MALOSA SECONDARY SCHOOL LANGUAGE INSET

CRUCIAL AREAS IN MSCE ENGLISH

Paper I; Sec A (30 Multiple Choice Questions)

• Prepositions
• Verb tenses and Modals
• Phrasal verbs
• Conditional sentences
• Registers/Vocabulary
• Connectives/Conjunctions
• Parts of Speech
• Order of Adjectives
• Subordinate Clauses
• Phrases

Sec B; Continuous writing (40 marks)

• Letter writing
• Report writing
• Speech writing
• Short Story writing
CONTINUOUS WRITING

1. LAYOUT; LETTER (5marks)

a) Sender’s address

• It is placed at the top right side of the paper.

• Capitalise the first letter of each important word.
• Postal address should be written in full. (no abbreviations like P.O. P/Bag)

• Not punctuated if the layout is in block format.

b) Date

• Contains the day, month and year the letter is written.

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• Ordinals should contain st, nd, rd or th depending on the preceding number. (no superscription)
• First letter of the month should be capitalised.
• Put a comma between month and year.
• Do not punctuate at the end of the year.
• Avoid using the symbol (/) or hyphen (-), write in full.

c) Receiver’s address

• It is written from the left margin below the date.

• Begin with post or title of the recipient.
• The post should be preceded by an article e.g. The General Manager)
• Capitalise the first letter of each important word.
• Postal address should be written in full. (no abbreviations like P.O. P/Bag)

• Do punctuate if the layout is in block format.

d) Salutation

• Address the recipient by gender.

• Begin with Dear…
• Be precise; do not use both Sir and Madam.
• Do not punctuate at the end.

e) Title

 Must be a phrase; very brief and straight to the point.

 Include the area where the issue is occurring.
 It must be centred.
 No punctuation mark at the end.
 If it is capitalised, do not underline.
 In small letters; capitalise first letter of important words and underline it.

f) Valediction

 Begin from the left margin.

 Use Yours faithfully not Yours truly or sincerely and do not punctuate.

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 Put a signature before your name.

 Write both first and surname below the signature.

 Only the first letters on both first and surname should be capitalised.

 The capacity or designation in which one is writing is optional. For example;

Malosa Secondary School

Private Bag 3

Chilema

11th September, 2023

The Manager

South-East Education Division

Private Bag 48

Zomba

Dear Sir

CHOLERA OUTBREAK AT MALOSA SECONDARY SCHOOL

Yours faithfully

Signature

Moses Maloachepa

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REPORT (memorandum style)

a) Date

• Should be written from the left margin.

• Do not label it (Date: …)
• The day should contain st, nd, rd or th depending on the preceding number. (not super-imposed)
• First letter of the month should be capitalised.
• Put a comma between month and year.
• Put a full stop at the end.

b) Sender’s address

• It must be linear (written as a sentence, with each item separated by a comma)

• It must be labelled (From: …)
• Begin with title or name of the sender.
• It must be fully punctuated.
• Capitalise the first letter of each important word.
• Postal address should be written in full. (no abbreviations like P.O. P/Bag)

c) Receiver’s address

• It must be linear (written as a sentence, with each item separated by a comma)

• It must be labelled (To: …)
• Begin with title of the recipient.
• It must be fully punctuated.
• Capitalise the first letter of each important word.
• Postal address should be written in full. (no abbreviations like P.O. P/Bag)

d) Title

• It must be a phrase; very brief and straight to the point.

• Include the area where the issue is occurring.
• Do not label it. (Subject: …)
• No punctuation mark at the end.
• If it is capitalised, do not underline.

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• In small letters; capitalise first letter of important words and underline it.

e) Valediction

• Do not use ‘Yours faithfully’ as it is done in letter writing.

• Just put a signature.
• Write both first and surname below the signature.
• Only the first letters on both first and surname should be capitalised. For example;

Sample Layout

11th September, 2023

From : The Headprefect, Malosa Secondary School, Post Office Box 2, Chilema.

To : The Manager, South-East Education Division, Private Bag 48, Zomba.

VANDALISM OF PROPERTY AT MALOSA SECONDARY SCHOOL

Signature

Moses Maloachepa

(NOTE; Layout of a report should be fully punctuated)

2. CONTENT (25 marks)

a) Introduction

• Candidates should provide the aim of the letter and location of the area where necessary.
• Location may include either of the following; distance in kilometres from a well-known area,
campus directions, physical/geographical features, i.e. rivers, mountains, forests, lakes, trading
centres, hospitals, farms etc.
• It must be a brief paragraph

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b) Body

• This is where the points are outlined at length.

• There is no required number of points to be used; candidates may write at least 5-8 points while
being mindful of the word limit of 350-500 words.
• Write each point in a separate paragraph; do not combine.
• Use signal words or transitional lines to show coherence. (connection)
• Present the point right in the topic sentence then back it with details and illustrations where
necessary.
• Indicate paragraphs by skipping a line after each point.
• Formulation of points may follow (but not strictly) the following pattern;
Extent of the problem;
• Candidates can highlight how serious is the damage caused in the violent acts.
Causes;
• drug and substance abuse among students
• lack of compliance to disciplinary decisions etc.
Effects;
• suspensions and expulsion from school
• arrests
• fines on damaged property etc.
Solutions;
• guidance and counselling on rights and responsibilities
• exercising restraint
• punishing culprits (suspension/expulsion) etc. NB. This structure may not apply to every
question.

c. Conclusion

• It must a brief paragraph.

• Provide a summary of what has been discussed in the body.
• It may as well include a warning, advice or recommendations on the matter.
• Do not just list the points earlier discussed in the body.

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SPEECH WRITING
• A speech is a type of composition in which the writer imagines to be addressing a live audience.
• It is a personalised type of composition hence it requires frequent use of first and second person
pronouns (I, me, we….you, your, yours). This makes a speech to be lively.

1. INTRODUCTION
• It should be a brief paragraph.
• It should begin with a salutation of dignitaries (guests).
• Dignitaries should be acknowledged in order of their hierarchy or seniority (from highest to
lowest).
• Acknowledge the dignitaries beginning with their titles then their names.
• The titles should be preceded by an article ‘The…)
• Be mindful of the list of dignitaries that it should not be so lengthy.
• Between the title and the name, there should be a comma and a semi colon should be used before
introducing another dignitary.
• It should include welcoming remarks.
• Highlight the purpose or aim of the speech.
• Sometimes the purpose is preceded by indicating the speaker’s state of mind. (i.e. I am greatly
honoured… I am pleased … I am privileged to be…)

• You may include a plea for attention.

The Education Division Manager, Mr. Msakatiza; the Headteacher, Mr. Gwembere; the Deputy
Headteacher, Mr. Patel; all members of staff present here; my fellow students; ladies and gentlemen,
let me begin by welcoming you all to this important gathering. I am greatly honoured to be here and
talk to you on the problem of drug and substance abuse, and I hope you will be with me through the
entire speech.

2. BODY
• This is where the points are outlined in detail.
• Write every point in its own paragraph, do not combine them.
• Use signal words; firstly… secondly… in addition… furthermore….finally etc.
• Attention grabbers are also used to achieve transition, coherence and flow of the ideas. i.e.
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen…
The guest of honour, ladies and gentlemen…

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My fellow students and all guests gathered here…

• Present the points in the topic sentence then provide backing details.
• Paragraphs should be clearly indicated by skipping a line before introducing another point.
• Formulation of points should be in line with the question. In most cases, it is advisable to follow
the pattern; extent of the problem, causes, effects and solutions approach is suitable. However,
candidates are guided by the demands of the question.
• There is no required number of points, however, students should observe word limit of 350-500
words. For example;
a. Extent of the problem;
• Candidates can highlight how serious the problem is, by providing statistics of those that are
involved in the malpractice.
b. Causes;
• stress and anxiety
• peer pressure
c. Effects;
• violence
• mental disorder
d. Solutions;
• guidance and counselling
• punishing culprits

NB. This structure may not apply to every question.

3. CONCLUSION
• It must be a brief paragraph.
• Repeat the list of dignitaries by recognising the guest of honour and the rest in general.
• Show appreciation for their attention.
• Avoid showing religious or political affiliations.eg God bless you all.
Example
The guest of honour, Mr. Msakatiza; distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, this is all I had to
share with you. I thank you all for being an attentive audience.

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Candidates are penalised if they commit the following errors;

Writing a speech in a narrative form.
• Failing to include names of dignitaries.
• Failing to repeat the list of dignitaries and appreciating them.
• Using third person pronouns.
SHORT STORY WRITING

• A piece of writing that is significantly shorter or less elaborate than a novel.

• It deals with only a limited number of characters.
• It is mostly built on one fully developed theme

FEATURES OF A SHORT STORY

In continuous writing, a short story should have the following elements:

a) Setting

• Candidates should clearly develop the location and time frame in which the events take place.
• Setting may also be in a form of the environment (physical or social).
• Most importantly, candidates should clearly develop the geographical setting (urban or rural)

b) Characters

• An individual that takes part in the development of the story.

• These characters should be categorised as protagonists and antagonists.
• Use flat and not round characters.
• Do not dwell much on character development since the plot is compressed.

c) Plot

• The sequence of events that make up a story.

• Present the story in a way that is not complex.
• The plot should clearly show the following elements;

i. Exposition; the beginning stages of the story where there is an introduction of characters and
setting.
ii. Rising action; the stage where the conflict is introduced and the main character is in a crisis.

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iii. Climax; the peak of the story where a major event happens and the main character encounters a
major challenge, fear, change, excitement or drama.
iv. Falling action; the stage where the tension or conflict begins to slow down as it moves towards
the end.
v. Resolution (denouement); the stage where all issues are finally resolved.

NB. The story should not end in suspense.

d) Conflict

• This struggle between two opposing forces in a story. It can be internal or external.
• A character may be in conflict within him/herself, with other characters, with the environment/
nature, society or the supernatural world.

e) Point of view

The angle from which a story is narrated. The story may be narrated from;

i. First person point of view;

The narrator uses first person pronouns and adjectives like I, me, us, my, our etc.

ii. Third person point of view;

• The narrator is an observer type of a storyteller and uses third person pronouns e.g. he, she, they.

f) Theme

• The central, unifying idea in a literary work.

• Themes are mostly built on morality or recommendations on how we live.
• Candidates should convey the theme(s) so as to allow the reader to pick and interpret them on
their own rather than state.

g) Mood

• This is the emotional response that the author is targeting.

• Tone, plot and characters help set the mood of a story.

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• A story can have a jovial, sad or scary mood.

h) Style

• The way the author writes or tells a story.

• It deals with tone, choice of words (diction), sentence structure, usage of figurative expressions
(similes, allusion, metaphors, symbols etc.)
A well written short should clearly have dialogue and narrative moments;

i. Dialogue

• A conversation between two or more characters.

• It is presented in direct speech.
• It must be properly punctuated.

ii. Narration

• The act of telling a story.

• It must be written separately from dialogue.
• It can be either in first or third person point of view.

Best Ways to Introduce a Short Story;

 Dialogue

‘Dad, will you drop me at school today?’ Ayanda asked as she was tightening her schoolbag.

 Figurative speech

Human character is like pregnancy; it cannot be concealed…

 Using geographical setting

Just before crossing the railway line heading to Andiamo, armed robbers stopped me…

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 Seasonal setting;

The chilly atmosphere of June; spiced up with a storm and screaming of wild game in a distant
bush made me freeze with fear…

 Using allusion

I don’t totally blame Adam and Eve for chewing that fruit. I mean after all, wasn’t he only human?’

NB. Candidates will lose marks if they commit the following errors in short story writing;

1. beginning s short story like a folktale

2. plagiarism or writing a story that is not original
3. writing a narrative
4. writing a story without clear names of characters

LANGUAGE (MECHANICAL ERRORS)

Every grammatical error attracts the deduction of ½ mark and the most common errors include:

• Unnecessary capitalisation
• wrong spellings
• poor or lack of punctuation marks
• word omissions, especially articles and prepositions
• writing numbers for quantity words between 1-100
• using figures of time i.e.10 am, 3 pm
• double subjects; many students they fail school due to poverty
• double conjunctions; I love playing football and also basketball
• use of abbreviations, acronyms, symbols, contractions or short forms: i.e. P.O. Box, UNIMA, /,
it’s, org.
• cutting compound words: i.e. bed room, head teacher, can not
• combining separate words; i.e. inorder, a lot, inspite
• wrong word order; I and my friend went to Salima
• wrong sentence construction: I can be able to go to school
• wrong choice of words: There….Their….They/ ….tell….beg…

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• wrong usage of demonstratives; this students….these student…

• unnecessary repetitions; each and every student… this is the reason why…next of next week
• beginning sentences with conjunctions/connectives; as, and, so, because, due, not only...but
also, but etc.
• lack of coherence
• literal translations; he was told to close the radio
• plurals; childrens, mens, womens
• slang/colloqualism; kids, mum, dad, wanna, gonna, gotta
• use of borrowed terms/vernacular without quotations and commentary
• lack of subject-verb agreement

Mark Allocations

Letter and Report

• Layout 5
• Content 25
• Mechanical Errors 10 Total – 40

Speech and Short Story

• Mechanical errors 10
• Content 30

Total 40

M.S.C.E
LETTER SPEECH/SHORT STORY
1. On/Full 5+{10-x}+12 (14) Bare pass On/Full {10-x}+14(16)

↓ ↓
3 3

2. On/Full 5+{10-x}+15(20-25) Outstanding On/Short {10-x}+17(25-30)

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3. On/Off Full 5+{10-x}+10 On/Off full {10-x}+12

↓ ↓
3 3
4. On/off Short 5+{5-x} + 7 On/Off Short {5-x}+10

↓ ↓
2 2
5. Off/Full 5+{5-x} +7 Off/Full {5-x}+10

↓ ↓
2 2
6. Off/short 5+{5-x}+ 5 Off/Short {5-x}+5

↓ ↓
1 1

J.C.E
LETTER COMPOSITION
7. On/Full 2+{5-x}+7(9-13) On/Full {5-x}+9(12-15)

↓ ↓
2←5 0←7

8. On/Short 2+{3-x}+4(6-8) On/Short {3-x}+6(8-10)

↓ ↓
1 1
9. On/Off Full 2+{3-x}+2(4-7) On/Off full {3-x}+4(6-8)

↓ ↓
1 1
10. On/off Short 2+{3-x}+2(5) On/Off Short {3-x}+2(5)

↓ ↓
1 1
11. Off/Full 2+{3-x}+2(4) Off/Full {3-x}+2(4)

↓ ↓
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1 1

12. Off/short 2+{3-x}+2(3) Off/Short {3-x}+2(3)

↓ ↓
1 1

COMMON MISTAKES IN PAPER I

 Swapping of items in layout (especially salutation and title)

 Capitalising the whole layout
 Putting wrong suffix on ordinal numbers on the date in letter and report writing (st, nd, rd and th)
 Writing short compositions
 Writing the whole composition in one or just a few paragraphs
 Capitalisation of certain letters ie yipsfgjc and others
 Rushing to write before understanding the question (off point, on/off)

PAPER II

NOTE MAKING 20 MARKS

A skill that involves extracting important ideas from a given passage and putting them into fair set of
notes. The goal in note making is retention of the original meaning of the passage. Important areas in
note making include;

a. Layout (8 marks)

i. Title (2 marks)

• It must be a phrase.
• It must be written at the centre.
• It must not be labelled.
• It must not contain any short forms.
• It may be capitalised. (not underlined)
• It may be in small letters. (underlined)

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ii. Main points (4 marks)

• They must be phrase.

• They should be written from the left margin.
• They should be in small letters except for the first letter and proper nouns that begin with
upper case.
• They should not contain any short forms.

iii. Consistent underlining of main points (1 mark)

iv. Consistent numbering (1 mark)

b). Content (8 marks)

• Include major and minor supporting points

• They should be a minimum of 16 valid points.
• Each correct point is awarded ½ a mark.
• They should contain conventional short forms (abbreviations, acronyms, symbols)

• They are written a few inches away from the left margin (indented).

c). Style (4 marks)

• phrasing (1 mark)
• 3 different symbols (1 mark)
• 3 different abbreviations, acronyms or short forms (1 mark)
• brevity, awarded for getting the first 3 (1 mark)

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SAMPLE

STAGES FOLLOWED IN DICTATION

1. Read books and identify passage

a. reads passage several times
i. to find out if things he/she wants the learners to achieve are available
b. chooses simple, clear & short passage
c. must not contain ambiguous words
i. avoids confusing learners
d. make sure that the passage contains sp patterns e.g. –tion/-sion
i. must have more of such words than others

Mark Allocation

Layout 8

Content 8

Style 4

NB. Mechanical errors are not penalised.

COMPREHENSION (30 marks)

• The word comes from a Latin term ‘comprehensionem’ which means ‘seizing’. Thus, when you
have comprehension means you have seized information.
• This is an area where a candidate is supposed to demonstrate understanding of a passage and their
ability to answer questions correctly. It demands candidates to accurately understand the passage,
decode what they read and reflect deeply with what they know. The following are the guidelines
in comprehension;

1. Do not copy the question statement.

Eg. At what age did Pilirani lose her mother?
Ans; fourteen years old
2. Answers that are in form of sentences must begin with a capital letter and end with a full stop.
Eg. Why did Zagwa leave his native country?
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Ans; Zagwa wanted to find money to support his family. (sentence)

3. Answers that are in form of phrases or clauses must begin with a small letter and end without
a full stop.
Ans; to find money and support his family (phrase)

4. Maintain the verb tense of the question in your answers.

Eg. What led Pilirani to be chased from her father’s house?
Ans; She got into a relationship with Zagwa.

5. Use correct spellings; British and not American spellings.

6. Punctuate your answers properly.
7. Do not use short forms (abbreviations, acronyms, symbols and contractions).
8. Always paraphrase the answers, do not lift from the passage. A candidate who simply copy
and paste the answer loses half of the allocated marks for a question.
9. When providing meanings of words, provide a synonym of the same form.
Eg. yelling-shouting
fabricate-create

10. When explaining the meanings of expressions, provide a phrase as well.

Eg. turned a blind eye - did not pay attention
hatched a plan - devised a way

11. For description of characters, provide an adjective that describes behaviour then back it with
evidence from the story.
Eg. Describe Zagwa’s character.
Ans; He is responsible as he went abroad to find resources to support his family.

12. Do not cut words.

13. When suggesting a suitable title, attach it to the main character, plot or theme.

Eg. Pilirani the Courageous Girl

Plirani’s Misfortunes

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SUMMARY WRITING

• Identify at least 6 main ideas in the plot.

• Points should be identified using the stages of plot; exposition, rising action, conflict, climax,
falling action and resolution)
• Points should follow the natural flow, where the plot is complex, rearrange them.
• Summarise the points in one prose paragraph.
• Use either present or past tense but be consistent.
• Do not use figurative expressions, eg metaphors, idioms.
• Do not use short forms (abbreviations, acronyms, symbols and contractions)
• use the third person narrator when summarising (names or pronouns he, she, they

EXAMPLES OF POINTS

Pilirani’s father married another woman after his wife died.

The stepmother abused Pilirani and her siblings.

Pilirani was chased from home and she married Zagwa.

Zagwa went abroad to secure money to support his family but died in an accident.

Pilirani arranged to go abroad to source income for the family.

A transporter cunningly got Pilirani’s contact number with an idea of calling her to his quarters and
rape her.

Pilirani managed to kill the transporter and escape.

Pilirani got arrested by the police.

(the points should be connected in a single, prose paragraph)

ERRORS THAT ATTRACT ZERO MARK

• summarising a different story

• beginning the summary like a folktale
• lifting sentences from the original passage
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• summary without names of characters

• summarising in point form as in note making
• summarising in first person point of view

Full summary- Short summary (mark allocations)

6 content 3

2 flow 1

2 mechanical errors 1

10 TOTAL 5

COMMON MISTAKES IN PAPER II

NOTE MAKING

 using short forms in title and main points

 missing key words when phrasing
 missing action verbs when phrasing
 using short forms that are not conventional
 using words that change meaning of the text when paraphrasing eg
leading instead reading.

COMPREHENSION AND SUMMARY

 Lifting answers from the original passage without paraphrasing

 Failing to punctuate sentences properly.
 Changing names of characters.
 Writing answers that are too loaded with information and attracting
errors.
 Failing to describe characters and justifying the answers.
 Capitalising answers when providing suitable titles.
 Giving titles in sentences.
 Beginning summary like folktale.
 Mixing of verb tenses.
 Writing a summary that is too short or too long.

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LITERATURE ESSAY WRITING

LOADED ESSAY

• Comes in a single question statement.

• It must be properly numbered.
• It must begin with a brief introduction (paraphrasing the question).
• Requires eight points.
• Each point must be in its own paragraph.
• A point must be in the topic sentence followed by backing and example.
• Each point is worth 2 marks.
• A conclusion is optional, where it is used, let it be brief.

MULTIPLE ESSAYS

• The question phrase is split into two parts.

• Each part must be treated separately.
• Number each essay appropriately.
• Introduce each part separately.
• Each part requires four points.
• Demarcate or skip a line after first essay.

QUALITIES OF A GOOD ESSAY

• Must be good in expression (sentence construction, clarity and strength of points, free of
mechanical errors).
• No numbering of points.
• Do not retell the story.
• No repetition of points.
• Consistency in verb tense (present/past tense)
• Paragraphing must follow the P.E.E approach (Point, Expand, Example)

Note that essays are examined on Themes, Characterisation, Events in Plot and Literary devices.

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Mark Allocation

Loaded (8×2) + 4 = 20

Multiple (4×2) + 2 = 10 (each)

COMMON MISTAKES IN PAPER III

 Candidates struggle to identify figures of speech/poetic devices

 Candidates struggling to describe characters using proper attributive adjectives.
 Candidates struggling to express themes using proper nouns or noun phrases.
 Candidates struggling with spelling for ‘rural.’
 Candidates not following instructions in section B hence writing 2 questions from one book.
 Candidates starting an essay without proper numbering and introductory statement. This makes it
hard for the marker to determine the question being answered.
 Candidates using wrong names of characters e.g. Joana for Juana, Juana Tomas
 Candidates writing 5 points for loaded essays as they do in other subjects.
 Candidates just writing a sentence for a paragraph. They should write 3 to 4 lines following the
PEE.
 Candidates overloading the paragraphs hence ending up going astray.
 Candidates writing essays without paragraphing.

END OF DOCUMENT

Moses J. Maloachepa -Malosa Secondary School

Contact numbers: 0881 763 093/0993 441 027

email: [email protected]

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