Tips on how to write answers to the questions appearing at the end of Passage 2 in GCE O’ Level English

Tips on how to write answers to the questions appearing at the end of Passage 2 in GCE O’ Level English

1.      Read first 2/3 questions. It will help make your mind keen enough.

2.      Then give the passage a quick, thorough reading.

3.      Next, once finished with your first reading, get back to the questions area. Read all 2/3 questions set against paragraph 1. Then holding a pencil or pen, underline areas where you find their answers.

4.      Why to read all 2/3 questions constructed on a paragraph?

(It helps you know how much information/detail is to be given responding to each of the question, or else you are likely to do the mistake of giving detail in an answer which is, in fact, required in the answer to the next question.

5.      Mentally arrange your answer first before writing. See, how many words you can substitute with different (own words) easily. Substituting all words is not required.

6.      Write your answer--- always write a complete short sentence, and never depend on just a phrase (even if the marking scheme allows to), because it’s been noticed that many of the candidates end up giving a structurally wrong phrase which is incapable of communicating the right answer.

7.      Write in dark blue or black pen to help your answers become conveniently visible for the examiner.

8.      Give just as much information as is required. Avoid giving extra detail.

9.      Always number your points in your answer for a question that carries two marks.

10. On Vocabulary Question:

a)     Never write a complete sentence.

b)    Always write a short phrase which should be no more than seven (07) words.

c)     Do not write literal meanings of the words.

d)    Write meanings that are contextually closer to the words.

e)  Even if you do not know literal meaning of a word, you can successfully sense its meaning by reading that part of the text repeatedly.

f)  Remember, knowing literal meanings of words is neither necessary, nor humanly possible since there are millions of words which no one can memorize.

g) Your talent and skill ‘To sense the meaning of a given word’ is what the examiner, in fact, asks for.

h) Always manage to review your answers. Stay assured, we all commit minor mistakes while writing for the first time since human mind, during that while, remains in the grip of thought process.

Tips and Techniques for Summary Writing in Passage 1 in GCE O' Level English (1123)

Tips and Techniques for Summary Writing

Instructions	Examples
1.        By holding a pencil, underline all vocabulary words in the points box. Next, write a synonymous word close to each word.	Fixing      Enough   The idea of installing sufficient number of lifeboats was contemplated but rejected. Thought of            discarded
2.        Incorporate more than one point in each of your sentences.	The idea of fixing enough lifeboats was considered by the manufacturers but was discarded to avoid needless expense, thinking that Titanic would not sink.
3.        Avoid using passive voice wherever it is possible.	Passive: The captain was not listened to by the owner. Active: (The owner did not listen to the captain.)
4.        Do not write the obvious.	Steve started eating healthy food I love to wear a cap She drank a glass of water Father took his medicine regularly		OBVIOUS to be able to gain strength. on my head. to quench her thirst. to be able to get rid of the disease.
5.        Use single word adjective or adverb rather than adj. clause and adv. clause	Adj. Clause A man with gigantic height came close to him. A tall man came close to him. Adv Clause They played football showing lots of energy. Adv They played football energetically.
6.        Never write superfluous and pointless text.	Superfluous Text There are many benefits of reading books. Some of them are simply superb with which you can excel others around. For example, you enhance your knowledge on finding solutions to a variety of issues. Another benefit is that reading helps you improve your expressive power.			Smart Reading books helps you enhance your knowledge and expression.
7.        Do not write synonymous words.	Each and every player was equally interested. Every boy was interested. Michael called him over and over again. Michael called him repeatedly. Or Michael called him again.
8.        Do not use an adverb to describe an adjective to emphasize the significance of something.	·          …but that was absolutely useless. …but that was useless. ·          Mother told him it was unavoidably important. Mother told him it was important. ·          It was highly appealing. It was appealing.
9.        Do not use ‘that’ in reported speech.	·          Mother told him that it was important. Mother told him it was important. ·          Sami suggested that we should relax for a while, but we were so very excited that we rejected the idea. Sami suggested to relax, but we rejected the idea.
10.     Avoid giving reason where it seems unnecessary.	Sami suggested that we should relax for a while, but we were so very excited that we rejected the idea.
11.     Shrink clauses to phrases and phrases to single words.	The man who was wearing a big, blue coloured cap came forward. The man wearing a cap came forward. It was a lecture that covered every aspect of the topic. It was a comprehensive lecture.
12.     Precision: Be precise and write single words instead of definitions.	I realized its importance was more than usual. I t was doubly important. She had a whole collection of documents that contained detailed information about the event. She had a dossier on the event. A person who is too curt in his or her dealing abrupt For years dreadful memories of the crime she had committed kept coming to her mind. For years she was haunted by guilt. A situation that does not allow any viable solution Complicated Sami was feeling extremely irritated and he dropped the idea of attending his cousin’s birthday party. Frustrated, Sami changed his mind.
13.     When showing contrast, use connectors.	On the other hand, on the contrary
14.     Sometimes, you can show a list of so many points in a single sentence.	She had many different chores to do before moving to the market. She was to cook food as per her husband’s desire. She had a pile of washable clothes waiting for her to finish. Next, she wanted to make a couple of important phone calls that seemed unavoidable. Also, she was planned to reading a book review on her laptop. Cooking, washing, making phone calls and reading a book review were the jobs to be finished before her moving to the market.
15.     Your summary must be continuous prose, and not in points form.
16.     Do not paragraph. Your summary must appear as a single paragraph.
17.     Use formal language words.	Informal About Guy Mind-blowing Nuts	Formal Concerning/pertaining to Man, boy Astounding/astonishing Mad/absurd
18.     Keep having a look at the list of serious errors and minor errors. SERIOUS ERRORS 1.        Wrong verb forms. 2.        Serious tense errors. 3.        Serious errors of sentence structure, especially in setting up subordination. 4.        Omission or obvious misuse of prepositions. 5.        Wholesale misunderstanding over the meanings of words used. 6.        Serious errors of agreement. 7.        Ingrained weakness of punctuation, i.e. the habitual comma replacing the necessary full stop. 8.        Mis-spellings of a minor nature. Count as a serious error when the form of the word is severely mangled. 9.        Obvious slips of repetition or omission. 10.    Breakdown of sense.	MINOR ERRORS ·         Minor errors of punctuation, i.e. the failure to complete pairs of commas in parenthetical ·         Phrases/clauses, omissions of stops after introductory words like 'however'.

Guidelines on How to do Comprehension Passage 1 in GCE O' Level English (1123)