Online Reporter
THIS week, we go back to composition writing. Compositions are written every two weeks. If you have not mastered the skill of writing compositions, take a look at the points presented here, which can assist you. Precisely, these are guidelines on how to write an English Language Paper One examination.
This comes in handy for those, who are going to sit for the English Examination in June. Even those who are going to write examinations at the end of the year are not exempt from taking note of these suggestions.
Have a good night’s sleep before the examination. When told to start, read through all the instructions. Do not assume that instructions are the same as those you had read before. Do not bring instructions from home. Read the instructions presented on the day, not what the teacher has told you before.
Read all questions in Section A, even if you find the first one so good you want to write on it.
Choose one topic according to the instructions and read it again carefully. Your choice should be guided by your performance in the type of essay during practice. Remember to write compositions after every fortnight — to have had thorough practice by the time you get to write examinations.
Thorough practice will help you choose the type of composition you are best at. Having done that, you will not spend a lot of time making your choice. Choosing a topic for your composition is not easy, especially if you have not practised as required.
There are schools where teachers do not follow the requirements of the syllabus. You find, for example, students having written three compositions in the whole year. This obviously shows that students have not been given much practice. Plan your essay from beginning to end before you start writing. Some people are good at making mental plans – these are equally as good as the written ones. Mental plans show clearly that most students do not like planning their compositions. Lack of planning results in disorganised compositions. The compositions lack cohesion. Ideas are disjointed as students write a single idea and wait to think of the next point.
Work on the introduction as it sets the tone for your composition or creates a good impression. Avoid just repeating the topic. For example, “The most enjoyable day I spent with my family – you should not: ‘There are many days I have enjoyed, but there is the most enjoyable day’. This is uninspiring and uninteresting. Some even go to the extent of describing it as dull, meaningless and showing no creativity. It does not set the tone or impression.
Work on the body of your composition, making sure you choose the right register of the subject matter, paragraph well, using discourse markers to achieve cohesion and coherence. We now go to issues relating to Section B of English Language examinations. Here you are mostly asked to write reports. Take note of the points you consider when writing reports. A report is not a letter, therefore, you do not need an address.
Consider the person or people who are going to read the report, so that you use the correct register. Think about what you want to achieve in writing the report so that your piece of writing has a focus. Paragraph your ideas and write in correct grammar.
Section A tests your ability in Free compositions while Section B tests your ability in Guided compositions. Read the question carefully, noting the different parts so that you can respond to it fully. Read through the points given, relating them to the question and jot down any other points of your own you might include.
Such creativity is rewarded at this level (provided the question says so – others ignore the question totally, which is wrong. Plan your answer, making sure the points are presented in a logical manner. Before you start writing, think of ways of developing or amplifying the given points.
There is not much credit for just repeating what is given. Write your guided composition, making sure you use the correct register for the type of writing and display a good linguistic ability, as in the free essay. Paper Two of the English Language examination comprises the comprehension. How do you approach this section? Comprehension demands thorough reading in order to be able to answer the set questions. You should be a fast reader if your performance in comprehension is to be of high quality.
Quickly scheme through the comprehension passage to get a rough idea of what it is about. Read all the questions, try to store in your mind what they require.
Now, read through the passage faster to recognise the main ideas and their qualifying details. Start answering the questions in the order they come and according to instructions. Be very sure that you understand fully the question you are answering and that your answer is not ambiguous. It has to be straightforward and to the point. You can write yourself out of an answer by saying too many unnecessary things.
Vocabulary questions require that you give meanings as they are used in the passage. Many students lose marks by giving just the meanings they know, which are not contextual. Give brief explanations and read what comes before and after the word in question in the passage.
One-word questions require that you explain without repeating the words of the question. There is need to focus on the quoted words and explain briefly with meanings that fit in the context.
Your grammar, spelling, punctuation should be correct throughout. Remember, this is a language examination.
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