admin Charles Dube
I AM seized with learners’ requests asking what they can do to pass English Language examinations. One problem area cited is composition writing.
The best remedy for improved composition writing is reading widely among other things. Learners who read a lot will agree with me that they do not struggle in writing compositions.
Through wide reading they encounter many new words which they add to their vocabulary acquisition. They come across many expressions which they later use in their writing. Well, read learners, do not run short of ideas in composition writing. There are many books to read for interest in libraries and bookshops. Nowadays learners access thousands of books through the internet from channels like YouTube.
However, easy as it might seem that learners would pick up relevant readers from school, library or from YouTube, the problem is that learners lack imagination. Modern day learners need strong motivation for them to read as many novels. There is nothing much a teacher can do in motivating learners to write good compositions as long as that feeling is not within them.
Learners just write compositions which are devoid of ideas. At times whatever is raised lacks logic and cohesion. Learners at times blunder when choosing types of essays to answer because they forget to read through all the questions provided. They take the first option if it sounds familiar and they feel they have enough detail even if it covers a single paragraph. From there onwards the composition is full of redundant ideas. The learner cannot move forward but remains stuck on repeating the same idea in three to four paragraphs.
Many learners ignore the fact that a composition is a form of creative writing. They are given a topic or topics and they are expected to create a story situation using their own words. This supports the idea that there is very little a teacher can do to make a learner pass if she or he lacks vocabulary strength and creativity. I have discussed various techniques of improving writing of compositions.
But I have no choice except to mention some again as learners continue to clamour for help in those areas. The compositions written though imaginary, they have to be original. When one talks of originality in creative writing, learners seem to be lost. They ask how that could be when they are writing stories from their imagination? Yet, that could be explained in very simple terms. When they write their compositions, they should make sure that their stories talk of imaginary things as if they were real.
For example, the characters they use should be realistic. Even though imaginary they should show that given the chance they can live by giving them live roles. Readers love to read stories that have original tastes. We have already shown that a composition has a structure. Learners lose marks in tests or examinations because they ignore certain basics required when writing compositions or grammar. For example, every composition has a composition on top of it, but how many of our modern day learners remember that? You find sentences just hanging with no full stop put at the end, there are no commas where there is supposed to be a pause. Knowledge on the use of the apostrophe is non-existent.
Learners should remember that a composition has an introduction. You capture the attention of the reader in the introduction. This has long been emphasised by teachers. Every composition has a body made up of information that is placed in paragraphs. This leads us to the point of paragraphs. Every composition has paragraphs and finally a conclusion.
All these aspects are forgotten by learners which lead to the whole blame placed on the teachers. Of course, every paragraph has a topic sentence which states what that particular paragraph contains. A topic sentence is the main idea of a paragraph. This particular concept is very difficult for learners to understand and needs thorough practice with the involvement of the teacher. Once this is done in class learners will apply it in their writing of compositions.
The best advice learners can grab from these discussions is that they need to read widely to get as many ideas and expressions to use from various sources. To score high marks they should minimise having a lot of spelling mistakes. They should avoid having many grammatical errors. There is no mistake considered as minor in English Language. You lose marks for any of those errors you consider small.
In an examination the idea is to maximise all the marks given so as to pass well rather than just pass. Well groomed English Language learners should by the time they sit for their final examinations have covered all the composition types. I have discussed some of them on this page and these include: the narrative composition, the descriptive, the discursive, the imaginative or story-telling composition, the picture composition, the friendly and business letter. Then we have the report and speech type composition.
Some learners are uncomfortable when asked to write speeches or reports in the examinations. All problems seem embedded on the formats used for each of these. It does not matter even when told that formats are unimportant in the examination. Learners take that with a pinch of salt. Examiners are mainly concerned with how well the learner structures his report.
Was the learner able to maintain appropriate register? (Register means the use of accurate words and vocabulary required for a formal report. Has the learner answered all the rubric points. The best way to begin a report in the Ö-level English examination, for example, is to write Sir and put the date adjacent to it.
The first paragraph should tell what the report is about. If reporting about an event then in the first paragraph you should also inform the reader when and where the event took place. In the next paragraph you should tell how the entire event took place. Some eye catching relevant incidents worth mentioning must be added. In the last paragraph you should add some suggestions concluding remarks from your side. Remember you should be entirely objective.
At times examiners ask the learners to provide some suggestions; in that case you are to add subjective remarks. End by writing “signature” and your name. Keep your language simple.
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Bongani Ndlovu