question was about the human renal system. (a)
Learners often identified all five parts of the human renal sy
stem. Common errors including confusing the ureter with the ure
thra and the ureter with the
renal vein. Learners must make sure that the spelling
of technical words that are very similar is accurate.
(b)
Learners often recognised the difference between
the two renal systems and stated that child
B
had an extra ureter. A common er
ror was to state that child
B
had two ureters rather than child
B
had two ureters from the same kidney. Even l
earners that did not recognise the ureters in
(a)
were able to describe
the difference between the renal systems and
used the name they gave the ureter in
(a)
.
Question 2 This question was about models of atoms, molecules, and ions. (a)
Some learners were able to identify
A
as a molecule, but all of the other opt
ions proved to be effective distractors.
(b)
Learners found this question very challenging and often
answered a different question. Instead of explaining why
C
was a positive ion the learners
explained how a positive ion was formed from
an atom. The best answers appreciated that
C
had more protons than electrons and then went one to state
that protons were positive and electrons were negative. A signi
ficant proportion of the learners referred to the number of neut
rons being more than the
number of protons. Some learners just stated that
C
was a positive ion because of the positive sign associated with the model, this was insufficient to be
awarded a mark. A significant proportion of
the learners did not answer this question.

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(c)
A greater proportion of the learners were able to recognise that
A
shows a covalent bond than were able to identify
A
as a molecule.
(d)
Learners often described the formation of an ionic bond as a resu
lt of the transfer of electrons rather than describing the na
ture of an ionic bond. The best
answers appreciated that in an ionic bond positive and negative i
ons are strongly attracted to each other. Other learners refer
red to an electrostatic
attraction between ions and this was given full credit in the ma
rk scheme. A significant propor
tion of the learners did not ans
wer this question.
Question 3 This question was about amplitude and frequency of a sound. (a)
Some learners referred to the sound, frequency or
pitch increases rather than the amplitude increases.
(b)
Many learners appreciated that frequency
describes the pitch of a sound. The most
common incorrect answer was amplitude.
Question 4 This question was about tectonic plates.

(a)
Some learners described the process as
convection however other l
earners gave continental drift
which was not given credit. A
significant proportion of the
learners did not answer this question.
(b)
The idea that the tectonic plates were moving towards each othe
r was expressed in a variety of different ways for example the
y were converging, or one
plate would move over the other plate. Some
learners contradicted their
answers by stating that the
tectonic plates were moving
closer together and/or
moving apart.
Question 5 This question involved calculating a value for the density of silv
er. The best answers gave an equation, substituted in the cor
rect values, and finally calculated the
answer as 10.5. Learners were more likely to get the numerical
value for the density rather than the correct unit. Although the
correct unit was g
 /
 cm
3
some learners
gave g and others g
 /
 cm
2
. Other learners did not include the units. A common misconceptio
n was that the word unit on the answer line referred to the la
st digit in the
numerical answer and so these lear
ners gave to answer as 10 unit 5.

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Question 6 This question was about the evidence for tectonic plate movement.
A significant proportion of the learners did not answer these
questions.
(a)
Learners often misinterpreted the questi
on and explained the evidence rather than how
the diagram showed evidence for the mov
ement of tectonic plates.
The simplest answer was the presence of the arrows showing the
direction of movement. Other answ
ers described that the diagram
showed that magma
was seeping out of the plate boundary to form a mid-ocean ridge.
Most learners were not able to explain how the magnetic alignm
ent within rocks provides
evidence for the movement of
tectonic plates. Some learners
had the misconception t
hat the magnetic alignment of rocks actually
caused the movement of
the tectonic plates.
(b)
Learners answered this question slightly better than
(a)
however the answers were often poorly express
ed and often described how fossils were formed.
The best answers appreciated that simila
r fossils were found in different plates.
Question 7 This question was about photosynthesis and also assessed
some of the Thinking and Working Scientifically skills.
(a)
Oxygen was quite a popular answer gi
ven by the learners but a common misconce
ption was to give carbon dioxide.
(b)
Learners were often able to label the axes correctly and incl
uded the appropriate units. Many learners could plot the points
within the accepted tolerance of
half a square, however they found drawing a curve of best fit much
more challenging. A common misconception was to draw straigh
t lines between the
points rather than a smooth curve. Centres s
hould also advise learners to draw one thin smooth curve rather than a very thick l
ine that was feathery and
looked as though there were more than one line drawn.
(c)
Learners were often able to describe the relationship shown by
the graph but a common misconception was to describe the relat
ionship between the
distance from the lamp to the plant and the rate of photosyn
thesis. Although the statements given
by the learners were often co
rrect they did not answer
the question that was set. A significant proportion
of the learners did not answer this question.
(d)
The idea that magnesium was needed to make chlorophyll was well known.

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Question 8 This question was about the interaction between sound waveforms. (a)
Some learners could draw the correct waveform although there
were often minor errors in terms of the positioning of the crest
s and troughs and the size of
the amplitude.
(b) (i)
Some learners appreciated that waveforms
D
and
E
cancelled each other out and so they drew a st
raight horizontal line. A common misconception was to
draw two or even three waveforms.
(ii)
Many learners appreciated t
hat there would be no sound from
F
or that it was silent. Learners had to ensure that they referred to the loudness within their
answer and no other characteristics of waveform
F
. Some learners gave both a description and an explanation in terms of interference.
Question 9 This question was about extinction and conservation. (a)
Many learners found this question challenging and gave more
than one answer. The rubric in the question suggested that only o
ne box should be ticked
but learners often ticked deforestation as well as environmental change.
(b) (i)
Most learners could interpret the data given in the question.
(ii)
Learners found it difficult to express their answers since t
hey had to refer to a greater percentage of low level conservation
. Many learners gave imprecise
answers that while true did not necessarily
relate to the data given, for example corals had a low level of conservation. A sig
nificant proportion of the
learners did not answer this question.
Question 10 This question involved the calculation of the resistance of a
lamp. The best answer stated the correct equation and then substi
tuted in the correct values. Finally,
they calculated the resistance to be 0.54
Ω
. Some learners quoted V = IR but were not able to rearrange
the equation to make resistance the subject of the equation.
Learners often manipulated the values of the current and the vo
ltage with no regard to the relationship between them and obtain
ed numerical answers such as 13.5
and 2.3.

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Question 11 This question was about the conservation of mass as exemplified
in a displacement reaction. A significant proportion of the lea
rners did not answer one or both of
these questions. (a)
Many learners stated t
hat the mass changed either increasing or decreasing and went on to give some experimental details why
this would happen. Even
learners that appreciated that the mass w
ould not change tried to give experimental reasons such as gas could not escape or tha
t the equipment was leak
proof. Only the best answers referred to the law of conservation
of mass. Other good answers included that there was the same n
umber and type of atoms
present before and after the reaction.
(b)
Many learners were able to construct the correct word equatio
n and only a very small proportion of the learners wrote the equ
ation in the reverse direction.
Some learners attempted symbol equations but often they gave the
incorrect formulae for the two sulfates. Learners should not a
ttempt symbol equations
when a word equation is requested in the question since a minor e
rror in the formula means the equation is incorrect but often
a minor spelling error in the
name can be ignored.
Question 12 This question was about sea level change. A significant proportion
of the learners did not answer one or both of these question
s.
(a)
A common misconception was that learner
s described the trend in sea level rather
than giving a reason for the trend. Other le
arners gave impacts of sea
level rising.
(b)
Learners often described the impact in terms of flooding of low-ly
ing land or of islands. A smal
ler proportion of the learners
referred to habitat loss and
extinction of plants or animals. A common misconception was to refe
r to global warming or climate change answers that were more
appropriate for
part

(a)
.
Question 13 This question was about elements in Gr
oup 1 and Group 6 of the Periodic Table.
(a)
Most learners were able to name another Group 1 element.
(b)
Many learners were able to make a su
itable prediction of the boiling point.
(c)
A common misconception was for learners to refer to the electr
onic structure of oxygen. Only a small proportion gave simple s
tructure, some even giving a
completely correct simple covalent. The reference to a gas stru
cture was not sufficient to be awarded a mark. A significant pro
portion of the learners did
not attempt this question.

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Question 14 This question was about electrical circuits. A significant proporti
on of the learners did not answer one or both of these quest
ions.
(a)
Learners found this question quite challenging and often did not
refer to a series circuit. Many learners did not link the br
ightness of the lamp with the
current in the circuit.
(b)
The standard conventional electrical circui
t for a fixed resistor was quite well known but a common misconception was to draw a
variable resistor instead.
Other learners continued the wire into the rectangle of the resi
stor symbol rather than leaving
the rectangle empty. The resist
or had to have lines
representing wires entering and leaving the resistor.
Question 15 This question was about nebulae. (a)
Some learners were able to put the stat
ements about how stars are formed in the correct order. The learners were more likely
to get
D
followed by
B
at the
end of the sequence.
(b)
Some learners choose nurseries. Galaxies
was the most popular incorrect answer.
Question 16 The question was about the cooling of wate
r and also assessed aspects of Thinking and Wo
rking Scientifically. A significant pro
portion of the learners did not
attempt these questions. (a)
Learners should be advised that
when reading to the nearest 0.5
 °C the temperatures must have a decimal place with the last digit being a 0 or a 5. In
beaker
1
the answer was 28.5
 °C and learners should not round up to 29
 °C. In beaker
2
the temperature should have been written as 21.0
 °C and not
21
 °C.
(b)
Learners that gave answers to
part

(a)
were often able to calculate the temperature changes.
(c)
Learners found this question extremely challenging and often
did not attempt the question or gave an incorrect hypothesis. Th
e most common incorrect
answer included the idea that painting with
a dark colour decreased the heat loss. Some learners used actual colours rather tha
n dark or light. Other
learners used bright and dull in their answers but this
used information not given in the stem of the question.

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6. Cambridge Lower Secondary Global Perspectives 1129 Key messages The following points are a summary of the key elements of the Checkpoint
:

•
The question should focus on a global issue/problem.
•
To be successful, learners must present a global and national
perspective and explain how or why the perspectives are differen
t.
•
Evaluation of sources should explain wh
ether a particular source is credible
and then explain why it is credible.
•
The written work should be structured and presented as a re
search report using a question as the title to focus the work.
•
There should be one national or local solution offered in the report to help resolve the issue and this solution should be exp
lained.
•
When reflecting, it is important for learners to explain how
their personal perspective has changed or developed as a result o
f their research and the global and
national perspectives they have explored;
this need not be very detailed or lengthy.
•
The maximum word count is 1000 and teachers must stop marking at this amount.
•
References should be complete and in a consistent format with
title of article, author, date, website address and date accesse
d.
General comments This series many teachers fully understood and applied the mark sc
heme with accuracy. Where centre
s’ marks were adjusted, this
was often only a slight
adjustment. The aim of these adjustments and accompanying reports bac
k to centres was to aid and guide centres to learn more ab
out applying the mark scheme
with accuracy and to give feedback to inform teaching. It was ra
re to see reports that did not ask questions, and those with qu
estions tended increasingly to be
global in nature. The reports were interesting and it was increa
singly clear that learners were interested in the content of wh
at they chose to write about.
The guidance that follows is a general overview of what is expec
ted in the Research Report. Rec
ent reports submitted show that
learners are increasingly successful
at fulfilling elements of the Assess
ment Criteria. Centres are to be advised to us
e the information that follows to assist them
in their teaching and their assessing.
When producing the Checkpoint, learners should work individually
to produce a Research Report on any one of the Lower Secondary
topics of between 800 and
1000 words. Learners should identify a
global issue
related to one of the topics and form a research
question
based on this issue. This research question should
then be answered after exploring a global perspective and a natio
nal perspective. The national perspective can be from any coun
try the student chooses; it needn’t
be their own, but it should be explicitly na
med. It is important that there is a clear
contrast between the global and national
perspective, so learners should choose an
issue where this is the case. Learners condu
ct their own research on their issue, us
ing a range of sources. Some of these
sources
must be explicitly
evaluated in
the report
. Learners will explore and explain the causes and conseque
nces of their issue and sh
ould propose and explain
one
local or national solution. Again, this
needn’t be lengthy but should be realistic.
Learners conclude their report by reflecti
ng on how their research and the global a
nd national perspectives explored has
changed or developed their own perspective.

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There are a few key considerations for teachers to bear in mind: •
The first is that there must be a
very clear global issue
and the question should allow the report to contai
n the causes and consequences of this issue,
develop the different perspectives on this is
sue and suggest a possible course of acti
on to help resolve this issue. Everything
revolves around
the issue
so
choosing one that is truly global and national is very important.
•
Secondly, learners need to evaluate a few of
the individual sources of information they
use in their Research Report explainin
g how reliable they are and why
this is the case. Sources of information should then be
referenced in a reference list at the end of the report.
•
Finally, the report should lead coherently to
an answer to the question posed and a learner needs to reflect on the impact the
research undertaken and the
perspectives explored have changed or devel
oped their own perspect
ive on the issue.
It is often helpful for teachers to encour
age their learners to use relevant headings in
their reports. Wher
e these were used,
they aided learners in focusing the
content of their reports to the Assessment Criteria. A final general point to note is that the word limit is absolute
ly 1000 words. Therefore, teachers, when assessing the reports,

must stop marking at 1000 words
as
moderators will not take into account any
work beyond this. It was notable that this se
ssion, a few reports did exceed this lim
it. It was rarer to see reports that were
too short; when reports are short, learners were unable to fulf
il all the assessment criteria. L
earners should word process the
ir Research Report (ideally in MS Word)
to enable word counts to be checked by both teachers and moderators. What now follows are some specific exampl
es of good practice and ar
eas which might be improved st
ill further. These are organis
ed under the assessment
objectives and eleven assessment criteria. AO1 Research analysis and evaluation Constructing research questions Most learners formulated a question; many
of these were questions about global issues, and many of the reports focused entirely
on the issue in the question. When
this occurred, learners were able to gain the full 4 marks. Howe
ver, a significant minority formulated questions that were too
broad in nature. This made it difficult for
learners to fully answer those questions in their reports. Questions such as ‘
Are processed foods negatively affecting health in the developed world
?’ are well-constructed research qu
estions which are relevant to the
global issues of health. They are examples of global problems or
issues that a Research Report can effectively explore and answ
er.
Some chose questions that were interesting but potentially
too broad to be answered in a 1000 word report, such as ‘
Is it possible for the world to make poverty
disappear?
’ This question certainly was global, but the learner needed
to ensure that it was focused enough to be fully answered.
Occasionally, learners produced titles, not questions.

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Finally, some questions were too narrow, or too focused on one nati
on, to allow access to all of the Assessment Objectives, suc
h as ‘
Are recreation and physical
education lessons a right for students or can they be denied
?’ and ‘
Is physical education making student
s more aggressive towards others
?’ These questions were
not clearly about global issues and learners struggl
ed to explain causes and consequences of them.
Analysis Many learners were able to suggest causes and consequences for t
heir chosen issue, and were able to explain either the causes o
r consequences. To gain full
marks on this criterion, lear
ners needed to explain both causes and consequence
s. The explanation does not need to be detailed:
just a few sentences where the
learner explains how that piece of eviden
ce caused the issue in the question. Expl
anations may start like this: ‘This is becaus
e…’ ‘This shows….’ ‘This means
that…’ Evaluation This series, more learners began to attempt to evaluate their sources. This learner made four full evaluation points: ‘
My main sources were the C3 Collaboration for health and
the National Library of Medi
cine (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). C3
Collaboration for Health gave me a great overview of my topic
and was highly relevant. This is a trusted source because the aut
hor is referred to and the date is
posted and recent, which is important because this site states
statistics and facts. However,
I need to be aware that the site
is only mentioning t
he negative statistics
and therefore having a bias. This source does not reference its
sources meaning I cannot investigate further if needed. My othe
r source was the National Library of
Medicine. I trust this source as it was conduct
ed by a professional organisation from the government
.’ In this instance, C3 Collaboration for Health is evaluated in
three very different ways: it is
trusted due to the specificity of the author
and date and due to the recent nature of the sour
ce to provide accurate and current
statistics, but its credibility is limited
due to its potential one-sidedness. And the Na
tional Library of Medicine is trusted
due to the known professionalism of the
organisation. Learners need only choose two sources to evaluate; it is not
necessary to evaluate all source
s used. And they need only make tw
o specific points of evaluation.
Information skills Many reports contained evidence that inform
ation relevant to their chosen issue had been
used and that this came from at least
three different sources. This was
clear to see when reports were referenced and evidence was cited
within the text. Some did not reference their sources so it wa
s difficult to see whether they had
used any but this was rare. There is no need for vast amounts of
information/sources to be used, as fewer well-chosen sources a
re usually more effective than many
less relevant ones. In-text citation might be presented in
a number of different ways, one of which looks like this:
‘From 1993 to 2011, according to the World Bank, the national pov
erty rate declined from 45% to 22%. (Ramanathan,2023). Official
data now confirms that India has
eliminated extreme poverty, as commonly defined in international comparisons
.’
Learners could also use footnotes or endnotes to cite their sour
ces of information. The key is for learners to acknowledge, and
explicitly show, that their facts and
information have not come from their own minds but from their research.

55. © Cambridge University Press & Assessment 2024 Cambri
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55
Global perspective Perspectives are often a challenge for learners, but an increasi
ng number were able to explain them accurately. A global perspe
ctive may come from a specific
country, organisation, institution, or even an individual, but
it will have influence that spreads beyond any one country. The
very best reports not only explain and
give evidence to support a global perspective, but
also some justification for why it is global.
For example, one learner wrote that ‘
Racism is a global problem because many take on the views of
others around them, some people only hang out with others like
them, and numerous humans are quick to judge and blame others for t
heir problems. For example, in one survey of 16 countries, 8
9% described racial and ethnic
discrimination in their state as a serious problem
.’ We know it is a perspective because we know what global people
feel about the problem/issue;
they are worried
that racism is a serious issue. And this
perspective is not just asserted; it is s
upported by a survey
from sixteen countries.

Another example of a global perspective was: ‘
The EU is against illegal immigration in fact the EU stated
that they won't accept illega
l immigrants and want to stop
that. To counter irregular migration, the
EU is strengthening border controls, improv
ing the management of new arrivals and mak
ing returns of illegal immigration
more efficient
.’ The perspective here is that the EU (which is large enough
to be considered a global area) are not happy with illegal immigr
ation and this perspective
is supported with the evidence that the EU is maki
ng their borders stronger to
stop that migration.
Some learners still simply gave information from a variety of
countries, with no indication what anyone there thinks about the
issue; therefore,
they struggled to
access more than 2 marks. National perspective Where learners were encouraged to use headings and subheadings, it
was clear that national perspectives were being explained. T
his was very helpful. But without
those headings, it was not always clear which country a learner
had chosen for their national perspective or how this perspecti
ve was different to their global
perspective. Better reports explained why they had chosen a certai
n country for their national perspective and gave some views
of different groups of people from
that country with supporting evidence. Different perspectives Explicit comparisons between the national and global perspectives we
re rare, though some centres were clearly guiding their lea
rners to make these comparisons.
Centres should try to successfully direct their learners to ma
ke these comparisons. Learners who explicitly compared the global
and national perspective of an issue,
using words like, ‘
on the other hand
…’, ‘
in some ways
…’, ‘
in contrast to
…’ or ‘
both discuss
…’ were successful in this criterion. For example,
‘Both the global and national perspectives agree that domestic violenc
e has escalated in recent years, particularly during the C
OVID-19 pandemic. In contrast to the
global perspective, the national perspectiv
e highlights patriarchal traditions and th
e Kanun as the main cause for domestic vio
lence in Albania. The Ministry of
Internal Affairs also agrees with the United Nations and the Worl
d Bank that young people need to be educated to prevent this i
ssue
.’

56. © Cambridge University Press & Assessment 2024 Cambri
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56
Problem-solving Very few learners provided long lists of pa
rtially explained solutions to their global issue. Most tried to explain a course of
action. Learners explained that their issues
were problems to be solved. Only one course of action is ne
cessary, but it should be specif
ic and explained in detail.
A solution such as, ‘
While it might be hard to stop this upcoming apocalypse, it is
still possible to stop the rising seas. My action plan is to cre
ate a global
organisation that gets its funding from the United Nations, whic
h would send scientists, engineers, builders, money, and buildi
ng supplies to island nations that are
impacted by climate change. The panel would be made up of 10 c
ountries, and a country would send a request that they require th
e organisation's help. The
application would be reviewed by the panel, and they would come to
a decision. For example, if the Seychelles could ask for 10
scientists, 5 architects, 30 builders,
10 million USD, and concrete, the panel would say we agree, but we
can only send 25 builders. One country from the panel would
be chosen to 'sponsor' this
country until their needs are satisfied. C
hosen representatives from each country would
meet every week to
discuss how these pr
ojects would shape their country's
future and how to implement these projects safely
.’
This learner has tried to explain how the course of action might
be put in place and what actions could be taken to make it a s
uccess. This learner has explained why
their course of action is realistic, and considered how it
might work and how it might help to solve the problem.
AO2 Reflection Reflection Many reports ended with a general conclusion and a statement about
what the learner thought about t
he issue or what they learne
d. Many others reflected on how
their research had changed their own perspe
ctive, but they did not reflect on how t
he perspectives in their report had also inf
luenced their views. Reflections such as
these can only gain Level 3. An exce
llent example of a L4 answer was this:
‘I used to think that corruption was a small unimportant issue t
hat didn’t impact people and that it isn’t as common, but now I
have realised I was completely wrong.
However, after finding out that corruption is affecting everyone,
including me, made me understand how problematic it is. I rea
lised that it’s affecting every country’s
stability and economy, lead
ing to a higher level of poverty,
and lowering the standards of life.
Now, I think the government sh
ould make more powerful ordinance and
regulation to prevent corruption
.’
To access the highest level, reports mu
st include explanation of the learner’s ch
anged understanding of the issue, reflecting o
n how their view had changed as a
result of their research
and
one perspective on the issue. This learner has reflected that t
heir view has changed due to research about economies and povert
y, and
due to the perspectives they explored in their report,
which showed how badly corruption affects ‘everyone’.

57. © Cambridge University Press & Assessment 2024 Cambri
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57
AO3 Communication and collaboration Communicating information Some research reports were well-structured and coherent. Sub-he
adings helped with this. The best reports were easy to read and
it was clear that some planning
had been done before the report was written. Others were harder to
read and it was not clear at times what the learner was tryi
ng to communicate or what the global
issue was. Sub-headings are a very useful tool for t
eachers to give their learners. This enable
s learners to structure their report and to
take ownership over their own fulfilment
of the Assessment Criteria. Referencing sources Most learners tried to use a consistent referencing system
that included the author, title and access date, as is relevant.
Most referenced fully, following a system of referenci
ng, which enabled them to access the highest level:
CNN Bias and Reliability. (n.d.). Ad Fontes
Media. Retrieved December
15, 2023, from https://adfont
esmedia.com/cnn-bias-and-rel
iability/
El Niño. (n.d.). National Geographic Societ
y. Retrieved December 3, 2023, from h
ttps://education.national
geographic.org/resourc
e/el-nino/

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