The Cambridge IGCSE English as a Second Language (0510) May/June 2026 papers and mark schemes are out, and they’re free. Paper 1 (0510/12) and Paper 2 (0510/22) can be downloaded and printed on the Tutopiya Learning Portal. Below is a breakdown of every exercise and how the mark scheme gave marks, taken from the papers themselves.

Key points from the 2026 0510 papers

• The two writing tasks are half of Paper 1. The email and the essay were worth 15 marks each, so 30 of the 60 marks.
• Small details decided reading marks. The mark scheme rejected answers where one letter changed the meaning, and required plural forms and “if” conditions where the text had them.
• Topics were everyday and varied: food, driving, theatre, sport, school subjects, travel, music and books.
• The Listening paper is all choice-based. Every one of the 40 questions is a letter answer worth one mark, transferred to an answer sheet at the end.
• The email has a hard rule. Leave out a bullet point and your content mark can’t go above 2 out of 6.

All May/June 2026 0510 papers

Paper	Code	Duration	Marks	What it tests
Paper 1 Reading and Writing	0510/12	2 hours	60	Four reading exercises, an email and an essay
Paper 2 Listening	0510/22	About 50 minutes (including 6 minutes’ transfer time)	40	Five listening exercises, all multiple choice or matching

Timings and marks are taken from the front cover of each 2026 paper. Each paper comes with its official Cambridge mark scheme. The listening audio is not part of this set, so you’ll need the recording from your teacher to sit Paper 2 as a full mock. For the full list of syllabus content, see the Cambridge IGCSE syllabus pages.

Which variant is this? Cambridge sets different versions of each paper (variants) for different time zones. The papers here are variant 2: 0510/12 and 0510/22. All variants cover the same skills at the same difficulty, so variant 2 is just as good for practice as the one your school sat.

Download the 0510 May/June 2026 papers →

What came up in 0510 Paper 1 (Reading and Writing), May/June 2026?

Paper 1 had six exercises (17 questions) worth 60 marks.

Exercise	Questions	Text and task	Marks
1	1–6	A student’s blog about chillies: world production figures, the Scoville heat scale, growing chillies and unusual uses. Short answers, one worth 3 marks	8
2	7(a)–(i)	Four young people (A–D) on learning to drive. Match nine statements to the right person	9
3	8–9	Interview article with an actor about his pre-show routines and the theatre he works in. Write notes under two headings	7
4	10–15	Article about competitive cheerleading: its history, Olympic recognition, All Star Cheer and the parts of a routine. Multiple choice A–C	6
5	16	Email to a friend about visiting a very special place with your family for the first time: why you went, how you got there, what it was like. 120–160 words	15
6	17	Essay for your teacher on whether maths should be a compulsory school subject, with three prompt comments. 120–160 words	15

What made it hard: Exercise 2 asked about attitudes and timing (who was surprised, who lacked confidence, who started too young), so you had to read for meaning, not match words. Exercise 4 Question 14 asked what the writer was doing in a paragraph, which tests how the text is organised.

What came up in 0510 Paper 2 (Listening)?

Paper 2 had five exercises with 40 one-mark questions. You hear every recording twice.

Exercise	Questions	What you hear	Answer type	Marks
1	1–8	Eight short recordings: a forgotten item, weekend plans, a trip to Paris, a music festival, a class trip, a camping problem, party preparations	Choose A–D	8
2	9–18	Five short recordings, two questions each: performing in a play, a new sports centre, a science documentary series, writing a song, a new part-time job	Choose A–C	10
3	19–26	A geography student’s class presentation about the city of Ushuaia in southern Argentina: its name, climate, history, industries and her visit	Complete each sentence, A–C	8
4	27–32	Six people talking about the book they are currently reading	Match each speaker to one of eight statements (two not used)	6
5	33–40	An interview with a sound engineer about his training, concerts, studio work and future plans	Choose A–C	8

Watch for: in Exercise 4 the statements are close in meaning (for example, a book being easy to read compared with being predictable). Listen for the speaker’s main point, not one word that matches.

How the 0510 May/June 2026 mark scheme gives marks

1. Reading answers must keep the meaning exact. In Exercise 1 Question 1, “tons” was accepted for tonnes but “tones” was not, because it changes the meaning. In Exercise 3 the mark scheme also refused “quite” for “quiet”. Check your spelling of the key word.

2. Don’t drop a condition or a plural. Exercise 1 Question 4 required the “if” part of the advice about watering chillies: what you do and why. Exercise 3 Question 8 required the plural idea (“words”, not “word”) for one of the actor’s routines.

3. Notes need the precise idea, not a general one. In Exercise 3 Question 9, an answer saying the theatre was easy to get to scored nothing: the mark needed the idea that the actor can walk there. Exercise 3 gave one mark per correct note, up to 4 for routines and 3 for reasons.

4. Writing is marked for content and language separately. Questions 16 and 17 each give up to 6 marks for content and 9 for language. Content covers task fulfilment, register, relevance and how well you develop ideas. Language covers range, accuracy and organisation. The examiner picks a level for each, then a mark within it.

5. What separates the top language band. The 7–9 band needs a wide range of common and less common vocabulary, a wide range of simple and complex structures, a high level of accuracy, and a wide range of linking words. At 4–6, you use common vocabulary and only “attempt” less common words and complex structures.

6. Bullet points and word count act as caps. If the email in Question 16 leaves out one or two of the three bullets, content is capped at 2. Any answer under 85 words also gets only 1 or 2 for content. The full language range is still available, so partial answers aren’t worthless.

7. Top content needs a clear sense of reader and purpose. The 5–6 content band asks for content that is fully relevant, an appropriate style for the text type (a friendly email, a more formal essay) and an excellent sense of purpose and audience, with ideas very well developed.

8. Listening is one mark per letter. The Paper 2 mark scheme is an answer key: one correct letter per question, 40 marks in total. There is no partial credit, so always shade an answer.

Which papers should you sit?

The 2026 papers have no Core or Extended label: everyone sits Paper 1 (Reading and Writing) and Paper 2 (Listening). Speaking is assessed separately, and how it counts depends on the syllabus your school entered you for. No speaking materials are included in this set.

How to use the 2026 papers as a mock

1. Keep them for last. Use older 0510 papers for practice by exercise and save May/June 2026 for a full mock a few weeks before your exam.
2. Sit Paper 1 in 2 hours. Leave a fair share of the time for Exercises 5 and 6, which carry half the marks.
3. Count your words. Stay inside 120–160 words for both writing tasks, and tick off all three email bullets before you finish.
4. Do the listening with the audio, twice through only. Then practise transferring answers within 6 minutes.
5. Check every lost reading mark against the key. Was it a spelling that changed the meaning, a missing condition, or a general answer where a precise one was needed?

More IGCSE English as a Second Language resources

• IGCSE First Language English 0500 May/June 2026 papers
• IGCSE past papers 2026: all subjects

🔍 Looking for a specific past paper? Use our free Past Paper Finder to search by subject, year and exam board.

Need help with a 0510 topic? Book a free trial lesson with an IGCSE English as a Second Language tutor →

Frequently asked questions

Are the 0510 May/June 2026 past papers free? +

Yes. Paper 1 Reading and Writing (0510/12), Paper 2 Listening (0510/22) and their official mark schemes are free to download and print on the Tutopiya Learning Portal.

What came up in 0510 Paper 1 May/June 2026? +

Six exercises: a student's blog about chillies, four young people on learning to drive, notes on an actor's pre-show routines, an article about competitive cheerleading, an email about visiting a special place with your family, and an essay on whether maths should be compulsory at school.

How are the 0510 email and essay marked? +

Each is out of 15: up to 6 marks for content and up to 9 for language, decided separately using level grids. If the email misses one or two of the three bullet points, content is capped at 2 marks, and very short answers under 85 words also get only 1 or 2 for content.

What was on the 0510 Listening paper in 2026? +

Forty one-mark questions in five exercises: eight short recordings, five short conversations and messages with two questions each, a student's talk about the city of Ushuaia in Argentina, six people talking about the book they are reading, and an interview with a sound engineer.

Why can't I find 0510/11 or 0510/13 for 2026? +

Only variant 2 of the May/June 2026 papers is on the portal at the moment. Cambridge sets different variants for different time zones; variants 1 and 3 test the same skills in the same format, so variant 2 prepares you just as well.

When will the October/November 2026 0510 papers be available? +

Cambridge usually releases the October/November papers in the new year. We add them to the Learning Portal once they are published.

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