CXC CSEC English A exam - marking scheme
CXC CSEC English A exam: marking scheme (2018)
Marking scheme for CXC CSEC English A exam (2018)This exam is made up of two examination papers and a School Based Assessment (SBA) project for in-school candidates and three examination papers for private candidates. There are 60 questions on this paper. Each question is worth (1) mark. All the questions are compulsory (you have to answer all the questions). The total number of marks possible for this paper is 60 marks. The marks you make on this paper contributes 29% to the final overall grade you make for the CXC CSEC English A exam.
This examination paper has four (4) sections. Section one is worth 25 marks - There is one question (one compulsory summary writing passage). Section two is worth 30 marks - There is one question (one compulsory expository essay question) Section three is worth 25 marks - (There are two questions, you must select one and produce a short story essay ) Section four is worth 25 marks - There is one question (one compulsory argumentative essay question) The total number of marks possible for this paper is 105 marks. The marks you make on this paper,
CXC CSEC English A School Based Assessment (SBA) mark scheme. Students who are enrolled in school will complete the CXC CSEC English SBA under the supervision of a teacher.
Paper 3/2 Exam candidates who are sitting the CXC CSEC English A exam privately will sit paper 3/2 of the exam.
The following two tables show how marks are awarded for the questions on the three papers of the CXC CSEC English A exam.
*Note that examination paper 2 makes up 50% of the overall marks for the CXC CSEC English A exam. These 4 questions make up fully half of the marks on the English A exam, therefore, you will need to score well on this paper in order to score well on the exam overall.
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Marking Scheme
Hello Kathy,
I've noticed that there have been two major changes in the CXC English A syllabus: there will be different types of passages in the paper 1 module and not forgetting the changes of how the marks are distributed.
I'm confused about the mark distribution. In 2008, Admin submitted the marking scheme for CXC English at this link http://www.caribexams.org/eng_mkscheme. There it is showed the paper 1 was already 24% and paper 2 76%. During that period, was it that or was it 37% for paper 1 and 63% for paper 2.
Your comment is highly appreciated. Thank you for this update. If paper 2 will be carrying 76% in May of this year, I have a high chance of passing.
Re Marking scheme
Hi Toney!
The CXC CSEC English A marking scheme shown in CaribExams was updated before I wrote my blog.
It shows the current marking scheme for the CXC CSEC English A exam: 24% of the total exam marks are from paper 1 and 76% of the total exam marks are from paper 2.
This is the way it will be from this May/June 2012.
This marking scheme makes it clear that you must be able to express yourself well in written English (paper 2) in order to be able to pass the CSEC English A exam; there is no other way.
You have great writing skills Toney! So I expect that you will do very well in the exam.
in the essay part of the
in the essay part of the examination, i mistakenly misread the instruction which stated to begin with the following sentence. i mistakenly put the sentence in the 3rd line of the story. will this affect my chance of getting a 1 or a 2? will i be heavily penalized? i am very very worried at this moment :(
Re: in the essay section
It will affect your mark but if your story is well written and you perform very well on the other questions in the exam, you can still get a 1 or 2.
I thought the comprehension
I thought the comprehension had a lower weighing as the two comprehension combined is 30 marks and it weighing being 12%. So the most I believe I can lose is the 12% in that section. I read the percentage table that was posted a long time ago and it gives a break down of the weighing of each section as summary carries 17%, comprehension 12%, Short Story 23% and the argumentative essay 23%. So in you blog, I understand to a point but I was a bit confused as it shows that if I did not do the comprehension passages I would have lost 30 marks technically yes.... but it would not be such a big impact as the 30 marks = to 12% in that section base weighing? Please clarify!!
Re: comprehension
I am going to take this one.
Hello, you are sort of correct. Yes, the comprehension section is worth 30 marks and 12% of the final exam grade.
One thing you are forgetting though is that you have to calculate for the possibility of losing marks on every question you answer and how this all adds up.
Look at it this way: the total possible marks for paper 2 is 130 marks or 76% of the final exam mark. If you do not complete the comprehension questions, your maximum possible marks for paper 2 will be 100 marks or 64% of the final exam percentage.
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Maximum percentage for the exam [76% + 24% = 100%]
Your percentage without comprehension answers [64% + 24% = 88%]
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This means that if you lose absolutely no other marks on paper 2 except for the comprehension marks, you can still only make a maximum of 64% out of the possible total 76% for the paper.
Now, since it is not usually possible to get full marks on every other question on the paper 2 exam, this means that you are going to get some percentage less than 64% of the final mark.
Hope you are following me so far.
Now, if you perform well and get a percentage somewhere in the 50's, say 50-59% for paper 2, you can still only get a maximum of 24% for paper 1.
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Let's add that together. I will use the best mark possible [59% +24% = 83%]
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So you say it is possible to get 83% for the total exam percentage?
Hold strain though. The fact is, it is highly unusual for anyone to get all 60 questions on paper 1 correct. You have to cater for mistakes, errors.
We are not going to assume that you get the maximum mark for paper 1. Let's estimate and say you get 20% of the maximum percentage for paper 1.
When you add that to your possibly 50-59% that you got in paper 2, your maximum possible percentage total for the CXC CSEC English A exam will be somewhere around 70-79% maximum - might go a little higher.
Keep in mind that we are playing with the numbers here and trying to see how you can get the best percentage possible given the facts.
Now, will that percentage range allow you to pass the exam? Sure, most likely. But if, and only if, you perform very well on all the other questions.
So the point being made is that by not completing the comprehension questions, you have set up a situation where it is unlikely that you will receive more than roughly 70-79% or maybe 80% of the total 100% for the exam.
If you had completed the comprehension questions, even badly, you would have been able to scrape up a couple of marks that would have helped add to your total exam marks.
That is why exam experts say over and over again, "attempt all the required questions on the exam paper".
Hope this is helpful
YES YES YES!!!!!! EXCELLENT
YES YES YES!!!!!! EXCELLENT RESONING:)!!!!!!! The explanation is really really good and this is what I was looking for to hear from you guys!!!
Thanks sooooo very much! Now im not as worried again as I know I did well in the other section of the paper and the multiple choice.
Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my question and I really appreciate it a million... :):):):) Thank you Admin!!!
Can anyone tell me how CXC view candidates not finishing EXAMS.
I does fell like they will think I dont have good time management and Im slow in completing the written paper in the exam and will mark me hard base on not finishing all area of the specific paper. I just does be thinking about that.... saying he/she too slow. So they aint deserve a One or Two. Let meh give a three. I hope this is not the case and I do well in English A. I have a Three and looking forward to a One or Two this time as I put much study into English A. I know Im good but just the timing is the essence. I hope the Examiners realise it through my writing in the other areas of the paper even if I was unable to do the comprehension passages.
Someone please advise! I fell really down not being able to complete my comprehension passages today.
Hey God is Love! Why worry?
Hey God is Love! Why worry? Be confident. Don't let that get you down, you will do well inspite of. :D
SMILE GOD LOVES YOU :D
No problem! :D That's what we are here for, to help one another, as brothers ans sisters. Be blessed everyone!
Not finshing the exam
Hi, your question is a very good one. Many students ask that question every year. I wanted to give you a full answer and needed more space. So I answered your question in a blog post. I hope it is easy to understand and helpful.
I really need some help I am
I really need some help I am so worried about my english cxc paper I have confuse the short story and wrote something totally different.. Will I get any marks for the story?? Please help I'm so worried
Re wrong short story answer
Hi,
I really can't answer that since you didn't give much information. No sure what you did or didn't do. If you chose a short story question and didn't answer it fully or correctly, then you do have a problem. Just how big that problem is, I don't know.
leak?????
so i am hearin about a leak, im from trinidad and VERY VERY VERY worried, i have alreadii writteN 5 papers and i do not want to go thru those stressfull situations again due to a re sit due to this leak!!
is this 'leak' true or just a scam??!!!
shud i b worried??!!
>>>naf wazz here<<<<
o.O
no exam leak
http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/2012-05-18/education-ministry-assures-no…
All is well as stated. It was just a mix up with a situation of more exam papers going to another school. It was retrieved and the student were able to write the exams although the exam papers arrived late to there School centre. Thank God!!!!!
WHAT GRADE IS 60% in ENGLISH. Will it be a TWO or THREE?
CAN ANY ONE TELL ME IF YOU GET LIKE AN OVERALL MARKS OF 60% IN ENGLISH WHAT GRADE WILL THAT BE....WOULD IT BE A TWO OR THREE?
PLEASE ADVISE ANYONE? Thanks!!!!
Marks
Great Post.
The breakdown of the marks will really help not only students but also teachers who might not have known exactly how marks are distributed.