Cambridge International
Cambridge IGCSE and A Level Literature in English, with the method made explicit.
Cambridge examiners mark by best fit: they place a whole response in a level, then decide how securely it sits there. That rewards analysis of how writers achieve effects, judicious short quotation and a personal, evaluative argument. Wizardry teaches exactly those habits, in order, and gives feedback in the same terms.
What the syllabuses ask for
Cambridge IGCSE Literature in English (0475) assesses four objectives with equal weight: detailed knowledge of the text, understanding of meanings and contexts beyond the surface, appreciation of how writers use language, structure and form to create effects, and a sensitive, informed personal response. Every candidate sits the poetry and prose paper; the drama and unseen papers depend on the route the school has chosen.
At AS and A Level (9695), essays are marked out of 25 against six named levels, with strands for knowledge and understanding, analysis, personal response and communication, and, at A Level, the evaluation of different opinions. The papers span drama, poetry, prose and unseen texts.
This is Cambridge International’s Literature in English route, taken at Cambridge schools in New Zealand and worldwide. It is not the Cambridge English language exams.
How Wizardry fits
The theory pathway builds the analytical chain the assessment objectives describe: a writer’s technique creates an effect, effects shape a literary element, and the element carries the work’s meaning. Micropractice drills it one quotation at a time, the word-level attention that separates a strong Cambridge script from a list of devices. Macropractice is where you plan and write full essays and close-analysis paragraphs on your set texts and send them for marking.
Marking follows the published generic marking principles: positive marking, whole-response best fit, no deductions for slips, and level descriptors treated as guides rather than hurdles. Each piece is placed on the 25-mark ladder with a short rationale, so a student sees the level they reached and the specific move that would have lifted it. It is a diagnostic aid; a teacher’s judgement always governs.
The weak-script habits examiners are trained to notice are the ones Wizardry works to remove: retelling the story instead of analysing it, logging devices without exploring their effects, quoting at length without commenting on specific words, and answering a prepared theme rather than the question set.
Who it is for
Students at Cambridge International schools in New Zealand and elsewhere, from the pre-IGCSE years through IGCSE to AS and A Level. Younger students are judged against the IGCSE ladder as working toward it, calibrated for their age. Schools can run Wizardry alongside the classroom programme (see for teachers & schools); individual students join with a solo membership.
Common questions
Does it help with the unseen paper?
Yes. Unseen analysis is the purest test of method, because there is no prepared material to fall back on. The theory stages teach what to look for in an unfamiliar poem or passage, and Micropractice makes the technique, effect and meaning move automatic.
Does it cover First Language English (0500) as well as Literature (0475)?
The IGCSE course is built around Literature in English, and the marking is calibrated with both syllabuses in view. First Language English students use the same analytical method for its reading and directed-writing tasks.
Is the mark a predicted grade?
No. It is a diagnostic placement of one piece of work on the published ladder, not a prediction of an exam result. Cambridge asks its examiners not to mark with grade thresholds in mind, and neither does Wizardry. More in the FAQ.