adminCharles Dube
The past week saw the O-level Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council examinations get into full swing. Quite a number of papers have been written to date. There were mixed feelings as students were getting out of examination rooms. There were signs of gloom to some.
Others were indifferent while a few here and there openly sobbed. The majority though not openly declaring their feelings appeared optimistic. Such is the right attitude towards examinations. One should not despair especially having written part of the examinations papers.
One is reminded of the Biblical verse which talks about reaping and sowing. One reaps what she or he sows. Biblically, if you sow flesh acts, you reap fleshy corruption, but if you reap of the Spirit you shall reap of the same. This applies to the students who are sitting for their final examinations. They shall reap what they are sowing now. Those who have worked hard definitely will pass. The same is true for those who will not have worked hard, they cannot expect to pass. Therefore, it is correct to say, “You reap what you sow.”
We now continue from where we left last week. The final bit reminded students on the need for thorough practice to prepare themselves for their English examinations. They were encouraged to get into the habit of doing exactly what the question tells them to do and to start by following instructions. Today students are encouraged to read through question papers, which are deemed a real pain — but if they do not do it they could have problems. We are told that the best chance of getting a decent mark is learning the golden rule which reads:
“When you have a choice of different questions, make sure you read them all before you start. Do not jump straight in and pick the ones that seem easy”. Different questions want different things. Do not rush to start writing — read them all first.
Note that this applies to comprehension questions as well. By the way the comprehension examination is still to be written.
Practice for it.
Comprehension questions are about reading short bits of writing and answering questions on them. The main thing as stated earlier is to read the whole paper through. A recap of what we said before: the first thing to do is read the instructions and read the passage until it is clear in your mind. But time yourself well in an examination. Sources of comprehension are many.
Students could be asked about media articles, leaflets, travel writing, writing from other cultures and traditions, biography, tourism and writings about animals.
Always read the questions before answering them. Remember do not waste time. Look at the number of marks you can get for each question. If a question is only worth a few marks, do not spend ages on it. Students need to learn and understand these tricky terms: Summarise — summarising means giving the main points of the passage in a limited number of words. Always stick to the stated number of words.
Quote — this means using words, phrases and sentences from the text to back up your points. Refer to the passage — This means write about the passage. And keep referring to it as you write your answer. The secret of comprehension is showing the examiner that you have understood the passage. Do not rush into the question — read the instructions. Read through the question and exactly what it says.
I know this has become monotonous but it is worth repeating. You have got to read the question through as it could save you lots of marks in the examination. It is easy to rush through your answers and easy to make a mess of them. The question tells you everything you need to do. You just have to get on with it. I remember one of my mentors used to say to us in class:
Answer the question nothing else but the question.” You keep this in mind, you will never go wrong in answering questions.
When asked to write about language in comprehension it means the way the author writes — the kind of words and the mood they create. Take note of instructions which state that you should answer in your own words. Follow that to the word than paraphrase using the writer’s words here and there. Some instructions appear straight forward but students take them for granted and ignore them at their own peril. For example, questions which require single word answers, yet one finds students ignoring that.
The end of it all is that comprehension is an important skill — the trick is to prove to the examiners that you have understood the passage. There are just a few points to remember: You have to include everything the question asks for in your answer, and you have got to back up what you write with examples from the text.
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Bongani Ndlovu