Cambridge IGCSE First Language Vietnamese (0695) develops careful reading, source-based argument and purposeful writing in Vietnamese. This student’s guide explains the 2025–2027 syllabus, both compulsory papers, the role of writer’s effects, and how to prepare for discursive, argumentative, descriptive and narrative compositions.
The subject is not simply a test of how many Vietnamese words a student knows. Candidates must understand what an unfamiliar text says and implies, explain how particular language choices influence readers, select and evaluate information from two sources, and write coherent responses for a defined audience. Familiarity with spoken Vietnamese can help, but formal reading and sustained composition also need deliberate practice.
Quick student information:
- Cambridge code: First Language Vietnamese 0695, examinations 2025–2027, June series.
- Availability: administrative zones 4 and 5 according to Cambridge; centre entry must be confirmed.
- Paper 1 Reading and Directed Writing: 2 hours, 50 marks, 50%.
- Paper 1 Section A: 25 marks, including 16 comprehension and 9 writer’s language and effects.
- Paper 1 Section B: 25-mark Directed Writing from two linked non-fiction texts, of which 15 marks assess reading-related evaluation and 10 marks assess writing.
- Paper 2 Writing: 2 hours, 50 marks, 50%; two required 400–500-word compositions, one from each of two sections.
- Later years: a separate 2028–2030 syllabus is published; never assume all 2027 paper details apply unchanged.
Start with the correct exam year and exact code
Cambridge 0695 First Language Vietnamese is a specific international qualification. The title should not be confused with national Vietnamese school examinations, a different board’s Vietnamese curriculum or a general proficiency course.
The syllabus year identifies when the candidate takes the assessment. Students sitting in 2025, 2026 or 2027 use the 2025–2027 specification. Cambridge also lists a 2028–2030 document, which applies to later cohorts instead.
Before buying revision materials, record the code 0695, examination year, centre, paper dates and applicable syllabus version. Some internet guides use older formats or borrow advice from Chinese or Malay First Language qualifications. Shared literacy skills do not mean identical word counts or question choices.
Cambridge lists availability in administrative zones 4 and 5 and the June examination series. Schools should confirm actual candidate entry arrangements and deadlines.
The official Cambridge First Language Vietnamese page provides the syllabus and updates.
What First Language Vietnamese actually assesses
The course develops reading and writing as connected but distinct capabilities. Reading includes understanding explicit detail, interpreting implied meaning, evaluating ideas and explaining how writers shape the reader’s experience. Writing involves clear organisation, effective vocabulary, appropriate audience and accurate language.
A candidate may be fluent in everyday conversation but have limited experience analysing a literary passage. Another may have strong vocabulary and neat writing yet struggle to synthesise ideas from two sources without copying.
The best preparation diagnoses these separate skills. It asks whether a learner can retrieve the relevant fact, justify an inference, explain a writer’s effect, plan a source-based response and create an independent composition.
A student who knows one familiar story well is not necessarily ready for unseen reading. The examination deliberately measures application to material that the candidate has not rehearsed.
The aim is confident control of Vietnamese across different purposes, not simply reproduction of examples taught in class.
Two compulsory papers, equal weighting
The 2025–2027 Cambridge 0695 qualification has two written components, each two hours, each 50 marks and each worth 50%.
Paper 1 Reading and Directed Writing contains structured and extended responses based on three reading texts. The student must handle an unfamiliar fiction passage and then use two related non-fiction texts to create a new argumentative or discursive response.
Paper 2 Writing requires two independent compositions. One comes from the discursive/argumentative section, the other from the descriptive/narrative section.
This means an excellent storyteller cannot simply skip argumentative writing, and a strong factual reader cannot replace Paper 2 with more comprehension exercises. The assessment expects breadth of written communication.
Plan learning so both papers receive attention, but adapt the amount of repair to the student’s actual weaknesses. Use the mark scheme to distinguish content selection, interpretation, organisation and language accuracy.
Paper 1 Section A: twenty-five marks
Paper 1 Section A is called Comprehension and Use of Language. It carries 25 marks based on Text A, an approximately 900–1000-word fiction passage from the twentieth or twenty-first century.
Question 1, worth 16 marks, asks about explicit and implicit understanding. Question 2, worth 9 marks, examines figurative language, writer’s choices, structure and the effects created for the reader.
These are related but different. The first asks what is happening and what can reasonably be inferred. The second asks how language contributes to meaning.
Read the text once for the overall situation and again for the details required by the questions. A student who searches only for keywords can miss important context, especially when the writer develops a change in attitude across several paragraphs.
Practise short responses that use relevant evidence, not long summaries that ignore the precise task.
Comprehension: begin with the event sequence
Before interpreting a fictional character’s feelings, establish what the character actually did and what the passage says happened first, next and last.
A student might read about a person arriving late at a school reunion, seeing an unexpected visitor and deciding not to speak. The sequence is important. If the visitor arrived after the decision, that arrival cannot automatically be presented as the earlier cause.
A useful reading worksheet has five fields: setting, main characters, important action, significant change and ending. Students complete these in their own words before answering deeper questions.
This technique helps prevent an answer based on vague familiarity with the story’s theme rather than actual detail. It also prepares the learner for writer’s-effect questions, where a particular word choice may gain meaning from what has just happened.
The objective is not to retell every sentence. It is to build a reliable mental model of the passage so each answer stays grounded in text.
Explicit and implicit meaning are not interchangeable
An explicit fact is directly stated. An implicit meaning is inferred from relevant clues and context. The distinction is fundamental to Paper 1.
Consider an original situation: a student looks at a sealed envelope, puts it in a drawer and changes the subject when a visitor enters. The actions are explicit. A reader might infer reluctance to discuss the letter, but cannot reasonably invent its contents without further evidence.
A useful practice routine records stated fact, possible inference and supporting phrase. If an inference has no supporting clue, it should be weakened or removed.
Students should also consider how later details change an earlier impression. A character who appears rude at the beginning of a story may later be shown to have misunderstood the situation.
Good reading makes room for uncertainty while still reaching supported conclusions. That discipline is more valuable than a bold claim written only to impress the examiner.
Writer’s language: why a technique label is not enough
Question 2 assesses how the writer’s choices affect meaning and the reader’s experience. Naming a metaphor, comparison or repeated phrase is not the same as explaining its effect.
An original Vietnamese practice phrase might be “Con đường im lặng như đang chờ một lời giải thích.” It describes the road as silent, as though waiting for an explanation. In an appropriate scene, this may create expectation or unease through personification.
The correct interpretation still depends on surrounding context. The same image could also carry quiet humour or a feeling of suspended activity. Students should not be taught that every silent street automatically conveys fear.
Use three moves: identify the relevant words, explain the particular association and link the effect to the passage’s situation or reader understanding.
Practise with unfamiliar excerpts and short written explanations before attempting longer answers. The skill is precise contextual analysis, not a competition to list every literary device.
Structure: what the order of information achieves
Writers create effects through paragraph order, pacing, perspective and contrasts between scenes. A sudden short sentence can change emphasis, while delayed revelation can make a reader reinterpret earlier details.
Imagine a story beginning with a cheerful journey and slowly revealing that the traveller is leaving home permanently. The later information may transform how the earlier descriptions are understood.
A student should identify the specific structural shift and explain how it affects interpretation. Vague claims such as “the structure makes the story exciting” do not show why.
A useful learning exercise divides a passage into opening, development, turning point and outcome. Then ask what the writer would lose by moving one important detail to the beginning.
This helps students see that structure is a deliberate choice. It also supports Paper 2, where an effective composition needs planned pacing and coherent progression.
Structure should serve meaning rather than appear as a decorative technical label.
Paper 1 Section B: a genuine source-based task
Section B is Directed Writing, worth 25 marks, based on Text B and Text C, two linked non-fiction passages with a combined length of up to approximately 900 words.
Students must use and evaluate information from those texts to produce an argumentative or discursive response in an appropriate form, such as an email, report, article or speech.
The official syllabus emphasises that the task assesses understanding of the source ideas. Students may develop those ideas, but should not introduce unrelated information from outside the texts.
This is a crucial distinction from general composition. A student can have a strong personal opinion but still fail a Directed Writing task by ignoring the sources or inventing statistics.
Read both passages, identify the main claim in each and select the points relevant to the assigned purpose. Then organise the response for the intended audience rather than copying the original order of the texts.
This is critical reading translated into purposeful writing.
Directed Writing: the fifteen-plus-ten marking split
The Directed Writing task awards 15 marks for reading-related selection, analysis and evaluation, and 10 for writing quality.
A candidate who writes fluent Vietnamese but misrepresents the source argument may lose reading marks. A candidate who accurately identifies the relevant points but presents them in disorganised or unclear prose may lose writing marks.
Treat feedback as two connected questions. First: what source ideas were selected, how accurately were they interpreted, and were their differences evaluated? Second: did the response fit the intended genre, reader and communicative purpose?
Students should not assume that adding extra words automatically improves either objective. More repetition can weaken selection, and a longer introduction can crowd out meaningful source evidence.
A short planning grid can distinguish source fact, reasoning, relevance and qualification. Use it during learning, then gradually reduce the amount of scaffolding under timed practice.
The goal is accurate synthesis, not a stitched-together summary of two separate passages.
A worked source-selection example
Imagine two original short passages about whether a school should open its study rooms later in the evening. One discusses students needing quiet space; the other considers supervision, electricity costs and transport availability.
A weak response might simply write “late opening is good” and then invent a figure about improved grades. The source materials did not provide that figure, so the claim is unsupported.
A stronger response identifies the actual benefits and costs and explains which conditions would make late opening suitable. It might recommend a trial period if that proposal can be developed from the source ideas and the assigned task.
The student should be able to trace every factual claim to Text B or Text C. Where the two passages disagree, represent the difference accurately rather than forcing them into one position.
This example teaches how to build a reasoned new response from supplied evidence without relying on invented authority.
Synthesis: more than two consecutive summaries
A common weakness in Directed Writing is to produce one paragraph headed “Text B says” and another headed “Text C says,” then finish. That may report content but not synthesise it for a specific reader.
Synthesis groups related ideas and explains their relationships. If one text offers a benefit and another identifies a constraint, organise the response around the decision that connects them.
For example, a discussion of school transport could combine demand, safety and cost into meaningful categories. Do not force unrelated details into one paragraph merely because they appeared beside each other in the insert.
Use a planning question: What does this reader need to understand or decide? Then choose only evidence that serves that purpose.
The final writing should communicate independent organisation without changing what the original texts actually claim.
The learner should practise producing the same synthesis for different audiences—a school leader and a student audience, for example—to understand how form changes presentation.
The four task forms and why audience matters
A Directed Writing prompt might ask for an email, report, article or speech. The chosen form affects the opening, tone, organisation and ending.
An email to school leadership should make the issue and request clear. A report may prioritise findings, supporting evidence and recommendations. An article for a student newsletter may need an engaging but accurate introduction. A speech should be understandable when heard.
Do not assume the most elaborate formality is always most appropriate. A short purposeful opening may be more effective than a ceremonious paragraph that never reaches the source-based issue.
During practice, identify the speaker, reader or listener, expected action and source information needed. Then draft a response that fits all four.
A useful test is to ask whether someone unfamiliar with the original question could understand the purpose from the finished text.
Audience is a writing decision made before the first paragraph, not a decorative correction after the essay is completed.
Paper 2: two compositions, not one
Paper 2 Writing lasts two hours and contributes 50 marks and 50%. Candidates answer two questions, one from each compulsory section.
Section A offers two titles, one discursive and one argumentative; students choose one. Section B offers two titles, one descriptive and one narrative; students choose one.
Each response is worth 25 marks, and the published guidance is approximately 400–500 Vietnamese words per composition. A student cannot write two narratives and skip Section A, even if their storytelling is particularly strong.
The syllabus therefore requires both reasoned discussion and imaginative or observational composition. A well-rounded revision plan prepares all four genres, then develops reliable question-selection skills.
Do not choose a title merely because it contains a familiar keyword. A good choice is one for which the student can build a coherent piece with relevant development under the available time.
Read the entire question before beginning the first sentence.
Discursive writing: examine competing considerations
Discursive writing explores different aspects of an issue. A strong response considers relevant arguments fairly, identifies the conditions under which they operate and reaches a qualified judgement when appropriate.
Imagine a title asking whether digital learning tools are better than printed materials for school students. A useful discussion could consider convenience, accessibility, cost, distraction and the needs of different subjects.
A weak response merely lists “advantages” and “disadvantages” without explaining mechanisms or effects. A stronger paragraph shows why a benefit arises, who experiences it and what limitation may reduce it.
Balanced writing is not automatically an equal number of words for both sides. Relevant evidence and reasoning should determine emphasis.
Plan paragraph purposes before drafting. One paragraph could examine access, another learning needs and a third practical constraints, leading to a conclusion that follows from the comparison.
The aim is clarity and fairness rather than a ritual statement that every issue has both good and bad sides.
Argumentative writing: make a defensible case
Argumentative writing presents a position and supports it with reasons and relevant examples. It should persuade through logic and clarity rather than extreme language.
A hypothetical school prompt might ask whether community service should become a regular part of student life. A candidate could argue for it by explaining relevant learning and community benefits while acknowledging supervision and scheduling needs.
Every reason should connect to the central claim. A paragraph about an unrelated memorable holiday may contain beautiful language but weaken the argument.
A strong response can recognise a serious counterargument and explain why the final recommendation remains sensible under the stated circumstances.
Avoid unsupported absolutes such as “all students will immediately become more responsible”. More proportionate language can be more credible.
Practise writing a one-sentence central position, three distinct supporting reasons and a concise conclusion before attempting the full 400–500-word composition.
The goal is purposeful persuasion, not repetition of slogans.
Descriptive writing: use selected details to create meaning
Descriptive writing lets readers experience a person, place or situation through deliberate observation and language. It does not need an elaborate plot or a metaphor in every sentence.
Imagine describing an early morning riverside market. A useful progression might begin with the wide setting, focus on one vendor arranging goods, then close with changing light as the first customers arrive.
The writer should know the intended impression before choosing details. A scene can be lively, quiet, uncertain or nostalgic, but the details need to support that quality.
Students often weaken descriptions by listing every possible sound, smell and colour without coherence. A few precise details arranged purposefully may communicate more.
Practice with short observational paragraphs, comparing two viewpoints or changing one focal detail. Discuss how the reader’s experience shifts.
The same skill helps literary analysis: a student who understands what their own descriptive choices do may notice similar decisions in an unfamiliar fiction passage.
Narrative writing: show cause and change
A narrative tells a connected sequence of events in which something changes. The event need not be dramatic to be meaningful.
A student might write about discovering an incorrect school announcement, deciding whether to intervene and facing the results of that decision. The story develops through the character’s choices and consequences.
Plan an opening situation, complication, response, turning point and resolution. Each stage should follow coherently from earlier information. A twist introduced without preparation can feel arbitrary and weaken the reader’s trust.
Dialogue should reveal something useful or move the action forward. Long conversations that repeat the situation without changing it can consume word count without development.
After drafting, read the story’s main events as a short list. If they do not form a logical chain, revise the plot before polishing adjectives.
An effective ending completes or reframes the central issue rather than simply announcing that the character learned a general moral lesson.
400–500 words: structure before decoration
The published guidance of 400–500 words for each Paper 2 response gives students a sense of expected development. It should not encourage them to add unrelated paragraphs until a target length is reached.
A short plan can allocate space to the opening, meaningful development and conclusion. The balance will differ between an argument and a narrative, but both need a clear overall shape.
If the first half of an essay contains only background, the student may have too little space for the real discussion or event. If the conclusion is rushed, the central idea may feel unfinished.
After writing, remove repetition, correct meaning-changing errors and check that every paragraph serves the chosen title.
The school should practise realistic handwriting or examination-response conditions. Digital word counts can be useful during learning, but the student must still manage time and structure in the actual format.
Control and relevance are more valuable than producing the longest possible response.
Vietnamese diacritics: spelling changes meaning
Vietnamese uses Latin letters with diacritics marking tone and, in some cases, vowel identity. These marks are part of accurate spelling and can distinguish words that otherwise look similar to an unfamiliar learner.
A student may understand spoken language confidently but make written errors when typing or handwriting quickly. The remedy is deliberate practice with meaningful phrases, not merely decorative emphasis on accent marks.
For example, ma, má and mà represent different forms with different tones and meanings in relevant contexts. The student should learn whole expressions rather than assume the marks are optional.
A good revision routine includes reading a phrase, writing it from memory and checking diacritics and word choice. Then use it in a new sentence so the spelling is connected to meaning.
The objective is clear written Vietnamese that remains reliable under examination pressure, not a perfect-looking page copied from a model.
Word choice: near-synonyms can change the tone
Vocabulary range matters, but precision matters more. Two expressions may share a broad English translation while differing in formality, intensity or natural usage.
A student should ask what a word contributes to the sentence and whether it fits the intended audience. A persuasive speech, intimate narrative and school report may need different registers even when they discuss similar facts.
Keep a vocabulary notebook that records the expression, its meaning in context, an accurate example and one tempting but unsuitable substitute. Review the examples through spaced retrieval rather than only rereading the list.
Do not fill compositions with rare words simply to appear sophisticated. If an ordinary expression carries the exact meaning, it may be the stronger choice.
The best writing uses a range of language deliberately. The reader should follow the argument or scene without decoding unnecessarily elaborate phrases.
This judgement develops through wide reading and focused feedback.
Grammar and sentence clarity
Effective Vietnamese writing requires accurate grammar, punctuation and sentence organisation. Students should understand how clauses relate and how information is introduced, developed and qualified.
A sentence can contain familiar vocabulary yet remain unclear about who acted, when something happened or which condition applies. These issues can affect comprehension and cause the argument to contradict itself.
A useful practice method starts with one clear statement and adds a reason, contrast or qualification. Then ask whether the relationship still makes sense.
Use linking expressions appropriately. A connector meaning “however” should indicate a meaningful contrast, not appear simply because the student wants to sound formal.
The learner should also avoid paragraphs consisting entirely of sentences of identical shape and length. Variation can help readers follow emphasis and progression, but should serve meaning.
During correction, focus on high-impact repeated patterns before treating every small stylistic preference as an error.
Paragraphs: make the progression visible
A clear composition gives each paragraph a purpose. In an argument, one may present a claim, another develop evidence and a third respond to a limitation. In a narrative, the paragraphs may mark changes in time, place, action or viewpoint.
A practical test is to read only the first sentence of each paragraph. If the progression is impossible to follow, the overall structure may need revision.
Students should not repeat the same point in several paragraphs with slightly different vocabulary. New paragraphs should contribute new reasoning, an example, contrast or development.
In Directed Writing, paragraph organisation should reflect the needs of the assigned audience and the relationship between the two sources. Copying the order of Text B and then Text C may not be the most effective structure.
For description, movement from a wide scene to a focal detail can help create coherence.
Plan before writing, then check whether the actual draft still follows the intended purpose.
A compact method for difficult new texts
When a student faces unfamiliar fiction, begin with overall understanding rather than immediately translating every unusual expression.
First identify the setting, main characters and sequence of events. Second, locate the specific question’s required information. Third, distinguish whether the response calls for direct detail, inference or explanation of language effects.
For a text asking why a character delayed a decision, choose evidence from the passage rather than assume a motive based on everyday stereotypes. If a question asks for a language effect, name the significant expression and explain its local impact.
After marking, find the earliest misunderstanding. Was the time sequence wrong? Was a pronoun misread? Did the student identify a metaphor but never discuss its effect?
Practise the corrected skill with a different short passage after a delay. Recognising the earlier model response is not equivalent to understanding a new text.
This method supports all of Paper 1’s literary work.
Using nonfiction sources without invented evidence
Non-fiction passages may contain facts, proposals, arguments, opinions and examples. A reader should be able to distinguish them before creating a Directed Writing response.
Suppose a source describes survey results, but does not identify a nationally representative sample. The student should not claim that the results prove the preferences of an entire country.
Similarly, if a writer argues that a particular change may help students, the response should not turn “may help” into a guaranteed outcome merely to sound persuasive.
A simple source worksheet asks for each claim, its support, its limit and relevance to the assigned writing task. The learner can then synthesise the points accurately.
Respect the instruction against adding unrelated outside ideas in Paper 1 Directed Writing. General knowledge may help comprehension but must not replace the provided text evidence.
This habit is valuable beyond examinations because it encourages responsible use of information in public discussions.
How wide reading supports the two papers
Reading a variety of fiction, articles, reviews and explanatory writing helps students become familiar with vocabulary, structure, narrative voice and argument patterns.
The benefit increases when some reading is deliberate. After a short article, ask what the writer’s main point is, how the evidence was organised and whether the conclusion follows. After a story, identify a turning point and a phrase that shapes atmosphere.
Students should learn principles from strong writing without copying authors’ distinctive lines into their own assessed responses. Originality means communicating a new answer based on the task and the student’s understanding.
A manageable routine is more realistic than building an enormous list of books that remain unread. Choose materials appropriate to the student’s age and proficiency, and revisit useful expressions through independent writing.
The aim is a flexible repertoire of reading and writing habits that survive unfamiliar questions.
Common Paper 1 mistakes
Paper 1 failures often involve using an unsupported inference, selecting the wrong source detail, treating a technique label as the entire answer, or writing a Directed Writing response that ignores one of the two texts.
Each needs a specific repair. Unsupported inference requires locating textual evidence. A wrong fact requires question-scanning practice. Weak language analysis needs explanation of a particular effect. Poor synthesis needs a source-comparison plan.
A teacher should not respond to every error by giving the student another entire essay. A short, targeted exercise may reveal whether the concept is now understood.
Keep an error log with question, first incorrect decision, corrected principle, and independent retry date.
When the learner returns to a different passage and makes the right choice without prompting, progress is more credible than simply recognising the old mark scheme.
The goal is reliable interpretation, not memorisation of one examiner’s wording.
Common Paper 2 mistakes
A student may choose a title with too little to say, produce a generic introduction, leave the second compulsory composition rushed or repeat memorised descriptions that do not fit the new prompt.
Other problems include incoherent chronology, excessive adjectives, weak counterarguments, inconsistent viewpoint and inaccurate diacritics.
Diagnose the actual weakness before assigning extra writing. For topic selection, practise making outlines from several possible titles. For narrative structure, practise cause-and-effect event sequences. For argument, develop one complete reason before adding another. For spelling, use short delayed retrieval.
A full essay rewrite can be useful, but only if the learner understands what changed and why. Rewriting randomly often reproduces the same weakness with different words.
Strong feedback should help the student choose better methods independently when the next prompt appears.
Repair, stabilise and extend
Repair supports students with unstable foundational reading, grammar, spelling or paragraph organisation. Work in short meaningful units and build towards longer answers only after the foundations are reliable.
Stabilisation supports students who understand familiar lessons but struggle with unseen passages or changed writing titles. Use mixed tasks, delayed retrieval and reduced scaffolding.
Extension challenges students with secure fundamentals to compare interpretations, evaluate non-fiction arguments and write with nuanced organisation and voice.
A learner might be highly capable in narrative but need repair in source-based synthesis, or strong in comprehension but weak in figurative-language analysis. Treat those as separate skill profiles rather than assign the whole student one label.
The student should eventually be able to read the question, select a method, produce an answer and explain a correction without relying on the tutor’s exact model.
A four-session weekly preparation routine
Session 1 — fiction comprehension: read a new passage and answer questions about explicit facts, supported inference and writer’s effects.
Session 2 — two-source Directed Writing: compare relevant ideas, identify evidence and plan a response for an intended reader. Occasionally complete the full timed question.
Session 3 — composition: alternate discursive/argumentative and descriptive/narrative practice, including outlines, paragraph development and correct diacritics.
Session 4 — correction and retrieval: revisit a previously misunderstood skill, write a new short response and evaluate whether the repair transferred.
Use a realistic duration based on school commitments. A full timed paper is useful closer to the examination but should not crowd out careful feedback and individual skill repair.
A sustainable routine with repeated accurate retrieval can do more than a final week of copying model essays.
A twelve-week examination roadmap
Weeks 1–2: confirm Cambridge 0695 and the examination year. Diagnose fiction comprehension, language effects, two-text synthesis and four composition genres.
Weeks 3–5: repair high-impact weaknesses in reading accuracy, paragraphing, spelling and source selection. Work with short varied material.
Weeks 6–8: deepen writer’s-effect analysis and Directed Writing while developing sustained argumentative, discursive, descriptive and narrative work.
Weeks 9–10: complete current-format Paper 1 and Paper 2 tasks under the correct two-hour time limits. Review errors by their first cause and mark weighting.
Weeks 11–12: consolidate recurring weaknesses, practise question choice and check current official centre instructions. Avoid learning one generic essay for unknown prompts.
This is an illustrative timetable, not the official Cambridge teaching order or a promise of a particular grade. Students may require longer foundational work depending on prior experience.
Frequently asked questions
How many papers does Cambridge 0695 have? Two compulsory written papers, each worth 50%.
How long are the papers? Paper 1 Reading and Directed Writing and Paper 2 Writing are each two hours and carry 50 marks.
Does Paper 1 include fiction? Yes. Section A uses a modern fiction passage and tests comprehension plus the writer’s language and effects.
What does Section B require? Directed Writing based on two linked non-fiction texts, developing an appropriate argumentative or discursive response without unrelated outside ideas.
How many Paper 2 compositions are written? Two: one discursive/argumentative and one descriptive/narrative.
What is the expected writing length? Approximately 400–500 Vietnamese words for each Paper 2 response in 2025–2027.
Are dictionaries permitted? No. The examination prohibits dictionaries.
Is this qualification available worldwide? No. The Cambridge subject page lists administrative zones 4 and 5, and centres must confirm entry.
Official materials and connected reading
Use the Cambridge IGCSE First Language Vietnamese (0695) qualification page and 2025–2027 syllabus PDF as the primary references for this article.
A separate 2028–2030 syllabus is listed on the official page; candidates in those years should use that document. The page also provides updates and, where available, specimen and learner support.
For related reading, the eduKateSG guides How IGCSE First Language Malay Works, How IGCSE First Language Chinese Works and How IGCSE First Language Arabic Works demonstrate related literacy skills. Their languages and paper requirements are different, so use their examples rather than their mark schemes when learning transferable ideas.
Use current specimen papers for exact-format assessment and revisit weak skills independently.
Final student checklist
- I know the correct Cambridge IGCSE First Language Vietnamese code 0695 and my examination year.
- I understand both written papers are two hours and worth 50% each.
- I can identify explicit information, supported implications and a writer’s particular effects.
- I can analyse a fiction passage without inventing information outside the text.
- I can select and evaluate evidence from two related non-fiction sources.
- I can write a Directed Writing response suited to the specified audience and form.
- I can complete one argumentative/discursive and one descriptive/narrative composition.
- I can write sustained prose of approximately 400–500 words per Paper 2 task.
- I proofread Vietnamese spelling, diacritics, paragraphing and language clarity.
- I use current official materials and retry errors through unfamiliar tasks.
IGCSE First Language Vietnamese works when students can connect accurate reading, contextual interpretation, source-based reasoning and original writing. The aim is not merely a large vocabulary. It is the ability to understand new material and communicate a clear, thoughtful response in the required form.
Official source: Cambridge IGCSE First Language Vietnamese (0695). This eduKateSG guide is independent educational commentary, not an official Cambridge publication.
Other IGCSE Student Guides in This Batch
Explore these companion eduKateSG guides for more Cambridge syllabus information. Every subject has its own examination code and year, so check the relevant rules before choosing a course or practising papers.