1119 ENGLISH FOR SPM

Paper 1 : 1 ¾ hrs Paper 2 : 2 ½ hrs.

PAPER 1 : 1 hr 45 minutes

• Section A: Directed Writing – 35 marks

• Section B : Continuous Writing – 50 marks

Section A : Directed Writing

• Almost the same as Guided Writing in PMR – more elaborations needed.

• 35 marks allocated – usually 15 for content & 20 for language or 3 for format, 12 content & 20 language.

• Letters, Articles, Reports,Speeches - need format.(usually mentioned in the rubrics)

• Others like directions, route or road maps, - do not need a format.

TIPS ON DIRECTED WRITING• DO NOT EXCEED 45 MINUTES ALLOCATED TIME GIVEN (or else

you’ll be in hot soup)• TRY TO DO IT IN 30-35 MINUTES.• PLAN OUT YOUR ESSAY ( take 10 minutes to elaborate on the given

points)• READ CAREFULLY THE QUESTION & UNDERSTAND WHAT IT WANTS.• If it wants you to inform then be informative, to persuade then be

persuasive.• Be direct to the point,elaborate only on the points given & not on

the rubrics.• Use all the points given.• Write about 1 ½ pages.

SECTION B : CONTINUOUS WRITING – 50 MARKS

• Choose 1 of 5 choices.• Write about 2 pages – short paragraphs of 5-6 sentences in a

paragraph.(good students should be able to write more).• Write ONE main idea in One paragraph & elaborate it to 4-5-6

sntences.• Write clear, with a pen, of 7-8-9 words in a line.• Do not write >10 words in a line – your writing would be too

small & difficult to read.• Improve on your writing-differentiate clearly between ‘v’ and ‘r’ ;

‘a’ and ‘e’ ; ‘b’ and ‘p’.• Put a dot for the small ‘i’ , and write capital ‘I’ in referring to

yourself.

CONTINUOUS WRITING• Examples of questions (SPM 2010);1. Describe the most popular student-Descriptive2. “The internet is mostly a good thing.” Do you agree? Support your

opinion. –Argumentative / Debatable / Stating & Supporting an opinion.

3.What can we do to save the environment? – Factual / Giving opinions .4.Write a story beginning with: :It had been raining all day…” --Narrative /

Story/ could be a description /5.Home – (one word title essay) – could be anything – could be any of the

four above – could be about a pet/an object(mobile phone, laptop) / a team /a specific group /a person / a means of transportation/an actor, recording artist – like ‘Rain’, the Korean singer, etc, etc, etc.

* Most students throughout the country would choose no. 4 or no. 5

PAPER 2

• Section A : 15 MCQs ; 8 qs based on texts and 7 qs based on a Cloze Passage / Text Completion ( grammar).

• Section B : 10 qs – Information Transfer / copy paste.

• Section C: 9 qs – based on Reading Comprehension & 1 qs on Summary (15 marks)

• Section D : 4 / 5 qs based on Poem (5 marks)• Section E : 1 qs based on Novel (15 marks).

SECTION B: INFO TRANSFER

• You only have to ‘copy & paste’ – copy it correctly.

• Mind the spellings, capital letters, apostrophes, commas, hyphens etc.

• Do not copy the whole sentence.• Copy only the main idea or what the question

wants.

SECTION C: READING COMPREHENSION & SUMMARY

• Reading Comprehension – (10 marks).• Answer in short, precise words or phrases.• Do not write the whole sentence.• For the last qs, the marks given is 2, so you need to

answer in 2 parts, for example; ‘ the baby cried because it is hungry’The baby cried ( 1 mark), because it is hungry(1 mark).** REMEMBER TO CHANGE THE PRONOUN ‘I’ TO ‘HE /

SHE’, ‘ WE’ ‘OUR’ TO ‘THEY’ ‘THEIR’ OR TO THE NAME OF THE PERSON IN THE TEXT. **

SUMMARY – 15 MARKS• 10 marks for content, 5 for language.• Usually the qs is in 2 parts – understand the qs really well.• Usually the text is about a process, procedure, the ways of something,

tips on something, how to do something or anything in sequence.• Follow the steps or sequence closely – do not miss it.• Find the contents – at least 15 .• Write in squares/line grids/boxes.• Copy the first 10 words on top of the squares.• Mind the capital letters, punctuations - CHANGE THE PRONOUNS.• Write 120 words or less.• Draft your work on the left page & write your complete summary on

the right page of the question paper.

SECTION D:LITERATURE COMPONENT

POEM :• Usually 4 qs – 5 marks.• Answer in short, direct to the point words nor phrases.• Do not copy the lines in the poem.• The last qs carries 2 marks, you have to answer in 2 parts &

usually it is a personal response type of question, for example;

‘ If you were one of the villagers in the poem, what would you do? (In the midst of hardship)

Answer: I would wait for the rain to stop (1 mark)because I know there is not much I could do.(1 mark)

SECTION D : THE NOVEL

• Choose ONE of the novels;• Most students would choose ‘The Curse’, although ‘Catch Us if

You Can’, is designated to the northern schools. Maybe only a fraction would attempt the other book.

• Contents 10, language 5 marks.• Provide close evidences from the story.• Write the main idea and elaborate(close reference), for

example; Azreen is a brave and gutsy lady (main idea). This is shown when she confronts her father to know the truth about her sister’s demise(close reference). Her bravery is further depicted when she stands in front of the mob to prevent them from attacking The Old Lady of the forest(close reference).