Practise 167 real English Language questions from 2021 to 2026. See the correct answer and a clear explanation the moment you answer.
O Level English Language (Cambridge (CAIE) 1123) is examined in the May/June and Oct/Nov series. Tayyari Karo has real questions from 2021 to 2026 across Paper 1, Paper 2, covering topics such as Composition, Vocabulary in Context, Vocabulary in context, Directed Writing and Composition - Narrative. The fastest way to improve is to work through real questions and read why each answer is right.
Tayyari Karo collects the real Cambridge (CAIE) English Language questions in one place, sorted by paper and topic. 28 of them are multiple choice and marked instantly, and the rest are structured questions with a full model answer.
These are real past-paper questions. Think of your answer first, then open the explanation.
Choose the word (A, B, C or D) which has the same meaning that the word 'naive' has in the passage. naive (line 9)
Answer: B. innocent
'Naive' means showing a lack of experience or worldly knowledge — trusting and unsuspecting, i.e. innocent. It is not the same as simply being 'wrong' or 'silly', which carry a judgement about intelligence rather than about inexperience.
Section 2: Composition. Write between 350 and 500 words. Marks are awarded for accurate use of language and relevant content: 30.
Description
Describe two very different places you know where people buy food. The places may be shops, restaurants, markets or any other. (Remember you are describing the atmosphere and any people there, as well as the places.)
PLAN
- Two places, and they must be genuinely CONTRASTING — e.g. a chaotic open-air market vs a silent, chilled supermarket aisle; a roadside stall vs a formal restaurant.
- Structure options: (a) block — place 1 fully, then place 2, with an explicit pivot sentence; (b) interleaved contrast paragraph by paragraph. Either works; the pivot must be signposted.
- Give roughly equal space to each place. An unbalanced answer caps the content mark.
WHAT A TOP-BAND ANSWER CONTAINS
- All five senses, not just sight: smell of coriander and frying oil, the slap of fish on a slab, the hum of refrigeration units, the grit underfoot.
- The ATMOSPHERE explicitly — the question names it. …
The full model answer is in the app.
From Text A, 'The north shore'. Read this extract from the text:
'You could live a thousand lifetimes and not even begin to scratch the surface of paddling all the possibilities.' (lines 35-36)
What does the writer want to suggest to us about how he feels about paddling in Northern Canada? [1]
[1] - any ONE developed idea:
- He feels the region offers endless, limitless possibilities - there are so many rivers and lakes that no one could ever paddle them all.
- He is filled with awe and wonder at the sheer vastness of the wilderness.
- His enthusiasm for paddling there is inexhaustible; he could never grow tired of it or run out of new routes.
MARKING NOTE
- 'A thousand lifetimes' is deliberate exaggeration (hyperbole) and 'scratch the surface' means barely to begin - together they show the scale of what is on offer.
- Simply re-writing the quotation without saying what it reveals about his FEELINGS does not gain the mark.
From Text A, 'The north shore'. Explain why the writer uses the phrase 'most efficient' rather than the word 'efficient' in the expression 'To devise the most efficient route I could'. (line 37) [1]
[1]
- 'Most efficient' is a superlative: it shows he was not satisfied with a route that merely worked, but wanted the very best possible one, better than every alternative.
- It stresses how careful, thorough and painstaking his planning was, and how much depended on getting it right - in such a dangerous, remote place an ordinary route would not be good enough.
MARKING NOTE
- The mark is for recognising the force of the superlative (the BEST of all, not just good). Saying only 'it sounds better' or 'it is more descriptive' scores zero.
Number of questions available for each paper.
| Session | Paper 1 | Paper 2 |
|---|---|---|
| May/June 2026 | 17 | 5 |
| May/June 2025 | 9 | 5 |
| Oct/Nov 2025 | 2 | 5 |
| May/June 2024 | 7 | 5 |
| Oct/Nov 2024 | 3 | 5 |
| May/June 2023 | 6 | 14 |
| Oct/Nov 2023 | 6 | 14 |
| May/June 2022 | 6 | 6 |
| Oct/Nov 2022 | 6 | 6 |
| May/June 2021 | 6 | 14 |
| Oct/Nov 2021 | 6 | 14 |
Yes. Every question comes from a real Cambridge (CAIE) English Language (1123) paper from 2021 to 2026. Each one shows the year, session and paper it came from.
You can start free with no signup. A small set of papers per subject is free, and Premium unlocks every paper, the full question bank and the paper PDFs.
Yes. Every question gives you the correct answer straight away with a short explanation, so you learn from mistakes instead of just marking them.
Paper 1, Paper 2 across the May/June and Oct/Nov sessions. Multiple-choice questions are marked automatically, and structured questions show a full model answer.
