Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education 0549 Hindi as a Second Language - Principal Examiner Report for Teachers

Oct 1, 2026

Uploaded by Bulrr

Principal Examiner Report for Teachers for Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education (0549) Hindi as a Second Language, November 2017, covering Reading and Writing (Paper 0549/01) and Listening (Paper 0549/02). The report highlights key messages on reading focus, tolerance of harmless spelling errors, exact completion of contact details, and the need for careful language accuracy in marks. It provides guidance and question-by-question comments on Exercises 1–6, including summary-writing content-language balance, addressing word limit control, and performance observations across true/false items and essay themes.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages4

Reading Time10 min

AccessFree to download

Key messages

General comments

Comments on specific questions

Section 1 - Paper 0549/01 Reading and Writing

Section 2 - Paper 0549/01 Reading and Writing

Listening (Paper 0549/02) - Key messages

Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education 0549 Hindi as a Second Language November 2017 Principal Examiner Report for Teachers HINDI AS A SECOND LANGUAGE Paper 0549/01 Reading and Writing Key messages ● In Exercises 1 , 3 and 5 the emphasis is on reading skills. Spelling errors are tolerated provided they do not interfere with communicating the correct answer to the Examiner. As long as the answer is clear, candidates are not required to write in full sentences. ● In Exercise 2 , complete accuracy is required when filling in the person’s contact details. ● In Exercise 4 and Exercise 6 , marks are awarded not only for content but also for accuracy of language. Therefore, it is important that candidates check their work carefully for spelling and grammatical errors. General comments Most candidates performed well in this year’s examination. The candidates followed the guidelines well and most of them had written their answers within the word limit. The majority of candidates appeared to be at ease with Exercises 1, 2, 3 and 5. Comments on specific questions Section 1 Exercise 1 Questions 1–6 This exercise focused on a text about a boy who lives in a village and for several tasks, such as applying fora job or booking a railway ticket, he had to go to the nearest city. Now with the help of his laptop and the internet he is able to overcome his difficulties. As a result he is able to save his time and managed to avoid several trips to the city. The majority of candidates had no difficulties in answering Questions 1 to 6. Most of the candidates answered the questions correctly. Exercise 2 Question 7 In this exercise candidates were required to transfer information from the text provided without any kind of error or inaccuracy. Generally, candidates did not face any difficulty in finding the correct information to complete the form. Our repeated request has been to ensure that while writing the address, candidates always follow the correct order. For instance, first mention the house number, then the apartment name and finally the city name. Continuing to follow this order is important. This year most of the candidates correctly wrote the address. Exercise 3 Questions 8–10 The topic of this year’s text was the improvement of educational standards in government schools. The text gave examples of several reasons why people look down on government schools. It also highlighted an improvement in the results and how different schools have managed to do this. © 2017 Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education 0549 Hindi as a Second Language November 2017 Principal Examiner Report for Teachers Question 8 The first heading required candidates to read the given text and then use it to write two points. These two points needed to show the reasons why people look down on state school education. Question 9 This required the candidates to write three facts which highlight the success of these schools and their educational system. Question 10 What kind of perspective and approach is needed to improve these institutions? The majority of candidates were able to provide the right points under this heading. Exercise 4 Question 11 In this summary-writing exercise up to six marks are available for Content and four marks for Language. This year most candidates appear to be well-prepared for the requirements of this exercise and generally performed well. Many candidates wrote their summaries in their own words and were therefore able to access the full range of marks available for Language. Most of the candidates had written precisely, covering 5 or 6 correct points from the text. They also managed to secure 3 out of 4 marks for language; a few candidates scored full marks for language. The majority of the candidates restricted their answer within the word limit. However, a small minority of candidates still exceeded the word limit. Section 2

FAQs

How should candidates handle spelling errors in reading-focused exercises?

Spelling errors are tolerated provided they do not interfere with communicating the correct answer to the Examiner, and answers do not have to be written in full sentences as long as the meaning is clear.

What is required for Exercise 2 contact details?

Complete accuracy is required when filling in the person’s contact details, including following the correct order when writing the address (house number, then apartment name, then city name).

How are marks allocated in the summary-writing exercise (Exercise 4)?

Up to six marks are available for Content and four marks for Language, with importance placed on both correct points from the text and accuracy of language, alongside staying within the word limit.

Oct 1, 2026

Uploaded by Bulrr