KCSE ENGLISH IMAGINATIVE WRITING: BEST WAY TO IMPROVE GRADES

HOW TO IMPROVE GRADES IN KCSE ENGLISH IMAGINATIVE WRITING

KCSE English paper 3 is consistently poorly performed. It consist three essay questions. This indicates that most students find it difficult to communicate in writing.

KCSE IMAGINATIVE WRITING

In KCSE English paper 3, question 1 tests imaginative compositions under creative writing . The question tests the candidate’s creativity, originality and ability to communicate in writing.

Preamble 

English, as a subject, is the tasked with the objective of imparting four skills; listening, speaking, reading and writing. A good speaker listens. A good writer reads.

Emphasis on attainment of stellar grades or the need to achieve the minimum requirement for university admission has killed spirit of reading in students. They only study to pass exams and not to acquire the skills of reading or writing. This has adversely affected the quality of compositions the students write at KCSE level. Most of the imaginative compositions are devoid of creativity.

Very few students, if any, manage to score between 19 and 20 marks in the question.

It is fairly easy to score anything above sixteen marks since the question on imaginative writing is anything but demanding for the candidates. It simply tests the candidate’s ability to communicate in writing. The examiner is keen on the linguistic competence of the learner.

For a candidate’s composition to be considered outstanding they should exhibit the ability to communicate deeply through the use of a wide range of effective vocabulary, originality, a vivid and sustained account in the case of a narrative or a well developed and ordered argument in the case of a debate or discussion. Such a candidate also avoids errors. Their composition has a significant impact on a reader.

To be able to achieve this, the learner must be exposed to intensive and extensive reading.

The objective

By the end of the four year course, the teacher must ensure that they meet certain objectives. The learners should be able to read effectively and fluently, use the dictionary effectively, enjoy reading literary and non-literary materials, demonstrate awareness of contemporary issues and build a wide range of vocabulary and knowledge of language use through reading.

Teachers should establish a strong reading culture right from the moment the learner joins their school, ideally in form one. This can be achieved through consistent supervised reading of novels, plays or any other relevant literature materials that spark the leaner’s interest. Pick books/materials with themes or story lines that the learners find exciting and accessible.

Learners should be exposed to regular extensive reading through exposure to newspapers, magazines and periodicals. The teacher should guide them to pay special attention to information on contemporary issues such as Children’s rights, Child labour, Environment, HIV and AIDS, Moral values, Governance and Integrity issues. They should also read literary and non-literary materials on social responsibility, gender responsiveness, poverty eradication, drug and substance abuse and human rights. This is a requirement of the syllabus.

A student who reads regularly is capable of writing effectively. Sadly, most candidates’ work displays lack of creativity. Many of them fail to compose relevant pieces and instead digress off the main topic and instead make unsuccessful attempts to tag on the leads to their irrelevant pieces.   Other students simply write memorised pieces. This reveals lack of practice.

We, teachers, are partly to blame for the consistent poor performance in this section. To avert any further dip in performance, the teacher must ensure that they place emphasis on topics on writing. They should teach students to: write legibly, spell words correctly, and write clear and correct sentences, use sentence variety, develop proper paragraphs, have cohesion in paragraphs by using transitional words and phrases and use punctuation marks correctly.

Learners should have enough practice on descriptive essays, argumentative essays, narrative essays and expository writing. Unfortunately, this is not the case on the ground. Students have inadequate practice in writing. Some only write one composition after joining high school-mostly about their first day in high school. In an ideal world, the learners would write one composition weekly.

Students should understand that the quality of a composition is determined by the degree of communication. It should posses the following qualities: intelligibility (able to be understood), correctness, fluency, pleasantness and originality. It should simply communicate effectively. A learner should express himself freely; exhibit no visible constraint, exhibit maturity by avoiding graphic description of sexual innuendos or other forms of immorality, good planning and humour.

In brief, the Kenyan students need to start reading extensively under the strict supervision of the teacher. English teachers must teach composition writing in its entirety and provide learners with ample practice.

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Tips on how to write imaginative compositions that score 19-20 marks in KCSE 

HOW TO TEACH A DOLL'S HOUSE TO KCSE CANDIDATES

A DOLL’S HOUSE-IS IT RELEVANT IN THE KENYAN CURRICULUM? 

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A number of Kenyan literature tutors have raised concerns over the suitability of Henrik Ibsen’s 1879 play A Doll’s House.

A few teachers argue that the book may impress on the learners the idea of divorce as a problem solving measure.

One literature teacher remarked: “It is quite difficult to discuss marriage and divorce with your fifteen year old form 3 student.”

Does A Doll’s House revolve around marriage and divorce?

A Doll's House KCSE analysis 

On the surface that may seem like the case, however, a keener look reveals a play about how majority of women in conservative patriarchal societies are oppressed by repressive laws, norms, customs or traditions. This play is relevant in Kenya today because women face more hurdles than men since the society is largely patriarchal and most men are still chauvinistic.

The objective of studying literature in the Kenyan curriculum is to make learners appreciate the universal human values such as self-sacrifice, selflessness, love, family values, honesty etc.

In literature good deeds are usually rewarded whereas evil is punished.

In A Doll’s House good characters like Nora and Mrs. Christine Linde are rewarded for their kindness whereas bad characters like Torvald Helmer suffer.

The value of self-sacrifice is highlighted through Nora, the protagonist, when she borrows 250 pounds in order to take her ailing husband to Italy for a rest after he overworks himself and falls dreadfully ill. This is a show of selflessness since she procures the loan under stringent and difficult circumstances. In this male dominated society, women are not allowed to borrow money without express permission from the husband or father.

She tells Krogstad; “You put so many heartless difficulties in my way  ...” (P 40)

Nora is forced to forge her father’s name. She had tried asking Torvald to borrow but he is sternly against loans and debts. He says: “No debt. No borrowing.” (P 3)

After a year in Italy, Torvald recovers from his illness. This is the outcome of Nora’s selflessness. Her husband gets ‘as sound as a bell’ (P13). She says: “the trip was to save my husband’s life” (P 40)

Therefore the didactic value here is that selflessness/self-sacrifice and love is always rewarded.  That’s the take home message from that episode that the students ought to learn.

Krogstad manages to blackmail her concerning the forgery because the society is judgmental based on its repressive influence. Is it an unpardonable crime for a person to commit a misdemeanour with the view of saving a loved one’s life?

It raises the question of individual vs society. The society would judge Nora harshly for borrowing the loan and for the forgery. Nora does a prudent thing that any sensible person under the circumstances would do for the sake of a loved one.

Sometimes the individual is right when the law or society is wrong. Krogstad says the “law cares nothing about motives” to which Nora asks: “Is a wife not to be allowed to save her husband’s life?” (P 41)

The text also raises the concern of deception. Any relationship or association (marriage/work/friendship/business) is bound to fail in the absence of sincerity/frankness/honesty.

The Helmer’s relationship is an illusion of a happy marriage. It’s built on lies and pretense. Torvald seems like a loving benevolent husband but in reality he is vain, conceited and selfish. He only cares about his reputation and what other people say or think about him. He falsely promises to protect Nora selflessly in case of any danger. He says: “I have often wished that you might be threatened by some great danger so that I might risk my life and everything for your sake” (P 102). This is the deceptive nature of appearance.

Nora risks everything for Torvald’s sake but he is ungrateful. When Torvald learns about Nora’s secret, he does what we all expect of him. He selfishly insults her and even bars her from raising their children. He calls her a hypocrite, a liar, a criminal … (P 104)

Torvald only thinks about himself and his happiness. He says: “Now you have destroyed my happiness. You have ruined my future” (P 104)

He only cares about his reputation and appearance. “Very likely people will think I was behind it all.” (P 103) He doesn’t care about Nora’s needs or happiness. He says: “all that concerns us is to save the remains, fragments, the appearance …” (P 105)

Torvald does not stop to think that Nora sacrificed herself for his own sake. She says: “I did it for love’s sake.” (P 42)

Nora is shocked to learn where she stands is her husband’s esteem. He perceives her as a play object/a doll/decoration like the Christmas tree. He says that a woman’s sacred duty is to take care of her husband and children.

When she chooses to leave him, she does so in pursuit of reasonable opportunities for self-fulfillment. Leaving her children is also an act of sacrifice. “Deprave my little children? Poison my home?”(P 48)

Ibsen tackles the issue of how individuals (regardless of gender or social class) struggle to cope in a judgmental, repressive society. Nora’s subservient role in the suffocating marriage symbolizes how society sometimes strangles individuals’ ambitions or aspirations through needless laws and cultural/societal norms.

In H.R. Ole Kulet’s Blossoms of the Savannah the Maa shed off some negative cultural aspects such as throwing the dead and dying to the hyenas (P 128), or emuata a culture that demanded that young brides (isiankikin) wear painful, heavy copper wires around their limbs. (P 263)

In Margaret Ogola’s The River and the Source the Luos have since shed off cultural practices such as removal of six lower teeth and wife inheritance (tero).

All these practices were licit and necessary in the wisdom of the society at the time but they are no longer in practice because they are needless and unnecessary.

Slavery was once legal in law in the UK until 1833 when it was abolished!

It’s is possible that man-made laws maybe be flawed and repressive. Therefore trying to defend Torvald by saying that Nora broke the law and that he was only innocently abiding by the acceptable norms in society is laughable. A man should have the wisdom to question meaningless traditions while upholding useful cultural or societal norms.

We should guide our learners to see that selflessness is a virtue and is always rewarded whereas selfishness is a vice and results in pain or agony.

Do you know this secret method to hack Literature Paper 3 essay questions? 


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SECRET METHOD TO HACK KCSE LITERATURE ESSAY QUESTIONS

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In Blossoms of the Savannah by H.R. Ole Kulet, hapless Ole Nkipida is faced with the dilemma of confronting either a marauding lion and risk being mauled/eaten alive or fighting off a vicious python.

Literature teachers in Kenya today are equally faced with a similar dilemma.

The question begs; which is the best method to use when teaching English 101/3 literature to secondary school students?

If you are one of those within the literature sphere then you should be familiar with the term episodic approach. Literature cognoscenti, especially seasoned examiners, advance this method as the best way to dispense literary knowledge to learners. 

However, critics of this method feel that teaching literature using the episodic approach is doing injustice to the study of literature and they choose instead to front the so called old style of teaching set books where the learners are taken through the plot, themes, characters and styles. Let’s call this the old approach.

Episodic Approach vs Old Approach

So which between the two methods is more effective?

Well, there’s no straight answer to that. Episodic approach vs old approach is an illusion that we seek to debunk in this article.

Syllabus

In 2006 the KNEC syllabus changed but teachers refused to change with it. The trends in testing English 101/3 have since changed, and we teachers ought to change our methods of delivery as well.

The main objective of teaching set books to leaners according to the KNEC syllabus is to make the learners appreciate universal human values in literary works.

Since reading is one of the four skills taught in English, other vital objectives include:

a)     Read and comprehend literary materials.

b)    Read and analyze literary works from Kenya, East Africa, Africa and the rest of the world.

c)    Enjoy reading literary and nonliterary materials.  

d)    Analyze characters and themes from selected novels and plays.

Literature is mainly tested in paper 2 and paper 3.

In teaching English 101/2, you are required to use the so called old approach. The questions always revolve around the plot of the novel, the characters and characterization, themes and languages use (stylistic/literary devices).

While handling the seen passage (literary appreciation) the learner acquires the features of the literary text e.g. the setting: time and place, or when and where a story happens; the plot: the flow of events in the story (including the conflict and resolution); characters: the participants in a story and their character traits; themes: subject matter; styles and language use.

When leaners simply cram these features, then the learning process ceases to be useful after completion of their four year course.

In testing English 101/3, the nature of the questions do not require the learners to simply analyze characters, themes and styles. The questions usually revolve around moral values-certain actions and their outcomes.

Episodic approach

The best way to approach this paper is by the use of the episodic approach. Some critics who haven’t understood how this works think that a novel or a play is simply chopped into a series of disjointed episodes and studied independently.

This could not be farther from the truth!

Usually, the episodes are formed around moral values. In an episode, we study a character’s action and its outcome, and then we come up with an evaluation of its didactic value. Usually good actions are rewarded whereas bad deeds are punished or they go unrewarded.

In literature we only see good or bad and nothing in between. In literary works we have good characters or bad characters. In A Doll’s House, when Nora Helmer borrows 250 pounds to take her ailing husband to Italy for his own sake, the values that a student espies are selflessness, compassion, self-sacrifice, determination and love.  The outcome of these virtues is success or a reward.

In Blossoms of the Savannah we learn through Resian that determination, resoluteness, courage, strength of will pay off. She fights off Olarinkoi when he attempts to rape her. Nabaru says: “You fought on. You had the will to live.” (P 232)

Both Nora and Resian succeed. Nora’s husband recovers and Resian manages to join Egerton University against odds such as early marriage and FGM.

Virtuous characters such as Nora, Resian, Nabaru and Juana often succeed while evil ones like the doctor, Olarinkoi and Torvald Helmer are always unrewarded or they are punished.

We should impress upon students that in life they are at liberty to make choices. The decision one makes, however, comes with consequences.

Since 2006, set book questions in paper 2 never test plot, themes, characters and style. When preparing students for KCSE KNEC exams, giving students notes on the above features is preparing them to fail. The main purpose of literature is to create morally upright individuals who respect human values. You cannot achieve this with notes on Nils Krogstad’s character traits, for example.

SAMPLE KCSE LITERATURE QUESTIONS

ENGLISH KCSE 2006  ESSAY QUESTION

"Racial and religious prejudice only cause misery" Write a composition in support of this statement drawing your illustration from the Merchant of Venice. 

ENGLISH KCSE 2017  ESSAY QUESTION

Contentment and humility are the secrets to happiness. Write a composition in support of this statement drawing illustrations from The River and the Source.

ENGLISH KCSE 2018  ESSAY QUESTION

With illustrations from Bertolt Brecht's Caucasian Chalk Circle, write a composition entitled: Self Centerdness does not pay. 

ENGLISH KCSE 2019  ESSAY QUESTION

Desire without limits can be a source of agony both to ourselves and our family members. Using illustrations from The Pearl, write an essay in support of this statement. 

From the KCSE questions above, we can see that KCSE KNEC paper 3 focusses on a character’s actions and the consequences. Therefore, teachers should guide learners on values or lack of them and their outcomes.

For example;

·        Kino is greedy, as a result he suffers; The Pearl by John Steinbeck

·        Self-sacrifice is always rewarded like in the case of Nora and Mrs. Linde; A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen

·       Irresponsible decisions have serious consequences like in the case of Olarinkoi; Blossoms of the Savannah by Henry Ole Kulet

·        The effects of war in “The president” in Memories we Lost; etc.

The episodic approach is not a vehicle to teach values but a means to help students analyze a text critically with a view of mastering it to the point of making informed choices that can help them beyond their life in school.

How to execute the episodic approach

1.     Students should read the whole text aloud with the supervision of a teacher. Allow them to enjoy the story. They may have pencils to underline and note any useful parts.

2.     They should then read it as many times as possible on their own for further comprehension.

3.     Guide the learners on how to come up with episodes and ask them to identify the episodes.

4.     Learners may study specific episodes on their own or with the supervision of a teacher. Ask some questions to test their comprehension e.g. what is the name of Olarinkoi’s village?  

Learners must master the nitty-gritty details since KNEC KCSE exams require a candidate to back up every claim with sufficient illustration from the text. The devil is in the details.

We can conclude that there's is no battle between the episodic approach and the so called old approach. One is indispensable for paper 3 while the other is useful for paper 2. 

Back to you mwalimu, which method do you prefer? 

Watch this video on how to answer KCSE essay questions on Blossoms of the Savannah. 

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HOW TO EARN 19-20 MARKS IN A KCSE IMAGINATIVE COMPOSITION

WRITING THE BEST ESSAYS

KCSE ENGLISH IMAGINATIVE COMPOSITION

Have you ever read or written a composition that has the following expressions?

“In two shakes of a lamb’s tail, I dashed to the frog’s kingdom to accuse the dirt ...”

“His face was a supermarket/network of pimples”

“Two gigantic men kidnapped me ...”

“One chilly morning when the birds were chirping and the frogs were croaking …”

Well, as much as some of these expressions may not be grammatically wrong per se, they are clichés that show lack of imagination/creativity and thus will hinder you from scoring a quality mark in KCSE English 101/3 imaginative composition.

This question simply tests your ability to communicate. 

Creative writing

According to Wikipedia  Creative writing is any writing that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, or technical forms of literature, typically identified by an emphasis on narrative craft, character development, and the use of literary tropes or with various traditions of poetry and poetics.

Question 1 [(a) and (b)], in KCSE English 101/3, tests on imaginative compositions under creative writing.   

The question tests the candidates’ creativity, originality and ability to communicate in writing.

Objectives

You should ensure that these objectives are met by the end of the course before your learners attempt English 101/3 tests.

By the end of the course, the learner should be able to:

    a)        write legibly and neatly;

   b)      apply spelling rules and spell words correctly;

     c)        use punctuation marks correctly;

    d)         write clear and correct sentences, and organize ideas in a logical     sequence;

    e)      communicate effectively in writing, using a variety of sentence   structures;

     f)       develop paragraphs using different devices;

      g)        use figurative language correctly and appropriately;

      h)        use cohesive devices in developing paragraphs;

      i)        use punctuation marks appropriately, competently and creatively;

      j)        demonstrate competence in writing different types of essays;

      k)        present information in a variety of ways;

      l)        demonstrate competence in using a wide range of sentence structures and vocabulary to create the desired effect.

Therefore, apart from teaching creative writing (imaginative compositions) which is taught in form 3, teachers should ensure the learners acquire other writing skills as well. These include;

   a)        Handwriting - legibility and tidiness

  b)      Commonly misspelt words — spelling and spelling rules

  c)      Sentence building skills and paragraphing

    i.      Writing clear and correct sentences

   ii.       Structure of the paragraph: topic sentences, supporting sentences,     clincher sentences, sequencing of ideas, unity in paragraphs.

 iii.        Sentence variety; using simple, compound and complex sentences     Devices of developing paragraphs: giving reasons/examples,   comparing and contrasting, using idiomatic expressions, using     facts/statistics and using rhetorical questions.

   d)        Cohesion in paragraphs

     Using transitional words and phrases Choice of words recurrent words (different words that refer to the same idea in the paragraph) to create emphasis Paraphrasing.

   e)      Punctuation: Capitalization, final/terminal punctuation marks, commas, quotation marks, apostrophe, hyphen, colon, Semi-colon, dash, parenthesis, devices for presenting titles of publications, quotations and headings.

     f)      Study Writing: Descriptive essays, Argumentative essays, Expository writing,

To help your learners perform well in KCSE imaginative composition, you should teach different types of writing and provide them with ample practice. You should also impress upon them that expository composition is concerned with linguistic ability as it is not concerned with the points.

 



WRITING A+ KCSE IMAGINATIVE COMPOSITIONS

The best KCSE imaginative compositions score between 19-20 marks. Your composition must possess the following in order to fall under this category.

·        Intelligibility-able to be understood (comprehensible)

·        Correctness

·        Accuracy (devoid of errors)

·        Fluency (communicates easily/very well/smoothly)

·        Pleasantness

·        Originality (new and different in a good and appealing way)

NOTE: Linguistic competence carries the most marks in imaginative compositions.

 CATEGORIES OF KCSE IMAGINATIVE COMPOSITIONS

The category your essay falls under depends on the degree of communication. Other factors discussed below will determine the specific numerical mark you earn.

·        D CLASS: (1-5 MARKS) Chaotic-No communication at all

·        C CLASS: (6-10 MARKS) Strained Communication-Weak communication because of strain (lacks fluency)

·        B CLASS: (11-15MARKS) Fluent-Ease of 

communication due to greater fluency

·        A CLASS: (16-20MARKS) Effective/efficient communication-Captivating, creative, has command of language

HOW TO WRITE AN A-CLASS IMAGINATIVE COMPOSITION 

A-CLASS compositions score between 16-20 marks.

We all want to write pleasant compositions that fall in A CLASS in order to score high marks.

To achieve that, we MUST write compositions that possess the following qualities.

A-CLASS KCSE IMAGINATIVE COMPOSITIONS

·        Write fluently and attractively

·        Must have originality (new and different)/efficiency

·        Make us feel your deep feelings (senses), emotions (strong feelings e.g. love, fear, anger, bitterness, relief, joy etc), and enthusiasm (strong interest, desires, excitement)

·        Should be attractive (pleasant/appealing/interesting)

This falls in the general category of a pleasant composition that score between 16-20 marks.

HOW TO EARN 19-20 MARKS IN A KCSE IMAGINATIVE COMPOSITION

This article, however, is meant to help you write a KCSE imaginative composition that will earn between 19-20 marks

In order to achieve this, you must;

·        Express yourself freely

·        Exhibit no visible constraint

·        Exhibit maturity(avoid obscene, suggestive, steamy or graphic description of sexual innuendos or other forms of immorality), good planning, humour (comical/funny)

·        Have many items of merit ( correct vocabulary (or jargon-informal language does not score), phrasal verbs, idioms, proverbs, aspects of literary techniques e.g. irony, suspense, imagery etc, correct, appealing felicity of expression in whole sentences or paragraphs)

·        Show clever arrangement (e.g. flashbacks creating suspense)

·        Have felicity of expression (well chosen features in writing/communication)

⚠ ERRORS 

Avoid the following errors;

     a)            Faulty paragraphing

    b)            Repetition/redundancies (using a word phrase etc that repeats something else and is therefore unnecessary-e.g. bow down, reverse back, colleague teachers, repeat again)

     c)            Illegibility (impossible or hard to read or decipher because of poor handwriting)

    d)            Vagueness (thoughts that are not stated or expressed clearly; in a general and not specific way) Obscurity (unclear, difficult to understand)

     e)            Wrong word order/illogical (lacking sense or clear sound reasoning)or contradictory (inconsistent) statements

       f)            Broken English (e.g. his business has caught down instead of his business is thriving, hunger is biting me, etc)

    g)            Contracted forms (e.g. didn’t instead of did not; NB they may be used in direct speech)

GROSS ERRORS contribute to a lower score and learners whose compositions have the following errors more often than not fail to score over 15 marks in their compositions. Gross errors include;  

     a)            Errors of subject-verb agreement

    b)            Serious tense error

     c)            Errors of elementary vocabulary, misuse of vocabulary, wrong spellings of vocabularies (avoid clichés e.g. I ran as fast as my feeble legs could carry me, I took my breakfast in a blink of an eye)

    d)            Punctuation errors e.g. missing punctuation marks (missing final punctuation marks e.g. full stop is penalized heavily)

     e)            Errors of sentence construction

      f)            Ridiculous use of idioms thus affecting communication

     g)            Misuse of common prepositions

    h)            Misuse of capital letters

TYPES OF KCSE IMAGINATIVE ESSAYS 

English 101/3 tests three types of essays;

1)    Narrative essays: Simply tell a story.

2)    Descriptive essays: Paint a picture with words.   

3)    Expository essays: Just give the facts as per the rubric.

Examples of PAST KCSE IMAGINATIVE COMPOSITIONS

KCSE ENGLISH 101/3 IMAGINATIVE COMPOSITION 2018

 For composition 1(a) you should write a narrative; 1(b) write a descriptive essay.  

 

KCSE IMAGINATIVE COMPOSITION 2018 

KCSE ENGLISH 101/3 IMAGINATIVE COMPOSITION 2017

For composition 1(a) you should write a narrative; 1(b) write an expository essay. 

KCSE IMAGINATIVE COMPOSITION 2017

KCSE ENGLISH 101/3 IMAGINATIVE COMPOSITION 2016

For both composition 1(a) and 1 (b) you should write a narrative. 

KCSE IMAGINATIVE COMPOSITION 2016

KCSE ENGLISH 101/3 IMAGINATIVE COMPOSITION 2015

For composition:

 1(a) you should write a narrative; compose a story to illustrate the saying;

 1(b) write an expository essay. Simply give facts about what you think should be done to reduce indiscipline in schools (Do not write a story)   

KCSE IMAGINATIVE COMPOSITION 2015

KCSE ENGLISH 101/3 IMAGINATIVE COMPOSITION 2014

For both composition 1(a) and 1(b) you should write a narrative. 

For 1(a) give a vivid sustained account of the crime and the events leading to/following it. 

For 1 (b) compose a story illustrating the meaning of the proverb.

LENGTH

Your essay should not exceed 450 words (about 3 pages of your KCSE answer booklet). Otherwise you risk losing 2 marks.

However, the quality of an essay depends solely on how effectively it communicates.

AMERICAN SPELLING

American spelling e.g. color, labor, center, meter etc is not penalised. It’s only penalised if there is lack of consistency.

OTHER HELPFUL TIPS

Narrative essays  

·        Understand the setting of the composition in line with the rubric. If the composition is about a crime scene that informs you about the physical setting of your story. You do not have to start your story on a chilly morning with chirping birds or taking breakfast. Take us to the scene and give us the events that happen before and possibly after the crime.

·        Have a simple, clear story line with an introduction, climax and conclusion.

·        Have a clear, consistent point of view.

·        Be a character in the story. Use the first person pronoun “I”

·        Use direct speech to give your story ‘life’.

·        Develop your characters fully (describe them and make it easy for readers to infer their character traits). Have relatable, realistic characters.

·        Evoke emotions in the readers. Create an air of poignancy-painfully affecting the feelings (evoke feelings of sadness, joy, sympathy, anger, bitterness, nostalgia etc). Share your deep feelings.

·        Uphold morals and avoid praising vices.

·        Tell an original story-new and interesting

·        It helps to start your story with direct speech, a poem, a song etc if possible. 

 (only if you have not been instructed to begin with certain words)

·        Titles are not necessary since they do not add any value to your essay. However, they may make you lose marks if they contain any errors.

·        Build suspense

·        Avoid oral narratives (Once upon a time … or fantasies with ogres in the forest-unless you have ever encountered one or know someone who has). Your essay SHOULD be creative but realistic.

·        Must be a story. If not you risk losing 4 marks! You DO NOT want to lose four hard earned marks, do you?

·        Begin or end with the words provided or else you will lose 2 valuable marks.

·        Avoid any errors

·        Write legibly and clearly

In brief, simply write a story. Tell a story the way you would when talking to your grandma or your buddies.

There is no fixed format so do not copy story lines from books (e.g. the Bible) and movies- this may expose your lack of creativity. Express yourself freely.

Do not cram a composition and cross your fingers hoping that you get a similar one in KCSE. 

Expository essays

For expository compositions, we are not concerned with the points, only the linguistic ability.

·        Introduce your essay on the first paragraph, write at least four points in at least four separate paragraphs, and conclude or sum up your essay in the last paragraph.

·        Develop cohesive paragraphs for a smooth flowing essay. Use transitional words to link your paragraphs and sentences.

·        A paragraph must introduce the main idea in the topic sentence (the first sentence of each paragraph). The next two or three sentences should add information to support this main idea. Sum up the paragraph with a clincher-a statement which summarises the paragraph before you introduce a new point.

·        Write legibly.

·        Avoid any errors.

Descriptive essays 

The descriptive essay is a genre of essay that asks the student to describe something—object person, place, experience, emotion, situation, etc. The goal of which is to paint an image that is vivid and moving in the mind of the reader. The reader should clearly form an impression of the thing you are describing. 

  

TIPS

·        Brainstorm on the features of the person or thing and write them down.

·        Use simple, clear language

·        Use vivid language e.g. ox instead of cow, tempestuous instead of violent , stallion not horse, bungalow not house

·        Appeal to the senses of touch, smell, sight, hearing and taste. Explain how something looks, tastes, smells etc

·        Create a clear impression in the reader’s mind. Describe someone or something until I see it.

·        Be organised

·        Write neatly/legibly

·        Avoid errors

SAMPLE KCSE IMAGINATIVE COMPOSITIONS 

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KCSE IMAGINATIVE COMPOSITION 

KCSE IMAGINATIVE COMPOSITION 

Say something about these essays in the comments section. Do you like them? What mark would you give? Comment on how to improve these or other essays.

The secret to writing quality essays is reading a lot. Expose yourself to volumes of literature in order to build a mastery of the craft.

Remember, practice makes perfect! Write as many imaginative compositions as you can.

Give more ideas in the comments section! 

Let's also learn how to write Blossoms of the Savannah and A Doll's House KCSE essays for English 101/3. 
 

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