IGCSE English 0500: Comparing Register and Tone Across Two Messages

A student sent two messages about the same event, being late to a group project meeting.

Extract 1 (text message to a friend in the group): "hey so sorry, running late!! group project meeting totally slipped my mind, be there in 10 mins tops, don't start without me lol"

Extract 2 (email to the project supervisor, Mr Reyes): "Dear Mr Reyes, I apologise for my delay in joining today's group project meeting; I lost track of time and will arrive within the next ten minutes. Thank you for your patience."

(a) Identify TWO differences in register and/or tone between Extract 1 and Extract 2. [2]

(b) For EACH difference identified in (a), explain how it suits the different audience, purpose or form of that extract. [4]

Assessment focus

This question tests a comparative skill: judging how the SAME underlying content (being late to a meeting) is reshaped by register and tone across two different audiences, and explaining why each version is appropriate for its own context rather than treating one as simply more “correct” than the other.

Part (a): Two differences

Formality of language: Extract 1 uses contractions and abbreviated, casual phrasing throughout (“hey so sorry”, “10 mins tops”, “lol”), while Extract 2 avoids contractions entirely and uses complete, formal sentences (“I apologise for my delay… I lost track of time”).
Tone: Extract 1’s double exclamation mark and breezy phrase “totally slipped my mind” create a light, relaxed tone, treating the lateness as a minor, forgivable slip among equals. Extract 2’s tone is measured and sincerely apologetic, with no exclamation marks and the closing note of gratitude “Thank you for your patience” reinforcing genuine respect.
Address: Extract 1 has no greeting at all and launches straight into the message, while Extract 2 opens formally with “Dear Mr Reyes”.

Any two clearly distinct, genuine differences are creditable.

Part (b): Why each suits its context

Extract 1’s informality suits a friend (an equal, not an authority figure), the form of a quick text message (where brevity and casualness are the norm), and a low-stakes purpose. A fellow group member needs only a quick heads-up, not a formal justification.

Extract 2’s formality suits the supervisor (an authority figure whose confidence in the group matters), the more considered form of an email, and the purpose of preserving a professional relationship: sounding sincere and reliable despite the lateness is more important here than it is when texting a friend, where “lol” would simply seem relaxed rather than careless.

Common pitfalls specific to this task

Explaining a difference only as “Extract 1 is worse” rather than recognising that appropriateness, not correctness, is being assessed.
Linking both differences to the same single factor (e.g. audience only) rather than showing how audience, purpose and form can each shape a choice.