Cambridge International IGCSE English as a Second Language specification
The specification (0510) is Cambridge International's own description of the English as a Second Language course: what you can be examined on, how the exams are set out and how they are marked. The link below opens the board's PDF on cambridgeinternational.org, so you always get its current version.
Open the 0510 specification (PDF) (opens cambridgeinternational.org in a new tab)Everything for Cambridge International IGCSE English as a Second Language, with the past papers, grade boundaries and the notes and flashcards people have shared.
How Cambridge International IGCSE English as a Second Language is examined
From Cambridge's grade boundaries for June 2026. Some boards list every optional paper or time-zone variant, so you sit only the ones for your route; the specification says which.
| Paper | Marks | Next exam |
|---|---|---|
| Component 110510/11 | 60 | Monday 5 October 2026, afternoon |
| Component 120510/12 | 60 | |
| Component 130510/13 | 60 | |
| Component 210510/21 | 40 | Wednesday 21 October 2026, afternoon |
| Component 220510/22 | 40 | |
| Component 230510/23 | 40 | |
| Component 500510/50 | 90 |
Turn a mark into a grade · Cambridge IGCSE exam dates · Extra time and access arrangements
Revising from the English as a Second Language specification
Work through the specification's content list and mark what you are unsure of, then practise those parts with Cambridge's past papers and read your marks against the same year’s grade boundaries.
Common questions
Where can I find the Cambridge IGCSE English as a Second Language specification?
The link on this page opens Cambridge International's own copy of the English as a Second Language specification (0510), a PDF on its website, so you always get the current version. We link to it rather than keep a copy.
What is in the English as a Second Language specification?
A specification is the board's own description of the course: the content you can be examined on, how the exams are set out and how they are marked. It is the most useful single document to revise from, because every exam question has to come from it.
Can I make practice questions from the specification?
Yes. cookie can make exam-style questions from a specification and mark your answers, so you can practise the parts you are least sure of once you run out of past papers.
More specifications: every IGCSE specification we link.
cookie is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any exam board. Every paper here is a link to the board's own copy on its own website, and the papers belong to the boards that set them. If a link has stopped working, the board's own past paper page is linked on each course.