FD10A Past Examination Papers/Topics
INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES:
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Candidates are permitted to use an English Dictionary (not a thesaurus).
Candidates are advised that this is a two-hour paper. At least 40 minutes of this
time should be allocated to planning, editing and proof-reading.
The Task:
Write an expository essay of 500 – 800 words on ONE of the topics (1 – 7) below. Write
mainly for readers with tertiary level education anywhere in the English-speaking world.
The Topics (in April 2002):
1. Violence in schools in Jamaica or in the Caribbean
2. Restrictions on the use of cellular telephones
3. Security measures at the University of the West Indies
4. Family size and quality of life
5. Science and an ageing population
6. The cost of education
7. Crime and information technology
The Topics (in December 2002):
1. The role of religion in your country
2. Challenges facing (a named group) in your community
3. Crime
4. The value of honesty
5. Lessons from a recent (named) national or international event
6. Saving communities
7. The road to national development
The Topics (in July/August 2003):
1. Gambling
2. Literacy and national development
3. Dancehall music OR Carnival
4. Science and civilization OR Globalization and disease
5. Lessons from the war in Iraq
6. Harassment in the hospitality industry OR Sexual harassment
7. Threats to social order
The Topics (in December 2003):
1. Identify ONE theory to which you have been introduced in a named course, and
explain the practical application of this theory to contemporary life.
2. Challenges of living in the 21st Century
3. Main reasons for the quality of performance of students (from a country of your
choice), in CXC English A examinations
4. Modern perceptions of education
5. How to succeed in … (an activity of your choice).
6. Responses to information technology
7. Unemployment in a named Caribbean country
The Topics (in April 2004):
1. Parenting and education
2. The importance of racial identity in the Caribbean
3. Turning points in modern history
4. The impact of the UWI on your personal or professional life
5. The value of religion in contemporary society
6. Lessons from Haiti
7. Problems affecting the lives of young people today
The Topics (in December 2004):
1. Enforcing a dress code at the University of the West Indies
2. The cost of tertiary education
3. Balancing economic development and environmental preservation
4. National Youth Service and social reform
5. Parenting in the 21st century
6. Lessons from a named recent international or regional event
7. The value of a named activity or occupation
The Topics (in April 2005):
1. The roots OR consequences of poverty
2. The Caribbean Single Market and Economy
3. The legacy of Pope John Paul II
4. Improving the education system in your country
5. Health and the environment
6. The impact of EITHER music OR television OR reading on the young
7. The value of EITHER a scientific discipline OR philosophy OR religion
The Topics (in July/August 2005):
1. Caribbean integration
2. Violence in schools
3. The role of education in solving the most pressing problems affecting your
community or country
4. Managing science and technology for national development
5. Corruption and social order
6. Status anxiety as social disease
7. Building a humane world
The Topics (in December 2005):
1. Discuss the crime situation in a Caribbean country of your choice
2. Debate the implications of the Caribbean Single Market and Economy
3. Choosing a political leader
4. Attitudes to Creole languages
5. If you were advising your government on economic affairs, what strategies would
you suggest for creating sustainable economic development?
6. Examine the role of the family in the educational process
7. Discuss the factors that affect students’ performance in examinations