Cambridge O Level English 1123 Reading: What Changed in 2024?

Differences between Reading Papers before and after 2024

Have you opened an older past paper and wondered why it looks different from your newer practice papers?

You are looking at two different paper structures. In 2024, Cambridge changed the Reading paper’s organisation and several tasks. Many familiar reading skills remain, but students need to practise some questions differently.

Let’s explore the changes using the 2023 October/November Variant 2 and 2024 May/June Variant 2 papers.

1. A new paper number—and more time

The change from Paper 2 to Paper 1 is mainly a change of label. The extra 15 minutes, however, gives you more time to read, plan and check your answers.

The total remains 50 marks, so the additional time does not mean additional marks.

2. The tasks appear in a different order

In the 2023 paper, students began with notes and a summary. Comprehension and language questions came later.

In the 2024 paper, comprehension and language questions come first. The summary comes afterwards.

The 2024 paper has three main questions, but each contains smaller parts. Always check the marks beside each part.

3. The separate note-making task disappears

In 2023, students earned up to 12 marks for selecting information and writing notes. Two headings and a starting point under each heading helped them organise their answers.

The 2024 paper has no separately marked note-making task. Students go straight to the summary question.

Does this mean you should stop making notes?

No. Short planning notes can still help you:

• find relevant points;
• remove repeated ideas;
• leave out unnecessary examples;
• organise your summary.

The difference is that your finished summary, rather than a separate notes answer, now earns the content marks.

4. The summary becomes shorter

The shorter limit makes concise writing especially useful.

Compare these two versions:

Longer:
“The company uses guides who live in the local area and who know a great deal about that area.”

Shorter:
“The company uses knowledgeable local guides.”

The shorter version keeps the main meaning while saving words.

Your goal is to include a wide range of relevant ideas clearly, using your own words and sentence structures where appropriate.

5. Summary marking changes too

In 2023, the notes received marks point by point. The summary then received a separate score for how well it fulfilled the task.

In 2024, the completed summary receives:

• Reading: up to 10 marks for relevant ideas and effective selection.
• Writing: up to 10 marks for clear, concise, organised expression.

The reading mark uses a level-based judgement. This means an examiner considers the quality of your selection overall. You should not assume that ten listed points automatically earn ten marks.

A strong summary includes useful information, avoids repetition and reads smoothly.

6. The vocabulary MCQ block disappears from this set

The 2023 paper included five multiple-choice vocabulary questions, worth five marks.

There is no equivalent block in the 2024 paper.

Vocabulary still matters. You need to understand words in context to explain meaning, interpret feelings and discuss language choices.

For example, the 2024 paper asks why the writer uses “creature” rather than “boy.” Knowing a dictionary definition is only the beginning. You must explain what that choice suggests about how the boy is viewed.

7. Language effects receive more attention

In 2023, the language-effects question was worth 4 marks. Students explained the meaning and effect of two supplied phrases.

In 2024, Q2 is worth 9 marks and includes several kinds of language question.

Students may need to explain:

• the effect of a particular word;
• what an extract suggests;
• why one word is chosen instead of another;
• the impressions created by a sentence.

One question also asks students to choose an effective example from an extract and explain its effect.

Here is the difference between explaining meaning and explaining effect:

Naming a technique alone is not enough. Explain what the language helps the reader imagine or understand.

8. Comprehension still matters—but evidence becomes more explicit

Both sets award 16 marks to their main comprehension questions.

Finding details, explaining reasons, making inferences and using your own words remain important.

The 2024 set makes some demands particularly clear:

Inference already existed in the older paper. The newer questions make the connection between your interpretation and its evidence more explicit.

9. A supported personal response replaces extracting advice

In the 2023 set, students identified three pieces of the writer’s advice for 3 marks.

In the 2024 set, Q3(b) asks students to adopt a particular person’s perspective and explain an opinion for 5 marks.

For example, students imagine that they enjoyed a holiday at a resort with little digital connectivity. They must explain why the holiday was enjoyable rather than boring.

A useful approach is:

Opinion → detail from the text → explanation

I enjoyed being unable to use my phone because it gave me a break from messages and helped me relax.

This develops an idea from the text. It does not require inventing activities or events that the passage never mentions.

How should you prepare?

Older papers still provide useful practice in finding information, inference, vocabulary and paraphrasing.

To prepare for the newer structure, also practise:

1. Writing a direct summary within 150 words.
2. Explaining the effects and impressions created by language.
3. Choosing suitable language examples yourself.
4. Supporting interpretations with precise textual details.
5. Developing a viewpoint from information in the passage.

The paper’s structure has changed, but careful reading remains at its centre: understand the meaning, select the evidence and explain your answer clearly.

This post compares the two named papers and their marking schemes. Individual questions and topics vary between exam sets.