Paper 1 — Response to Reading
Reading comprehension · summary · directed writing · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
The Passage
A short literary-descriptive piece in MSA. The kind of text Paper 1 typically opens with.
1
فِي صَبَاحِ أَحَدِ أَيَّامِ الصَّيْفِ، اسْتَيْقَظْتُ مُبَكِّرًا لِأُرَافِقَ جَدِّي إِلَى السُّوقِ الْقَدِيمِ فِي وَسَطِ الْمَدِينَةِ.
1On a summer morning, I woke up early to accompany my grandfather to the old market in the city centre.
Notice: لِأُرَافِقَ — the prefix لِـ ("in order to") makes the verb subjunctive, dropping the final ḍamma. This "purpose lām" is everywhere in IGCSE prose.
2
كَانَتِ الشَّمْسُ تُشْرِقُ بِهُدُوءٍ، وَالنَّسِيمُ الْعَلِيلُ يُدَاعِبُ وَجْهِي بِلُطْفٍ.
2The sun was rising peacefully, and the gentle breeze caressed my face softly.
Collocation alert: النَّسِيمُ الْعَلِيلُ ("the gentle breeze") is a stock literary pairing. Memorise it as a unit.
3
سِرْنَا مَعًا بَيْنَ الْأَزِقَّةِ الضَّيِّقَةِ الْمَلِيئَةِ بِالْحَيَاةِ وَالْحَرَكَةِ.
3
We walked together through the narrow alleyways, full of life and movement.
4
عِنْدَمَا وَصَلْنَا، اسْتَقْبَلَتْنَا رَوَائِحُ التَّوَابِلِ وَالْبَخُورِ، وَأَصْوَاتُ الْبَاعَةِ يُنَادُونَ عَلَى بَضَائِعِهِمْ بِحَمَاسٍ.
4When we arrived, we were greeted by the smells of spices and incense, and by the voices of vendors calling out their wares enthusiastically.
Sensory layering: One sentence stacks smell + sound. Examiners reward this in your own writing.
5
شَدَّتِ انْتِبَاهِي مَكْتَبَةٌ صَغِيرَةٌ تَبِيعُ الْكُتُبَ الْقَدِيمَةَ، فَاقْتَرَبْتُ مِنْهَا وَأَخَذْتُ أَتَصَفَّحُ صَفَحَاتِهَا الصَّفْرَاءَ بِشَغَفٍ.
5A small bookshop selling old books caught my attention, so I approached it and began to leaf through its yellowed pages with passion.
Idiom: شَدَّتِ انْتِبَاهِي literally "(she) pulled my attention" = "caught my attention". Always feminine here because مَكْتَبَةٌ is feminine.
6
قَالَ لِي صَاحِبُ الْمَكْتَبَةِ مُبْتَسِمًا: «هَذِهِ الْكُتُبُ تَحْمِلُ حِكَايَاتِ أَجْدَادِنَا، يَا بُنَيَّ».
6
The shopkeeper said to me, smiling: "These books carry the tales of our ancestors, my son."
7
اشْتَرَيْتُ كِتَابًا قَدِيمًا عَنْ تَارِيخِ الْمَدِينَةِ، وَعُدْتُ مَعَ جَدِّي إِلَى الْبَيْتِ وَأَنَا أَحْمِلُ كَنْزًا ثَمِينًا.
7I bought an old book about the history of the city, and returned home with my grandfather carrying a precious treasure.
Metaphor: The book isn't literally a treasure — but calling it one reveals the narrator's transformed inner state. This is exactly the kind of figurative move examiners want you to identify in comprehension and imitate in composition.
8
مُنْذُ ذَلِكَ الْيَوْمِ، صِرْتُ أُحِبُّ الْقِرَاءَةَ، وَأَدْرَكْتُ أَنَّ فِي السُّوقِ الْقَدِيمِ سِحْرًا لَا يَفْهَمُهُ إِلَّا مَنْ زَارَهُ.
8From that day on, I came to love reading, and I realised that there is a magic in the old market that only those who have visited it can understand.
Closing structure: لا … إلا … ("none … except …") is a classical exception pattern that signals a deliberate, polished ending. Tuck it away for your own conclusions.
Glossed Vocabulary
The words and phrases an English-speaking learner is most likely to stumble on. Drill these before re-reading the passage.
| Arabic |
Transliteration |
English |
Grammar / usage note |
| اِسْتَيْقَظْتُ |
istayqaẓtu |
I woke up |
Form X (اِسْتَفْعَلَ) from root ي-ق-ظ. Form X often signals reflexive / self-initiated action. |
| أُرَافِقَ |
urāfiqa |
(that) I accompany |
Form III (فَاعَلَ) — the "doing with" pattern. Subjunctive because of the purpose لِـ. |
| الْأَزِقَّة |
al-aziqqa |
the alleyways |
Broken plural of زُقَاق. Common in descriptions of old towns. |
| النَّسِيمُ الْعَلِيلُ |
an-nasīm al-ʿalīl |
the gentle breeze |
Set literary phrase. عَلِيل elsewhere means "ailing", but here means "soft / mild". |
| الْبَخُور |
al-bakhūr |
incense |
Singular; mass noun. Pairs naturally with تَوَابِل (spices) in market scenes. |
| الْبَاعَة |
al-bāʿa |
the vendors |
Plural of بَائِع (active participle of باع "to sell"). |
| بَضَائِعِهِمْ |
baḍāʾiʿihim |
their goods / wares |
Plural of بِضَاعَة. Note the broken plural pattern فَعَائِل. |
| شَدَّتِ انْتِبَاهِي |
shaddati intibāhī |
it caught my attention |
Idiom. The verb is feminine because the subject (مَكْتَبَة) is feminine. |
| أَتَصَفَّحُ |
ataṣaffaḥu |
I leaf through |
Form V (تَفَعَّلَ) — the "doing repeatedly / habitually" pattern. |
| صَفَحَاتِهَا الصَّفْرَاء |
ṣafaḥātihā aṣ-ṣafrāʾ |
its yellowed pages |
Feminine sound plural takes a singular feminine adjective. صَفْرَاء is the feminine of أَصْفَر. |
| كَنْزًا ثَمِينًا |
kanzan thamīnan |
a precious treasure |
Indefinite accusative (مَنْصُوب) because it is the direct object of أَحْمِلُ. |
| سِحْرًا لَا يَفْهَمُهُ إِلَّا … |
siḥran lā yafhamuhū illā … |
a magic that only … understands |
Classical exception structure: لا + verb + إلا + agent. Punchy way to end paragraphs. |
Comprehension Questions
Attempt each question in Arabic before reading the model answer. Mark allocations reflect typical Edexcel weightings.
Question 1
1 mark
مَتَى اسْتَيْقَظَ الْكَاتِبُ، وَلِمَاذَا؟
When did the writer wake up, and why?
Model answer
اسْتَيْقَظَ الْكَاتِبُ مُبَكِّرًا فِي صَبَاحِ يَوْمٍ صَيْفِيٍّ لِيُرَافِقَ جَدَّهُ إِلَى السُّوقِ الْقَدِيمِ.
The writer woke up early on a summer morning in order to accompany his grandfather to the old market.
Examiner's lens: a 1-mark question wants one precise fact in a single clean sentence. Resist the urge to pad.
Question 2
2 marks
صِفِ الْمَشْهَدَ الَّذِي رَآهُ الْكَاتِبُ عِنْدَ وُصُولِهِ إِلَى السُّوقِ.
Describe the scene the writer saw when he arrived at the market.
Model answer
عِنْدَ وُصُولِهِ اسْتَقْبَلَتْهُ رَوَائِحُ التَّوَابِلِ وَالْبَخُورِ الَّتِي مَلَأَتِ الْجَوَّ، وَسَمِعَ أَصْوَاتَ الْبَاعَةِ يُنَادُونَ عَلَى بَضَائِعِهِمْ بِحَمَاسٍ، فَبَدَا السُّوقُ مُفْعَمًا بِالْحَيَاةِ وَالْحَرَكَةِ.
On his arrival he was greeted by the smells of spices and incense that filled the air, and he heard the voices of vendors enthusiastically calling out their wares; the market appeared full of life and movement.
Examiner's lens: 2 marks ≈ 2 distinct details. Notice the answer pulls out (a) smells and (b) sounds — two sensory channels, each banked separately.
Question 3
2 marks
لِمَاذَا تَأَثَّرَ الْكَاتِبُ بِكَلَامِ صَاحِبِ الْمَكْتَبَةِ؟
Why was the writer affected by the shopkeeper's words?
Model answer
تَأَثَّرَ الْكَاتِبُ لِأَنَّ صَاحِبَ الْمَكْتَبَةِ رَبَطَ الْكُتُبَ الْقَدِيمَةَ بِتُرَاثِ الْأَجْدَادِ وَحِكَايَاتِهِمْ، فَأَدْرَكَ أَنَّ فِي تِلْكَ الْكُتُبِ قِيمَةً تَارِيخِيَّةً وَمَعْنَوِيَّةً تَتَجَاوَزُ كَوْنَهَا مُجَرَّدَ وَرَقٍ.
He was affected because the shopkeeper linked the old books to the heritage of the ancestors and their stories, so he realised those books carried a historical and moral value beyond being mere paper.
Examiner's lens: the question asks "why" — the answer must move from cause (the shopkeeper's framing) to effect (the realisation). Use linkers like فَأَدْرَكَ to signal that logical move.
Question 4
3 marks
كَيْفَ غَيَّرَتْ زِيَارَةُ السُّوقِ نَظْرَةَ الْكَاتِبِ إِلَى الْقِرَاءَةِ؟ ادْعَمْ إِجَابَتَكَ بِأَمْثِلَةٍ مِنَ النَّصِّ.
How did the visit to the market change the writer's view of reading? Support your answer with examples from the text.
Model answer
غَيَّرَتِ الزِّيَارَةُ نَظْرَةَ الْكَاتِبِ تَغْيِيرًا جَوْهَرِيًّا؛ فَبَعْدَ شِرَائِهِ الْكِتَابَ الْقَدِيمَ عَنْ تَارِيخِ الْمَدِينَةِ شَعَرَ بِأَنَّهُ يَحْمِلُ «كَنْزًا ثَمِينًا»، وَمُنْذُ ذَلِكَ الْيَوْمِ «صَارَ يُحِبُّ الْقِرَاءَةَ»، وَأَدْرَكَ أَنَّ فِي السُّوقِ الْقَدِيمِ «سِحْرًا لَا يَفْهَمُهُ إِلَّا مَنْ زَارَهُ». وَهَذِهِ التَّعَابِيرُ الْمَجَازِيَّةُ تَكْشِفُ أَنَّ الْقِرَاءَةَ تَحَوَّلَتْ فِي نَظَرِهِ مِنْ نَشَاطٍ عَادِيٍّ إِلَى وَسِيلَةٍ لِلتَّوَاصُلِ مَعَ التَّارِيخِ وَالْهُوِيَّةِ.
The visit changed the writer's view fundamentally. After buying the old book about the city's history he felt he was carrying "a precious treasure"; from that day he "came to love reading"; and he realised the old market held "a magic that only those who have visited it can understand". These figurative expressions show that reading was transformed in his eyes from an ordinary activity into a means of connecting with history and identity.
Examiner's lens: 3 marks ≈ (1) statement of change + (2) textual evidence in quotation marks + (3) analytical comment on what the evidence shows. Lift this three-move structure for any "how" / "in what way" question.
Summary Task
A high-yield Paper 1 skill. Practise compressing the passage into exactly the requested length.
Question 5 — Summary
~10 marks
لَخِّصْ أَحْدَاثَ النَّصِّ وَمَشَاعِرَ الْكَاتِبِ الرَّئِيسِيَّةَ فِي حُدُودِ خَمْسِينَ كَلِمَةً.
Summarise the events of the passage and the writer's main feelings in around 50 words.
Model summary (≈50 words)
رَافَقَ الْكَاتِبُ جَدَّهُ إِلَى السُّوقِ الْقَدِيمِ فِي صَبَاحٍ صَيْفِيٍّ هَادِئٍ، فَاسْتَمْتَعَ بِمَشَاهِدِهِ وَأَصْوَاتِهِ وَرَوَائِحِهِ. اشْتَرَى مِنْ إِحْدَى الْمَكْتَبَاتِ كِتَابًا قَدِيمًا عَنْ تَارِيخِ الْمَدِينَةِ، فَأَدْرَكَ مِنْ حَدِيثِ الْبَائِعِ قِيمَةَ التُّرَاثِ. وَمُنْذُ ذَلِكَ الْيَوْمِ أَحَبَّ الْقِرَاءَةَ، وَرَأَى فِي السُّوقِ الْقَدِيمِ سِحْرًا خَاصًّا.
The writer accompanied his grandfather to the old market on a quiet summer morning and enjoyed its sights, sounds and smells. He bought an old book about the history of the city from a small bookshop, and from the shopkeeper's words he grasped the value of heritage. From that day on he loved reading and saw a special magic in the old market.
Summary recipe: (1) Who + did what + where + when. (2) Pivotal action. (3) Realisation / emotional change. Drop dialogue, sensory padding, and anything you can't justify with the question.
Directed Writing
A transactional task in a defined form (letter / article / speech / report) and audience.
Question 6 — Directed writing
~20 marks
اُكْتُبْ رِسَالَةً إِلَى صَدِيقِكَ تَصِفُ فِيهَا زِيَارَتَكَ لِسُوقٍ قَدِيمٍ، مُسْتَخْدِمًا تَفَاصِيلَ حِسِّيَّةً (الصَّوْتَ، وَالرَّائِحَةَ، وَالْمَنْظَرَ)، فِي حُدُودِ ٢٥٠ – ٣٠٠ كَلِمَةٍ.
Write a letter to your friend describing your visit to an old market, using sensory details (sound, smell, sight), in 250–300 words.
Model letter (≈280 words)
عَزِيزِي أَحْمَد،
تَحِيَّةً طَيِّبَةً وَبَعْدُ، فَإِنِّي أَكْتُبُ إِلَيْكَ الْيَوْمَ لِأُشَارِكَكَ تَجْرِبَةً جَمِيلَةً عِشْتُهَا الْأُسْبُوعَ الْمَاضِي حِينَ زُرْتُ السُّوقَ الْقَدِيمَ فِي وَسَطِ مَدِينَتِي.
فِي صَبَاحٍ صَيْفِيٍّ مُشْرِقٍ، خَرَجْتُ مَعَ وَالِدِي مُبَكِّرًا، وَسِرْنَا بَيْنَ الْأَزِقَّةِ الضَّيِّقَةِ الَّتِي تَنْبِضُ بِالْحَيَاةِ. كَانَتْ أَشِعَّةُ الشَّمْسِ تَتَسَلَّلُ بَيْنَ أَسْقُفِ الْمَحَلَّاتِ الْعَتِيقَةِ، وَكَأَنَّهَا تَرْوِي حِكَايَاتٍ صَامِتَةً عَنْ أَجْيَالٍ سَبَقَتْنَا.
أَوَّلُ مَا لَفَتَ انْتِبَاهِي رَوَائِحُ التَّوَابِلِ وَالْبَخُورِ الَّتِي مَلَأَتِ الْجَوَّ، فَاخْتَلَطَتْ بِأَرِيجِ الْقَهْوَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّةِ الْقَادِمَةِ مِنْ رُكْنٍ قَرِيبٍ. وَمِنْ حَوْلِي ارْتَفَعَتْ أَصْوَاتُ الْبَاعَةِ يُنَادُونَ عَلَى بَضَائِعِهِمْ بِصَوْتٍ مُفْعَمٍ بِالْحَمَاسِ، بَيْنَمَا اخْتَلَطَتْ مَعَهَا نَقَرَاتُ النُّحَاسِ الَّذِي يَصْنَعُ مِنْهُ الْحِرَفِيُّونَ أَوَانِيَهُمُ الْعَتِيقَةَ.
تَوَقَّفْتُ عِنْدَ مَكْتَبَةٍ صَغِيرَةٍ تَبِيعُ الْكُتُبَ الْقَدِيمَةَ، وَأَخَذْتُ أَتَصَفَّحُ صَفَحَاتِهَا الصَّفْرَاءَ بِشَغَفٍ. ابْتَسَمَ لِي صَاحِبُ الْمَكْتَبَةِ، وَأَخْبَرَنِي أَنَّ كُلَّ كِتَابٍ يَحْمِلُ رُوحَ زَمَانِهِ. اشْتَرَيْتُ مِنْهُ كِتَابًا عَنْ تَارِيخِ الْمَدِينَةِ، وَأَحْسَسْتُ أَنِّي عُدْتُ بِكَنْزٍ ثَمِينٍ لَا يُقَدَّرُ بِثَمَنٍ.
كَانَتْ أَجْمَلُ لَحَظَاتِ الزِّيَارَةِ حِينَ جَلَسْتُ مَعَ وَالِدِي فِي مَقْهًى صَغِيرٍ نَشْرَبُ الشَّايَ بِالنَّعْنَاعِ، وَنُرَاقِبُ حَرَكَةَ النَّاسِ. شَعَرْتُ آنَذَاكَ بِأَنَّ السُّوقَ الْقَدِيمَ لَيْسَ مَكَانًا لِلشِّرَاءِ فَحَسْبُ، بَلْ ذَاكِرَةٌ حَيَّةٌ لِلْمَدِينَةِ، تَخْتَزِنُ تُرَاثَهَا وَتَرْبِطُنَا بِأَجْدَادِنَا.
أَنْصَحُكَ يَا صَدِيقِي بِزِيَارَةِ سُوقٍ قَدِيمٍ يَوْمًا مَا؛ فَسَتَجِدُ فِيهِ مَا لَا تَجِدُهُ فِي الْأَسْوَاقِ الْحَدِيثَةِ مِنْ دِفْءٍ وَأَصَالَةٍ وَحَنِينٍ.
فِي انْتِظَارِ رَدِّكَ،
صَدِيقُكَ الْمُخْلِص.
Translation summary: The letter opens with a formal Arabic greeting (
تحية طيبة وبعد — "warm greetings, then…"), establishes the occasion (a market visit last week), and unfolds in five paragraphs that each lead with one sense: sight (sun through old roofs), smell (spices, incense, Arabic coffee), sound (vendors, the tapping of copper), touch and emotion (leafing through old books, the precious-treasure metaphor), and reflection (the market as living memory).
Examiner's lens — what scored marks here:
- Form. Correct letter conventions: عزيزي + name opening, تحية طيبة وبعد bridge, signed close صديقك المخلص.
- Register. Friendly but elevated MSA — no colloquial forms.
- Sensory architecture. Each paragraph foregrounds one sense, exactly as the prompt requested.
- Figurative language. Sun rays "telling silent stories", the book as a "precious treasure", the market as a "living memory".
- Cohesion. Linkers: فِي صَبَاحٍ … أَوَّلُ مَا … تَوَقَّفْتُ … كَانَتْ أَجْمَلُ … أَنْصَحُكَ create a clear narrative arc.
