English Paper One Contents (with sample questions answers)

 

English Paper One Notes

 

1.                 FUNCTIONAL WRITING

·       Stick to the items on the syllabus

 

FORM ONE

Diary

Addresses

Packing list

Informal letters

Public notices

Inventories

FORM TWO

Business letters

Posters

Advertisements

Personal journals

Shopping list

Invitations

Telephone messages

Filling forms

Letters of apology

 FORM THREE

Reminders

Personal journals

Notes of thanks, condolences, congratulations

Telegrams

Letters of application

Synopsis

Reports

Notification of meetings

Agenda and minute writing

Memorandum (loose minutes/memo)

 

FORM FOUR

Recipes

E-mails

Fax

Letters of inquiry

Letters of request

Book reviews

Questionnaires

Autobiographies/biography

Curriculum vitae

Speeches

 

·       Build your vocabulary database. Use correct effective vocabulary.

E.g. Recipe

Preparation: Cook, Fry, Boil, Steam, Roast, Grill, Bake

Methods: Chop, dice, slice, knead, roll out, mash, grate, and whip

·       Pay attention to the DEGREE OF COMMUNICATION-communicate effectively

·       Pay attention to the DEGREE OF FORMALITY. Some questions require formal responses while others require informal responses. They take different formats.

·       Respond to the FORMAT of the test item.

·       Understand the CONTENT- Read and understand the rubric.

·       Avoid grammatical errors and use a relevant TONE.

 

2.               ORAL SKILLS

Areas of study

ü Sounds

ü Oral literature

ü Interpersonal relationships

 

a)  Sounds

Objective: Students should be able to speak accurately, fluently, confidently and appropriately in a variety of contexts.

 

Note: Spelling in English may or may not relate to pronunciation (e.g. Yacht, poignant, lichen, tortoise etc)

 

Under sounds, the candidate will be tested on

·       pronunciation

·       stress

·       intonation  

·       rhythm

 

                          a)            Pronunciation

Exercise:

Give the words represented by the phonetic transcripts below.

 

 

Here, candidates should expect questions on;

•  Homophones
•  Silent letters
• Odd one out in terms of pronunciation
•  Grouping words according to the pronunciation of certain sound

 

                          b)            Stress

•  Stress in words
•   Stress in sentences-this is the use of stress to bring out the contextual differences in sentences

  

                           c)            Intonation

Falling and Rising intonation

 

                          d)            Rhythm

The questions require the candidates to identify ways in which a poet achieves rhythm e.g. through use of rhyme, alliteration, assonance, repetition of words and phrases, punctuation e.t.c.

 

Errors in pronunciation may be attributed to:

ü Sounds which don’t exist in your mother tongue

ü Sounds which exist in your mother tongue but you can’t perceive the variance

ü You have the actual sound but lack the stress variance

ü You may be misled by other speakers e.g. teachers

You can improve your confidence, accuracy and fluency in speech by participating in;

 

ü Debating

ü Poetry recitation

ü Drama/elocution

ü Everyday dialogue

 

                          b)            Oral Literature

 

Test areas

·       Oral Poetry (Oral songs)

·       Oral narratives

 

Oral poetry

Three distinct areas are tested:

a.    Preparation for delivery of a certain line

b.   How to deliver every item

c.    After the delivery

•  how to signal the end of a performance
•  the reaction of the audience

 

When answering questions on the PRESENTATION/PERFORMANCE of any item, say;

 

WHAT you would do

WHY you would do it

 

For example:

 

Preparation

You are preparing to deliver a LULLABY before an audience. What would you do before the performance in order make your delivery effective?

 

•  I would rehearse the song in order to master it
•  I would rehearse before a mock audience to be corrected/ to gain confidence/ to overcome stage fright
• I would gather costumes like lesos and kangas which help create the mood/atmosphere of a tranquil home
• I would create props e.g. a model baby to help maintain the attention of the audience

 

Actual Delivery

Imagine you’re performing a LULLABY before an audience. What would you do to deliver the song effectively?

 

•  I would sing it in a soft, lulling voice/at a slow pace to cause a lulling effect.

 

Imagine you’re performing a CIRCUMCISION SONG before an audience. What would you do to deliver the song effectively?

 

• I would sing it fast/STRESS the word coward/raise my voice to cause the candidate to be courageous/bold

 

After the delivery

 How would you signal the end of the performance?

 What is the reaction of the audience? 

How would you SAY a certain line of a poem/narrative?

 

ü Distinguish verbal & non verbal cues

ü Use the right vocabulary e.g. instead of “I would use appropriate facial expressions” say I would grin, smile, beam, frown, grimace, scowl, glower, glare etc.

 

Verbal cues include;

ü STRESS

ü Say it softly/gently

ü PACE Say it fast or slow

ü VOLUME say quietly/loudly

ü TONE say it angrily/with an angry tone

ü INTONATION rising/falling intonation

 

TIP: If a question asks for a given number of points, do NOT give more than the specified number.

 

                           c)            Interpersonal Relationship

How you relate with others (Etiquette)

Politeness is mostly tested using dialogues or fill-in conversations. Always read the conversations to the end. 

ü Practice etiquette

ü Always use polite language

 

Notes on KCSE English paper 3 essay questions and answers