Cambridge IGCSE™

FRENCH 0520/21
Paper 2 Reading May/June 2024
MARK SCHEME
Maximum Mark: 45

Published

This mark scheme is published as an aid to teachers and candidates, to indicate the requirements of the
examination. It shows the basis on which Examiners were instructed to award marks. It does not indicate the
details of the discussions that took place at an Examiners’ meeting before marking began, which would have
considered the acceptability of alternative answers.

Mark schemes should be read in conjunction with the question paper and the Principal Examiner Report for
Teachers.

Cambridge International will not enter into discussions about these mark schemes.

Cambridge International is publishing the mark schemes for the May/June 2024 series for most
Cambridge IGCSE, Cambridge International A and AS Level and Cambridge Pre-U components, and some
Cambridge O Level components.

This document consists of 10 printed pages.

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Generic Marking Principles

These general marking principles must be applied by all examiners when marking candidate answers. They should be applied alongside the
specific content of the mark scheme or generic level descriptions for a question. Each question paper and mark scheme will also comply with these
marking principles.

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 1:

Marks must be awarded in line with:
 the specific content of the mark scheme or the generic level descriptors for the question
 the specific skills defined in the mark scheme or in the generic level descriptors for the question
 the standard of response required by a candidate as exemplified by the standardisation scripts.
GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 2:
Marks awarded are always whole marks (not half marks, or other fractions)
GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 3:
Marks must be awarded positively:
 marks are awarded for correct/valid answers, as defined in the mark scheme. However, credit is given for valid answers which go beyond
the scope of the syllabus and mark scheme, referring to your Team Leader as appropriate
 marks are awarded when candidates clearly demonstrate what they know and can do
 marks are not deducted for errors
 marks are not deducted for omissions
 answers should only be judged on the quality of spelling, punctuation and grammar when these features are specifically assessed by the
question as indicated by the mark scheme. The meaning, however, should be unambiguous.
GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 4:
Rules must be applied consistently e.g. in situations where candidates have not followed instructions or in the application of generic level
descriptors
GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 5:
Marks should be awarded using the full range of marks defined in the mark scheme for the question (however; the use of the full mark range may
be limited according to the quality of the candidate responses seen).
GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 6:
Marks awarded are based solely on the requirements as defined in the mark scheme. Marks should not be awarded with grade thresholds or
grade descriptors in mind.

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Additional Guidance

The following guidance underpins the detailed instructions provided in the mark scheme. Where a decision is taken to deviate from this guidance
for a particular question, this will be specified in the mark scheme.

Often the additional guidance points will have to be weighed up against each other, e.g. the answer might look or sound like the intended
word/phrase in French, but if what the candidate has written means something different in French from what is expected, the mark cannot be
awarded.

It is not possible to list all acceptable alternatives in the mark scheme. If you encounter an answer which is not covered by the mark scheme, you
will need to make a decision about whether it communicates the required elements (in consultation with your Team Leader if necessary, or with
your Product Manager if you are a single examiner), and award marks accordingly.

 Crossing out:

(a) If a candidate changes his/her mind about an answer and crosses out an attempt, award a mark if the final attempt is correct.

(b) If a candidate crosses out an answer to a whole question but makes no second attempt at it, mark the crossed out work.

 More than the stipulated number of boxes ticked/crossed by the candidate:

(a) If more than one attempt is visible but the candidate has clearly indicated which attempt is his/her final answer (e.g. by crossing out
other attempts or by annotating the script in some way), mark in the usual way.

(b) If two attempts are visible (e.g. two boxes ticked instead of the one box stipulated), and neither has been crossed out/discounted by
the candidate, no mark can be awarded.

 For questions requiring more than one element for the answer, 1 and 2, where the answers are interchangeable:

(a) Both of the correct answers are on line 1 and line 2 blank (or vice versa) = 2 marks

(b) Both correct answers on line 1 and line 2 contains a wrong answer (or vice versa) = 1 mark

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 Mark for communication: Answers requiring the use of French (rather than a non-verbal response) should be marked for communication.
Tolerate inaccuracies provided that the message is clear. However, do not accept incorrect French if the word written by the candidate means
something else in French (unless the mark scheme specifies otherwise).

(a) If you read aloud what the candidate has written, does it sound like the correct answer? Would a native speaker of French understand
it?

(b) Does what the candidate has written look like the correct answer, e.g. one letter missing but no other word created? Would a native
speaker of French understand it?

 Annotations used in the mark scheme:

(a) INV = invalidation. This is used when the additional material included by the candidate is judged to invalidate an otherwise correct
answer and therefore prevents him/her from scoring the mark. (INV = 0)

(b) tc = ‘tout court’. This means that, on its own, the material is not sufficient to score the mark.

(c) HA = harmless addition. This means that the candidate has included additional material which, in conjunction with the correct answer,
does not prevent him/her from scoring the mark.

 No response and ‘0’ marks:

(a) Award NR (no response):

If there is nothing written at all in the answer space or
If there is only a comment which does not in any way relate to the question being asked (e.g. ‘can’t do’ or ‘don’t know’) or
If there is only a mark which isn’t an attempt at the question (e.g. a dash, a question mark).

(b) Award 0:
If there is any attempt that earns no credit, e.g. the candidate has copied out part or all of the question.

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 Extra material: Candidates need to answer the questions in such a way as to demonstrate that they have understood the text. The mark
scheme cannot cover all eventualities so where specific instructions are not provided, the examiner must check the text to ensure that the
correct elements which would attract the mark are not contradicted or distorted by any extra material. The following general rules should be
applied:

(a) Extra material, mentioned in the This is acceptable and is not penalised.
mark scheme, which reinforces
the correct answer or in itself
constitutes an alternative correct
answer:

(b) Extra material which constitutes The examiner needs to decide, by consulting the transcript/text and the Team Leader if necessary,
an alternative answer, but whether the alternative answer constitutes:
which is not explicitly (i) an alternative correct answer, in which case this falls into category (a) and the answer should be
mentioned in the mark rewarded, or
scheme: (ii) an answer which on its own would be rejected, in which case this falls into category (c) and the
answer should be rejected.

(c) Extra material which constitutes This puts the examiner in the position of having to ‘choose’ which the intended answer is. The
an alternative answer examiner cannot therefore be sure what the candidate has understood and the mark cannot be
specifically rejected in the mark awarded.
scheme:

(d) Extra material which distorts or This affects communication. The examiner cannot be sure what the candidate has understood and
contradicts the correct answer: therefore the mark cannot be awarded.

(e) Extra material introduced by the This affects communication. The examiner cannot be sure what the candidate has understood and
candidate and which does not therefore the mark cannot be awarded. It can sometimes be difficult to draw the line between what is
feature in the original text: a deduction made by an able candidate on the basis of what they have read and pure guesswork.
Therefore, where a particular answer is not covered by the mark scheme, the examiner should
consult the Team Leader.

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Detailed Mark Scheme

Question Answer Marks Guidance

1(a) B 1
1(b) A 1
1(c) D 1
1(d) F 1
1(e) C 1

Question Answer Marks Guidance

2(a) D 1
2(b) E 1
2(c) H 1
2(d) G 1
2(e) F 1

Question Answer Marks Guidance

3(a) C 1
3(b) B 1
3(c) A 1
3(d) C 1
3(e) B 1
3(f) A 1
3(g) B 1

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Question Answer Marks Guidance
Before marking Question 4, read the section Additional Guidance.
4(a) (une) soupe 1 Accept soup (minor spelling error), potage
Any or no article accepted (e.g. du, de le, la) but other
unexpected words will probably INV (e.g. a soupe, dans
soupe)
Tolerate plural
Tolerate elle préparait une soupe
Refuse present tense
4(b) (elle est) directrice d’une maison de retraite 1 Accept la/une directrice
Missing d’ or de or substitution with pour, treat as minor
error
Refuse il because it is confusing
Reference to organising an excursion INV
4(c) 1 Les résidents avaient (tous) soixante-dix ans ou plus. 1 Accept present tense
Accept ils avaient au moins 70 ans
Accept qu’ils avaient…
2 Certains se sentaient isolés. 1 Accept present tense
certains must be plural unless used as an adjective e.g.
certains residents we would accept missed agreement
Must have reflexive pronoun for se sentaient
Refuse ils se sentaient isolés
isolés does not need to agree but must have acute accent
4(d) (en) autocar 1 Accept any reasonable preposition or none e.g. dans, avec
Accept bus
No verb required but if supplied must be past tense
4(e) Elle a mis de la crème solaire. 1 Refuse …crème soleil
Verb is required to answer the question (mis/ appliqué etc.)

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Question Answer Marks Guidance
4(f) Audrey (lui) a raconté (plein d’/des) histoires drôles. 1 Pronoun in brackets not required for the mark, but if
attempted must be correct
Subject required with verb
Histoires needs to be plural but drôle does not need
agreement (minor grammar error)
Past tense required
4(g) sur deux/des chaises (très confortables) 1 Accept à/sur la plage as alternative answer
près des autres résidents HA but not an answer in its own
right
Accept any reasonable preposition with the chairs
qu’elles avaient louées HA
Refuse quelles avaient louées
Tolerate les as alternative to des but not missing article
4(h) certains dormaient 1 Accept ils dormaient (subject required)
certains needs to be plural unless used as an adjective e.g.
certains résidents.
4(i) (dans le) monde entier 1 Accept partout
Refuse dans tout le monde
dans not required, but if replaced by something unsuitable,
such as derrière or sans etc., please refuse.
qu’ INV
No verb required but if used must be past tense
4(j) sa mère 1 Accept la mère de Céline
Refuse son mère
Refuse la mère on its own
If candidates choose to write more than the basic answer,
what they write needs to be correct (e.g. lui/le/la)
4(k) (très) satisfaite (d’avoir aidé/d’avoir pu aider) 1 Mention of how the residents were feeling INV
Missed agreement is minor grammar error
Refuse synonyms for satisfaite
se sentir not required, but if candidates use it, it must be
past tense and have the reflexive pronoun.

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Question Answer Marks Guidance
5 a5, b8, c3, d6, e7 5

Question Answer Marks Guidance

Before marking Question 6, read the section Additional Guidance.
6(a) (le) droit 1 Accept Antoine avait commencé à étudier le droit, but donc
would INV
cependant INV
6(b) 1 Il ne s’y intéressait pas (vraiment). 1 y is required, or reference to droit/études
Tolerate absence of ne but not absence of pas
Accept il ne l’aimait pas
Refuse present tense
2 Les cours (lui) semblaient interminables. 1 lui not required for the mark, but if candidates have written
an incorrect alternative, please refuse.
Plural needed for les cours
Refuse present tense
Refuse les cours étaient interminables, unless the candidate
adds selon lui, pour lui etc. (we need the idea that it is how it
felt to him)
6(c) (quand/lorsqu’) il voyait les gens qui arrivaient à l’hôpital 1 Needs the idea of Antoine seeing the people arriving at the
(chaque jour) hospital.
Reference to his office being near the hospital or his wife
being a doctor or that he wanted to be a pharmacist are
likely to be HA but are not answers in their own right.
Other structures are likely to be acceptable, e.g. voir des
gens…/ en voyant des gens…
6(d) Son père ne voulait pas. 1 Accept suitable paraphrases that carry the same meaning
e.g. son père était contre (l’idée)
Accept lack of ne
Refuse il ne voulait pas (ambiguous)
Refuse sa père
Needs past tense

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Question Answer Marks Guidance
6(e) Elle/Sa femme est médecin. 1 Accept elle est un(e) médecin/docteur / c’est un(e) médecin
Refuse (un(e)) médecin tc
Refuse médecine
et elle a un bébé INV
Present tense required
6(f) 1 pour payer de nouvelles études 1 études needs to be plural (ok if adjective does not agree –
minor grammar error)
Idea of new studies may be successfully expressed using
d’autres – check individual case.
il faut payer… INV (wrong tense)
Tolerate pour payer pour…
2 pour gérer une/la période pendant laquelle Antoine ne 1 bien sûr INV
travaillerait pas Accept où/que/quand as alternative to pendant laquelle
The idea that the absence from work will be temporary/for a
fixed period is required. Present and future tenses may work
depending on the response written.
Accept le temps
pour required, but only penalise the first time that it is missing.
6(g) (il peut) s’occuper du bébé 1 Accept il s’occupe du bébé
car certains cours sont en ligne HA
6(h) On peut passer quarante ans à travailler. 1 Tolerate lift of entire sentence: (selon lui), on peut…toutes
ces années.
Reference to 40 years is needed.
6(i) (C’est un métier où) on peut aider les gens. 1 Other impersonal terms are likely to work, e.g. tu peux /
vous pouvez
Refuse il peut / pour aider les gens
ça c’est sûr INV

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