1.1 Teacher‟s Notes
1 Ask the students to read the summary question first (Question 31) before they read the passage in Section C. The summary question normally allows them to get some ideas of what the passage is all about. It is an advantage for weak students to know the general idea of the passage before they read it. Teachers must remind the students that they should not write the summary first but after reading the summary question, they should read the passage and answer all the comprehension questions.
2. Advise the students to read the passage paragraph by paragraph. After reading each paragraph, they should read and try to answer the question that is based on that paragraph. By doing so, the students will be more focused in finding the correct answer.
3. Students should be able to identify the keywords in each question. The keywords will be clues for them to find the correct answer in the passage.
4. Students should only copy out the sentence from the text once they have identified the sentence containing the answer. Of course, they must also be reminded that pronouns such as I, me, mine, my, our, us and ours must be changed accordingly.
5. Students must be taught to differentiate a word and a phrase. So, if there is a question asking for a word, they must only write a word for their answer. On the other hand, if they are supposed to write a phrase, they must only write down a group of words which is not a complete sentence such as
„uncomplicated deIivery or „indispensable part of our lives‟. Similarly, if the question requires students to write words as the answer,teachers should guide students to copy a part of a sentence. Make sure they do not lift the whole sentence. In short, teachers must ensure students are aware of the differences of these terms: word, words, phrase and sentence.
6. Students must attempt to check the accuracy of all their answers.
1.2 Student‟s Tips
1. Students must understand the requirement/s of the summary.
2. Students must mark the lines where the summary starts and ends.
3. Students should know that the first 3 lines normally contain the first point or at least a content point.
4. Students must refer to the summary requirement/s before they finally copy out any sentence as their content point. They must be encouraged to question themselves accordingly such as by asking
“Is this a danger he faced?” or “Is this how they solved their problems?”. The questions they pose to themselves are their guide in selectingthe relevant and accurate content points.
5. When students have picked a sentence as their content point, they should copy the sentence completely to avoid any distortion of meaning.
6. For weak or very weak students, they may copy the longest paragraph up to 130 words. By doing so, they should be able to score several marks for content points.
7. Students must also copy the punctuations accurately as they appear in the passage.
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8. They should try as far as possible to keep to the word limit. Exceeding it will just be awaste of time and effort as anything written beyond it will not be considered at all. However, no marks will be penalised for the extra words included.
9. By simply copying out sentences correctly, students will be able to earn 2 marks for Use of Language.
(Add marks for paraphrase and use of English and divide by two)
MARK PARAPHRASE MARK USE OF ENGLISH
5
• sustained rephrasing
• allow phrases from text
• which are difficult to substitute
• expression is secure
5
• language is accurate
• occasional slips or minor errors
• very well-organised and coherent throughout
• marked ability to use original complex structures
4
• noticeable rephrasing
• free from stretches of concentrated lifting
• expression is generally sound
4
• language is largely accurate
• isolated serious errors
• well-organised and coherent in most parts
• some ability to use original and complex structures
3
• limited rephrasing
• intelligent and selective lifting
• expression is not always secure
3
• language is sufficiently accurate
• attempts to substitute with own language limited to single word
expression
2
• more or less a complete transcript of text
• originality barely noticeable
• mindless lifting
1
• heavy frequency of serious errors
• fractured syntax
• incoherent
35 PRACTICE 1
Section C [25 marks]
Questions 26 – 31 are based on the following passage.
1
One day, a young man was cleaning out his late grandfather‘s belongings when he came across a bright red envelope. Written on the front were the words, "To my grandson‖. Recognising his grandfather‘s writing, the young man opened the envelope. A letter inside read:
―Dear Grandson, years ago you came to me for help. You said, ―Grandpa, how is it that you‘ve accomplished so much in your life and you‘re still full of energy I‘m already tired of struggling. How can I get that same enthusiasm that you‘ve got?‖
―I didn‘t know what to say to you then as you were still too young to comprehend the complexities of life. But knowing my days are numbered, I figure that I owe you an answer. So here is what I believe. I think a lot of it has to do with how a person looks at things. I call it „keeping your eyes wide open‟.
First, realise that life is filled with surprises, some not so pleasant and others quite shocking but many are good ones. If you don‘t keep watching for them, you‘ll miss half the excitement. Expect to be thrilled once in a while, and you will be. You attract what you think of the most in life.
When you meet up with challenges, welcome them. Do not bolt! They‘ll leave you wiser, stronger, and more capable than you were the day before. You‘ll be glad you dare to take the bull by its horns.
When you make a mistake, be grateful for the things it taught you. Failure should not stop you from pursuing your dreams. No one is perfect. Resolve to use that lesson to help you reach your goals,
And always follow the rules — even the little ones. When you follow the rules, life works. If you think you ever really get by with breaking the rules, you‘re only fooling yourself. Remember crime does not pay and our past has a sneaky way of creeping up to us.
It‘s also important to decide exactly what you want. Then, keep your mind focused on it, and be prepared to receive it. Being focused on a goal spurs us towards the right direction by channelling our energy on what is actually important so that we are not too overwhelmed by obstacles.
But be ready to end up in some new places too. Change is part of growing up. As you grow with the years. you‟ll be given bigger shoes to fill. So be ready for endings as well as challenging beginnings. Life will not be so predictable. It can also be fun too.
Sometimes we have to be brave enough to move from the familiar to the unfamiliar. Life isn‘t just reaching peaks. Part of it is moving from one peak to the next. If you rest too long in between, you might be tempted to quit. Complacency and contentment will set in. You will not desire to move on. You can become lazy or indifferent.
Leave the past in the past. Climb the next mountain and enjoy the view.
Dump things that weigh you down emotionally and spiritually. When an old resentment, belief or attitude becomes heavy, lighten your load. Shed those hurtful attitudes that slow you down and drain your energy.
Remember that your choices will create your successes and your failures.
5
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So consider all the pathways ahead, and decide which ones to follow. Then, believe in yourself get up, and get going.
And be sure to take breaks once in a while. Everyone needs to recharge their batteries. They‘ll give you a renewed commitment to your dreams, and a cheerful, healthy perception of the things that matter the most to you. Your vision will be sharper and your goals clearer.
―Most important of all, never give up on yourself. The person that ends up a winner, is the one who resolves to win. Losers quit too early in the race. Give life everything you‘ve got, and life will give its best back to you.‖
Love always, Grandpa.
by Steve Brunkhorst
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50
26 (a) From paragraph 1, why did the young man open the letter in the bright red envelope?
_____________________________________________________________ [1 mark]
(b) From paragraph 2, what inspired the grandfather to write this letter?
_____________________________________________________________ [1 mark]
27 (a) From paragraph 3, what does the phrase ‗keeping your eyes wide open‟ mean?
_____________________________________________________________ [1 mark]
(b) From paragraph 4,what are some of the surprises in life if we keep our eyes open?
_____________________________________________________________________
( 1 mark ) 28 (a) From paragraph 5, how should the young man face challenges in life?
_______________________________________________________________________
( 1 mark ) (b) From paragraph 7, what was the grandfather‘s advice with regards to rules?
_______________________________________________________________________
( 1 mark ) 29 (b) From paragraph 9, explain the phrase ‗you‟ll be given bigger shoes to fill.‘
______________________________________________________________________
( 1 mark ) (b) From paragraph 14, how can life give its best back to us?
______________________________________________________________________
( 1 mark ) 30 Do you think it is important not to be a quitter in the race of life? Why?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
( 2 marks )