PART D: COMPOSITION Total Value:
24 marks Suggested Time: 40 minutes
INSTRUCTIONS: Using standard English, write a coherent, unified, multi -paragraph composition of
approximately 300 words on the topic below. In your compositio n, you may apply any effective and
appropriate method of development which includes any combination of exposition, persuasion, description,
and narration.
Use the page headed Organization and Planning for your rough work. Write your composition in ink on the
pages headed Finished Work.
In addressing the topic, you may draw support from the pictures below, the experiences of others, or
upon any aspect of your life: your reading, your own experiences, and so on.
COMMENTS:
1. The topics, by themselves, are seldom interesting. Your task is to make the given topic interesting. The
topic is now accompanied by visual prompts which illustrate the topic. The topics for eight recent
exams appear below:
i.
The important things in life endure over time.
ii.
Keeping an open mind allows for growth.
iii.
The pursuit of freedom involves change.
iv.
Being sincere is important.
v.
Taking charge of your own life is worthwhile.
vi.
Adapting to new situations in life is essential.
vii.
Surprises can make life interesting.
viii.
It is important to have a realistic view of life.
2. Many teachers suggest that you begin your planning by jotting down as many possible ways of
responding to the topic as you can generate. Do not write on the first three ways you listed, as these are
likely to be the approaches used by many other students.
3. The range of methods of responding to the topic is large, including the following:
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informal and formal essay, including personal, reflective, informati ve, persuasive and argumentative
styles;
real and imaginary narration, including use of first and third person;
descriptive writing, including descriptions of characters, places, situations, events, etc., real or
imaginary.
The exam instructions include the following warning: "Ensure that you use language and content appropriate to
the purpose and audience of this examination. Failure to comply may result in your paper being awarded a zero.
You do not wish to offend your reader. Typical exam markers are at least in their forties, are probably parents,
are well-read in sophisticated literature, are fairly conservative, and are reasonably well -adjusted socially. If
you write a narrative featuring graphic depiction of sex and/or vio lence, the inappropriateness of your
response will outweigh any writing ability you exhibit, and your mark will suffer accordingly.
1.
If you are going to write an essay, you should prepare a brief outline containing your thesis and the
topic of each body paragraph. You can brainstorm, make a web, or use any other approach that works
for you. This planning time is always well spent.
2.
The topic is always thematically linked to one or more of the readings on the exam. If you write an
essay, you can refer to the readings on the exam. You can, of course, also refer to anything else you
have read; the plays and novels you've read during the last two years can be good choices.
3.
If you are going to write a narrative, be sure you know how it will end before you begin. Also, limit
the action so that you don t need 2000 words to tell your story, as you wont have time to write 2000
words.
4.
If you write a narrative, kill characters only when they must die to preserve the story 's artistic
unity. Death is a convenient way of resolving a conflict, but, statistically speaking, it seldom
occurs in real-life conflicts.
5.
If your writing and purpose are clear, you do not need to explicitly mention the' topic in your
composition. Using the topic word for the first time in your concluding sentence is seldom
effective. Using the topic word repeatedly in your composition is also seldom effective.
6.
According to a survey of exam markers, effective compositions are those which
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engage the reader's attention in the first paragraph;
in essays, may contain implicit thesis statements;
include variation in sentence length and style;
use a wide and precise vocabulary;
include some figurative language;
if essays, contain the following features to engage the reader's attention: the use of
hedges (tentative suggestions rather than absolute statements), and pertinent examples;
may use humour;
display originality;
give little indication of being revised -- the writers seem to revise internally.