Need a little help for my English AS level

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Darrell71
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Need a little help for my English AS level

Post by Darrell71 »

Hi everybody! As you guys may have heard, I finished some very important exams in April, and have been on holiday since then. I'm starting 11th grade in August. 11th grade in India is very easy going, so as far as academics is concerned, I will have time on my hands. I recently heard about CIE, or Cambridge International Examinations, a program of sorts through which anyone from any country can give British IGCSE/A level exams in any subject. I read the syllabi and past papers of various subjects, and the exams seem challenging, interesting, and also have good international recognition, even from a University admission point of view. So I've decided to give these exams.
In the coming October I'm giving AS level English. My English is good, especially by Indian standards, but a)I speak/write/spell more in the American way and b)I don't really know the standard of English in the CIE exams. I'm ready to solve various past papers, but there's no way for me or my parents to correctly evaluate it, because we'd be looking at it from a more Indian view. So here's where you guys come in. I have a simple request.
If any of you happen to know someone/ some resource/ some other place to enquire, through which I can evaluate/assess my level of English, please PM me or reply on here. I need someone who has a good knowledge of the standard and method of assessment of English language AS and A levels, can connect with me through email or something along those lines, and will give me an honest and qualified review of my writing/answers etc. Because otherwise I can only get feedback along the lines of grammar etc, but no one I know can give me a moderately accurate estimate of how good my answers will be considered in the AS level exam.

Thanking y'all in advance,
Sunskriti
You can call me Sunskriti!
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Anita Bensoussane
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Re: Need a little help for my English AS level

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

I'm afraid I don't know of a specific resource, Sunskriti, and I don't know how similar the Cambridge International Examinations are to the GCSE and A Level Examinations taken by pupils living in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

What I would say is that your English is generally of a high standard and you have a wide vocabulary, so I don't imagine you'd have any problems. As for course content, you have a quick mind and I'm sure you'd cope admirably with just about anything!

You could perhaps familiarise yourself with the main differences between British English and American English. I'm sure there are websites you could consult about that. In your post you refer to "a program of sorts". Unless we're talking about a computer program, we use the spelling "programme" in Britain. "You guys" sounds American too. We usually say "you lot". Of course, neither "you guys" nor "you lot" would be used in a formal context like an academic essay - but no doubt you know that already.

By the way, I've heard that "give an exam" is quite common in Indian English but we never say that in the UK. We say "take an exam" or "sit an exam".

A grammar book meant for non-native speakers probably wouldn't be of much help to you as your English is excellent, but you could see whether a grammar book aimed at British English speakers (dealing with tricky issues which often cause trouble even for native speakers) would be of any use. As well as websites, there are probably books (or sections of books) devoted to American English and Indian English, looking at how they differ from British English.

Good luck with it all!
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.

"There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books."
- E. Nesbit, The Wonderful Garden.


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