Singapore–Cambridge GCE Ordinary Level (2026) English Language (Syllabus 1184) - Exam syllabus

Oct 1, 2026

Uploaded by Hazel

Singapore–Cambridge General Certificate of Education Ordinary Level (2026) English Language (Syllabus 1184) sets out the course aims, assessment objectives, and the scheme of assessment for four papers. It emphasizes critical understanding and appreciation of standard English texts, effective listening, reading, speaking, writing, and representing language with accuracy, fluency, and appropriateness. The document details what candidates must demonstrate, and specifies paper structures, question types, marks, weighting, and durations, including writing tasks, comprehension, listening, and oral communication.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages12

Reading Time30 min

AccessFree to download

Contents

Aims of Teaching Syllabus

Assessment Objectives

Scheme of Assessment

Paper Description

Generic Band Descriptors

Singapore–Cambridge General Certificate of Education Ordinary Level (2026) English Language (Syllabus 1184) CONTENTS | | Page | | --- | --- | | AIMS OF TEACHING SYLLABUS | 3 | | ASSESSMENT OBJECTIVES | 3 | | SCHEME OF ASSESSMENT | 4 | | PAPER DESCRIPTION | 5 | | GENERIC BAND DESCRIPTORS | 7 | AIMS OF TEACHING SYLLABUS The overarching aim of the EL Syllabus 2020 is to develop effective and affective language use in students in the following areas: 1. Listen to, read and view critically and with accuracy, understanding and appreciation a wide array of literary and informational texts in standard English from print, non-print and digital networked sources. 2. Speak, write and represent in standard English that is grammatical, fluent, intelligible and appropriate for different purposes, audiences, contexts and cultures. 3. Use standard English grammar and vocabulary accurately and appropriately, and understand how speakers/writers put words together and use language to communicate meaning and achieve impact. 4. Use English with impact, effect and affect. These aims, taken from English Language Syllabus 2020: Secondary (Express/Normal [Academic]) , p.9, form the broad basis of a course of study; they may not all be translated into Assessment Objectives for formal examination. ASSESSMENT OBJECTIVES Candidates will be assessed on their ability to use standard English to: • write effectively to suit purpose, audience and context, using accurate and appropriate vocabulary, grammar, punctuation and spelling • show understanding of a variety of written and multimodal texts at the literal, inferential and evaluative levels, including the use of language for effect • identify main ideas and details as well as synthesise and summarise information from a variety of texts (including multimodal texts) • listen to a variety of audio texts and show understanding at the literal, inferential and evaluative levels, including the identification of main ideas and details • present ideas and opinions fluently and effectively to engage the listener • engage in a discussion and communicate ideas and opinions clearly. SCHEME OF ASSESSMENT | Paper | Description | Marks | Weighting
(%) | Duration | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | Writing
Section A: Editing
Candidates identify and edit grammatical errors in a short written text.
Section B: Situational Writing
Candidates write 250–350 words on a given situation which will involve viewing a visual text.
Section C: Continuous Writing
Candidates write 350–500 words on one of four topics set. | 70
(10)
(30)
(30) | 35 | 1 hour
50 minutes | | 2 | Comprehension
Section A
Candidates respond to questions based on Texts 1 and 2, one of which is a visual text.
Section B
Candidates respond to a variety of questions based on Text 3 which is a narrative or a recount.
Section C
Candidates respond to a variety of questions based on Text 4 , a non-narrative text, and write an 80-word response to a summary writing task. | 50
(5)
(20)
(25) | 35 | 1 hour
50 minutes | | 3 | Listening
Section A
Candidates respond to a variety of listening tasks based on a number of audio recordings which the candidates will hear twice.
Section B
Candidates listen to an audio recording and do a simple note-taking exercise. Candidates will hear the recording only once. | 30
(22)
(8) | 10 | About
45 minutes | | 4 | Oral Communication
The two parts in this paper may be thematically linked.
Part 1: Planned Response
Candidates plan and deliver a response to a videoclip and accompanying prompt presented on a computer screen.
Part 2: Spoken Interaction
Candidates engage in a discussion with the Examiners on a topic based on the same video clip. | 30
(15)
(15) | 20 | About
20 minutes
(including
10 minutes of
preparation
time) | | | Total | 180 | 100 | | PAPER DESCRIPTION Candidates

FAQs

What are the main aims of the English Language Syllabus 1184 for 2020?

The syllabus aims to develop effective and affective use of language through critical reading and viewing, accurate and fluent speaking and writing, and appropriate use of grammar and vocabulary to communicate meaning and achieve impact.

How are candidates assessed in Paper 1 Writing?

Paper 1 includes editing, situational writing, and continuous writing. It tests editing of grammatical errors, writing 250–350 words based on a visual situation, and writing 350–500 words on one of four topics.

What does Paper 3 Listening require candidates to do?

Candidates complete listening tasks based on audio recordings heard twice, including note-taking from a recording heard once, demonstrating understanding at literal, inferential, and evaluative levels.

Oct 1, 2026

Uploaded by Hazel