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.