DEMYSTIFYING KCSE ENGLISH

PAPER THREE
12TH AUGUST,2020

(UNDRESSING THE GHOST OF ESSAY WRITING)

By Onyango Charles
(Wuodnyochietha)
 Content of English Paper 3
 Question One: Imaginative Composition

 Question Two: Essay Based on Compulsory

Set Text

 Question Three: Essay Based on Optional

Set Text (Students to attempt one of the set
text well prepared on)

The paper is set and marked out of 60 marks.

IMAGINATIVE COMPOSITION
There are different kinds of Imaginative Compositions. They entail
Narrative, Expository and Discursive Compositions.

i) Narrative Composition comprises a story beginning or ending

with a given statement, a story relevant to a given title or
proverb, and a descriptive composition.

ii) Expository Composition entails expounding on a given topic.

This type of writing is where you expound on a given topic in
details with relevant examples/illustration to support your
assertion and understanding of the given topic

iii) Discursive Composition involves presenting and supporting an

argument on a given motion and making a stance.
 NARRATIVE COMPOSITION
A narrative composition requires you to tell a story or to give an orderly account of events.You
should find it the easiest type to write because you practice storytelling oftentimes.

STEPS OF WRITING A NARRATIVE COMPOSITION

❖ Choose a story relevant to the given statement or title/proverb
❖ Plot your story that is the introduction, complication and resolution.
❖ Give your story a relevant setting(place and time)
❖ Appropriate choice of characters
❖ Development of the conflict/plot through characters.
❖ Convincing resolution of the conflict to bring out a moral lesson.
NOTE
a)The story should be relevant to the question or the topic given.
b) Your story should be realistic, logical and convincing.(original,imaginative,interesting)
c)Use familiar experiences in writing your stories.
d) Keep the topic in focus when writing your story.
e) The body is where you tell the story.
f) Develop characters in the body.
g) Fold up the story in the conclusion. Do not introduce new ideas at the conclusion.
 THE 7 PARAGRAPHED
NARRATIVE COMPOSITION
 1st paragraph; setting of the story, introduction of
the main character and inciting action of the
story.
 2nd paragraph; the flashback or background
information that led to the conflict.
 3rd, 4th and 5th paragraph; systematic
development of the conflict through twists and
turns.
 6th paragraph; the falling actions leading to the
resolution.
 7th paragraph; Resolution, that is, the moral of the
story. Punishing evil and rewarding virtues.
The First Paragraph: The Setting
 Setting refers to the place and time of actions in a story.
 A good story must have a definite setting
 A good story should have a restricted setting in terms of
place and time
 A good composition should not take more than a day. The
best story is told within an hour. An excellent story can be
told in five minutes.
 The place of action should not go beyond a compound. An
excellent story is best told in a room of a house or an
office.
 The paragraph should also introduce the protagonist or
antagonist of the story.
 It is also in this paragraph that the source of the main
conflict is introduced, also known as the inciting action.
The Second Paragraph: Background
Information
 This is the paragragh that sets the stage to the main
conflict.
 It expounds on what led to the inciting action.
 The events in this paragraph happens in the past of
the currenting setting of the story.
 It should provide a foundation upon which the
conflict is built.
 It should give birth to a single conflict that is to be
developed.
 It should create tension that would sustain the
readers attention to the story.
 It should not preempt the next course of action but
rather form a question to be answered next.
 Paragraphs 3,4 and 5: Twists and
Turns
 These paragraphs contain a series of interrelated
conflicts leading to the climax.
 The refer to the various obstacles that block the path
of the protagonist in his or her attempt to heroism
 On the other hand they may be the vicious actions of
the antagonist to frustrate the protagonist from
achieving his or her objectives.
 The conflicts should be sequential; one leading to the
other with the latter on a higher degree than the
former.
 At the end of each conflict, that is, unexpected yet a
convincing turn of events should suffice.
 The aim of all this twists and turns is to heighten the
suspense/climax of the story.
 Paragraph Six: The Climax
 This is the epitome of the conflicts
 It is the volcanic eruption and emission of gases in
the story.
 It is the point of make or break in the life of the
protagonist.
 It is the point where the antogonist is convinced
that the protagonist has reached the dead end.
 It is the highest point of readers' disappointment
as they feel their expectations are not met.
 This is the paragraph where the readers should
be crying with the protagonist and cursing the
antagonist.
 Paragraph 7: The resolution
 This is the ultimate(final) paragraph of your story.
 This is moral lesson paragraph
 It is the paragraph where evil is punished and good is
rewarded
 It brings out the amicable resolution to the major conflict
heightened in the climax of the story
 Death is not a resolution to a conflict; the dead tell no
stories and learn not.
 The resolution should not contradict the accepted societal
norms, for example, you cannot resolve a bank robbery case
through mob justice.
 A good resolution is pegged on a suspense where the
readers are left to fill in what happened next; however,
suspense should not be confused with unresolved conflict.
What makes Students to Fail in this
Question
 Wrong choice of story
 Creating so many conflicts that remain unresolved
 Retelling of a known story
 Lack of creativity
 Poor paragraphing
 Wrong use of vocabulary
 Lengthy stories
 Use of contracted forms of words
 Poor punctuation
 Poor handwriting
 Obscenity and vulgarity
 Promoting evil in their stories
 Unnecessary killing of characters
 Undefined characters
 Irrelevant titles
 Mother tongue influence or direct translation
 Wrong spelling of words.
 Earning merit ticks/Seducing good
marks in Composition Writing
 Good choice of story
 Proper paragraphing
 Correct use of vocabulary
 Correct spelling of words
 Sentence variation
 Good use of dialogue
 Free flow of ideas
 Use of vivid description
 Proper punctuation
 Good handwriting
 Creativity
 Promoting virtue and condemning vices
 Use of euphemism
 Not so lengthy stories
 Captivating conflict.

Style
Use vivid descriptions, flashbacks, figures of speech, metaphors, similes, paradox, oxymoron, humour,
hyperbole etc. to make the story interesting and colourful.
 END OF PART ONE
PAIN POINTS TO NOTE ON GRAMMAR

a) Make an appropriate choice of vocabulary.

b) Use a variety of vocabulary making sure to use words you are sure of. Vocabulary
does not mean big/bombastic words that the reader has to keep checking from the
dictionary.
c) Vary sentences. Use simple, compound and complex sentences.
d) Avoid lengthy sentences
e) Use a simple language but tell an interesting story with a moral lesson relevant to
the question.
f) Avoid clichés.
g)Avoid redundancy.
h) Check handwriting. It should be legible and letters properly shaped.
i) Check spellings.
j) Observe punctuation, especially in dialogues
k) Do not mix tenses
l) Check on paragraphing, subject-verb agreement, choice of words and usage, sentence
construction, use of synonyms, proper reference to pronouns etc
 ESSAYS BASED ON SET TEXT
Introduction
We have the compulsory set texts and optional ones.The
compulsory set texts include H.R. Ole Kulet's Novel, Blossoms of
the Savannah and Henrik Ibsen's Play, A Doll's House.

The optional texts are: John Steinbeck's novella, The Pearl; David
Mulwa's Play, Inheritance; and an anthology of Short Stories,
Memories We Lost.

The compulsory set text are tested in question two of paper three
while optional ones are tested in question three of the same paper.

The two compulsory set text are tested alternating every following
year.

The optional set texts are all tested every year and a student
chooses the one he or she is best prepared on.
The Structure of an Essay Question
Based on a Set Text
The essays based on set texts take the
format of an expository essay.

Expository essay is a type of writing where

you expound on a given topic in details with
relevant examples/illustration to support
your assertion and understanding of the
given topic

The three components of such an essay are

introduction, body and conclusion.
 Areas Tested in the Essays
There has been a shift in the way essays based on set text
are tested.

Traditionally, the essays were based on themes, features of

style and characterisation in the text. However, the
current KNEC trend has focused on virtues (good
deeds) propagated (praised/extolled) and vices
(evils/bad deeds) condemned in a text.

This is cognizant of the fact that literary works are meant

to instil morals in the society by rewarding good and
punishing evil.

It is, therefore, vital for a students to highlight virtues and

vices in the set texts.
 Interpretation of the Essay
Questions
The essay questions are structured in such a way that
they cover three key areas: the issue (the
virtue/vice), the outcome
(reward/punishment) and the characters
involved.

A student needs to identify these three key areas

before writing the essay.

An example of an essay: "Characters in the play, A

Doll's House, make ultimate sacrifices for the sake of
their family members." Write an essay illustrating the
truth of this statement using Henrik Ibsen's play. ( 20
marks)
Continuation...
In the above example, the key areas of the essay
are:
a)the sacrifice made’
b)who made the sacrifice, and
c)how did the sacrifice help the member of
the family.
These three key areas will help the student
correctly interpret the question.

They will also help the student to come up with

relevant topic sentences and illustrations drawn
from the related text.
 Planning of an Essay
1.Use the three key areas to come up with relevant topic
sentences; at least five topic sentences.

2. Identify relevant illustrations that support the topic

sentences; at least three per topic sentence.

3. Identify the outcome of the issue; a specific reward or a

punishment.

4. Arrange your points in order.

5.You are now well-equipped to write your essay.

Here, you can come up with the skeleton of your essay

 Writing the Essay
AREA MARKS AWARDED
Introduction 2 marks
Body 12 marks
Linguistic Ability 4 marks
Conclusion 2 marks
TOTAL 20 MARKS

Marks awarded on grammar solely depend on your

score on the content/body of your essay.
 Introduction

This is the first paragraph of the essay.

It demonstrates the student's understanding and

interpretation of the question.

It is between two to three statements.

It should be tied to the text in question.

Depending on the question, an introduction can be

two-tier or three-tier.
 Types of introduction
1.Contextualized introduction.
a)Introduction by outlining
b)Introduction by paraphrasing

2.General introduction (highly discouraged).

3.General- specific introduction (wasteful).

 The Body
Contains at least 4 paragraphs and at most 6 paragraphs.

Students are advised to pick 4 paragraphs and fully

develop other than have 6 underdeveloped paragraphs.

Each paragraph should contain a topic sentence,

background information, actions and reactions ,
the outcome and a clincher statement.

A topic sentence is a statement that captures the

demand of the question in relation to the text. For
example, Nora Helmer borrows 250 pounds from Krogstad in
order to save the life of her sick husband.
Continuation...
Background information refer to the details of what transpired
that led to the issue at hand. For example:
After their marriage, Helmer resigned as a barrister so as to concentrate
on his new family. He overworked himself and soon fell ill. The doctor
treating him advised that he needed to be taken to the south for further
treatment.This would cause a lot of money that the family cannot afford.

Actions/activities refer to the things done by the character(s) to

achieve his/her/their objectives. For example:
Nora persuades het husband to borrow a loan for his treatment but he
adamantly refuses. Nora goes against the laws of the land that
prohibits women from borrowing money without the consent of the
husband or father, to borrow 250 pounds from Krogstad . She even
forges her father's signature to sign the bond for securing the loan.
Continuation ...
The outcome is the reward or punishment that the
character gets as a result of his/her action. For example,
Nora succeeds in taking her husband to Italy where they
stay for a year and they come back with Helmer full of life
and as sound as a bell.

The Clincher statement is that which summarises the

paragraph. For example:
By making this sacrifice Nora saves the life of her husband
the family enjoys a happy marriage life.
Hurray! We are on our…
Conclusion
This is the last paragraph of the essay and
marks the end of discussion.

It must begin with a connector of summary: In

conclusion,To conclude, ...

You can conclude by recapping the main

point, giving a moral lesson, appropriate
proverb, a philosophical statement,
personal opinion.
 Points to Note
1.Do not define terms in the conclusion.

2. Avoid textual errors such as wrong spelling of characters' names,

mixing up pronouns referring to characters, using characters from a
different text- referring to Nora as Juana, non existing illustrations.

3. The essay must be in present tense because literature is alive.

4. Avoid sweeping statements; catchy statements with no textual

evidence.

5. Have a full plot of the set text; reread the text at least 20 times.
 THANK YOU!

The developer of these notes/slides is a teacher of English and Literature,

writer and trainer.

For more information, contact:

Onyango Charles Wuodnyochietha on/at

WhatsApp: 0764-311 964

Calls /SMS: 0723-311 964

Facebook: Charles Onyango (Wuodnyochietha)

E-mail: obunyango@gmail.com

Thank you good people for there are no bad people; we only have good people
doing bad things and that makes them bad.