Retrieve explicit meaning from a text
Find facts that a text states directly and answer the precise question asked.
Exam scope and assessment notes
This route follows Cambridge IGCSE First Language English 0500, 2027–2029 syllabus Version 1. It maps the Reading, Writing, and Speaking and Listening skill objectives, with original practice texts and model responses. Open-ended writing and speaking are self-checked against stated features; the examples are not official Cambridge answers, examiner marks or grades. Component 3 coursework and Component 4 speaking/listening require centre assessment and external moderation; Component 4 is optional and separately endorsed. The 2024–2026 syllabus, regional variants and live timed-paper grading are not mapped here. The separate 9–1 qualification 0990 has its own 2027–2029 course route; its 2024–2026 syllabus is not mapped. Human teacher review remains important for extended responses and spoken work.
Before you begin
- Be able to read and write short English responses. Lessons explain the reading, writing and speaking strategy they practise; no prior Cambridge mark scheme knowledge is assumed.
Work on paper. Try each question before revealing help, and explain why your method works.
Quick readiness check
A question asks for the date stated in a passage. What kind of evidence is needed?
What you will learn
- Locate explicit details
- Use evidence that directly answers the question
- Keep a response within the requested scope
Understand the skill
An explicit meaning is stated directly. In the original passage, ‘At 06:10, the first ferry left the island carrying 18 crates of vegetables’ directly gives a time, a departure and a quantity. A question may paraphrase these details, so match meaning rather than searching only for identical words.
Separate what the source or task actually gives you from the interpretation you build. Use precise evidence and make each sentence do a clear job for the reader or listener.
Apply it deliberately
Underline the question's focus word, scan for a likely sentence, then reread around it. Answer only the requested point. If the question asks where, give the place; if it asks why, give the reason stated in the text.
Check the finished response against the audience, purpose, form and task limits. More than one response may work when it is supported by the source and communicates clearly; the model is one defensible example, not the only acceptable answer.
Pause and explain
Text: ‘Mina borrowed a torch because the path had no streetlights.’ Why did Mina borrow it?
Worked example
Text: ‘The library opened at 08:15 so that students travelling from nearby villages could study before lessons.’ When did it open, and why?
Show the worked solution
- Locate the sentence that states the opening time and purpose.
- Separate the time from the reason.
- Answer both parts without adding a guessed motive.
Answer It opened at 08:15 so students from nearby villages could study before lessons.
Try a topic test
Choose Easy, Normal or Difficult. Save your answers and open worked review after finishing.
Test this topic →From guided practice to a new situation
Write your answer and reasoning first. Use a hint only if you are stuck. The model solution is for self-checking; your written work is not automatically marked.
Text: ‘The team stored the collected rainwater in three covered tanks behind the school.’ Where was the water stored?
Give me a hint
Find the location phrase after ‘stored’.
Compare my reasoning
- Locate the storage action.
- Identify the place phrase.
- Do not confuse the source of water with its storage location.
In three covered tanks behind the school.
Look for these in your work
- Location identified
- Question answered directly
Text: ‘The workshop moved to Friday because the science room was being repaired.’ Why was it moved?
Give me a hint
Find the cause introduced by ‘because’.
Compare my reasoning
- The date change is the event.
- The reason follows ‘because’.
- State the repair as the cause.
Because the science room was being repaired.
Look for these in your work
- Cause selected
- No unsupported detail
Text: ‘At first, the project aimed to map safe walking routes. Later, its volunteers began giving out reflective bands.’ What was the original aim?
Give me a hint
Attend to the time marker ‘at first’.
Compare my reasoning
- Separate the original aim from the later activity.
- Match the question's word ‘original’ to ‘at first’.
- Exclude the later distribution of bands.
To map safe walking routes.
Look for these in your work
- Original purpose
- Later action excluded
Common mistakes
- Using a later outcome as the original purpose
- Adding a reason that the passage never states
- Answering only one part of a two-part question
What can you explain now?
What makes a meaning explicit?
Compare with the explanation
The text states it directly
Explicit information is directly given rather than inferred.
After trying it yourself, choose your next review. This is your self-assessment.
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Make it stick
What should you do after finding a likely sentence for a comprehension answer?
If you needed the solution, close it and solve the problem again from a blank page. A correct answer is stronger when you can explain the reason for each step.