Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT DIVISION

STUDY TIPS
BOOKLET

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 Contents

The CSEC English A Examination ................................................. 3

General Study Guidelines ............................................................ 4
General Writing Guidelines ......................................................... 6
General Reading Guidelines..7

Guidelines for Answering Summary Questions ........................... 8

Guidelines for Answering Comprehension Questions ................ 9
Guidelines for Answering Essay Questions ............................... 10
Guidelines for Answering Multiple-Choice Questions .............. 11

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 The CSEC English A Examination

Paper 1 60 Multiple Choice Items(1 hours)

Section 1: Summary Writing

Section 2: Comprehension
Paper 2 Secion 3: Creative Writing
Section 4: Argumentative Writing
(2 hours 40 minutes)

Breakdown of Paper 2
Section 1: Summary Writing
In this section you are asked to condense a piece of writing
within a certain word limit.
Section 2: Comprehension
In this section you are presented with two comprehension
passages.
Section 3: Creative/Descriptive Writing
Here you are asked to pick between a descriptive topic and
a narrative topic and write between 350 to 450 words based
on that topic.
Section 4: (Argumentative Writing)
This section may require you to present your views on a
topic, or to argue for or against an issue in 250 to 350 words.

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 General Study Guidelines

Before you study:

1. Have a positive attitude
View studying as increasing your knowledge and
understanding of the world. Knowledge is Power!
2. Set your study goals and create a flexible study plan.
Setting achievable study goals is critical to success in
examinations. Plan a study timetable and make sure
to give yourself enough time to relax and rest. Dont
let your work pile up.
3. Read the syllabus
The syllabus is a very important document in which
subject content is stated. Additionally, it states the
number and time duration of papers and how marks
will be awarded. All students should have a general
knowledge of the information stated in the syllabus.
4. Identify problematic topics
Identify topics that you find challenging and either
ask someone for help, or conduct research on those
topics.
5. Discover your learning style
We all learn in different ways. Some of us need to
make diagrams, while others might make up songs or
rhymes to help us to remember important concepts. If
you are bored using one method of studying, try

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 something else. Eventually you will figure out what
method of studying works best for you.
6. Get Creative with online study tools (e.g. look for study
videos on YouTube)
7. Have all your study information at your fingertips
Before you leave school to prepare for CSEC
examinations, make sure you have all your study
information (e.g. your notes, diagrams) and can
access the information quickly. You dont want to be
wasting time trying to get study materials when you
should be studying.
8. Organize your study space. A neat study area will
encourage you to be more productive when you study.
During your study time:
1. Review your notes from school every day.
Additionally, take some time to rewrite or summarise
your notes. This helps you to reflect on what you did
during class time and will help to reinforce or change
your understanding.
2. Keep a dictionary/thesaurus nearby to help with new
vocabulary and spelling
3. Use flow charts and diagrams to help you organise
information.
4. Practice using past papers.
5. Write stories and essays and ask your teachers to read
them and give you feedback.
6. Organize study groups with friends.
7. Explain concepts and your answers to others.
8. Remember to take a break. It helps if you schedule
your break times. For example, a ten-twenty minutes
break after every hour of study.
9. Snack on 'brain food' and drink plenty of water.
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 General Writing Guidelines

1. Carefully study the way/s in which professional writers

use Standard English.
Look at newspapers, magazines, and books. Notice
the differences that exist between the way/s in which
we say things in Trinidad Creole, especially when we
speak with our friends, and how we might express the
same ideas in Standard English. Remember, the
examination tests your ability to communicate in
Standard English.
2. Be aware of how you use language. The English A
examination tests how well you communicate in writing,
and how competent you are at understanding what
others are communicating through their writing. These
are skills you use every day, but the examination is set in
Standard English and you are expected to communicate
using Standard English. Remember that in Section 3, you
may use the Creole, but only in your characters
dialogues.
3. Know your purpose and audience.
When you are preparing to write about a topic in sections
3 and 4, it is important that you remember the purpose of
the piece of writing and your target audience. This will
guide you in choosing the appropriate language, tone
and point of view.
Type of Writing Purpose
Summary To condense information for the reader (factual,
concise language)
Story To entertain the reader (figurative, lively language)
Argumentative To present a point of view and use language that
Writing persuades.

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4. Use the formula POW + WWW, W=2, HOW=2 when writing
stories.
P= pick your topic
O= organise your notes
W= write an outline of what you wish to say, then say more!
Ask yourself these questions:
W= who is the main character?
W= when does the story take place?
W= where does the story take place?
W= what does the main character do or want to do?
W= what do other characters do?
How= how does the story end?
How= how does the main character feel? How do other characters
feel?
5. Create clear thesis statements when writing persuasive
essays.
The thesis statement captures your main idea and you
should practice writing it for a variety of topics. Use the
topic sentence for building your essay.
Practice using this thesis statement to brainstorm for
ideas about the topic. Next, build each paragraph to
explain and support the thesis statement and
supporting ideas. Write ONE idea per paragraph.

General Reading Guidelines

1. Make a connection to what you are reading
2. Identify the writers purpose
3. Look out for clues that good writers provide
4. Imagine a poem is a movie to help with understanding
5. Summarise what you read (identify main ideas)

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 Guidelines for Answering Summary Questions

1. Read the passage to determine its main idea and

authors point of view
2. Reread the passage slowly identifying:
- The main idea of each paragraph
- Important words
- The supporting details of each main idea
3. Underline or highlight the main ideas and supporting
details (if possible, use different colours when underlining
or highlighting)
4. Rewrite the first main idea using words that are similar in
meaning. It may not be possible to change all the
original words but try to change as many as possible.
5. Make sure to reread what you have written to ensure you
have not changed the main idea of the paragraph.
After the main idea has been restated, examine the
supporting details. Each main idea will have supporting
information. Using your own words, restate the supporting
details.
6. Remember, not to include:
- Examples
- Statistics
- Repetitions
- Details that do not support the paragraphs main
idea
7. Stick to the word limit.

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 Guidelines for Answering Comprehension
Questions

1. Read the questions before reading the passage. Look for

Key Words. Key words express specific ideas and
relationships among ideas.
2. After you find the key words in a question, look for the
same words in the passage. Underline the key words and
closely examine the text around them. Most times the
key words and related text make up the answer to
related questions.
3. Read the entire passage before answering the questions
that follow.
Some questions ask about general information rather
than specific details in a passage. To answer these types
of questions, you need to understand the passage as a
whole. On the other hand, the questions that ask for
specific details require you to go to specific sections of
the passage. Knowing where the relevant key words are
in the passage will save you time when looking for the
answers.
4. Make connections to your own experience or try and
identify with the experiences of the characters and the
information being presented.
5. Some questions ask you to interpret situations and draw
conclusions.

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Making connections to your own knowledge and
experiences may help you answer these types of
questions. As you read, try to relate the content of the
passage to yourself, people you know or try and relate to
the experiences of the characters in the passage.

Guidelines for Answering Essay Questions

1. Read the writing prompt carefully and note the key
words.
The prompt will give you a topic, an audience, and a
purpose for your writing. Before you begin writing,
make sure you understand what the prompt is asking
you to do.
2. Plan before you write.
In your test booklet, make an outline of your points to
help you get organized and to stay on topic. Your
outline may take any form a list, a cluster map, a
drawing etc.
3. Try and use words you can spell. Additionally, you can
use appropriate words from the reading
comprehension passage or other words from the
examination paper in your essay.

4. Review and edit your work. When you have

completed your essay, reread to make sure that all
your ideas were clearly stated and your paragraphs
contain one main idea and details that support the
main idea.
Next, check your spelling, punctuation and grammar.

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 Spend Test Time Wisely.
All examination papers have a time limit. From past
examination paper practice, you will have a very good idea
of the time you usually take to complete each section and
what is an acceptable distribution of the test time.
Additionally, a very important indicator of the quantity of
time that should be spent on each section is the distribution
of marks. In the CSEC English A paper, the most marks is
allocated to the two essays and as a result most of your time
should be spent on those sections.
Suggested time distribution
Section A 30 minutes
Section B 30 minutes
Section C 45 minutes
Section D 45 minutes

Guidelines for Answering Multiple-Choice

Questions
1. Relax!
2. You dont have to answer every question correctly to
pass the test.
3. The multiple choice paper is made up different
sections; you may answer the questions in any section
first. If you select this option, ensure that you shade
the answer for the corresponding question on your
answer sheet.
4. Answer easy questions first.

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5. If a question is difficult, skip it and focus on the ones
that you understand. After you have answered the
simple questions, return to the questions you skipped.
6. Make notes in the test booklet (But Not on the Answer
Document).
Writing a note to yourself can help you think through
a question. It presents a visual representation of your
thoughts and may help you to select the correct
answer. As you read, you may underline important
words or ideas and make notes on any part of the
test booklet.
7. Eliminate answers you know are wrong.
If you are not sure about the answer to a question,
cross out any choices you know are wrong.
8. If you must, guess.
Even if you guess, you have a one-out-of-four chance
of giving the correct answer. If you can reject two
wrong answers out of the four choices in any
question, you have a one-out-of-two chance of
answering correctly. Consequently, do not leave out
any questions.
9. Review your work!
When you have completed the last question, review
questions and correct any mistakes. If you guessed
the answer to any question, change your answer only
if you have a good reason. Additionally, check your
answer document for unauthorised marks and erase
them as cleanly as possible.
Contributions by:
ELA Unit, CDD
Dr. K. Seunarinesingh
Mr. S. Bijaram

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