ENGLISH LANGUAGE(Marking Scheme)

PAPER 1

NOVEMBER 2001

POSSIBLE ANSWERS

Section A – 30 Marks

Q1
A descriptive topic. Candidates are expected to highlight and
appreciate aesthetics of wildlife.

Q2
The successful incorporation of essential elements of a short story
and originality will be rewarded.

In 2 (a) the emphasis is on the link between the man‟s or the boy‟s
arrival and the sudden happiness expressed. Stories on popular
musicians, sports stars and other celebrities making appearances at
shows or parties would be common in this topic.

In 2(b) the focus is on the emotional restlessness in anticipation of

the happenings of the fateful day. Candidates are expected to
explore convincingly the relationship between the anxiety and the
expectation on the fateful day. Both pleasant and unpleasant
outcomes could be the result. Some essays might end with the day
still to come, thereby leaving the reader in suspense.

Q3
A discursive topic. Reward convincing and well sustained arguments
that focus on the controversial issue of equality between men and
women. Good candidates will examine both sides of the topic to
advantage. Credit is due to well informed opinions.

Q4
A narrative topic. Candidates are expected to explore the dramatic
events surrounding the lost keys which might be locking keys for
different gadgets and machines e.g. car keys, safe keys, house door
keys, fridge keys, suitcase keys or keys as answers to codes to some
problem.

Q5
A descriptive/ narrative topic. The emphasis is on the dramatic
reversal of the intended results arising from the assistance rendered.

Q6
An open ended topic which can elicit expository, descriptive or
narrative responses in which the value of land is the focus.
Candidates might give historical or political accounts. Well informed
responses will be rewarded.

Q7
A descriptive/ narrative topic. Emphasis is on the link between the
incident described and the subsequent noticeable changes in the
family. The changes should be more positive rather than negative.

SECTION B – 20 MARKS

Q8
Candidates are expected to compose logical and appropriate
speeches consistent with the suggested ideas by bringing out the
public‟s or adults‟ failure to appreciate youths as they are. This might
result in conflict between adults and youths, stereotyping and other
inaccurate perceptions of the youths. Emphasis is on the wrong
picture adults have about youths and what causes it. The following
aspects will be rewarded in this essay:
 1. Logical arrangement
2. Effective use of links
3. Variety of sentences constructed and amplification and
inclusion of candidate‟s own material

Note that this is not a letter.

SECTION B (30 MARKS)

Sample answer

Below is an excellent piece of writing passionately capturing the

beauty of nature with all its colours, intriguing habits and unique
characteristics. There is a lot of atmosphere only possible from a
typical, genuine lover of wanting to go out and see the wildlife, live

Q1 The Beauty of Wildlife

The soothing gurgling of the spring tickles my ear. The awakening

shrill cries of the blue tit piece the air. The lion‟s roar echoes through
the forest, resounding the authority of the king of the jungle. All this
and the rustling of the grass in the gentle early morning breeze
makes my soul feel serene and at peace with the world.

The beauty of wildlife can be viewed from a number of perspectives.

Some can see the beauty in the co- habitation of wild animals. Others
appreciate wildlife in the graceful birds that rule the sky. Many others
are grateful to nature for the existence of aquatic life, flowers and
trees which satisfy man‟s thirst for giving pleasure to the eye. Wild
animals have, since time immemorial, attracted the attention of man.
Apart from the graceful beauty that abides in the antelope family,
there are some land animals which display characteristics that are
fascinating to man. An example of such a creature is the Tasmanian
devil, a dog like beast which is said to be the fiercest and smelliest of
land animals. Some have even refused to call it a devil but instead it
was Satan, himself, incarnate.

Birds have also staked a claim on man‟s attention. Various kinds of

birds, especially those which have exceptional physical features, are a
beauty for the eye to behold and revel in. peculiar species like the
duck billed platypus of Australia and the Ostrich of Southern Africa
have drawn hundreds of tourists to watch them. Bird viewing has
become such an interesting sport that some people with uncanny
interest in birds have come to be known as ornithologists. The variety
of birds in Africa alone produces a wide spectrum of colour. The most
celebrated are the vivid colours of the kingfisher and the soft pink
that is characteristic of the flamingo.

Man has even gone to the extent of creating botanical gardens to

protect and allow the flourishing of different kinds of vegetation.
Some particular species of plants, especially flowers, will fetch a high
price because of their beauty and many at times, their scarcity. A
superb example would be the South African cycad, which is protected
and fetches more than five thousand dollars in Zimbabwe. At Gwebi
Agricultural College, an acre of roses fetched more money than fifty
acres of maize.

According to the Bible, when God had created everything, it was

good. As destructive as man is, he has learnt to appreciate the
serenity, therapeutic healing, positive competition and the struggle
for survival in nature. They say beauty is in the eyes of the beholder
and this has proved true in the case of humankind beholding wildlife.

Another candidate attempted a different questions from the same

paper and came up with the essay below which is on land. The
candidate has described the value of land and shown to what length
man can go to get it. Both political and historical influences have
been incorporated in the account. There is no doubt from this piece
of writing that there would be no life on earth without land, hence
the need to look after it well.
SAMPLE ANSWER

Q6 LAND

Land is the vest expensive that stretches beyond where the eye can
see. On it is grass, trees and other vegetation. There are also animals
of many species and on it, people dwell. In cities, tall buildings sit on
it, tarred roads cover it and vehicles move on it. Land is thus
important because from it comes our sustenance; the food we eat.
We grow crops on it and our livestock feeds on the vegetation that
thrives on it. On land, we build mansions, sports facilities, schools
and other infrastructure.

When used properly, we are bound to gain a lot from this resource.
Unfortunately, the land we live on has been at times subject to
abuse. It has been cultivate and overgrazed and now in some areas
of our country, there is only barren land. Geographers talk about
galleys and dongas and soil erosion, all resulting from the
mismanagement of land. Land destruction has at times been
extensive that desert land has been formed. If we are to benefit from
this god given natural resource, then must be utilized appropriately.

Land has caused many to go to war. Bitter struggles have been

fought between peoples of many nations for land. In the Middle East,
untold suffering has occurred because of the war over land. “The
land of our forefathers” one says, „was unfairly taken from us‟. The
fight is to get the land back. Our own Zimbabwe is not immune to
this struggle for land. Our indigenous people went to war with the
Europeans settlers so as to liberate the nation from those who had
taken the means of wealth, mainly the land. From the land came the
crops and minerals such as gold, iron and coal. Without access to
land, the people of Zimbabwe would not be free, and without having
the means of production, they would always be the slaves while the
Europeans are the masters. And so the struggle for land was fought.
In those war times, soldiers were told that at the end, if they were
victorious, they would get the land back.
Of late in our own country, people have even gone to the extent of
killing each other for land. This new war is to address the imbalances
in land distribution across the racial lines where the minority
European settler got the most fertile land and the indigenous
majority got most of the desolate, infertile, arid land. The indigenous
people say the land is theirs as it belonged to their forefathers who
were forcefully removed from it when settlers came. The European
man says it is his as he has title deeds to it. People have taken each
other to the highest courts of law and some have decided to take law
into their own hands and just settle on what ever piece of land they
so choose.

As a result of this grab for land, game reserves have been invaded
and there is callous killing of animals that have for so long been
preserved for our tourists to see. I think that it is time that peoples of
all nations settled their differences about land. From land comes an
ambulance of wealth and if we all share it and live on it peacefully,
then we all benefit. This call for peace in the land about land also
goes to my fellow Zimbabweans. Zimbabwe is a land of beauty,
majestic mountains, roaring waters of the Zambezi and its forest
team with a diversity of wildlife. This senseless killing and grabbing of
property must stop because if it continues, then the beloved land we
all know will be destroyed.

The land is the future of the next generation and as such, it must be
preserved so that our children and their own children and
generations to come will be proud of their land.

Section B – 20 marks

The coming piece of writing is a moving and convincing speech, whch

would leave the audience in no doubt as to why, and how adults
have misconceptions about the youth. This is due to a lot of good
amplification and the use of apt vocabulary.
Q8 ‘TODAY’S YOUTHS ARE MISUNDERSTOOD’

Someone once said, „in times of change, learners inherit the earth
while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a
world that no longer exists.‟ It is the adult who admits when times
have changed, who appreciates that the youths of today have a
different set of values and benefits who will understand the youths of
today. Ladies and gentlemen, my topic today will be „Today‟s Youths
Are Misunderstood‟.

„When I was your age,‟ my father seemed to say all the time, „we did
this and we did that‟. I appreciate that my father lived in a different
era, a time marked by its own set of values and beliefs. But this is
the new age, and what he lived is all but history. Youths of today are
labeled as gangsters, ho-odlums and crazies, just because they
choose to dress in a certain way and have the freedom of speech
that our parents did not have. Dressing in the latest fashion is termed
extravagant and yet it is my mother who gives me the money to buy
what I want. Kids of today are blamed for knowing too much about
their rights. Would they rather we didn‟t know so we could be
subjected to abuse as those before us?

Technology has seen us advance. With the advent of the computer

and the telephone, youths are accused of not being able to manage
their time. They are always out at parties, movies, watching TV,
playing computer games and never seeming to do anything
constructive. In the old days, our parents would go to the fields to
help to plough. Nowadays, in the backyard is a swimming pool.
Would you accuse me of lounging by the poolside if I have one? I am
sure if my mother had a tennis court in her back yard, she would
settle for that instead of a hoe. These are the advantages of growing
up in this age and I don‟t think youths today should be blamed for
taking advantage of the times.

Adults‟ expectations of today‟s youths are too high. They expect that
in this fast paced competitive world, a youth should come top of the
class. This has pushed many youths away from home, as they cannot
live under a light of being pushed and pushed. Living on the edge
has taken drugs so that they can stay top of their class. Parents
cannot understand why their children should fail when they have the
latest of technology. The fact is people failed in the past, they will
continue to do so in the future and today‟s youths are only human.

Youths today are accused of stuffing cotton wool in their ears. On the
contrary, adult advice is well taken. I think it is only that the youths
of today do not settle for an instruction without an explanation. This
is at times mistaken for being disrespectful and a obedient child is
supposed to do as they have been told with no questions asked.

Today‟s youths are socially responsible. They are involved in

community projects. Many are in interact clubs, where they raise
funds for the less fortunate. The fact that they choose a fashion
show as a means to raise funds is irrelevant. Is it wrong to enjoy
one‟s self at the same time as help someone else? Does one have to
be miserable in order to be considered as seriously helping out?
Many also take time to volunteer in homes as they do community
service be at children‟s homes or elderly people‟s homes. Some even
go as far as to help those that are physically or mentally handicapped
by spending time with them.

„The last thing that is on most youths‟ minds is school,‟ so say some
people. „Kids of today are not interested in school. They are just after
quick money and they do not know that they have to go to school to
get a job.‟ People who say such things must learn not to accuse all
other eggs of being rotten when it is only a few in the basket that are
bad. Yes, some youths do not care about school, but for the majority,
their attitude towards school is not always negative. Many brave the
cold winters and long hot summers to travel to school five times a
week. Most even appreciate the opportunity to go to school as not all
children get that chance.

If after all I have said, some people still do not understand today‟s
youths, then remember that in the sixties and seventies, no one
understood the teenagers with their bell bottoms, crazy afros, wigs
and boys who had long hair. Youth is a phase that we all go through.
So parents, bear with the youths. Remember your own parents did
not understand you but you turned out all right did you not?