What changes in IGCSE First Language Arabic 0508 from 2027?

By The Learning Mate team · Updated 4 November 2026 · 10 min read

From the June 2027 series, Cambridge IGCSE First Language Arabic 0508 Paper 1 is still 2 hours and 50 marks, but it now has three sections: Comprehension and Use of Language (21 marks), a new Grammar section (9 marks) and a new Directed Writing task (20 marks) that replaces the summary. Paper 2 Writing keeps its 2 hours and 50 marks, with fewer titles to choose from and a shorter word range.

This guide compares the 2026 syllabus with the 2027–2029 syllabus, question by question, and sets out what it means for the mocks you are marking this year. If your students sit 0508 in June 2027, they sit the new format.

When does the new 0508 syllabus start?

The 2027–2029 syllabus is used for exams in 2027, 2028 and 2029, and Cambridge revised it for first examination in 2027. 0508 is offered in the June and November series, so June 2027 is the first series to use the new papers. The 2026 syllabus (version 2, December 2025) covers the June and November 2026 series only.

Two practical points from the syllabus:

0508 is not available in every Cambridge administrative zone. Check availability for your zone on the 0508 syllabus page.
The 2027–2029 syllabus is available in English and Modern Standard Arabic, and Cambridge has published the key pages in Arabic. The question papers are in Modern Standard Arabic.

How is 0508 assessed from 2027?

Both components stay at 2 hours, 50 marks and 50% each. What moves is the inside of Paper 1 and the assessment objective weighting.

Component	2026 syllabus	2027–2029 syllabus
Paper 1 title	Reading	Reading and Directed Writing (القراءة والكتابة الموجهة)
Paper 1 duration and marks	2 hours, 50 marks, 50%	2 hours, 50 marks, 50%
Paper 1 texts	Two passages of about 600–700 words each, linked by a theme	Text 1 fiction, 600–700 words; Texts 2 and 3 non-fiction, 600–700 words combined
Paper 1 questions	2	4, in three compulsory sections
Paper 2 Writing	2 hours, 50 marks, 50%	2 hours, 50 marks, 50%
Paper 2 choice	Two compositions from eight titles	Two compositions from four titles
Paper 2 length	350–500 words each	350–450 words each

Dictionaries are not allowed in either paper, in either syllabus. Total reading across the Paper 1 texts stays at 1,200–1,400 words.

What changes in Paper 1?

Paper 1 goes from two 25-mark questions to four questions in three sections, and the summary disappears. Here is the question-level comparison.

2026 Paper 1	Marks	2027 Paper 1	Marks
Q1 Comprehension on Passage 1	25 (20 reading + 5 for language accuracy)	Section A, Q1 Comprehension on Text 1 (fiction)	15 (R1, R2)
		Section A, Q2 Use of Language on Text 1	6 (R4)
		Section B, Q3 Grammar (القواعد)	9 (R6)
Q2 Summary of 200–250 words on Passages 1 and 2	25 (15 reading + 5 style and organisation + 5 accuracy)	Section C, Q4 Directed Writing on Texts 2 and 3	20 (10 reading + 10 writing)
Total	50	Total	50

Section A: Comprehension and Use of Language (21 marks)

Cambridge says the style of the Section A questions has not significantly changed, but they are now set on a fiction text instead of a non-fiction one. Question 1 is a series of short-answer sub-questions on explicit and implicit meaning (15 marks). Question 2 is a set of short answers on figurative language, the writer's use of language and structure, and their effect (6 marks).

Two marking points matter here:

Writing is no longer tested in Section A. The old 5 marks for language accuracy in Question 1 have gone. Mark Section A for reading only.
Question 2 needs more than naming a device. The syllabus says candidates must explain the effect of the language, not just identify the technique. A student who correctly names a metaphor (استعارة) but says nothing about its effect has not done the whole job.

Section B: Grammar (9 marks)

This is new. Question 3 is a set of short-answer grammar items worth 9 marks in total, in formats that include gap-fill, cloze, multiple choice and "circle the correct answer". It is the only place the new R6 objective is tested: understanding of Arabic sentence structure, word patterns and the fundamentals of grammar. In the 2027 specimen mark scheme, most items are worth 1 mark and the final part asks candidates to spot and correct errors, at 2 marks per item.

The syllabus describes the content as a "discrete set of grammar topics" but does not list them. Use the specimen paper and the teaching resources on the School Support Hub to see which areas Cambridge is targeting.

Section C: Directed Writing (20 marks)

Question 4 replaces the summary. Candidates read two thematically linked non-fiction texts and write about 250–300 words as an email, report, article or speech, taking an argumentative or discursive line. They must draw evidence from both texts and should not bring in their own outside ideas, though they can develop the ideas in the texts.

The 20 marks split evenly:

Table	Marks	What it rewards	Objectives
Table A: Reading	10	Selecting relevant facts, ideas and opinions from both texts, then developing, analysing and evaluating them	R3, R5
Table B: Language accuracy and organisation	10	Convincing response, structure, vocabulary, register and accuracy	W1–W5

Both tables have five levels (9–10, 7–8, 5–6, 3–4, 1–2), plus 0 for no creditable content. If you have marked the Directed Writing question in First Language English 0500, the logic is familiar: a fluent answer that ignores one of the texts cannot reach the top of the reading table.

How do the assessment objectives change?

Reading goes from four objectives to six, and reading now carries more of the qualification. Cambridge split the old R3 into a new R3 and R5 (covering the same skills) and added R6 for grammar. The writing objectives W1–W5 are reworded but test the same skills.

Weighting	2026 syllabus	2027–2029 syllabus
AO1 Reading, whole qualification	35%	40%
AO2 Writing, whole qualification	65%	60%
Paper 1: Reading / Writing	70% / 30%	80% / 20%
Paper 2: Reading / Writing	0% / 100%	0% / 100%

The 2027–2029 reading objectives are:

R1 explicit meaning
R2 implicit meaning and attitude
R3 analyse, evaluate and develop facts, ideas and opinions, with support from the text
R4 how writers achieve effects and influence readers
R5 select and use information for specific purposes
R6 Arabic sentence structure, word patterns and grammar (new)

What changes in Paper 2 Writing?

The question style is unchanged, but candidates choose from four titles instead of eight and write 350–450 words instead of 350–500.

	2026 syllabus	2027–2029 syllabus
First section (2026: Section 1; 2027: Section A)	Discussion and Argument: four argumentative/discursive titles, choose one (25 marks)	Discursive/Argumentative: one discursive and one argumentative title, choose one (25 marks)
Second section (2026: Section 2; 2027: Section B)	Description and Narration: two descriptive and two narrative titles, choose one (25 marks)	Descriptive/Narrative: one descriptive and one narrative title, choose one (25 marks)
Words per answer	350–500	350–450
Marks per answer	12 style and accuracy + 13 content and structure	12 style and accuracy + 13 content and structure
Level structure	Six bands; three content tables (argumentative/discursive, descriptive, narrative)	Five levels; two content tables (discursive/argumentative, descriptive/narrative)

The 12 + 13 split per composition is the same in the June 2024 mark scheme and the 2027 specimen mark scheme. What changes is the level descriptors: Cambridge says they were updated for clarity, and the bands are now wider (for example 8–10 and 5–7 for style and accuracy, where the old scheme used 9–10, 7–8 and 5–6). Re-standardise on the new tables before you mark rather than converting old band decisions.

With only one title of each type per section, students can no longer avoid a text type they dislike. Teach all four: discursive, argumentative, descriptive and narrative.

What this means for marking mocks this year

If your students sit 0508 in June 2027, build their mock Paper 1 from the 2027 specimen materials, not from 2026 or earlier past papers. As of October 2026, Cambridge has published a 2027 specimen Paper 1 with its insert and mark scheme, and a 2027 specimen Paper 2 with an English-language mark scheme. Find them on the 0508 past papers page and the School Support Hub.

What still works from older past papers:

Paper 1 Question 1 comprehension items are useful practice for Section A, Question 1, which Cambridge describes as the same format. Remember the old passages are non-fiction, and drop the 5 language-accuracy marks when you mark them.
Paper 2 past papers still fit, because the question style hasn't changed. Give students one discursive and one argumentative title (and one descriptive and one narrative) instead of the full list, hold them to 350–450 words, and mark with the 2027 specimen tables.

What no longer fits:

The old Paper 1 Question 2 summary. It is gone. Practising a 200–250-word summary will not prepare students for a 250–300-word email, report, article or speech that evaluates two texts.
Old component grade thresholds. Paper 1 now distributes its 50 marks differently, so 2026 thresholds are only a rough guide for a new-format Paper 1 mock. See how to set IGCSE mock grade boundaries for a safer approach.

How the weighting shift changes what earns marks:

Reading is worth more. Paper 1 is now 80% reading. A student who writes beautifully but misreads Text 1 loses more than before.
Grammar is now examined directly. Nine marks for R6 reward explicit knowledge of grammar, which strong writers do not always have. Short, regular grammar drills now pay off in the exam.
Directed Writing rewards evaluation. Half of Question 4 is reading. When you mark, check that ideas come from both texts and are developed, not simply copied.

For a department, the quickest win is to second-mark a sample of Question 4 scripts after your first new-format mock, because it is the newest and most subjective task on the paper. Our guide to moderating mock marking in a department sets out a simple routine.

For every other Cambridge IGCSE syllabus that changes between 2027 and 2029, see our hub: Cambridge IGCSE syllabus changes 2027, 2028 and 2029.

FAQ

When is the first exam for the new IGCSE First Language Arabic 0508 syllabus?

The 2027–2029 syllabus is first examined in 2027. 0508 is offered in June and November, so June 2027 is the first series to use the new Paper 1.

Is 0508 Paper 1 still 50 marks?

Yes. Paper 1 is still 2 hours and 50 marks, but the marks are now split 21 for Comprehension and Use of Language, 9 for Grammar and 20 for Directed Writing.

Has the summary been removed from IGCSE First Language Arabic?

Yes. From 2027, the summary is replaced by a Directed Writing task of about 250–300 words based on two linked non-fiction texts, worth 20 marks.

What is R6 in the 0508 syllabus?

R6 is a new reading assessment objective in the 2027–2029 syllabus. It covers understanding of Arabic sentence structure, word patterns and the fundamentals of Arabic grammar, and it is tested in the 9-mark Grammar section of Paper 1.

Can I still use old 0508 past papers for mocks?

Partly. Old Paper 2 papers still fit if you limit the choice of titles and the word count, and old Paper 1 comprehension questions are useful practice. For a full Paper 1 mock, use the 2027 specimen paper and mark scheme.