1. CXC CSEC English A exam - Paper 2 exam
topics
This paper contains eight (8) questions in four (4) sections
Section A
Section A: Summary writing
This section is made up of one compulsory question. In
this section, you have to write a summary of a given passage
or report. (There is no choice here, you have to answer
the only question in this section.)
You will be given a passage or report and asked to write a
summary of it.
The paper 2 directions state that in this section you must
write in "continuous prose", that is, you must write using
paragraphs. You MUST NOT write using note form. Also,
after the allotted number of words, anything you write will
not be assessed.
Here are samples of the type of summary questions that
were set in CXC English A past papers.
2. Section B
Section B: Reading comprehension
This section consists of two compulsory short answer
reading comprehension questions. (Again there is no choice
here, you have to answer both of the questions in this
section).
Each question is made up of a reading passage and 7-8
questions on the passage. You must answer all the questions
on each reading passage.
Here are samples of the type of reading comprehension
questions that have been set in CXC English A past papers.
3. Section C
Section C: Short story writing/Descriptive
writing
This section is made up of three questions. They include two
short story essays - one with a picture and one without - and
a descriptive essay.(You must choose one question to
answer).
The paper 2 exam states that your answer in this section
should be approximately 400-450 words in length and
you must write in standard english, although you may use
dialect in conversations.
Here are samples of the type of short story questions that
have been set in CXC English A past papers.
Here are the short stories that have won the CXC short
story awards.
4. Section D
Section D: Persuasive writing
This section is made up of two persuasive essay questions.
Your answer is usually required to be in the form of either an
informal letter to a friend, a formal letter to an official, a
speech, presentation or an essay. (You must
choose one question to answer).
The paper 2 exam states that your answer in this section
should be approximately 250-300 words in length and
you must write in standard english.
Here are samples of the type of persuasive essay
questions that have been set in CXC Engliah A past papers.
You must answer five (5) out of the eight (8)
questions on this paper in order to pass the CXC
English A exam.
5. Okay people as an English Language teacher in the fourth and fifth
forms generally I give my students this rule of thumb. When
tackling the CXC Exam, the only section of the exam in which the
word count is strictly adhered to is section one -the summary
writing question. For the short story/ descriptive essay and the
argumentative essay students are given free rein to express
themselves, particularly in the short story section where imagination
is supposed to come into play.The word limit is really intended to
keep students within a time frame. It is estimated that students
should be able to write a well-formatted short story within 35
minutes. However, there are students that are capable of thinking
quickly and writing even faster, therefore, these students are able to
write 900 word stories and still have time left over to complete the
remainder of the exam. Rule of thumb, read, read, read. Polish your
story writing skills and let your imagination go. Students who enjoy
reading are the ones who score top marks in the English Language
exam.
