English
is not Mathematics or any other subject where examiners score you based on your
points, regardless of your grammatical blunders. English
comprises your points, good use of language and orderly presentation of
materials. Therefore, it is important you know how these examination bodies
mark your English Essays in order to be conscious of your writing pattern and
language use.
Below
is the marking scheme for your English Essay:
First,
you should know that your essay should not be less than 450 words, so you should always take note of the instructions usually given by WAEC/NECO/NABTEB at the
beginning of the essay section.
These
examination bodies make use of what is called COEM, meaning:
C
= Content
O=
Organisation
E
= Expression
M=Mechanical
Accuracy.
CONTENT
1. For each essay, “content” has a maximum of 10 marks.
2. “Content” refers to relevance of ideas to the topic and its specific
audience and purpose. It also refers to the appropriateness of the language and
relevance to the central theme and its development. The adequacy of treatment
of the subject matter is important, and there must be some originality in
approach. A reproduction of knowledge from another subject like Biology or
Economics not original to the writer will lead to reduction of marks. Above
all, any deliberate distortion of ideas will be penalized, e.g., writing a letter
to an editor instead of an article, will be punished. Engaging in an irrelevant
topic to the question set will lead to being awarded zero marks. Where the
composition appears to be totally irrelevant, the scripts will be referred to
the Chief Examiner. Sometimes, many candidates hastily choose a topic they do
not understand. Consequently, the topic is frequently misinterpreted, distorted
or abandoned half way for lack of acceptable material, e.g., a candidate who was
asked to write on an incident but who wrote on an accident will lose marks for
irrelevancy if the question has no relevance to an incident.
3. An unusual and unexpected approach will, however, not be rejected
without careful consideration.
ORGANIZATION
4. For each essay, “organization” has a maximum of 10 marks.
5.“Organization” refers to the correct use of formal features such as
good paragraphing, appropriate use of emphasis and arrangement of ideas.
Paragraphs are expected to be chronologically, spatially and logically
coherent.
6.What examiners look for include a suitable opening, adequate
development into paragraphs, links between paragraph, balance, unity,
coherence, and a suitable conclusion. For example, in a letter, all features
must be present. Absence of necessary feature or wrong use will be penalized.
Paragraphs are expected to be effectively linked for a good score. The usual
problem here is inadequate preparation. Many answers lack paragraph
development, or logical slanting. Again, single-sentence paragraphs are usually
common. At the extreme, some essays have one or two paragraphs.
EXPRESSION
7. For each essay, “expression” has a maximum of 20
marks.
8. Expression refers to vocabulary chosen, which should reflect the
general audience, atmosphere or format of composition, e.g., vocabulary for an
informal letter. Vocabulary must also be controlled and the sentences
structured.
9. An example of the distinction being made about vocabulary is the
language expectations for an article in a school magazine, which should be a
story telling experience, or for expressing a personal opinion. On the other
hand, the language in an article for publication is expected to be formal.
10. Sentences of informal letters can be long while those for formal ones can be short. But incomplete sentences will be penalized. There is also room for
emotional language in an informal letter. A judicious and imaginative use of
figurative language is also allowed. Descriptive words to create a vivid
picture of an incident are also allowed.
11.Examiners are not expected to be unduly influenced by mechanical
errors in awarding marks for expressions, but this is perhaps the greatest
problem to students. Many candidates suffer from a severely restricted
vocabulary and inadequate exposure to idiomatic English. Many sentences are
translations of the mother tongue, resulting in many un-English collocations.
The real cause of the problem is the neglect of extensive reading.
MECHANICAL ACCURACY
12. For each essay, “mechanical accuracy” has a maximum of 10marks
13.Mechanical accuracy refers to Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling (GPS)
rules to be complied with. Errors discovered will be penalized by examiners,
and 1/2 mark deducted for each, up to a maximum of 10marks.
14. Candidates are expected to use skillful and sophisticated ways of
punctuations and should avoid being “caught” by examiners, especially on errors
indicated by WAEC in its yearly Chief Examiners’ Reports.
ADDITIONAL TECHNICAL NOTES FOR MARKING ESSAY /
COMPOSITIONS
15. Examiners will mark on the principle of positive marking, that is, credit
will be awarded for what is done correctly, and penalty will be given for errors
and blemishes. Penalties are not in all cases numerical deductions, but the
award of a mark lesser than would have been awarded if there were no blemishes.
16. Once the examiner determines the length of about 450 words, he or she
will rule the point. No errors are to count for mechanical accuracy after this
point but will be underlined if found and taken into account in giving the mark
for “expression”.
17. When a composition is short or below its required length, the maximum
mark for M.A shall be proportionately reduced. This will be done before the
examiner awards the overall mark for M.A. While there is no penalty against a
long composition, generally, the length may count for either a reward or a
penalty under CONTENT, ORGANIZATION and EXPRESSION.
18. If a candidate attempts more than one essay question, only the first
one answered will be marked. No penalty shall be given for others.
19.If a candidate writes on a topic that is irrelevant to the question
set, zero shall be awarded for content and organization, and not more than 8
marks out of 20 for expression. The mechanical accuracy bit of it will be
treated as stated above