English Language IGCSE Course

The English Language IGCSE Course concentrates on language skills and students will learn to understand and respond to what they read and experience. Students are encouraged to use relevant vocabulary, correct grammar, spelling and punctuation, and to demonstrate a sense of style and an awareness of audience.

Through reading, students will learn to understand and collate meanings, summarise, paraphrase, and understand how writers achieve effects. Through writing students will learn to articulate their own experience; express thought, feelings and imagined ideas clearly; order and present facts, ideas and opinions; understand and use vocabulary and register appropriate to audience and context; use grammatical structures, paragraphs, sentences, punctuation and spelling accurately and effectively. The syllabus also promotes students' personal development, and helps them explore wider areas of human concern.

The home study course has ten Tutor Marked Assessments (TMAs) which include 2 practice exam assignments.

The English Language IGCSE course is designed to prepare students for the Pearson Edexcel IGCSE English Language (4EA1) Specification (A) for examination in May/June 2026 or later years.

Please Note: The closing date for learners aiming for Summer 2025 exams has now passed. The closing date for learners aiming for Summer 2026 exams is 15 November 2025. An examination window is available for this specification in November 2025 for learners who want to complete their exams before Summer 2026.

The English IGCSE assessment is by two written examinations:

• Paper 1 - Non-Fiction Texts and Transactional Writing (2 hours 15 minutes) is 60% of the total marks.
• Paper 2 - Poetry and Prose Texts and Imaginative Writing (1 hour 30 minutes) is 40% of the total marks.

There are no prerequisites for starting this course. We don’t recommend that you should study more than 5 GCSE or IGCSE courses at any one time.

Please Note: We cannot accept students who are under 16 years old on this course. All applications are subject to acceptance from our course advisory team.

The home study course is divided into five modules containing 23 lessons:

You will need to download a copy of the Anthology from the Pearson Edexcel website which covers the following texts:

Paper 1:

From The Danger of a Single Story, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
From A Passage to Africa, George Alagiah
From The Explorer’s Daughter, Kari Herbert
Explorers or boys messing about? Either way, taxpayer gets rescue bill, Steven Morris
From Between a Rock and a Hard Place, Aron Ralston
Young and dyslexic? You’ve got it going on, Benjamin Zephaniah
From A Game of Polo with a Headless Goat, Emma Levine
From Beyond the Sky and the Earth: A Journey into Bhutan, Jamie Zeppa
From H is for Hawk, Helen Macdonald
From Chinese Cinderella, Adeline Yen Mah

Paper 2:

Disabled’, Wilfred Owen
‘Out, Out-’, Robert Frost
‘An Unknown Girl’, Moniza Alvi
‘The Bright Lights of Sarajevo’, Tony Harrison
‘Still I Rise’, Maya Angelou
‘The Story of an Hour’, Kate Chopin
‘The Necklace’, Guy de Maupassant
‘Significant Cigarettes’ (from The Road Home), Rose Tremain
‘Whistle and I’ll Come to You’ (from The Woman in Black), Susan Hill
‘Night’, Alice Munro

The course materials are supplied in a hard-copy format (paper-based) and learners can also receive access to the course notes online through a course portal at no additional charge. 

Learners often find hard-copy materials easier to work through and bookmark but the online access allows additional features such as direct links to YouTube Videos and online quizzes so having both versions available allows the learner the convenience and flexibility of both options. 

There are a set number of tutor-marked assignments (TMA's) in every course. These are designed to help the student to consolidate their learning and prepare for examinations.

Students will be supported until their chosen examination window. Every student will have access to a course tutor with whom they should keep in regular contact. All tutors are fully qualified experienced teachers holding either a Postgraduate Certificate in Education or a degree in education. Most work from home and are able to offer flexible contact times. The tutor will contact students with an introductory letter and a telephone call to help decide on a study plan. They will also let the student know the best ways and times they can be contacted.

There is no limit on how often you can contact a tutor. The advice and encouragement that tutors provide is an important part of your learning experience. You can contact your tutor by Phone, Email or Post. All tutors have a Freephone 0800 telephone number and most will have Skype capabilities. Whilst you are still actively submitting assignments, you should expect to be in contact with your tutor regularly. Remember, to get the most out of your tutor, you will need to tell them when you need assistance.

All Pearson Edexcel specification IGCSE Exams must be taken at a registered examination centre as a private candidate in a registered school or college. Most IGCSE examination centres in the UK will be independent or private schools who are offering that specification. Pearson Edexcel IGCSE exams can also be sat in over 150 countries through International Schools or British Consulates. 

We offer course materials and tutor support although we don't offer the examinations. An Examinations Officer can assist any registered student with finding centres and dealing with coursework forms, but we do not book exams on behalf of students and it is the students responsibility to book their own exams. 

Students are contacted in December/January prior to their examination window and advised to start arranging their examinations. If you would like to research exam centres prior to enrolment then you can visit the Pearson Edexcel page for private candidates which will provide a link to where you can search for centres in the UK.

Examination Dates and fees:

IGCSE exams are available in a Summer examination window (May/June) and some subjects are also available in a November examination window. Examination fees need to be paid direct to your chosen exam centre. Prices for exams will vary depending on the exam centre's administration costs.

Students can decide to study towards an examination window up to a two-year period (providing the specification and exams are available over that duration). Each IGCSE Course will take approximately 200 hours of study to complete so if you are unsure that you can complete the course prior to the next available exam window then we recommend aiming towards a later option. You can sign up for a course at any time although course tutors set closing dates for students aiming for each examination window.

Please Note - The closing date set by tutors for the 2025 examination window has passed:

• The closing date for learners aiming towards Summer 2026 examinations will be 15 November 2025.
• The closing date for learners aiming towards November 2025 examinations will be 12 June 2025.

The closing dates are set by tutors based on when they think it is reasonable for learners to be aiming for a particular examination window whilst taking into consideration the impact on student support. When closing dates have passed, we can only accept learners aiming towards the next available examination window e.g. Summer 2026, or if more time is needed then learners can choose to aim for the next exam window e.g. Summer 2027 providing the specification is still available. All learners are required to choose their intended exam window as part of their course application.

Please Note: German IGCSE, Spanish IGCSE and Science (Single Award) IGCSE are not currently available in the November examination window.

• Summer 2025 Exam Timetable
• Summer 2026 Exam Timetable (Not Yet Available)
• Information for Private Candidates
• Booking GCSE and IGCSE Exams
• The New GCSE and IGCSE Grading System
• What is the difference between GCSE and IGCSE

Predicted grades without a reference are available free of charge on request. If applying to a college or other further education establishment and you require a refernce with predicted grades then this is available at an additional cost of £45.00. A course advisor will discuss your predicted grades and progress with each individual tutor and put together a comprehensive reference that can be sent on your behalf. 

Please Note: Students need to have completed a minimum of four assignments per subject in order for us to have something to base our reference/prediction on.