DIRECTED WRITING by Nyoh Amost Printed PDF

DIRECTED WRITING: A Hand Book for Teachers and Students DIRECTED WRITING: A Hand Book for Teachers and
DIRECTED WRITING: A Hand Book for Teachers and Students
Contact: 652 280 126

DIRECTED WRITING 675 300 458
E-mail: abnyoh@gmail.com
amigonyoh@gmail.com
A Hand Book for Teachers and Students
Notes, samples, questions and answers, commentaries, tips on writing skills and practical exercises 1 Notes, samples, questions and answers, commentaries, tips on writing skills and practical exercises 2

DIRECTED WRITING: A Hand Book for Teachers and Students DIRECTED WRITING: A Hand Book for Teachers and Students
DIRECTED WRITING Published in Cameroon by

NYAA PUBLISHERS
A Hand Book for Teachers and Students P.O. Box 30690 - Yaounde
nyaapublishers@yahoo.co.uk
www.nyaandpartners.com
© Nyoh Amos Buh

First published, 2016
AMOS BUH NYOH All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form: electronic,
electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording or
otherwise, without the prior written permission from the author and
publisher.
ISBN: 978 – 9956 – 454 – 50 – 8
Nyaa Publishers
Printed in Cameroon by
Yaounde NYAA & PARTNERS COMPANY

PREFACE Five.
I cannot claim that this book is everything the student needs in
Directed Writing, but I will not hesitate to recommend it to those who
The main motivation behind this second edition of Directed Writing: A find Directed Writing a challenging task. It is specially recommended
Handbook for Teachers and Students was the high demand, for more for part time students, who need a little more effort in order to cope
practical exercises, from its readership (teachers and students.) I was with school and work constraints.
also motivated by positive criticisms that spurred me to work on a few
language lapses that were found in the first edition. However, this I am still indebted to the following people for their contribution
second edition is still designed to meet the needs of Ordinary Level towards the success of/and the second edition of this book: Mr Joseph
students. The structure and content has not changed much, but for the Suh, Walters Mbotigi, Kenneth Yong Chuo, Dr Eric Enongene
addition of more practical exercises, corrections regarding language Ekembe, Mr Joseph Tumbong, Mrs Ngatat, Flora Ngong Mbong, Brian
and mechanical lapses, and some slight modifications on the Ayein, and Chris Anyam. I am grateful to the Teachers’ Resource
assessment criteria for paper 1. It contains four chapters of informative Centre, Bamenda and the GCE Board for availing me of the
and stimulating material that give students insight into the Directed opportunity to use their past examination questions. Special thanks
Writing component of the Ordinary Level English Language paper. also go to the entire technical team and editorial board of Nyaa
Publishers for making this book available to the public in time.
Chapter One introduces the student to Directed Writing, explaining its
aims/objectives, structure (text types), as well as the assessment
profile. It also explains the how and nature of paragraphing, word
limitation and mark distribution in Directed Writing, with respect to Amos Buh Nyoh
key requirements such as audience, purpose, tone and role. A little 14th June, 2016
more clarifications have been added to purpose and tone.
Chapter Two concentrates on examples of the various text types in
Directed Writing, both in form and content. Here, texts of different
types are presented with the intention of exposing students to the kinds
of texts they may be called upon to write.
The strength of this work lies in the introduction of Comprehension,
Writing and other language skills that could be used as stimulus for the
use of language in social situations. This is handled in Chapter Three
of this book.

Other features of this work are the exam-style questions, sample
answers, and practical exercises, which can be exploited by both the
teacher and the student at home. This is handled in Chapter Four and

TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.9 Role.....................................................................................................18

2. DIRECTED WRITING TEXT TYPES................................................19
PREFACE........................................................................................................5
2.1 LETTER WRITING............................................................................19
DEDICATION...............................................................................................10
2.1.1 INFORMAL LETTERS...................................................................19
1. INTRODUCTION.................................................................................11
2.1.2 FORMAL LETTERS.......................................................................20
1.1 THE STRUCTURE OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE PAPER AND
2.2 LETTER TO THE EDITOR/REJOINDER........................................27
THE ASSESSMENT PROFILE AT THE GCE O/L................................11
2.3 REPORT WRITING...........................................................................30
1.2 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF DIRECTED WRITING....................12
2.3.1 Formal Reports.................................................................................30
1.3 STRUCTURE.....................................................................................12
2.3.2 INFORMAL REPORTS..................................................................32
1.4 PARAGRAPHING AND WORD LIMITATION...............................13
2.4 ARTICLES..........................................................................................32
1.5 MARK DISTRIBUTION....................................................................13
2.5 SPEECHES.........................................................................................33
1.5.1 Content (1 4 marks)..........................................................................14
2.5.1 Formal Speeches..............................................................................33
1.5.2 Expression (6 marks)........................................................................14
2.5.2 INFORMAL SPEECHES................................................................35
1.5.3 Accuracy (6 marks)...........................................................................15
2.6 DEBATES...........................................................................................37
1.5.3.1 Format (2 marks)...........................................................................15
3. TIPS ON COMPREHENSION AND WRITING SKILLS.................40
1.5.3.2. Mechanical (4 marks)...................................................................15
3.1 Comprehension skills..........................................................................40
1.5.4 Slanting (4 marks).............................................................................16
3.2 How to organise ideas in a Text..........................................................40
1.6 Audience..............................................................................................17
3.3.1 Redundant expressions.....................................................................44
1.7 Purpose................................................................................................17
3.3.3 Overused intensifiers........................................................................45
1.8 Tone.....................................................................................................17

3.4 The Passive Voice................................................................................48
3.5 Use of Clichés......................................................................................48
5. SAMPLE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS...........................................49
4.1 APPLICATION FOR A JOB..............................................................49
4.2 FORMAL REPORT............................................................................54
4.3 INFORMAL REPORT........................................................................59
4.4 DEBATE.............................................................................................62
Dedicated
4.5 FORMAL SPEECH.............................................................................66
to Flora, Bimisimbom and Ankinimbom
5. PRACTICAL EXERCISES...................................................................70
BIBLIOGRAPHY.......................................................................................132

1. INTRODUCTION 1.2 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF DIRECTED WRITING

Directed Writing (DW) remains one of the most challenging exercises Aims
at the GCE O/L. It is to English Language students what poetry is to
Literature students. As the name implies, it is a piece of writing that Directed writing usually aims at training learners:
requires students to demonstrate their knowledge of the basic x on how to extract relevant material from a given text
principles of writing; sentence structure, form, content, expression, x on basic writing skills; writing clearly and coherently in a
grammar, spelling, choice of words, punctuation, and most especially given number of words and paragraphs.
the ability to write convincingly and persuasively.
x on how to write purposefully, convincingly and for a particular
1.1 THE STRUCTURE OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE PAPER audience.
AND THE ASSESSMENT PROFILE AT THE GCE O/L Objectives
The English Language paper consists of two papers. See table below:
Students are usually expected to:
No of
No of
Paper Section Name
Type of
Duration Questions
Questions Marks x Respond to stimulus.
Question to be Weight
Set
answered
x Select and present facts.
x Write different text types.
1 A Listening MCQS 10 All x Slant and format information appropriately.
Comprehension
x Respect word and paragraph limits.
B Reading MCQs 15 All
Comprehension 1½ hrs 30%
1.3 STRUCTURE
C Grammar MCQs 15 All Within the framework of the English Language Paper, DW constitutes
Section A of Paper II. It is a problem-solving exercise which runs for
D Vocabulary MCQs 10 All one hour and carries 30% of the total marks for the subject. Students
2 A Directed Problem 1 hr 1 1 30% are usually expected to solve a problem using one of the following text
Solving types:
Writing x Letters (formal/informal)
B Composition Essay 1 hr 8 1 40% x Newspaper/magazine articles
x Reports
Writing
x Speeches
x Talks
x Debates
x Minutes of a meeting

What is required here is a mastery of each of these text types in order ignoring any one of them means losing the marks allocated for that
not to be embarrassed in the examination room. We shall examine each aspect.
of these text types in detail later in this write-up.
Content: (14 marks)
1.4 PARAGRAPHING AND WORD LIMITATION Expression: (6 marks)
Accuracy: (6 marks)
Careful reading and understanding of instructions is paramount in this
Slanting: (4 marks)
section. You are in for trouble if instructions are not understood or are
Total: 30 marks
misinterpreted. Let us examine a typical task and related instruction:
Understanding what each of the above terminology means will help
Your school debate club is to have a debate on the motion, “co- you approach DW with a greater sense of focus and direction.
education is not good”. You are to oppose the motion. Read the
following argument on co-education presented by two families, then 1.5.1 Content (1 4 marks)
using what is relevant from it to support your claim, write ONE In every DW question you are expected to select relevant material
paragraph of not more than 150 words in which you express your from a text or any form of data that could be presented in the form of
views in a persuasive manner. figures. You are expected to read the instructions carefully and
understand what is expected of you. Cutting and pasting of chunks of
The instruction limits the amount of writing to ONE PARAGRAPH the text does not earn you any marks. It only shows that you have not
of 150 words. It is therefore necessary to master the types of paragraph understood the text. Most sentences that are cut and pasted are
in writing. There are two types of paragraphs: the indented and the meaningless. Paraphrasing is therefore an essential component in
block type. The indented type is gradually getting out of use. DW. Use your own words as much as possible. Nothing is added to
Preferably, the block type has been used in this write-up. Since nor subtracted from the original text. Yes, the number of words is
examination booklets contain lines, it is preferable to skip a line before greatly reduced, but the meaning is supposed to remain unchanged. Do
starting a new paragraph, bearing in mind that you have to begin from not introduce any ideas that are not found in the original text. The fact
the margin. that content carries almost half of the marks in DW is a clear indication
for you to remain within the confines of the text and avoid irrelevant
Do not be deceived into thinking that the examiner may not have the
material.
time to count the number of words. Counting is usually done before the
marking starts. Any material that comes after the one hundred and 1.5.2 Expression (6 marks)
fiftieth word is considered irrelevant. Note that articles, (a, an, the) and
pronouns (I, you, he, she etc) are counted as words. Sentence structure is a very important element here. This means that
the sentence must express a complete idea. You therefore need a good
1.5 MARK DISTRIBUTION mastery of English vocabulary and formal expressions. Cutting and
pasting may only produce disjointed and meaningless chunks of words.
Mark distribution in DW takes into consideration the following aspects
Note that long and winding sentences are boring and full of
of the candidate’s written work: content, expression, accuracy and
grammatical errors. Good English therefore is the only way out in this
slanting, with content taking a lion’s share of the marks. The mark
component. However, good English does not mean sounding high.
allocation below is an indication that each aspect is considered, and

Straightforward, short and simple sentences will earn you more marks
than long and winding sentences. Your grammar should be accurate.
1.5.3 Accuracy (6 marks)

Accuracy comes from the word accurate, which has as synonym,
correct. Thus, writing accurately means writing correctly. There are
two forms of accuracy in every writing exercise: Format and
Mechanical accuracy.
1.5.3.1 Format (2 marks)

Format entails structure or the way something is physically presented.
For instance, in a formal letter, and the positioning of the different
addresses, the date, salutation, closing, signature, name etc is very
important. For every mistake, half a mark is lost. The different forms
of DW exercises will be treated in chapter two.
1.5.3.2. Mechanical (4 marks)

English mechanics takes care of malapropisms (misuse of words),
omissions, punctuation, spelling and poor handwriting. In an attempt to
write ‘’beautifully’’, students often resort to drawing instead of
writing. The examiner sometimes has to strain or call on another
colleague to decipher a letter or word. Writing clearly is of prime
importance given that for each error in this section a quarter mark is
lost. Below is a demonstration of how your handwriting is supposed to 1.5.4 Slanting (4 marks)
look like. Directed Writing is all about writing to convince/persuade or to make
someone or a group of people accept your point of view. You must
show proof that what you are saying is genuine. For example, if you
are out to convince a people that monogamy is the only option in our
today’s world, you must (using ONLY material from the original text)
prove your point using supportive facts. To write convincingly, the
candidate should take cognizance of the following obligatory elements:
Audience
Purpose

Tone working session will not be the same way two friends will do. This
difference in tone is most glaringly seen in the presentation and choice
Role of words and expressions in formal and informal letters. You would
definitely not use forceful language when you are appealing for help
1.6 Audience from either an individual or an organization.
The audience simply means the person or group of persons you are
targeting/talking or writing to. When you understand this, you will 1.9 Role
know how to address them. For example, in a formal speech, you When we speak or write to an audience, we assume a particular role.
should master the different ways of addressing important personalities When we are asked to give a talk on the dangers of catching
like chiefs, mayors, Senior Divisional Officers etc. Writing to a person HIV/AIDS, we may assume the role of an educator or a counsellor.
in authority, requesting for a favour, permission or action requires a You would not talk or write to scare the people, but to tell them that it
formal letter. would be unwise to live a reckless life and catch the disease. You
would also write to tell them that as a carrier you can still lead a
1.7 Purpose healthy (normal) life.
The main idea in your write-up is not your purpose. Your purpose is
how you want your audience to feel like; the impact you want your With these four elements in mind, you will achieve the demands of
write-up to create on them after reading it, that is, the message you content, expression, accuracy and slanting.
want to put across to your reader(s). The instruction therefore usually
constitutes the purpose. For example,
I would like to show you the darker side of polygamy.
To do this therefore, you must select your words and expressions
carefully.
In very clear terms, purpose is “sense of pressure” or the circumstances
that necessitate communication – why are you writing?
1.8 Tone
Tone and purpose are very much related: your tone is defined by why
you are writing and vice versa. Tone conveys our attitude towards our
audience and subject matter. It could be light or serious, formal or
informal, etc. Tone can also be called voice and this is mostly
conveyed in the choice of words and expressions used by the writer.
The physical presentation of a write-up can also determine the tone or
voice of the writer; the way two diplomats will talk to each other in a

2. DIRECTED WRITING TEXT TYPES
2.1 LETTER WRITING Commentary

Expressions like I’m glad..., hope you are having fun..., say hi to..., and
2.1.1 INFORMAL LETTERS the word guy are purely conversational.
It is not an obligation to write a complete sender’s address.
Informal letters are not so much of a problem to students because they
The date is an obligatory element.
are written to friends, acquaintances, parents and relations. Judging
The receiver’s or the addressee’s address is not needed in the
from the language used in this type of letters, we can say that the style
letter. It can only appear on the back of the envelop.
is usually conversational. The use of contracted forms and casual
Greeting/salutation is very informal. You could equally use
language is permitted. There is a lot of intimacy.
Hello..., Dear Paddy, Hey guy etc.
Presentation/Structure The body can contain slang and other forms of informal
language.
Apart from kind regards, used as a closing greeting, one could also
(Sender’s address) P O Box 17 use: Love, Regards, Warm regards, Best regards, Best wishes, etc
Fundong Town You could identify yourself by simply signing or writing down
your name or just the initials of your name (that provided to
(Date) 6th August 2010 you in the question).
Hi Paddy, (greeting or salutation)
I’m glad to write to you this day. Hope you are having fun with your family and
2.1.2 FORMAL LETTERS
friends in Douala. How do you feel taking a holiday for the first time out of your Formal or official letters are often addressed to people with whom we
region? I understand that Douala is not a very friendly town, given the very harsh have little or no relation. They could be of higher position. One could
weather conditions.
be writing to apply for a job, to complain about something, to
My uncle has just invited me to spend the rest of this holiday with his family in the apologise, to thank, or to appeal for help etc. With any of the above,
Northern part of the country. Guy, I am scared about going there because I heard you must use very formal language, be straight to the point and avoid
terrible stories of highway robbers who terrorise innocent Cameroonians and deprive being unnecessarily polite and humble. Do not flatter the reader
them of their hard-earned wealth. Please, kindly advise me on what to do. I know you because he only wants to see how useful you can be to him/her, in the
are a friend indeed. Say hi to your host family and friends down there. I expect to read
from you in a week’s time. I really look forward to reading from you and eventually
case of an application. Most often than not, the audience is one person.
meeting you in September. Below are samples.
Kind regards, (closing or ending)
Sandra (Signature and/or name)

Sample I Nouvelle Route Bastos

PO Box 205
(Sender’s address) Yaounde
GSS Nguolain
PO Box 111 Fundong Sub Division
6th August, 2010
Boyo Division
North West Region
(Date)
13th July, 2010 The Principal
(Receiver’s address) International Bilingual Complex
The Principal La Gaieté
GSS Nguolain Yaounde
Fundong Boyo Dear Sir,
Dear Sir, (Greeting) Letter of Apology
AN APPLICATION FOR A TEACHING JOB (Heading) I am writing to apologise for the poor behaviour I put up in your institution during
the maiden visit of His Excellency the Minister of Secondary Education. I
I am writing in connection with the announcement you sent to Radio Bamenda acknowledge with humility my fault bearing in mind the internal rules and
advertising the post of an English Language teacher in your institution. I am 29 regulations of your institution.
years old and recently graduated from the Advance School of Education (ENS)
Yaounde as a private candidate. I also hold a Post Graduate Diploma in English I really regret my unruly behaviour that almost earned your institution a bad
Studies, with a four-year teaching experience as an English Language teacher. name, but hereby promise that this kind of behaviour will never repeat itself.
Kindly accept my apology, sir.
I believe that my educational qualification and professional experience will be of
help to your institution. Find attached to this letter the following supporting Yours faithfully,
documents: A curriculum Vitae, Copies of University degrees.
You could also refer to the following for my character and ability: Signature
1- The Head of Department, English Modern letters, ENS Yaounde
75 32 36 39 Name
PO Box 777, Yaounde
2- The Principal, Cambridge International College
75 84 69 21 Commentary
PO Box 235, Bamenda i) Sender’s Address
I shall be pleased if you retain me as one of your staff members. I look forward to The sender’s address is normally written at the top right-hand
hearing from you. (Closing) corner of the page.
Yours faithfully, (Complimentary close)
Abbreviated letters are usually not separated by full stops in
British English, that is, PO Box, but they are allowed in
Signature (Signature) American English.
Sample II
Amstrong Mbeng (Name and title)

Commas and the full stop at the end of the address are old His Royal Highness, Your Highness/Your Majesty, etc (fons
fashioned. However, candidates are not usually penalised when kings, queens, princes, princesses)
they use commas. In the western world, you would find something like: Dear Mr
It is advisable for the name to appear after the signature. Bama.
Note that in order not to mislead you into declaring your In order to avoid gender problems, that is, writing to somebody
identity, a common name is usually given. whose gender you don’t know, write; Dear Sir/Madam or Dear
ii) Date Sir or Madam,
Preferably the date should be written beneath the address If you know the person is a female, but don’t know whether she
Observe some space before writing it or in case of booklets is married or not, use; Ms
with lines, skip a line. Dear Sirs is used when writing to several male officials whose
You May use any of the following ways: names you do not know. It would be much more honourable to
use Dear Sirs even if you know the names of your officials.
British Style American style v) Heading
August 10, 2010 The heading is optional, especially if the correspondence is on
10 August, 2010 a short and specific topic. For examination purposes, it should
March 10th, 2010
10th March, 2010 be written and underlined, with the first letters of all main
8/10/2010 words capitalised.
10/8/2010
8 :10 :2010 If all the words are capitalised, you don’t need to underline it
10:8:2010
8 -10 - 2010 etc. again.
10-8- 2010 etc
vi) Opening
The first two are the most appropriate for examination purposes. Do You should understand that English is not like French where you have
not say the 10th of August 2011 when writing, say, 10th August 2010. to flatter your reader with high-sounding words and expressions. Go
iii) Receiver’s Address straight to the point. Any type will determine the context and how you
It can only be written at this position. Remember not to write have to start the body of your letter.
To Mr XX on the back of the envelope. Mr XX is ok. Generally, you may open your letters thus:
iv) Greeting/Salutation I am writing to...
Begin with Dear Sir or Madam followed by a comma (,). I am writing in connection/with regard to/with reference to...
Americans prefer the semi colon (;) or the colon (:). Letters to a person or institution you got to know through a third
You can also begin with other titles and this will only depend party
on who you are writing to. Examples include: This is often the case with advertisements on radio TV print media and
Your Excellency, (President) even individuals.
Your Honourable (for ambassadors, members of parliament) Following your advertisement on... etc
His Eminence, (for bishops) I was given your name by...
Your Lordship,(bishops, cardinals, mayors) This job was recommended to me by...
I saw your advertisement on...

I read in the last publication of Cameroon Tribune that...etc Requesting quick action
A complaint We (I) would be grateful if you take immediate action.
I am writing to complain about/to make a complaint about... It would be a good thing if you address this issue immediately.
I regret that I am obliged to lodge a complaint/complain I am hopeful/sure/confident that this matter will receive your
about... prompt attention.
Rejecting a complaint/announcing bad news I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest
We are sorry to tell you/inform you that... convenience.
It is also possible to thank your receiver for some Awaiting a response
correspondence/action. I look forward to hearing from you.
Thank you very much for your letter/email/message received I hope to hear from you as soon as possible/in the near future.
on... I hope you will give this matter your attention.
Thank you for writing to us... Rejecting a complaint
vii) Content While we are sorry that this unfortunate event has occurred, we
The content of your letter is what you say in the body of your letter. cannot...
The kind of words and expressions you use will depend on the issue at I am sure that you will agree with me that, under these
hand. Be polite. The following are useful expressions: circumstances, we cannot solve this problem now.
I should be most grateful if you... Note: These are just guidelines. Do not copy and paste in every letter
I should be pleased if you... you are asked to write. These guidelines are meant to build your own
Please let me know... expressions.
If you have people to whom your receiver can refer, use the following: ix) Complimentary close
More information can be got from...You may refer to the Use; Yours faithfully when your greeting/salutation is Dear Sir, Dear
following... Madam, or Dear sir/Madam
We shall be pleased to refer you to more appropriate persons, Use Yours sincerely, when the name of the addressee appears in the
if necessary. salutation of the letter.
If you have further questions regarding my ability, please refer x) Signature
to the following: Your signature must be legible. It is always written in between the
viii) Closing complimentary close and your name and title.
Every letter has its context or circumstances surrounding it. xi) Name and Title
Closing letters of apology Your name comes immediately after your signature. The order is; first
Please accept our apologies for... (Can also be used to open a name followed by family name, for example,
letter). If your name is Ngong Bernard Beng, it should appear thus:
I would like to assure you that this mistake will never happen in Bernard Beng Ngong
the future. xii) Enclosures
I promise that this will never repeat itself again. If mention is made of reference or supporting documents in the body
of your letter you could use the following expressions:

Please find enclosed... Sample

Please find herewith...
I have enclosed... PO Box 161
Here attached are the following documents: Lycée d’Ekekom,
Sa’a
Note: The order of attached documents should be respected when Lekie, Yaounde
submitting the application.
If you list your enclosures after the letter, use enc(s) or encl(s) 17th June, 2007
(abbreviations for enclosures).
The Editor
Summit Magazine
2.2 LETTER TO THE EDITOR/REJOINDER Yaounde-Cameroon
Most often than not, letters to editors are written by readers of
Dear Editor,
newspapers or magazine articles either to show their support to or to
reject what was said in an earlier issue and maybe to show appreciation I would like to congratulate you and your highly enthusiastic team on the marvellous
for a job well done. A letter to the editor bears exact resemblance with job you are doing... News about the publication of the first edition of your magazine
a formal letter, but for the fact that when it is finally published, only could send one borrowing, just to grab a copy... Of course if the content of the first
the salutation appears before the body. You would most probably not edition were not appealing to the mind, I would not go for a second edition. I
particularly enjoyed the sequence in which the articles appeared: from a man of God
find the title because the correspondence is on a short and specific to men of wit like Dipoko, Angwafor III etc. Soon your readership will be asking to
topic. However, it could include a title precede by “Re:” if it is a know about monumental figures that have made History in Cameroon. [I’m] sure that
reaction a write-up in a previous issue. e.g. Re: Corruption scandal the third edition is going to take care of this.
...The quality was impeccable. More power to your elbows. The public has fallen in
love with ‘’Summit’’ We shall always go for it, for the feet do not hesitate to go
where the heart belongs.
Yours faithfully,
(Signature)
Amos Buh Nyoh

Note: The I’m that appears in square brackets indicates that it was 2.3 REPORT WRITING
wrong for the author of the letter to have used the contracted form. There are two types of reports: formal and informal report. You can
only determine the kind of report that is expected of you from the
This is how it appears as a published article: question asked. For example, in a formal report, you are given the
address of the person/persons to whom the report is directed.
Dear Editor,
2.3.1 Formal Reports
I would like to congratulate you and your highly enthusiastic team on the Formal reports deal with authentic facts given by someone who has a
marvellous job you are doing... News about the publication of the first edition of clear idea of what they are writing on.
your magazine could send one borrowing, just to grab a copy... Of course if the
content of the first edition were not appealing to the mind, I would not go for a
second edition. I particularly enjoyed the sequence in which the articles appeared: The format is the same as that of a formal letter and most often than
from a man of God to men of wit like Dipoko, Angwafor III etc. Soon your not is written by people who are lower in rank to someone of higher
readership will be asking to know about monumental figures that have made authority in the same administrative unit. Most often, the problem is
History in Cameroon. [I’m] sure that the third edition is going to take care of this. plainly presented and proposed solutions are given. Your audience can
either be one or more persons. This means that even an individual can
...The quality was impeccable. More power to your elbows. The public has fallen
in love with ‘’Summit’’. We shall always go for it, for the feet do not hesitate to be asked to investigate and report to a group on a given problem.
go where the heart belongs.
Yours faithfully,
Amos Buh Nyoh
Culled from Summit Magazine

Sample 2.3.2 INFORMAL REPORTS

Informal reports are as open as newspaper articles in that their
Divisional Delegation audience is a larger one, but they are also different in that they deal
Ministry of Secondary Education with facts whereas articles may contain facts that cannot be verified.
Ndian Division This type of report contains:
South West Region
x A captivating heading that summarises the whole report
10th September, 2010
x The body should do just what is required of the candidate.
The Regional Delegation
MINESEC Sample
South West Region
HEPATITIS B VIRUS (HBV)
Dear Sir,
HBV is present in the blood, semen, and vaginal fluids of infected people. The virus
A REPORT ON THE PROBLEMS PLAGUING THE SECONDARY EDUCATION spreads when these fluids enter the body of someone who is not immune. The virus
COMMUNITY IN MY DIVISION can be transmitted by: birth (from an infected mother to the baby); medical, dental,
tattooing, or body-piercing instruments that have not been properly sterilised;
After my first visit to all secondary schools in my area I was alarmed by the problems shared hypodermic needles, razors, nail files or clippers, toothbrushes, or anything
I was presented with by the different heads of institutions. Not only was I surprised at else that can transfer even a tiny amount of blood through any break in the skin and
the grossly insufficient number of schools, but also, I was surprised at the sexual activity. Health authorities believe that HBV is not spread by insects, or by
insufficiency in infrastructure and teaching staff. Even though the insufficiency in the coughing, holding hands, hugging, kissing on the cheek, breastfeeding, or sharing
teaching staff seemed to be quite preoccupying, a good number of these teachers still food, drink, chopsticks or other eating utensils.
take upon themselves to stay away from work for as long as they like.
Most adults recover from acute HBV and are subsequently immune to it. Small
I would like to suggest that you channel this report to the Honourable Minister of children are at high risk of developing chronic infection. Untreated, chronic
Secondary Education, proposing the creation of new schools and posting of more hepatitis can lead to liver failure and death.
teachers to this area. I would also like to propose that recalcitrant teachers be
punished. I would be grateful if you take immediate action.
2.4 ARTICLES
Yours Faithfully, Articles are usually intended for the public and not for individuals.
Peter Anye They could be published in newspapers or magazines.
Divisional Delegate of Education General Characteristics

The GCE standards prescribe that:
x The name of the author (if given) should appear at the end of
the article.
x The title should be preferably written in bold or in capital
letters.

x It should be catchy to attract the reader’s attention. optional). Like any other heading, it is underlined if handwritten. The
following expressions usually precede these elements:
The body of an article usually contains the message conveyed by the x A Speech Presented by...
writer in a captivating manner to thrill the audience. Interesting topics x Opening Speech by...
in a particular newspaper usually attract more customers. x Speech by...
x An Address by...
Sample The salutation
Start by recognising the presence of each and everyone present at the
Menchum Fall and Lake Wum: Myths and Beliefs ceremony, even though sometimes you may recognise the presence of
someone who was supposed to be present, but absent at that moment.
Menchum Fall is, by far, the most accessible in the region. Most first timers are
pleasantly surprised at the accessibility of the fall, which rests on the edges of the The greeting styles will depend on your audience. You may preferably
Bamenda-Wum road. ...For a beautiful lake located right in the heart of town, it is use Ladies and gentlemen as prescribed by the GCE. Move straight
perplexing that activities like swimming and picnicking are not a popular practice into the body by announcing the raison d’être for your address. For
in Wum... Well the mayor blames this on the lack of facilities around the lake. example,
The strategic development plan of the council includes the creation of traditional
hotel around the lake to display some aspects of the rich culture of the area...With As school the prefect you have to address graduating students during a
very limited resources, the council is inviting investors and people interested in
developing tourism around the lake. ‘’I remember submitting a proposal for a
graduation ceremony. You will have to assume that the DO, Divisional
project, which would cost almost CFA 100 million to Helvetas Switzerland to Delegate for Secondary Education and others would be there present.
develop this infrastructure,’’ he said...
N/B You must greet in descending order of hierarchy.
Visitors with unlimited appetite for eco-attractions will take delight in walking x The Senior Divisional Officer for Boyo,
along the banks of the lake Ilium while feasting their eyes on the area’s vast
greeneries.
x His Royal Highness the Fon of Kom, Chiefs and
representatives,
Randyfrom
Culled Joe Summit magazine x Dear Principal and Staff members,
x Dear Parents,
2.5 SPEECHES x Ladies and Gentlemen,
Note: The GCE will guide you by asking you to start with
2.5.1 Formal Speeches x Ladies and Gentlemen...
Formal speeches are usually delivered during special occasions like The Body
graduations, prize-awards, special visits etc. These kinds of speeches The body also begins in a way that shows you are an eloquent, but not
are prepared before hand and so they take a unique format. necessarily verbose speaker. You must be captivating in the way you
announce the subject. See samples below.
Characteristics x On behalf of the education students of this institution, I
Introduction: The speaker introduces themselves by name and heartily welcome you all to this August ceremony...
function, the occasion/event and date and place of event (sometimes x We are gathered here today to celebrate...

x
I salute each and everyone here present today to join us x Thanks for your kind attention,
in... x Thanks for listening, etc
x An old adage says ‘’If you want to plan for life, invest in You could be asked to assume the position of a counsellor and advise
education...’’ etc. your fellow classmates against premarital sex.
Since we are concentrating on the written speech, which takes not
more than a hundred and fifty (150) words, you need not bring in too
many details. Follow only the instructions that direct you on how to go
about the task.
The Closing
Closing a speech is as important as beginning it. You may end by
saying;
x Let me end here by...
x Permit me to end here by...
x Long live GSS Nguolain,
x Long Live Boyo Division,
x Long Live MINESEC
2.5.2 INFORMAL SPEECHES

Informal speeches are said impromptu, i.e. they are not prepared before
hand and you could be called up at any moment to give a talk, a
lecture, instructions, directives or advice.
Format
Salutation
It is preferable to use expressions like:
x Dear brothers and sisters,
x Ladies and gentlemen,
x My brothers and sisters,
x Fellow parishioners,
x Fellow country men, etc, depending on the audience
you are addressing.
The Body
It suffices for you to follow the examiner’s instructions.
The Closing:
You may end with;

Sample The Complimentary Close: Simple Thanks for listening can close the
point a speaker has raised.
Fellow classmates,
I am pleased to talk to you today on the dangers of premarital sex. It has always 2.7 MINUTES WRITING
been my wish to talk to my peers on a topic like this. As leaders of tomorrow, we Minutes are a record of all major decisions arrived at during a meeting.
should be able to start building a solid foundation now. You all know that such a They are usually taken down by a minute’s secretary.
future cannot be built if we start by disrespecting God’s will on earth; that we shall
only get involved in sex as husband and wife. Premarital sex can only help us to get
children out of wedlock, and no man will want to get married to such a woman and Format
vice versa. The Title/Heading
The title is usually written in capital letters (not underlined) or with the
My brothers and sisters, we are all aware of the numerous illnesses plaguing society first letters of every major word capitalised and underlined, beginning
today. We must understand that we constitute the work force of the nation and that at the left hand margin. It should contain the name of the group or
we cannot build a nation with sick people. My parting word for you today is that ‘’a
stitch in time saves nine.’’ God bless you all. organisation, place or venue, day, date and time, preceded by Minutes
of... e.g.
Minutes of the Meeting of Class Prefects Held on Monday, 15th
Thanks for your kind attention September 2010 in the School Auditorium
Or
MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF CLASS PREFECTS HELD ON
2.6 DEBATES MONDAY, 15TH SEPTEMBER 2010 IN THE SCHOOL
A debate is like argumentation in essay writing, but it is peculiar in the AUDITORIUM
sense that you are asked to select one line of argument and stick to it The Body
till the end. The body is written beneath the heading in one or two paragraphs as
the instructions demand. For the purpose of such an exercise, sub titles
Format are not necessary. In order to succeed, you must observe the following:
Salutation Tense
GCE standards prescribe the following salutation: Since it is a record of decisions already taken in the past, the simple
x The moderator chairperson, past tense is preferably used.
x Ladies and gentlemen, x The meeting began at...
The Body x Three persons were assigned to...
There is usually a format to begin the body of the debate. This is meant Person
to establish a common ground between the debater and his audience; Use the third person (He/she/it/the meeting), because being
you tell your audience what you are out for. Most often, you are given impersonal is a virtue in minutes writing. In order to avoid being
instructions on how to begin it, for example, sentimental, do not use the pronouns I and We.
x I am against the motion... x It was unanimously agreed that...
x I am for the motion... x The Vice President was asked to...

Voice 3. TIPS ON COMPREHENSION AND WRITING SKILLS

Your sentences should be written in the passive voice. For example,
x The minutes were read and adopted... 3.1 Comprehension skills
x It was agreed upon that... Directed Writing combines reading comprehension and writing skills.
This is because decisions taken are more important than the people In order to respond to the stimulus in a DW exercise, there is need to
who actually propose or take them. determine the purpose of reading. The purpose is stated in the
Closing instruction and you need to read carefully, following a normal reading
The closing is written beneath the body and bears the signature and rate in order to select just what is expected of you. Below are tips to
name of the secretary. If you have not been given a common name to help you.
use, just write secretary below your signature.
Note: The above only suits a DW exercise because in real life x Allocate time for reading, planning and the final draft.
situations there is more to this. x Rephrase each paragraph in your own words.
x Reread difficult and complicated sections of the text.
x Slow down your reading rate. Rereading more slowly will help
you to understand better.
x Highlight sections of the text that you think are relevant to your
question, and constantly refer to them.
x Write a brief outline of the selected material. This will help you
to organise your ideas in the course of writing.
x Write out a rough draft, using appropriate transition words,
making sure you stay within the word limit.
x Write your final draft on your answer sheet.
The above guidelines can help you come up with a good piece of
writing. However, this can not be achieved if your ideas are disjointed.
Below are devices (accompanied with a simplified definition) to help
you connect your ideas.
3.2 How to organise ideas in a Text

Writing requires mastery of linking devices which would make your
ideas appear smoothly. Subordinating conjunctions, coordinating
conjunctions, conjunctive adverbs, and transitional expressions could
be very useful. Here are organisational patterns frequently used in
written texts. They are grouped according to their functional meaning.

Addition: not only...but, besides, and, again, also, and then, equally Writing could be a very tedious exercise, given that it involves word
important, finally, first, furthermore, in addition, in the first place, last choice. The words you choose make you either a strong or a weak
second, moreover, still, too, further, etc writer. The kind of language used should be appropriate to the task.
People who use English as a second language are often tempted to use
Comparison: also, similarly, likewise, in the same way, etc very high-level vocabulary words and longer and more complicated
expressions. Of course, the goal of serious writing, as is the case with
Contrast: on the other hand, on the contrary, although, yet, though, examinations, is to be as clear as possible. This is exactly what is
nevertheless, but, and yet, at the same time, despite that, even so, even expected of you in a Directed Writing exercise because you are
though, however, in contrast, in spite of, instead, nevertheless, this expected to use a very limited number of words. The following ideas
notwithstanding, otherwise, regardless, still, etc could be helpful.
Emphasis: certainly, in fact, of course, indeed, really, etc Giving Advice

When giving a talk, the expressions you use may either make your
Examples/Illustrations: to illustrate, as an illustration, for example, advice sound:
for instance, indeed, in fact, in other words, in short, it is true of a) general
course, namely, specifically, that is, thus, truly, etc x If I were you, I’d choose to work harder.
x You ought to...
Time Sequence: thereafter, subsequently, afterward, later, again, also, x You should...
and then, after a while, as long as, at last, at length, at that time, before, b) firm
besides, earlier, eventually, formerly, finally, further, until now, x You’d better write it down.
furthermore, in addition, in the first place, last, lately, meanwhile, x Make sure you master your syllabus.
moreover, next, now, presently, second, shortly, thereafter, too, until, x Listen to lectures and you will pass your exams.
when etc c) serious
x I strongly advise you to leave smoking.
Summary: Overall, altogether, finally, in brief, in conclusion, in short,
x You must obtain permission from your boss.
in simpler terms, in summary, on the whole, consequently, etc
d) professional
Cause and Effect/Reason-result: for this reason, consequently, x It is a good idea to get a lawyer to defend you.
hence, on that account, because, therefore, so, for, as, since, thus, as a x My advice is to take a university degree before applying for the
result, accordingly etc job.
Note
These elements are not to be memorised. They should appear naturally.
However, if you read your write-up and can’t find any of them, then Expressing disagreement
your ideas must be loose and disjointed. In a debate, you could disagree with a motion by saying,
x I strongly/wholly disagree with the motion “Our economy is
fast developing”.

x I think students are more to blame for their failure. 3.3.1 Redundant expressions
x It is clear that he will win this election. Like wordiness, redundant expressions make writing unnecessarily big.
This usually happens when the writer does not master the precise
Expressing opinions definition of a word. Examples of redundancies include:
Opinions usually express people’s attitudes towards what they are
saying. You may want to say that it is a good thing or not or that it is advance planning same identical
surprising. Close associates sad lament
x Interestingly enough, he couldn’t answer any question. Close scrutiny sudden impulse
x Fortunately, nobody was hurt. completely unanimous advance forward
consensus of opinion continue on
Indicating that something is obvious cooperate together
currently at the time
x Obviously, I can’t perform this task. empty void enter into (a building)
x Price, of course, is a critical factor. end result join together
exact same leave from
Emphasizing truth lower down
famous celebrity
x They actually dared to insult us. proceed forward
free gift
x Believe me, if you get robbed, forget about it. raise up
fundamental basis
x Eight years was indeed a short time span. retract back
future ahead
future of tomorrow retreat back
Making Suggestions return back
human artefact
x Alternatively, you may like to consider abandoning the job. share in common
more better
x It might be a good idea to create new schools. share together
new innovation
x You might want to meet your boss. true fact
now pending
past history two opposite
If you handle the above well, be sure that you have slanted your work
present incumbent unexpected surprise
well.
rejected outcast unimportant triviality
worldly millionaire
3.3 Wordy expressions/redundancies
Wordiness is the use of unnecessary words. Redundant expressions yearly annual
convey meaning twice. They are common among politicians and
manipulators of language. The use of wordy expressions is an easy 3.3.2 There is, there are and it is Expressions
way of sounding intelligent to the uninformed, but an informed listener The elimination of the following italicised phrases in sentences can
or reader will see right through these ‘empty’ phrases. help in concise writing. Better forms are written in brackets.
*There is a famous teacher who beats children every day.
(A famous teacher beats children every day).

*There are many people who hate corruption. The meeting is for the purpose of The meeting is to discuss plans.
(Many people hate corruption). discussing the plans.
*There are some animals that survive in very cold
temperatures. I passed for the simple reason that I I won because I was best.
(Some animals survive in very cold temperatures). was best.
*It is rarely the case that people refuse to help. She is a girl who is admired by She is admired by everybody.
(People rarely refuse to help). everyone.
*It is a fact that human beings are too proud. We live in a place where there is no We live where there is no snow.
(Human beings are too proud). snow.
I am doing this in order to help you. I am doing this to help you.
3.3.3 Overused intensifiers
Despite the fact that it rained she Although/Though it rained, she
Intensifiers are usually meant to add more force to what one says. went out. went out.
Examples are: absolutely, very, really, quit etc.
She positively expects to win this race. I’ll write a book in the near future. I’ll write a book soon.
(She expects to win this race).
In view of the fact that there are Because there are no teachers,
The results were very surprising.
teachers, we’ll go. we’ll go.
(The results were surprising).
The following table gives you wordy expressions and their revised Bastos is located in Yaounde. Bastos is in Yaounde.
versions. Note that not all wordy expressions can be termed ‘’wrong
English’’. It often happens that teachers beat Teachers often beat students.
students.
Wordy Expression Revised Version A suggestion on the part of the A suggestion by the consultant
After the conclusion of the concert After the concert we left. consultant helped. helped.
we left.
All of the boys came. All the boys came. Owing to the fact that I was ill I Because I was ill, I stayed at
We appreciate any and all We appreciate any suggestions. stayed at home. home.
suggestions. I practice in the field of medicine. I practice medicine.
We are looking for a solution at the We are looking for a solution They hardly ever come early to They hardly come early to
present moment. now. school. school.
He goes to school by means of car. She goes to school by car. The fact is that/The truth is that she She can’t speak French.
can’t speak French.
I was absent due to the fact that it I was absent because of the rain.
We chatted this morning, which was We chatted this morning when
was raining.
when he called me. he called me.
Everybody go in with the exception Everybody go in except Mballa.

of Mballa. The crime wave that exists is The crime wave is unacceptable.
At that point in time I was in form I was in form four then. unacceptable.
four.
She is a woman who likes drinking. She likes drinking. 3.4 The Passive Voice
In today’s world, you need to be You need to be computer Passive sentences contain more words than active ones and emphasis is
computer literate. literate today. taken away from whatever is being described or is performing the
I have the ability to read and write. I can read and write. action. However, the passive voice is best for writing of minutes.
The minister came here in order to The minister came here to
caution us. caution us.
She was born during the same time He was born when famine was Examples
that famine was at its peak. at its peak.
I was watching the TV at the same I was watching TV while Passive: It is believed by everyone that Joe is a thief.
time that Brenda was playing. Brenda was playing. Active: Everyone believes Joe is a thief.
You won’t pass until such time as You won’t pass until you start Passive: The letter was written by me.
you start being serious. being serious. Active: I wrote the letter.
She was of the opinion that we She thought that we should sign
3.5 Use of Clichés
should sign the contract. the contract.
The boy suddenly disappeared from The boy suddenly disappeared. Clichés are expressions that have lost their vitality from overuse. They
my view. are a sort of “pre-packaged” ways of expressing ideas. Beginning
My mother is 1.6m in height. My mother is 1.6m tall. writers mistakenly think that they are effective ways of making writing
Her dress is blue in colour. Her dress is blue. more literary, more creative or more original.
He always does things in a hasty He always does things hastily.
manner. Examples
This is a subject that interests me. This subject interests me. All’s well that ends well/hope against hope/no strings attached/smooth
I am under the impression that I believe/think that she’s insane. sailing/when it rains it pours/the long and the short of it/raining cats
she’s insane. and dogs/laughing her head off/at a loss for words, etc.
We couldn’t leave, given the fact We couldn’t leave because the
that the class was still going on. class was still going on. Avoiding some of these wordy expressions and clichés will enable you
You really need to put forth an You really need to try. to write within the word limit and also make your writing clear and
effort. straight to the point.
I am speaking from past experience. I am speaking from experience.
I have no alternative but to cancel I must cancel the meeting.
the meeting.
In addition to your letter, I have I have read your letter and
read your essay. essay.

5. SAMPLE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS EXPERIENCE:

x Worked for two years with CDC Bota as Wages Assistant
4.1 APPLICATION FOR A JOB x Three years manager of SAAR Insurance Company
The post of an Accounts Clerk has been advertised over CRTV x Bookkeeper for two years with National Financial Credit
network. The service in need of the staff is the Directorate of Human PLC
Resources; North West Development Authority (MIDENO) Bamenda. x Four years as Advertising Manager with Guinness
Selecting relevant material from the information below, write a letter Cameroon SA
of not more than 150 words to the director of Human Resources so that PERSONAL DATA:
you are employed. Write in not more than two paragraphs, paying x Married with four children
attention to expression, accuracy, punctuation, handwriting and x My husband died four years ago
format. x Divorced six months ago
x My mother is bed-ridden in hospital
INFORMATION
x I’m always sick, need money for medical attention
NAME: x Complete orphan
x Tantoh James REFEREES:
AGE: x Dr Ade of National Social Insurance Fund Yaounde
x 14 years old x Mrs Weleji, Finance Director, CDC Bota
x 50 years old x General Manager, National Financial Credit PLC
x 25 years old x Professor Nji of the University of Buea
x 60 years old HOBBIES:
x 10 years old x Singing and dancing
x 13 years old x Playing table-tennis
QUALIFICATION: x Watching movies
x Bachelor’s Degree x Gardening
x Master Degree Use the following address:
x Diploma in Computer Studies Mangong Holdings, PO Box 38, Ndiki District
x City and Guild of London
x GCE Advance Level
x RSA
x CAP Certificate

ANSWER Commentary
You are not writing to CRTV but to the Directorate of Human
Resources of MIDENO.
Mangong Holdings
P O Box 38
Content
Besi Ndi District Quite easy to select, isn’t it? The problem here is how to put the points
together in a coherent and harmonious way. See why the following
14th June, 2016 information has been chosen or left out:
The Directorate of Human Resources
North West Development Authority
Age: You would agree with me that 10-14 years are not appropriate
(MIDENO) ages for work, whereas no employer would want to employ a 60-year-
Bamenda old. No one would want to employ somebody within this age range. So
25 is appropriate.
Dear Sir/Madam,
Qualification: Any modern Accountants Clerk should be computer
AN APPLICATION FOR THE JOB OF AN ACCOUNTS CLERK literate. More so, the City and Guild is a commercial exam. The A’
Level and the Master’s Degree are not professional diplomas and so
I am writing in connection with your advertisement over CRTV, to apply for the job of are not needed for this post. Any modern Accounts Clerk must be
an Accounts Clerk. I am a 25-year-old married man and holder of a GCE Advanced computer literate and a City and Guild of London is a Commercial
Level Certificate, with professional diplomas in Computer Studies and a City and
Guild of London. With these qualifications, I have had the opportunity to acquire a lot diploma and well suited for the job.
of skill and professional experience with CDC Bota as Wages Assistant for two years Experience: Bookkeeping and advertising are not too related. So you
and with SAAR Insurance Company as manager for three years. These two companies don’t have to worry about these two.
can attest to my hard work, commitment, professional consciousness and punctuality. Personal Data: Being married entails some degree of responsibility
and so your employer surely needs a responsible person. If you and
Attached to this application letter are copies of my certificate, diplomas and work
testimonials. You may refer to the following for more information on my punctuality your mother are always sick, then you will always need a sick leave,
and assiduity: permission and money, thereby halting work. Being an orphan means
1. Dr Ade of National Social Insurance Fund Yaounde you are desperate. Write your application plainly without pleading or
2. Mrs Weleji, Financial Director CDC Bota showing how desperate you are. The second and third points are
I hope that you will give this application letter your kind attention. (148 words) contradictory, given that you already mentioned that you are married.
Yours faithfully, Referees: You did not work with National Financial Credit; neither did
you attend the University of Buea, so it’s needless using these persons
Signature as your referees. Those you mention are those that can be called up at
any moment to attest that you really worked with them or that you are
Jones Tantoh trustworthy.
Hobbies should not be mentioned in the body of your application.

They usually appear in your Curriculum Vitae.

Expression ... a lot of skill and professional experience... and the last sentence of
You can only succeed in writing good English if you avoid long, the first paragraph are convincing statements that can tickle the
winding and meaningless sentences. Use the right cohesive devices to recipient to start considering you for the job.
connect your sentences.
Format Accuracy
This is a formal letter and for exam purposes, your address and that of 4.2 FORMAL REPORT
the recipient can only appear the way you find it above. You are the minister of fisheries and animal husbandry. The Regional
The date is separated from your address by a line. Director of the World Food Programme for West Africa based in
The salutation is Dear Sir/Madam because you have no Accra Ghana requires a report on fish production in Cameroon.
idea as to the sex of the recipient and that is why you have Selecting relevant material from the passage below, write a
to use Faithfully yours as the complimentary close. report of not more than 150 words in which you will state the
Americans will prefer the semi-colon (;) or the colon (:) problems facing fishing industry and measures which have been
after the salutation. taken so far to increase fishing production in Cameroon. Write
The heading is not underlined because it is written in your report in such a way that will encourage the World Food
capital letters. Programme to help boost fish production in Cameroon. Your
The indented paragraphs have been adopted all through this report should be written in not more than two paragraphs and
write up. You could choose to begin the first paragraph pay attention to hand writing, accuracy, grammar, format,
with the block type and continue with the indented type expression, spelling and punctuation.
from paragraph two.
Note the order of appearance and position of elements from the FISH PRODUCTION IN CAMEROON
complimentary close to the end. The name is written, beginning with Cameroon is blessed with an extensive inland water mass of about 12.5
the first name. Some people will choose to position these elements in million hectares, capable of producing over 500.000 metric tons of fish
the middle or to the right hand edge of the paper. Preferably, align under proper management. In this bracket are natural lakes, reservoirs
every item to the left except the sender’s address. and rivers with their flood plains and ponds estimated at about 11.5
million hectares.
In order not to lose the 2 marks reserved for format accuracy, master
the presentation of the different Directed Writing genres because it is The quantity of fish consumed in Cameroon is put at 500.000
all about the structure or the way you present your work. metric tons, out of which about 350.000 metric tons are
Mechanical Accuracy imported. The contribution of these inland water areas is about
You lose ¼ mark for spelling, omission, punctuation and malapropism. 30 percent of the domestic production, which is a far cry from
Some spelling errors are caused by poor handwriting. the estimated potential. As a result, fish, which constitutes about
Slanting 40 percent of the average Cameroonian’s protein intake, has
How have you succeeded in convincing your potential employer that become a luxury. For instance, a kilogram of Crocker fish, local
you are the best candidate for this post? sole fish and brim fish, now costs about 1200 francs. Others like
prawns, cost between 1.750 and 2.500 francs per kilogram according to

size. Sliced fish and crabs also cost 1.250 and 1.500 francs per project for raising high quality ‘’fry’’ and fingerlings in fish breeding
kilogram respectively. hatchery centres is in operation. Thirdly, there are the UNDP/FAO
fresh water fish farming demonstrations to encourage investment
The fishing industry in Cameroon faces several problems today, in fish culture, a pilot fish farm project and the construction of
apart from the inadequate supply of fishing equipment, poorly cold storage and ice making facilities. There is the provision also of
developed continental fishing and inadequate preservation smoking kilns in high fish production centres to reduce fish spoilage.
methods. Fourthly, there is the national acceleration fish production project to
modernize rural fishing methods. Finally, measures are being taken to
Available statistics from the Ministry of Fisheries Animal Husbandry establish three fishery terminals at Lagdo in the North Region, Edea in
show that there has been a decline in the quantity of fishing equipment. Littoral Region and Bamindzin in the West Region.
The supply of outboard engines dropped, as well as that of fishing
nets and fishing twine. There were no supplies of plastic floats In conclusion, in the five-six year plan, a mandate was given to the
and lead sheets even though good quantities of these respective fisheries department to incorporate two major programmes which
had been supplied in earlier years. The reason for the inadequate include fish inventory and aquatic resources, that is, all inland water
supply is given as the lack of foreign exchange to import them surface areas such as ponds, reservoirs, lakes and rivers available fish
since they are not manufactured locally. In addition, even those production, with a compilation of actual and potential fish yields. With
companies in Douala and Limbe which could supply 30 percent the implementation of these and other measures, the problem of fish
netting material yearly are finding it difficult to import the shortage may soon be a thing of the past.
necessary raw materials.
Another problem is that of inadequate preservation methods. The

major difficulties are the basic design of fishing boats, which
make it difficult to chill the catch at sea, the lack of ice and
infrastructure at landing site and, thirdly the adherence of
fishermen to traditional practices. According to available statistics,
7 percent of fish is disposed of live, and 27 percent in fresh,
unchilled form. About 45 percent is smoked, and 20 percent sun-dried,
while 1 percent is salted and sun-dried simultaneously. Inadequate
preservation methods lead to an average loss of 50 percent of what is
caught. Experts have estimated that Cameroon will continue to
lose tons of catch, if the situation does not improve.
Many measures are being taken to boost fish production. Firstly

mechanized fishing has been introduced, along with a training scheme
for technicians and fishermen. Secondly, a fish seed multiplication

ANSWER Commentary
Ministry of Fisheries and Animal
Husbandry Content/Expression
Yaounde, Cameroon The exercise has problems and measures taken to remedy the situation.
Select just those that have been mentioned, without including any
20th June, 2014 specific details, else you will go far above the word limit. Do not add
Ministry of Fisheries
The Regional and Animal Husbandry
Director what is not in the text. This should be done in good English.
World Food Programme
Accra, Ghana Format Accuracy
West Africa The presentation is not different from that of a formal letter.
Dear Sir,
Endeavour to write the month in words and in full. Use Dear Sir to
A Report on Fish Production in Cameroon address directors general. You can also see that each main word in the
title is capitalised and the title underlined. Avoid putting full stops
Despite the availability of extensive inland water mass in Cameroon, we still import after the title because they are meant to be used after a sentence.
fish because of the industry’s inability to meet the population’s demands. Again,
prices have risen drastically and poorly developed continental fishing; preservation
Reserve paragraph one for problems faced by the industry and
methods and scanty supply of fishing equipment are part of the problem. Economic
operators say there has been lack of foreign exchange, given that even raw material paragraph two to talk about the steps taken to increase fish production.
needed for the company can no longer be imported. Moreover, 50% of the total Avoid introducing your work as if it were an essay; you risk going
catch is lost due to lack of modern preservation methods. above the stipulated number of paragraphs.
To remedy this situation, a training programme has been introduced to help
We have used Yours faithfully for the complimentary close because the
technicians and fishermen cope with mechanised fishing. Government has taken to
improve on fish production through the UNDP/FAO programme, storage facilities, salutation was Dear Sir.
the National Acceleration Fish Production Project and the establishment of three You are writing in your capacity as minister and this should be written
fishery terminals across the national territory. We hope that with aid from your beneath the signature.
organisation, we would do better.(150 words)
Mechanical accuracy
Yours faithfully,
Work on your handwriting, punctuation, spelling, omission, and
Signature misuse of words.
Minister Slanting
You are writing to encourage the regional director for the World Food
Programme, West Africa by trying to convince them that your country
has problems in the Fisheries and Animal Industry, but at the same
time trying, to show efforts made by your government to increase food

production (purpose). You want to achieve this, bearing in mind your the job is yours.
role as minister. Etchi : What is it, Sir ?
Audience: Your audience is an individual, and a superior to you, so Efangu : Do you know what ‘kola’ is?
adopt a serious tone; you don’t use conversational language. Etchi : Yes, Sir, is it not kola-nuts?
Efangu : Ha!That shows that you are a mere boy. Have you parents!
Number of words: Only the words in the body of your answer are What are they doing!
counted. Etchi : My father is a carpenter and my mother is a petty- trader.
Efangu : Good. I don‘t want to waste your time, or I should have
4.3 INFORMAL REPORT asked you to go back and ask your parents what ‘kola’ means.
BRIBERY AND CORRUPTION To save you this trouble, I’ll just tell you in confidence that my
Mr Efangu, the Employment Officer of a large company, is ‘kola’ is only five thousand francs.
suspected of demanding money from people who come to him for Etchi : Five thousand francs !
jobs. You are Orock, a private detective engaged by company to Efangu : Five cocoa boys, my boy. Nothing goes for anything, you
find out if the suspicions are true. One morning you are able to know.
hear from a room next to his office, Mr Efangu interviewing a Etchi : Please, Sir, my parents are very poor. They cannot afford it?
young man for a job. Nobody knows you are there. You record the They had to borrow my school fees for the last term on the
conversation in your pocket recorder. From this account, write out strict understanding that I must pay it back within the first three
your report in two paragraphs of not more than 150 words, months of my working. I have little or nothing in this world at
leaving out unimportant details but giving a clear idea of what present to call my own. Please, sir, have mercy on me. I need
went on. This report will be the basis of the prosecution’s case the job badly.
when the matter is brought to court. Efangu : I am very sorry for you, my boy. I know that you are very
poor, and that’s why I have offered you this chance out of
Etchi : Good morning, Sir. the scores of others pressing for it. But if you could manage to
Efangu : Good morning. What can I do for you? get your school fees, you should manage to get this ‘kola’ also.
Etchi : I have brought my application in answer to your Etchi : Please, employ me first and I shall then pay you the five
advertisement in the Campost of yesterday. thousand francs when I earn my salary.
Efangu : Let me see. Yes, this is all right. Any testimonial? Efangu : Ha, ha, ha ! You are a very clever boy? But others have
Etchi : Yes Sir. It is attached. made the same proposals. I have even allowed one or two
Efangu : Hmm. You are quite suitable, and I am willing to try you to come on like that, but they have taught me a lesson. They
for the job. would not pay the money until I had to threaten to dismiss
Etchi : Oh, that is very kind of you, Sir. them and give them a bad discharge certificate and refuse to
Efangu : But I regret to say that there are many people, better recommend them for a government scholarship. So, you see, I
qualified, applying for the same job. The competition is can’t allow you to come in without the ‘kola’. After all, you
very keen my boy, but I have taken a special fancy for you. will be earning not less than fifteen thousand francs a month on
However, there is still one thing you have to do before the job. If you manage to get the ‘kola’ as you managed to get

your school fees, you will earn enough money to pay back and Content
have something left to maintain yourself. Paint only a clear picture of what transpired between Efangu and Etchi;
Etchi : Thank you very much. But, Sir, does it mean that you will give only what can convince the audience that Efangu is guilty of bribery
this job to somebody else if I fail to give you the ‘kola’. and corruption. Forget about unnecessary details.
Efangu : Exactly. The only thing I can do for you is not to fill the
vacancy for the next three days. After that time, even if you Format Accuracy
bring double the sum of money, I may not be able to help you An informal report has only two parts: the title and the body. Make
again. You had better set about it now, as I have to go to a sure you underline your title and in the body, give facts that prove that
meeting soon. Efangu is guilty. No signature, no author. This is done in two
Etchi : Thank you very much, Sir. paragraphs. The elements to watch out for in Mechanical Accuracy
are the same in all the different genres.
ANSWER
4.4 DEBATE
Bribery and Corruption: A Reality
The motion of this week’s school debate is ‘’A woman’s place is in the
After several abortive attempts to prove Efangu guilty of corruption, I finally had the home’’. You are the main speaker opposing the motion. You listen to
opportunity in a room beside his office to record his interview with a postulant. Mr the speaker supporting it. You make notes of the main points and you
Efangu admitted with conviction that this postulant (Etchi) is ‘’quite suitable’’ for put your own comments in brackets. Here are your notes:
this job. However, he warns that there is stiff competition, given that there are better
candidates than Etchi, to whom he can be of help, if and only if he offers five x Developing countries with limited financial resources and
thousand francs as bribe. educational facilities, must train the men first. (This means no
chance for women to be educated in the future).
As Etchi pleads to get this post, Efangu makes a mockery of him and further x The educated man becomes a principal, doctor, delegate, director,
expresses his disappointment at people he has allowed to start work and pay later.
This shows how he has allowed corruption to drain this company of its finest
Prime Minister, president of a party and even of a country. (A
qualified staff, some of whom have been dismissed, or denied professional woman can do as well as, and sometimes even better than, a man.
development and recommendation for government scholarship. It is unfortunate that No job is reserved only for men in nation building).
Efangu stands against what we are trying to discourage. (150 words) x The educated man does more important work in the church; he can
become an important minister. Christ called only men as his
apostles. (What about reverend sisters, women pastors? What of
Commentary the role of the Catholic women Association; Christian Women
You are writing to a larger audience and your purpose is to convince Fellowship and other Christian Women’s groups? At the
the audience that the accusations against Mr Efangu are true and it is resurrection, Christ also sent Mary Magdalene and the other
through the use of convincing language that your tone is conveyed. So women as apostles to the apostles).
grab all the marks for slanting your work well. Your tone therefore
x Money spent on a woman is useless because she will leave her job
fetches you the marks for expression. You are playing the role of a
to get married and have children. (Old fashioned idea. An
witness.
educated woman has more influence in the family and even the
whole country. Educate a woman, you educate a nation).

x The educated man brings in money to carry out big projects. (A ANSWER
woman with a steady salary contributes to the up keep of the
family. She can carry out big projects in the interest of the Themoderator,
husband and the children: build a house, buy farmland, a car, and Honourablemembersofthejury,
open a shop. The woman can fight the economic crisis better than Fellowdebaters,
the man). Ladiesandgentlemen,

x The home does not only mean the house. It can mean the farm and
Istandheretoargueagainstthemotion,‘’Awoman’splaceisinthehome’’.You
the garden where much of the food for the family is grown. It is
wouldbearwithmethatthesuccessofanyhomeliesinthecollectiveeffortof
the woman’s place to go after these while the man goes out to
themanandthewoman.Thefactthatweareblessedwithcompetentwomen,
work for ready cash. (A woman is not a glorified slave who can
whoarepresidents,directors,writers,andevenpastors,showsthatwomencan
only give birth to children, cook food dig farmlands. Family unity
even be better managers than men. The role of women’s associations in our
will be promoted if the whole family works in the farm outside
official hours). Christian churches today cannot be undermined. Failing to educate a woman
thereforeisfailingtoplanforthefutureofthenation.Istronglybelievethattwo
x Men are authors of textbooks, poems, novels, newspaper articles
heads are better than one. Any incomeͲgenerating activity that a woman
etc. (Think again and look around you. What of Effective English
engagesinwillhelpreducethefinancialburdenoftheman.Infact,therightto
and other women authors)?
education and work are fundamental human rights. Imagine the frustration
x Men are superior to women. (The sexes are equal. Women who
inherentinawomanforcedtostayathome.Disheartening,isn’tit?(150words)
are forced to stay only at home are depressed).
Thankyouforlistening.
Question
Using mainly your own words, write out your own argument for the
debate in one paragraph of not more than 150 words. Try to persuade
your audience to share your point of view; and pay attention to
grammar, spelling and punctuation.

Commentary 4.5 FORMAL SPEECH

Note that in a live debate, debaters speak in turns. They take time off Read the following passage, which gives an account of the life
to demolish their opponents’ point of view before putting forth theirs. of students in Benda who live in a very immoral environment.
You must have noticed that the ideas in the brackets do exactly that.
Concentrate on these points, while at the same time, showing that you PROMISCUITY AMONG STUDENTS IN BENDA VILLAGE
are arguing against a motion (content). Benda is a village in the western part of the Republic of Coruine. Since
1985, it has been equipped with a comprehensive high school without
Your audience is unlimited and your purpose is to make sure that boarding facilities. Benda is a very small village where the villagers
after listening to your argument, they would be able to invest in have just minimum structures for themselves. Consequently, it is
women and to do this, you should be able to use expressions like; difficult and even impossible for them to welcome young students in
...to argue against... their homes.
I strongly believe...
...Imagine the frustration... With the arrival of the high school, the population has increased more
Disheartening, isn’t it? Etc than three times and a great problem of accommodation arose. As in
such cases, some opportunists have taken advantage to set up some so-
When you slant your work thus, it sounds convincing and earns you called houses for students. Unfortunately, these houses are not well
the marks for expression. The women need to feel you in their shoes furnished and are insufficient. Students renting them are left to their
(role). own devices. In one room are packed together many young people of
varying ages. This obviously leads to a great deal of immorality among
Format Accuracy them.
Align your salutation to the left and address your audience in a
descending order of importance. Use commas to separate each line. In this locality, there are five bars, which contribute greatly to the
The body of your debate is made up of one paragraph, as directed by existing immoral life of the students. By a certain philosophy, an active
the instructions. The complimentary close is written a line beneath the spirit needs rest; and work without play makes Jack dull. Some
body. parents, instead of building houses that can help the students better,
open bars. Any time of the week, especially on Saturdays, young
students spend the least they have drinking until they lose control of
themselves. And when one loses one’s self control, we all know what
can happen.
So, forgetting their reasons for coming to Benda, the students delight
themselves in sexual disorder, alcoholism, smoking, and all kinds of
immoral behaviour. The girls in an attempt to ‘’manage’’ their lives,
give themselves for money and marks. The results of these are juvenile

delinquency, abortion, all sorts of sexually transmitted diseases and ANSWER

AIDS, which cause a significant number of deaths among the students. A SPEECH PRESENTED BY NDIM JOSEPH, SENIOR PREFECT OF GBHS
With this analysis, one may say that the school built for the welfare of BENDA ON THE OCCASION OF THE VISIT OF THE HONOURABLE
the students, has been transformed into hell. MINISTER OF SECONDARY EDUCATION FRIDAY, 10TH SEPTEMBER
2010
QUESTION
At the visit of the minister of Secondary Education, you are asked to Honourable Minister and entourage,
give a welcome address. You wish to bring out, politely but seriously Dear Members of staff,
the situation of the students: their living condition, the consequences of Fellow Schoolmates,
this situation, and to make some requests for improvement. Selecting
what is relevant from the passage, write your speech in not more than On behalf of the education Community of GBHS Benda, I heartily welcome the
two paragraphs and in not more than 150 words. Write accurately Honourable minister of Secondary Education in our midst. Your Excellency, you are
with attention to grammar, spelling and punctuation. visiting us at a time when things are falling apart. The grossly insufficient structures
cannot meet the needs of students who have ballooned in to benefit from the pool of
knowledge offered by this newly created institution. The rooms are overcrowded and
we are at the mercy of unscrupulous landlords who charge very high rent. Parents
here have decided to invest in bars that have attracted the attention of students.
Alcoholism, drug addiction and sexual disorder are the order of the day in congested
rooms and bars. In an attempt to cope with difficult times in this locality, girls resort
to sexual promiscuity in exchange for money and marks.
Permit me to end here while proposing that boarding facilities be made available to
students. The community should also be educated on the needs of students. (152
words)
Long Live GBHS Benda,

Long Live the Ministry of Secondary Education
Commentary
After listening to your speech, the minister should feel the urge to
intervene in the plight of students in this village and immediately seek
solutions to these problems (purpose).
Expressions like;
...things are falling apart.
...grossly insufficient structures...
...unscrupulous landlords etc

...while proposing that... 5. PRACTICAL EXERCISES

expose your seriousness and most importantly politeness of tone as EXERCISE 1
you slant your speech to let your guest empathise with the students’ Imagine that you are a social welfare officer called upon to come to
deplorable conditions and react promptly. You are addressing a large town and deliver a speech to the people assembled in the town hall,
crowd and that is why you have to acknowledge their presence by advising them on how to treat their baby- sitters and telling them why
greeting them in a descending order of hierarchy. However, bear in it is necessary to be kind to them. Select information only from the
mind that your main target is the Honourable Minister of Secondary passage below. Your speech should be written in two paragraphs of at
Education. A formal speech should preferably end with Long Live..., in most 150 words.
ascending order of hierarchy.
Some baby-sitters come merely to enjoy the amenities and luxuries of
a wealthy household, carrying out their duties only perfunctorily or
neglecting them altogether. On the other hand, much of the laziness,
haughtiness and insubordination is provoked by over-work (where
baby-sitters also have to cook, do the laundry and general cleaning).
Hostile criticism from ungrateful housewives can make baby- sitters
miserable, unruly and desperate.
It is true that some unscrupulous family heads intimidate and seduce

their baby-sitters in order to satisfy their sexual desires. There are also
some baby-sitters who lure their masters through constant temptations
in order to enjoy extra generosity and favour. Yet some of these
allegations are entirely unfounded and are merely provoked by
uncompromising jealousy on the part of the wife.
This issue of illicit love has caused the rupture of several marriages
and it is really an abomination for both the guilty spouse and baby-
sitters. When the accusation is false, the wife alone bears the blame
and the shame.
The accusation launched against baby-sitters in general can never be
completely justified. To start with, the work of some baby-sitters is
poorly remunerated, so they tend to offer only services commensurate
to their wages. Even when they are well paid, others still remain lazy.
They may gain someone’s admiration and may start to build up
haughtiness and insubordination. Some start feeling that there is
nothing that their mistresses do that they cannot do, especially if they

have had illicit love deals with the family heads. Some of them come EXERCISE 2
in as wives in disguise, so from the outset they start showing their Your school debate club is to have a debate on the motion “The police
nails. With such, the husbands give a deaf ear to their wives’ are not necessary in society”. You intend to oppose the motion. Read
complaints against the so-called baby-sitters. the article below and select material from it for your argument. In not
more than two paragraphs, of 150 words, write your argument in a
Yes, some baby-sitters truly have their own side of the coin. If they are convincing manner.
treated like sub-humans, they have every reason to become
insubordinate. House wives should realise that baby-sitters are children What would life be like without police? Well, what happened in 1997
born of other women and should be treated kindly. In my language, when 18, 000 police officers went on strike in the Brazilian city of
there is a saying that “a baby-sitter is more than the mother of the Recife, leaving its more - than - one million residents without police?
child”. Thus if any woman wants a nanny to love her child, she must “In five chaotic days in this beachside metropolis, the daily homicide
herself set the example. She should not expect love after having rate has tripled,“ reported The Washington Post. “Eight banks have
demonstrated wickedness. Some women are at work most of the day, been robbed. Gangs have run wild through a shopping mall and driven
so their nannies are more or less the mothers of their babies. Some through upper-class neighbourhoods firing guns. And no one is
women even flirt with their house-boys or other men in front of their obeying the traffic laws.... The crime wave has tested the limits of the
baby-sitters, thereby teaching some of these girls who may have been morgue and flooded the largest state hospital, where gunshots and
innocent, to loose behaviour. stabbing victims are stretched out on hallway floors.” The justice
secretary was reported as saying: “This kind of lawlessness is
In a nutshell, some girls may naturally be lazy, haughty, insubordinate, unprecedented here.”
and flirtatious, deserving all the accusations, but others may have good
reasons to raise hell against their mistress. Wherever we live, evil is just below the veneer of civilization. We
need police protection. Of course, most of us have heard about
brutality, corruption, indifference, and abuse of power on the part of
some police officers. The incidents vary in degree from country to
country. But what would we do without the police? Isn’t it true that the
police often provide invaluable services? Our reporter once asked
some police officers in different parts of the world why they chose this
career.
“I enjoy helping people,” said Ivan, a British police officer. “I was

attracted by the variety of work. It isn’t commonly realised that crime
accounts for only 20 to 30 percent of police work. It’s very much
community and social service. On a typical day on patrol, I could
attend to a sudden death, a traffic accident, a crime, and a confused
elderly person in need of help. It can be especially satisfying to return

a lost child or to help a crime victim cope with his or her emotional EXERCISE 3
trauma.” You are a school counsellor. You read this article, which appeared in
a newspaper. Selecting what is relevant from the article, write a talk in
Stephen is a former police officer in the United States. He says: “As a one paragraph of not more than 150 words, on the difficulties faced by
police officer you have the resources and time to offer the best help the people who aspire to go abroad in search of greener pastures.
when people turn to you sincerely for support. That’s what drew me to Write in such a way as to dissuade students from using the wrong
the job. I wanted to be there for people and bear the burden for them. I means of going abroad. Pay attention to grammar, spelling,
feel that I helped to protect people from crime, at least to some extent. punctuation and handwriting.
I arrested over 1,000 people in five years. But finding lost children,
helping Alzheimer’s patients who had wandered off, and recovering They come from different parts of Africa. They have one goal: to make
stolen vehicles, all brought satisfaction. Then there was also the a better life for themselves and their families back at home. They are
excitement of chasing down and catching suspects.” thousands of men, women and youths, all drawn from the active age
group (between 16 and 55), who knock at the doors of developed
‘’I wanted to help people in emergencies”, says Roberto, an officer in countries. Some of them are well-trained professionals who abandon
Bolivia. “As a youngster I admired the police because they protect their poorly-paid jobs. Others are retired but most of them are jobless
people from danger. Early in my career, I was in charge of foot patrols youths. They all head for Europe and the USA in search of greener
in the city centre, where the government offices are. We dealt with pastures.
political demonstrations almost daily. My job was to stop things from
turning violent. I found that if I was friendly and reasonable with the For many immigrants from Africa and most of the developing world,
leaders, I could avoid riots that might have caused injury to many the developed world is a land flowing with milk and honey. But things
people. That was rewarding.” soon fall apart as they experience the trauma and stress of getting into
these countries, and even while there, surviving in a foreign land,
The range of services that police provide is vast. They have handled especially living with the realities of racial discrimination and
situations from rescuing a cat in a tree to rescuing hostages from stigmatization.
terrorists and confronting bank robbers. Nevertheless, from the time
modern police forces began, they have been the focus of both hopes The traumatizing experience usually begins with the process of
and fears. obtaining an entry visa. Candidates arrive at embassies as early as 5 am
and get caught up in long winding queues. They usually wait for long
hours, and in some cases, without seats or shelter. The majority of
them end up being refused the visas, and reasons are not usually given.
They go away and start the process all over, either in the same
embassy or in another. The process of obtaining an entry visa is
therefore difficult and humiliating; very few people end up obtaining
one.

When it becomes impossible to obtain the visa personally, they land in to meet cost of living, which is also ten times higher than in
the hands of unscrupulous middlemen. These middlemen produce fake developing countries. This explains why some of them can live there
travel documents for exorbitant amounts of money ranging from 2.5 to for up to ten years without visiting home.
4 million francs.
A good number of people who travel with such documents have found
themselves loaded onto the next plane for home as soon as they reach
the host country. Consequently, obtaining travel documents through
middlemen proves to be costly and unreliable.
Travelling without documents is more traumatizing, and may even lead

to death. This involves crossing the Sahara desert and eventually
crossing the Mediterranean Sea. The “Aides” who are paid to lead
them through the desert usually abandon them and make away with the
money. Those who finally succeed in getting through the desert are led
to other “Aides” who help them to cross the sea. This involves a lot of
insecurity. Some wicked sailors throw them overboard after receiving
money. Others use small boats, most of which are overloaded and
therefore overturn, emptying their contents into the sea. The
passengers, who have little or no experience in swimming, head
straight for the bottom of the sea, or end up in the ready mouths of
hungry fishes.
Nevertheless, a good number succeed to get through to the south of

Europe. However, on arrival, they are rounded up and sent to transition
camps where living conditions are very harsh and police brutality rife.
From these camps, they get into the different countries of Europe.
Some of these immigrants have professional certificates but do not
have work permit. This exposes them to exploitation whereby they do
much work for very low salaries. They end up overcrowding in squalid
houses where living conditions are worse than what they left back
home.
For those who work normally and are well paid, the salary is about ten
times higher than what is at home, but they need extra jobs to be able

EXERCISE 4 friend that Mr ‘x’ is bothering you and you do not like it and they will
You are a director in the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and the make Mr ‘X’ realize that you are not just joking.
Family. Peace Corps Volunteer Workers from the U.S.A. have just
arrived in Cameroon to serve in different capacities in the public and Rape cases are common in tourist areas. Even in other places, walking
private sectors. Most of them are women and they are scared because alone is unsafe for women as it is for men. Why not get someone to
they have heard that two Cameroonian women were raped the week accompany you around, say a bar, party or other places? In spite of
before on their way to work. You have been asked by your Minister to this, you would be doing much good to yourself if you avoid drinking
prepare a talk that you will deliver in a contact meeting advising the much alcohol so as to stay alert. Also avoid friends and acquaintances
Peace Corps on the safety measures they should take as they carry out who drink excessively and throw decent behaviour to the wind. Being
their activities. Selecting relevant material from the text below, write a firm with them is not out of place as they are the ones who should be
talk of not more than 150 words in one paragraph. Your talk should be embarrassed, not you.
written in a convincing manner, paying attention to grammar, spelling,
punctuation and handwriting. All of the above precautionary measures may not be enough to keep
you away from attacks from rapists. Consequently you should do
It is really unfortunate that sexual assault occurs throughout the world everything within the means available to save yourself whenever you
in varied circumstances; it is perpetrated by all kinds of men and all are threatened.
kinds of women. One is probably likely to be raped in many towns in
this country as in other places in the world. In spite of this reality,
people still go about their businesses, hoping that society will provide
help and support in the event of any attack by a rapist. At the same
time, rape is a very under-reported crime because women who have
been victims feel that they will be blamed or even criticized and
ridiculed. Despite this, studies have shown that talking about it will
help social workers to assist those concerned to find solutions.
Wherever you find yourself, it would be prudent to be concerned about

your personal security. To start with, people should try to protect
themselves adequately and consider making their houses safe by
installing security locks on doors and bars on windows. If you get to
know your neighbours by name and socialize with them, they will
quickly respond to you when you call for help in case of attack.
Welcoming just any kind of visitor will be a mistake. You should be
able to say `NO’ to those you do not know or like and if they persist in
coming around, you should tell someone or report to the police. Tell a

EXERCISE 5 The way forward can only be provided by man, and this can be done in
You are the chairperson of the Friends of Nature Club in your school. many ways: creating habitat for native animals by planting local or
The Principal has asked you to prepare a speech that you will present native species in our gardens; leaving dead wood in the bush because
during the celebration of the National Day for Environmental birds and animals live in dead trees and logs; when we only collect
Protection. Selecting relevant material from the passage below, write a firewood from the bush without making an attempt to replace, we rob
persuasive speech which you will present in two paragraphs of 150 these animals of their homes. Also, if we must use pesticides in our
words, stating the problems and suggesting solutions to man‘s gardening endeavours, then we should use them sparingly and go only
negative attitude towards the environment. Pay attention to expression, for those made from natural ingredients. This is because birds, frogs
accuracy and slanting. and reptiles can become sick or even die if they feed on insects sprayed
with pesticides. We also have to learn about our environment by
The environment, which refers to the general surroundings in which visiting national parks, botanical gardens or even a zoo in our area and
people, animals and plants develop and exist, now has a variety of taking friends along with us. If we go by car between dusk and dawn,
problems that affect our entire world. These include the pollution of we should drive slowly and carefully, watching out for native animals
air, water and soil; the destruction of the ecosystem; the disappearance which we might accidentally crush, particularly in the bush areas. We
of many species of animals; the disappearance of many species of should also cut down on actively dangerous smoke pollution by
plants; the destruction of tropical rain forests; the warming up of the burning only dry untreated wood, by using small logs and burning the
earth’s surface called the global warming and the breaking up of the fires brightly. As alternatives to car rides, we can walk.
ozone layer.
If we do not act to prevent further climate change, the consequences -
These problems are causing our natural environment to change. This droughts, floods, global warming - are likely to become even more
change is real and no one disputes it. For instance, the concentration of severe in coming years. And the world’s poorest people will be hit first
carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide in the atmosphere has increased as a and hardest. This fight will mean so much if the world leaders and
result of human activities, causing the earth to become warmer and others do something to stop this climate change, which is pushing poor
resulting in global warming. Environmental change is climate change people of the world further into poverty.
and this affects human society directly or indirectly. It is the poor
communities of the world that are most affected. This is because most
of the communities of the world that are prone to disasters are those of
poor people. Disasters such as drought and floods, which also result
from climate change, have mostly affected the poor communities of
our world, pushing them further into poverty, a kind of climate
poverty. Therefore, the fight against climate change is the fight against
climate poverty in communities. Since human activities are resulting in
changes in climate, then the change is first a human problem
consequently needing a way forward.

EXERCISE 6
Read the following passage on alcohol. Then write a letter of not more Some quantities of alcohol do not appear to have any effect upon the
than 150 words to your friend who tends to drink too much alcohol, process of digestion, but if taken in excess, definitive digestive
warning him about the dangers of such habits. Your letter should be disturbances occur because of their inflammatory action on the
written in a convincing manner. Do not write more than two stomach, intestine, and liver. The action of cocktails, that is, mixed
paragraphs. Your address, salutation and closing will not be counted alcohol drinks taken to stimulate appetite is based on their ability to
as part of the 150 words. Your name is Willie Yamche and your create a false impression of hunger. Drinking alcohol always causes
address is PO BOX. 100, Kumba. greater radiation of heat from the skin with the result that the body
temperature as a whole becomes reduced. Consequently, the body is
Alcohol is a liquid produced by fermentation of sugar and other exposed to bacterial infection, such as pneumonia. The effect of
saccharine matter. It is the intoxicating ingredient of fermented alcohol alcohol on the brain is really anaesthetic in the sense that some of its
drinks. This is known technically as ethyl alcohol to distinguish it from functions are disrupted.
many other varieties of alcohol. Commercially, it is produced by
fermentation of the carbohydrate of various fruits and grains. Wines Any person driving a vehicle should not take even a small amount of
are made by fermenting the sugar grapes, whisky by distilling melted alcohol beforehand. It reduces natural awareness of dangers. It slows
barely and beer fermented from sugar, starch barley, with the addition down the reaction time so that in case of emergency when speed of
of hops. Other substances are also produced from sugar by the process decision and quick action are necessary the driver does not act
of fermentation, which gives rise to the particular flavour of the wines sufficiently quickly. A delay in action for a second might result in an
and spirits. The proportion of ethyl alcohol in beers varies between 3% accident.
and 7% and whisky between 7% and 43%.
Continuous alcohol consumption produces digestive disturbances and
Much literature has been written both for and against the use of harmful change, particularly in the liver, kidney and arteries. When
alcohol. As it is usually with controversial subjects, each side tends to power, attention and reasoning become weakened, judgement less
exaggerate the points in favour of its view. Taken occasionally in accurate, and skilled movement requiring precision are affected, the
moderate amounts by adults, alcohol probably does little or no harm, result is that work becomes more carelessly done.
but when taken in excess there can be no doubt that it produces
definitely harmful effects. Some people are more susceptible than
others and in some cases even comparatively small daily amounts may
do harm.
Alcohol is eliminated from the body by a slow process of oxidation,

which may take as long as 24 hours. In the process, a small amount of
heat is generated. It is regarded as having some slight food value but
its importance in this respect is almost non-existent and sometimes
greatly exaggerated.

EXERCISE 7 encouraged. “What girls?” “Oh never mind” said Mrs Kawai. Girls
Your school debate club is to have a debate on the motion, “co- should be brought to be ladies and boys to be gentlemen.
education is not good”. You are to oppose the motion. Read the
following argument on co- education presented by two families, then “I don’t know”, started Mr. Tigem. “You’re exaggerating. I don’t think
using what is relevant from it to support your claim, write ONE that sort of problem is any worse in co-educational schools than it is
paragraph of not more than 150 words in which you express your anywhere else. You must admit that there is usually better discipline in
views in a persuasive manner. You should begin: a co-educational school. The boys are too anxious to impress the girls
to cause much trouble”.
The chairperson
Ladies and Gentlemen “That’s a matter of opinion”, retorted Mrs. Kawai. “There is nothing
wrong with the discipline in the girls’ school. I know’’.
You have just heard the disadvantage of co-education. I will, however,
say that co-education is a better system of education. Mr. Tigem did not take up the challenge. “And co-educational schools
are more convenient from an economic point of view”, he commented,
I entered the room just in time to hear Mrs Kawai shout with disgust. particularly in a slum town. In many cases, it would be impossible to
She was a lady who held strong views. “Co-education!” she exclaimed build two separate schools, so one school seems to be a sensible
with some bitterness. “I’m completed against it. It makes tomboys out answer. It’s just common sense. “Moreover”, said Mrs. Tigem, “I think
of girls. You never know what they are going to be up to next. “Yes”, single sex schools look artificial in a way. Society is not split along
agreed her husband. “And it makes the boys soft and effeminate. It gender lines. A co-educational institution is society in miniature, and
works in both ways you know.” He was proud of the fact that he had so likely to bring up children to be critical and to accept criticism from
gone to a boys’ school. both boys and girls. That is my opinion.”
“Ah, but the boys and girls not only learn to fight for their rights; they “Your opinion is insane”! Snarled Mrs Kawai. “What about...” “What
also learn how to get on with one another” commented Mr. Tigem, an about what?” Mr Tigem cut in. “Children in co-educational schools
old friend of the family. “It makes them more at ease with one another work harder, because there is competition for male or female
so that they don’t feel shy and embarrassed when dealing with domination in the class. However, it is lunchtime. Let’s stop arguing
members of the opposite sex”. Mrs Kawai was quick to take her and start eating.” Mr Tigem gave the final word.
chance. She had evidently been waiting for this point to come up.
“Get on with one another!” she exclaimed. That’s just the trouble.
Some of them get to know one another a little too well! I don’t believe
in friendship of that sort at an immature age. You never know the
trouble it can cause. “Why, there was this girl...’’ she stopped suddenly
and glanced around in an embarrassing way. “Yes” and Mrs Tigem

EXERCISE 8 The family of an AIDS person can feel very frightened of becoming
At the general meeting of the Parents’/Teachers’ Association outcasts in the community. That feeling is often sadly, justified. Some
(P.T.A) of your school, an official from the Ministry of Social time ago I asked a priest I met, what he was doing with people who die
Welfare gave this talk to the parents, teachers and students on the of HIV/AIDS. He said, ‘’I bury them when nobody else will, you see.
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome(AIDS).Your friend who Some corpses are abandoned. Sometimes people are even afraid that
their jobs will be affected. In one family I know, a lady was terrified
missed the talk will like to benefit from it. Selecting relevant
by the knowledge that her brother had AIDS might mean she would
information from the talk, write a letter to him/her pointing out lose her job. Living with the secret is another big problem. I can think
difficulties that people suffering from AIDS and their families of a family where the mother decided that no one outside the family
encounter in their communities. Your letter should be written in would know about this illness. She even stopped going to the market in
such a way as to arouse sympathy for AIDS persons and their case someone asked her questions for which she had no rehearsed
families. It should be written in not more than two paragraphs of answers. I have also known family members who felt they could not go
150 words. Your name is Tikidanki and your address is Roadlake out to meetings or other social places for the same reason. So they
College, P.O Box 200, Osoba. remain absolutely in the home and dare not face anyone else. They
become very isolated, and isolation can lead to stress, even to break
My Dear Friends, point. Families who have high religious codes could feel that their
I have been working among people with AIDS-related illnesses for AIDS relative has brought a particular stigma or disgrace on them.
five years and I think that there are several problems which they and Moreover, for elderly parents, what is hardest to bear is that knowledge
their families face. AIDS causes an enormous amount of anxiety that a son or daughter will not be able to rejoice in or benefit from his
within the family because it may not be possible to tell every member or her career.
that a relative has AIDS. For instance, the grandmother may have a
weak heart and it would be risky to tell her. Thus one of the difficulties The longer I work in this field the more I feel we need to avoid being
encountered once a person’s diagnosis is confirmed is how the family judged. I learnt a real lesson myself once I was told that one gentleman
will be informed. Also, AIDS can sometimes cause the disintegration was HIV positive and I assumed that he had picked up the virus either
of the family unit. I know one family which managed to stay together through promiscuity or through drugs. The story is quite different. He
until their child died, but have since split up. The parents have told me later that he became infected when he had a blood transfusion
separated; the brothers and sisters are in different camps. Part of the after a car accident. It is also very sad that there are still people who
problem is that there were many accusations made when the young will not go near persons with AIDS and will see them as the scum of
person was ill. The death reactivated all kinds of unresolved ill- the earth and their illness as the wrath of God. But I have come to
feelings within the family. Then, sometimes there is a hostile reaction recognize the God of compassion who gives his love to those
towards the AIDS person: “well, he’s brought it on himself and he’d ostracized by the society. We must recognize that AIDS persons are
better get on with it”. On the other hand, the AIDS person may feel human beings who have the same sentiments as everybody else: the
rebellious and reject the over-whelming care and attention from his same fear, the same sense of guilt, and the friends and the society at
family. large. Both the person with AIDS and the family of that person need

emotional and financial support. Above all, society needs to give such possible for a candidate to score a high mark if he appears before
a person a chance to live a useful and normal life to the end. interviewer A and to fail woefully if he appears before interviewer B.
EXERCISE 9 Even where only one interviewer is handing all the candidates
The following letter to the editor appears in a newspaper. involved, the uniformity of scoring is yet not totally guaranteed
You agree with the views expressed by Tamanjong Paul in the article. because the interviewer’s mood is subject to changes as the interview
Selecting relevant materials from the article, write a letter to the editor progresses. The first candidate may be lucky, purely because the
of the newspaper arguing against oral interviews as a basis for interviewer is still fresh and is not bored by whatever the candidate
selecting candidates to fill vacant job openings. Write in not more than says, whereas the last candidate may be unlucky because the
150 words, paying attention to expression, format, accuracy, interviewer may be tired, easily bored and less interested in what he is
handwriting and punctuation. Write in one paragraph. Use the being told.
following name and address:
Therefore, an oral interview is just like a lottery where the winner is
Nkamanyang Sylvia not necessarily the best candidate. The oral interviewer places more
P.O Box 101 emphasis on speech than on skill, whereas skill should be emphasized.
Nchembeng In it, a more talkative and less skilful person may be chosen in a place
of a skilled but less talkative one. Favouritism and hatred may play a
Sir, very negative role in oral interviews. The possibilities of an
One of the oldest and most often used methods of assessing candidates interviewer awarding far better than expected marks to a relation who
is the unstructured interview. It is called unstructured primarily is weaker than other candidates are higher than in a situation where
because the interview scores purely on impression rather than by both candidates were given a written or practical test. In the same way
carefully analysed points to be watched out for. Thus the candidate is another interviewer may penalize a candidate simply on the basis that
asked a series of questions and the interviewer awards an overall mark he dislikes such a candidate’s parentage and so a young person is made
according to his impression of the candidate. The weaknesses of this a victim of problems caused by adults.
method are apparent from the following paragraphs.
All these considered oral interviews are not a better way of selecting
In the first place an interviewer cannot possibly avoid being subjective candidates for high profile jobs.
in his assessment. Perhaps he likes the appearance of the candidate or
the way the candidate comports himself, or the candidate’s readiness to Yours faithfully,
talk freely. These are not the most significant factors in oral interviews
and allowing them to influence the scores makes the assessment less Tamanjong Paul
valid. Secondly, where there are different interviewers, each one
assessing his or her group of candidates alone, it becomes more
difficult to arrive at a uniform standard of scoring. Each is impressed
by different factors in the candidate’s performance. Hence, it is quite

EXERCISE 10 over university entrance examination, consisting of 320 questions on

Read the text below and in more than 150 words, write an article for 11 subjects, mostly of the multiple choice type. Those who pass with
The Herald newspaper pointing out the undesirable consequences flying colours gain access to the top three universities, Seoul National,
which have arisen from the unnecessarily high value which Korea Korea and Yonsei, all in Seoul, and a guaranteed place in the exclusive
places on education. Your article must be written in a persuasive club that makes up top Korean society. So great is the pressure that
manner and in not more than two paragraphs. each year several students who fail commit suicide.
THE IMPORTANCE OF SUCCESS The exam hell experienced by the students is, of course, found to a
The economic miracle and the process of democratisation, which has greater or lesser extent around the world. But in South Korea it has
transformed South Korea from the backward nation it once was, is now begun to draw fire because of criticism of the type of education
solidly founded on the dedication of Koreans to education. that students are torturing themselves to receive.
The whole system is still geared towards rote memorization.
Success has not been achieved without cost, however, to the nation’s Businessmen complain that even top graduates have to train to think
school children and to their parents. These tireless women rise at 5:00 creatively once they start work. The system, they say, fails to meet the
am to prepare breakfast for their hard driven children and often needs of Korea’s increasingly sophisticated, industrialized society, in
continue to ply them with coffee until well after midnight. Education is particular for the use of high technology. Because of this, many apply
valued in Korea because now as in the past, it is the prime means of to study overseas.
social mobility. Men need a college education to secure a good job and
women to get a good husband. The result is that schooling usually
becomes the main priority of the family. Parents will form their
schedules around children’s study routines and will change houses in
order to be near a better school. They may pay thousands of pounds for
extra tuition.
Most pupils work so hard that they seem to enjoy little of their
childhood. Even 14 year-olds are in school by 7:30 a.m. and after a full
day’s class, will be doing private study at least until midnight. By the
time they reach the final year of secondary school, they are sleeping an
average of four hours a night.
The children’s energy comes from the desire to please their parents.
Most parents were too poor to afford an education. For them, college is
a kind of dream. Their children are fulfilling this dream for them. For
the child, success or failure comes after 12 years of school, on a
fateful day in December when, with half a million rivals, he/she sweats

EXERCISE 11 EXERCISE 12
Read the text below and imagine that you are the eldest child in the family of Your school has a dynamic computer science teacher who is encouraging
nine children mentioned in the story. Your name is Lepe Keke and you are a some of your friends to take courses in computer studies. Your friends talk
student of Kingley-kent College, Mulai. You are a member of the very much about the advantages of the internet without mentioning any
Environmental Club of your school which is planning to organize a 3-week disadvantages of this means of communication. In an article titled
camping trip during the holidays. The group will be made up of 30 selected “Disadvantages of the Computer”, and in not more than two paragraphs of
members including yourself. As an experienced camper, you have been asked 150 words, write in a convincing manner to show that the internet is not a
to assess the suitability of a place called Camp Futba as a campsite. You means of communication free of disadvantages.
went there and noted the follow features:
THE INTERNET
CAMP FUTBA The advent of the internet has completely revolutionised communication the
- Low-lying area, subject to flooding; world over, ushering in the digital age and adding impetus to globalisation.
- Near jungle, may have wild animals; Despite this great revolution, the “side effects” of the internet have also been
- Breath-taking view of lake; dramatic. Before we delve into the legal issues raised by this revolution, it is
- Fresh drinking water; important to briefly explain what the internet is all about.
- Many mosquitoes, leeches and tsetse flies;
- Washing and bathing facilities; The internet was created in 1969 as part of the United States Government’s
- Availability of fish and wild ducks; programme to link up her universities. The internet is simply a large network
- Night temperatures can be very low; of computers linked together by cable. By passing data through telephone
- Clean air and beautiful surroundings; lines, users can share information and talk directly to one another. It is
- Forest Warden’s cabin — 100 metres away; estimated that about 320 million people use the internet and it provides a
- 40 km away from nearest village with emergency supplies; wide range of facilities, namely: e-mail, web surfing, entertainment,
- Prone to heavy storms in the rainy season; education, shopping, music, travel, tourism and on-line banking. However,
- Plenty of rotting dead wood around; the most exploited facility of the internet remains the e-mail. Through the e-
- Attractive trees for shade and flowers; mail, people can send and receive messages via their computers. Considering
- Good access roads. the speed and effectiveness of the e-mail, the postal service appears to be
seriously threatened as the most popular means of sending written messages.
Selecting relevant material from the note above write a report of NOT MORE
than 150 WORDS to your club president, recommending Camp Futba as a However, the internet has also become a perfect tool in the hands of
suitable campsite. Write convincingly and in not more than two paragraphs, mischievous individuals and groups. One area that has suffered most is the
paying attention to grammar, Spelling, punctuation, accuracy and domain of e-commerce where dishonest hawkers can have access to other
handwriting. people’s credit cards and use them. It is equally possible in on-line trade to
sell fake products.
This notwithstanding, the World Wide Web is a big attraction for most users
of the internet. This web is a tore of information with pages dedicated to
every subject one can imagine - from politics to trade, education to sports and
pornography to weather.

Pornography poses a major problem on the internet. Unsuspecting parents EXERCISE 13

have often been embarrassed to discover how deeply embedded their children You are a keen reader of ‘New African’, a monthly magazine published
were in pornography. Equally, the violation of trademarks, copyrights and in London. Recently, you read a rejoinder in it entitled ‘Good
patents are some of the disturbing issues raised by the internet. It has also Governance before Marshall Plan’ and strongly support the position
created room for terrorists and rebels to disseminate information and co-
taken by the writer. Selecting relevant material from the text below,
ordinate their activities. Popularly referred to as the information
superhighway, it is a daunting task censuring information over the internet.
write your own rejoinder to the editor of New African, highlighting the
effects of bad governance to the African continent. Write in not more
Most developed societies have already enacted laws to cope with internet than two paragraphs and in not more than 150 words. Your name is
crimes which have caused huge losses to economics and lives. Internet Chila Arey, and your address is PO Box 118, Bamenda.
crimes have equally contributed immensely to undermining the moral fabric
of most societies. Most of Africa is yet to suffer in the hands of internet The February cover story, “Why does Nobody Care About Blacks,”
criminals, considering that its use is still limited to a few facilities like the e- poses a very interesting and intriguing question. The three writers
mail. Take it or leave it, the internet has transformed the world. The world (Cameron Douodu, Anver Versi and Stuart Price) have endeavoured to
shall never be the same again. ask this question by asking more.
Disappointingly, all of them, except Price, failed to address the most
issue-bad governance-which is the single, most obstructing factor to
any meaningful development in Africa. It is not clear, but by
implication ‘black’ if the question refers to Africa rather than ‘Black’
worldwide.
While current and historical injustice of the West towards Africa is
blindly evident, dwelling too much on these issues is dangerous and
irrelevant to the current misery of Africa. It encourages helplessness,
despair loss of self-esteem, etc.
The truth is that the African is not alone in this. Other peoples suffered
similar injustice; but through good governance, they regained self-
consciousness and rebuilt their countries and moved on.
In the case of contemporary Africa, the case of inescapable truth is that
through misrule and mismanagement, African rulers dismally failed
the people. Successive dictators traded reason and rationality with
emotion and reactionary responses to challenges. The result:
ignorance, fear, conflict, disease, death and wanton destruction.
Consequently, the continent is still depopulated by mass emigration of
the best, the young and the able. To be fair, the west has no direct role

in all these. The idea, which, seems to be a running theme in new EXERCISE 14
Africa that the rich world somehow constantly plots to undermine You are a student journalist. Read the passage below and write an
Africa is irresponsible and misguided. Instead, their efforts to help article of not less than 150 words denouncing the bad habits of nurses
Africa, albeit not entirely altruistic, are frustrated by the idiosyncrasy in our hospitals. Assume the name Ekellem Conrad of The Times
of the African. The AU decision has come just weeks after the newspaper.
assassination of a leading journalist and outspoken critic of the
repressive media law in the country. Unless this state of affairs is
reversed, no ‘Marshall Plan’ can make any difference in Africa. This is Dear Toni,
a task for Africans. They must show sincere commitment to good
I am writing to inform you of the nasty situation patients suffer in our
governance and rule of law before the Marshal Plan, else it would just
hospitals. I have visited several hospitals since arriving home and I can
be throwing good resources after bad.
fairly state that the behaviour of our nurses is appalling. In fact, most
of the patients survive by the grace of God because nurses don’t just
care.
The first thing I noticed is that they are not punctual. Some of them
come to work as late as 9am, long after most doctors have arrived. But
perhaps the most painful thing is their negative attitude towards the
sick.
Toni, you may not believe it, but these so-called nurses are, to say the
least, very rude to patients. They insult and scold them; they lose their
temper just because of trifles such as being called upon to explain
dosages to patients. To add insult to injury, these patients sell their
own drugs to patients at twice the cost of the normal costs at pro-
pharmacies. What is more disturbing is that a patient who turns down
this illicit offer is often denied attention. There are cases where nurses
have shamelessly refused to administer drugs to patients because the
drugs were not bought from them.
Toni, it’s not uncommon to hear patients wailing in pain and calling
out for help from nurses in vain. While the patients are in agony, the
nurses are often seen chatting and smiling in their offices pretending
not to be aware of what is going on in the wards. Tony, my dear friend,
they don’t just show a feeling of compassion towards the patients. No
doubt, several patients end up passing away because of neglect.

EXERCISE 15
The case of expectant mothers is even more frightening. They suffer You are a journalist contributing to the Times, a local newspaper. You
terribly in the hands of midwives. There is a popular saying attributed have just interviewed Dr Salifu. Using material from the interview
to midwives, which goes thus: ‘Now you are calling me sister, sister, below, write an article of not more than 150 words arguing in a
did you call me for help when you were making love?’ Really, Toni, convincing manner that medical doctors should cooperate with
nothing could be more painful. traditional doctors. Your article should be written in not more than
two paragraphs.
Warm regards,
Mafor C. Journalist: You have graduated as a medical doctor. Do you think you
merit the certificate?
Dr Salifu: I think I deserve it and I will prove my worth in the field.
Journalist: Congratulations. Looking around as I see many of your
mates in robes, are there any of them whom you found particularly
weak in class and who may, consequently, be more dangerous to the
patients than the disease they suffer from?
Dr Salifu: I do not think that all of us are of the same intellectual
ability. This is common in fields of learning. Many make up in the
field.
Journalist: All the same, now you are going into the field where you
will not only be competing with old brains, but you will also have to
contain with native doctors. What is your opinion of traditional
medicine?
Dr Salifu: I do not hold traditional medicine in disrepute. On the
contrary I think that it is an integral part of the African experience. It
is no wonder therefore, that in Cameroon there is a National
Association of Traditional Doctors. They treat patients in their own
way and are, in fact, important to the population.
Journalist: Do you therefore intend to cooperate with them?
Dr Salifu: It is my intention to do so if they are willing to cooperate.
Journalist: Cooperate!
Dr Salifu: Cooperate in the sense that they handle only illnesses that
they can treat rather than claim that they can treat all illnesses when, in
fact, they cannot.
Journalist: What illnesses do you think are better treated by native
doctors?

Dr Salifu: Illnesses that have a mysterious origin. Sometimes they EXERCISE 16

treat madness, yellow fever, etc. You are the regional delegate of Public Health for the centre region
Journalist: In fact, people object to native treatment on grounds of and you have been invited by the Cameroon Radio and Television
poor and storage of the medicines. They think that the pungent smell Corporation (CRTV) to give a radio talk. Selecting your information
which the concoctions emit is a result of the filthy containers in which from the passage below, state the disadvantages of smoking. You
they are stored. They further argue that if they treat one illness, they should write in two paragraphs of not more than 150 words and in a
initiate others which are worse. very persuasive manner.
Dr Salifu: It is regrettable, but let me remark that some herbs naturally
have repulsive smells. I’d also like to state that the National Living Cancer Research findings in several countries demonstrate
Association of Traditional Doctors preaches the need for improved cigarette smoking is the cause of the modern lung cancer epidemic.
storage of medicines to its members. Approximately, 150.000 new cases of lung cancer were reported in
Journalist: And the other argument? 1987, resulting in 163.000 deaths. Statistics show that cigarette
Dr Salifu: You can hardly have a drug without negative effects, smoking is responsible for 85 percent of lung cancer cases among men
however minor. and 75 percent among women or more than 83 percent over all. The
Journalist: Thank you, Doctor. lung cancer death rate for women is steadily rising, and lung cancer is
Dr Salifu: Thank you, see you next time. expected to surpass breast cancer as the number one killer of women.
Individuals who smoke two or more packs of cigarette daily have lung
cancer mortality rates fifteen to twenty-five times greater than that of
non-smokers. Although non-smokers also get lung cancer, it is
interesting to note that 75-80 percent of all lung cancer is found among
cigarette smokers, who represent less than one-third of the adult
population.
Warning signals of lung cancer include symptoms such as a persistent

cough, sputum streaked with blood, chest pain and recurring attacks of
pneumonia or bronchitis. Heavy cigarette smokers with a history of
twenty years or more of use are at high risk. Unfortunately, lung
cancer is difficult to detect early. When smoking is stopped at the time
of early cellular changes, damaged bronchial lining generally returns to
normal. Continued smoking, however, results in the formation of
abnormal growth patterns that lead to cancer.
Most people are aware that constant cigarette, cigar or pipe smoking
and use of smokeless tobacco cause bad breath and stained teeth.
Unfortunately, several more serious oral problems also occur more
frequently resulting in cancer of the mouth.

Children can become hooked on tobacco within days of starting to Cigarette smoking is a major factor in the occurrence of heart attacks
smoke and might even be addicted from the first cigarette. Among 332 and strokes. The only safe way of eliminating smoking-related diseases
young people who had ever tried tobacco, even just a puff, 40 percent is to quit smoking permanently.
reported signs of addiction.
Among 237 who had inhaled, 53 percent reported signs of addiction. It

was assumed that it took two years for kids to get hooked on to
tobacco that they would have to smoke it every day, at least half a pack
per day. Some of these kids were hooked within a few days of starting
to smoke. Addiction begins in many cases with the first cigarette.
It is believed that teenagers are more vulnerable to addiction because

their brains are still developing. I would like to see the message get out
to kids that you can’t experiment with tobacco. There is no way of
smoking safely. We need to convince kids that trying even one
cigarette can lead to a lifelong addiction.
Other smoking-related diseases include gum inflammation resulting in

bleeding gums. Cigarette smoking is the most important predisposing
cause of both chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Constant coughing
and expectorating of mucus, particularly upon rising in the morning,
are common symptoms of chronic bronchitis.
Emphysema is thirteen times more prevalent among cigarette smokers

than among non smokers. The irritants in cigarette smoke reduce the
lung effectiveness as an oxygenating organ, making it more susceptible
to disease. With cessation of smoking mild bronchitis will improve,
although severe damage to the lungs cannot be repaired. Take a
moment to rest your ability to summon air to blow out a match held six
inches from the mouth. Open your mouth and generate air without
puckering your lips as you normally would to blow out candles on a
birthday cake. This is not a difficult task for the normal individual, but
is often impossible for an emphysema victim. Avoidance of cigarette
smoking and keeping fit through aerobic exercises offer the best
protection against chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

EXERCISE 17 -It is needless to think that the intensive study of English leads to
The following letter appeared in a local newspaper, ‘The voice’ neglect of the mother tongue. The world has many bilingual
communities and these communities are at ease with and proficient in
Sir, two languages.
-In some bilingual communities it is normal to use one language at
We have a fine language of our own which is part of our culture and home and the other for educational and professional purposes. The
which our forefathers found perfectly adequate for the expression of question of superiority does not arise. Either is felt to belong to a
their thoughts and feelings. Yet it is English that is pushed into the different range of circumstances.
heads of our young educated people everywhere until they come to -The smaller the number of people speaking any particular language
look upon and despise their own native tongue. It is argued that we the greater the need to learn another language.
lack modern scientific terms, but we could easily coin these from -Specialist professional training is often available in only one of the
words, which we have but seldom use. Why should we humble major world languages. The same applies to books for specialists. It
ourselves before the owners of the English language by borrowing would be uneconomical to publish a book on aerodynamics, for
what is not ours? example, in a language, which less than 10 million people can
understand.
Yours faithfully,
-The ability to speak two or more languages well tends to broaden
CHI people’s outlook and discourages narrow tribalism and parochialism.
QUESTION
You disagree with this letter. Write, as a rejoinder, to the editor of
‘The Voice’, selecting your ideas from what is relevant in the following
guidelines. Write accurately, in not more than 150 words, in two
paragraphs and in a persuasive manner. Your name is Fru. Use the
address: PO Box, Ekong
-A language is not a piece of property with an owner. It is a tool

available to everybody.
-English is a mixture of many languages. Less than 14 percent of
words used today were
parts of the language spoken in England a thousand years ago.
-There is a great need for a world language to promote international
understanding. English appears most suitable because it is already
understood and spoken more widely throughout the world than any
other language.

Exercise 18 The effects of women’s liberation are being felt not only in the home
You are an activist campaigning for the empowerment of women and but also at work places. More and more women are working and they
you run a newsletter to inform people about changes occurring in your are demanding equal responsible positions. It is not uncommon these
society. Selecting your ideas from what is relevant in the text below, days for women to head major government ministries and para-statals.
write a report titled “Achievements of the Struggle to Liberate Many businesses now encourage women to advance to high
Women” in two paragraphs of NOT MORE THAN 150 WORDS to be management positions, and every year, the nation’s higher institutions
published in your newsletter. Write persuasively and pay attention to produce more women doctors, lawyers, and accountants.
grammar, spelling, punctuation and accuracy.
Politics and government are other areas that are feeling the impact of
women’s movement. Although Cameroonians do not appear randy to
Now, more than ever before, women in Cameroon are beginning to accept a women president, women are already being elected to public
assert themselves aggressively; demanding independence and offices in increasing numbers as members of the National Assembly
recognition. No longer contend with their traditional roles as mothers although Cameroon is yet to have a woman governor, which is the
and housewives, the women have started creating powerful groups and highest office in a region. There have been a few women ministers and
associations all over the country to fight against all forms of a deputy house speaker. A few years ago, this would have been
discrimination or out-moded cultural practices which affect women. In unthinkable.
sympathy with this worldwide trend, the Ministry of Women
Empowerment and Family has been established for the development In conclusion, women in Cameroon are acquiring greater independence
and advancement of Cameroonian women towards what they call which is causing seeping changes in the society - at home, and in
‘gender equality’. Through this institution, Cameroonian women hope politics. Some men may not be happy with these changes but the
to acquire the freedom to pursue interests outside the home, like the women are always quick to point out that it was they, the men, who
opportunity to acquire education or pursue a career, instead of created the conditions leading to the reaction of the women.
spending all the time doing housework.
Instructions: Use mainly your own words in answering the questions.
The effects of the changes brought about by this worldwide trend are Indiscriminate copying of portions of the passage as your answer will
already being felt in some families. For instance, the traditional earn you no mark.
husband-wife relationship appears to be undergoing a radical
transformation. Because so many women are now working men are
learning to share the household tasks of cooking, clearing and even
caring for the children. In some families, there appears to be a
complete reversal of traditional roles: the husband stays at home while
the wife is the bread winner. It should be pointed out however, that this
is an exception, not the rule. Likewise, there is a growing awareness
among women of their rights, and out-moded traditional practices such
as female genital mutilation and torture of widows (during and after
funerals) are gradually disappearing.

Exercise 19 scripts, leading to their failure in promotion examinations. On their

Results of the GCE have just been published. An article in a local part, the boys view this inadmissible practice from a different angle.
newspaper argues that students are responsible for their failure but They hold that a number of dull girls get promoted into higher classes
you disagree. From the passage below select relevant material and in because they give in to some teachers. As a result they crawl up into
not more than 150 words, write a reply to the article confirming why the final form only to meet their waterloo at the end-of-course
students fail in examinations”. Write in one paragraph. examination.
Their teachers do not take these accusations lightly. They do not only
Have you ever taken the pains to reflect on why students often fail so accuse the students of laziness but also decry their obnoxious habits of
massively in examinations? If you have, you must have found that gossiping instead of learning, not affording textbooks, not being
there are several reasons for this. These reasons include those that arise punctual in class and being insolent towards the teachers whose duty is
from the students themselves, those that emanate from their teachers to teach them. They also point out that no teacher wishes to see his
and those that stem from the Ministry of Education. Were you to listen students fail and that the numerous extra-classes they offer the students
to a debate between these three bodies, what an interesting scene of against innumerable inconveniences are to ensure the students’
accusation and counter-accusation it would be. success. On matters relating to sex abuse, the teachers argue that
students as a whole, and especially the girls, always fabricate reasons
The students argue strongly that their failure in examinations is caused to justify their failure. It is, therefore, not expected that such lazy
by their teachers. In this vein, they state that some of their teachers, students will fabricate such reasons to justify their failure.
keeping aside their conspicuous irregularity in class, when they do
come, spend about the first fifteen minutes either blowing their The teachers also quarrel with the Ministry of Education, principally
trumpets or insulting the students. The result is that by the end of the on the syllabuses and the set texts. They argue that the syllabuses for
year, they (teachers) have not covered sufficient material to enable the some subjects are abnormally long and confusing. They also detest the
(students) to tackle their promotion or end-of-course examination. fact that set texts are chosen without consulting them. As a result, they
Furthermore, this abhorrent attitude, the students say, deters most of are often unsuitable for the course. This aside, they also raise the
them of course examination. Furthermore, this abhorrent attitude, the problem of under-staffing in schools. They add that the prevailing
students say, deters most of them from attending some classes for, who shortage of wardens and the fact that most schools are not fenced only
can say on whom the teacher is going to throw his idle gibes during the goes to create an atmosphere of anarchy in schools, an atmosphere
next class? which cannot help the students to pass.
Their argument does not end here. They go forward to point out that
during the past two decades it was argued it is kids who are in forms
four, five etc. And it is unrealistic to expect success from them when
they are not given any notes by their teachers.
Some other students, (the girls to be specific), point to outrageous
claims that their teachers make passes. When they resist such
advances, the wrath of such teachers is vented on their examination

Exercise 20 What led to the official ban of such a weapon? According to the
Read the following passage on SILENT WEAPONS. Using only thinking of the early 1970s, biological agents, though highly lethal, are
relevant material from the passage and the address provided below, poor battle field weapons. One reason for this is that their effect is not
and in not more than two paragraphs of 150 words, write a letter of immediate; it takes time for symptoms to appear. Another reason is
complaint to the Secretary General of the United Nations, giving that their effectiveness depends on fluctuations of wind and weather.
reasons why silent weapons or biological weapons should be officially Further, nations realized that if one nation would likely retaliate with
banned. its own arsenal of biological weapons with nuclear weapons. Finally,
many people felt a moral ‘repugnance against deliberately deploying
SILENT WEAPONS living organisms to disable or kill fellow humans.
Attempts to kill by diseases in times of war are not new. During the
14th century, in Eastern Europe, the corpses of plague victims were None of these reasons are likely to deter people who see things with
catapulted over the walls of a city under siege. In an incident 400 years hatred and who are willing to act outside traditional moral standards.
later, British officers deliberately gave small-pox infected blankets to To those bent on indiscriminate killing, biological weapons have
American parley during the French and Indian War. This triggered an enormous appeal. Bio-weapons can be secretly developed and
epidemic that led to Indian surrender. However, it was not until the end deployed. The identity of the attacker can be concealed, and if the
of the 19th century that it was discovered that microbes cause attacker is known, it is easy to retaliate against a terrorist network with
infectious disease. This understanding opened new and terrifying cells with many countries. Moreover, a silent invisible slow-acting and
possibilities for the weaponizing of disease. deadly biological attack can destabilize a population through panic
alone. Attacks against crops or livestock can cause food shortages and
Of course, medical and scientific advances have also led to the economic disasters.
development of drugs and vaccines. These have been highly successful
Another incentive is the relatively low cost of biological weapon
in the treatment and prevention of disease. Yet, despite these advances,
development. One analyst compared the cost of using various weapons
infectious diseases remain a formidable enemy, killing more than 17
to kill the unprotected civilians in an area of one square mile. The
million people each year - about 50 thousand each day. It is chilling
estimated cost of using conventional weapons is put at $5.000; nuclear
irony; while men and women of brilliance have devoted their lives to
weapons, $2.00; nerve gas weapons, $1.500; and biological weapons,
the conquest of disease in humans, others with equal zeal and skill
$250.
have focused on the conquest of humans by means of disease.
For more than 25 years the United States, the former Soviet Union, and
several other nations, ambitiously pursued the development of
biological weapons. But in 1972, the nations agreed to ban these
weapons. Some countries, however, secretly continued development
and research, amazing stock piles of deadly biological agents, along
with the means of delivering them.

Exercise 21 young refuse to work on the farms, considering it a “dirty job”.

Read the newspaper report below. As you read, identify the points the Unfortunately, “the devil always finds work for idle hands”, as the
reporter made to show the degeneration of youths in Mbungong saying goes.
village. Using some or all of the information in the report, write a
newspaper article pointing out the causes of degeneration and A tour of the village shows no evidence of any youth centre existing
suggesting solutions to the problems raised. nor any community development projects going on where these young
people could lend their skills and time. Attempts to provide leisure
DEGENERATION AMONG YOUTHS IN MBUNGONG VILLAGE activities in the form of a weekly screening of movies have on several
Senior villagers and other village elders in Mbungong village are on occasions ended in violent disruption in tune with the nature of the
the verge of launching a campaign aimed at keeping the behaviour of films themselves. Most have featured sex, violence and gangsterism,
their youths in line. Several complaints have been voiced on the themes that were felt in the first place to be able to attract the youths to
appalling manners of these young people and there have been reports the activity.
of physical and psychological harassment of the villagers by them.
It is high time the relevant authorities stepped in to redeem this
deplorable situation before it truly gets out of hand. The whole village
Our reporter conducted interviews with several villagers upset by the
is terror-stricken. Village elders are afraid to move around at night for
deplorable situation. Instances were cited of youths hanging around the
fear of being attacked and harassed by the youths. Many are saddened
numerous bars and off-licenses in the village square on most nights of
by the altitude of the young who show no respect whatever for the old
the week. Such activities are of course accompanied with excessive
in the village. The moral degeneration of our youths must be quickly
drinking, which inevitably lead to unruly behaviour. Several incidents
redressed.
of a violent nature were cited such as fighting, rioting, and there was
even one case of fatal stabling. The victim, the late Mr. Daniel Njusy,
22, died three days ago after getting involved in a fight with four other
youths over young woman working in one of the bars. The four youths
who have since been arrested, were reported to have attacked the
victim with broken stools and poles. One even had a knife, which
eventually caused the death of Mr. Njusy. The villagers also expressed
embarrassment that the young are not engaging in beneficial activities.
Interviews with concerned parents revealed that most of the youths are
school dropouts. Those who are fortunate to have successfully
completed their primary education often have to travel 20 kilometers to
Gatibong, which has the nearest secondary school to Mbungong
village.
Most parents said that they couldn’t afford to send their children to
boarding schools. The parents also expressed their regret that their

Exercise 22 But this is not a book of despair. The author is professor of rural
Read the following article carefully and imagine that you are a sociology and technology issues at the University of Dschang,
Director in the Ministry of Plan and Regional Development. Selecting Cameroon and has a long experience of practical ways of alleviating
material from it, write a report to your minister, stating some of the poverty, many of which he outlines in his book.
causes of poverty and proposing solutions for the social malaise. All
your information must be got from the article. Your report should be He concludes with the conviction that while poverty can probably
written in two paragraphs of not more than 150 words. never be eliminated altogether, it can be reduced in good measure
“through focused, targeted, anti-poverty programmes based on a
WHY DO THE POOR PEOPLE REMAIN POOR? commitment to justice, peace, good governance, democracy and
Professor Ajaga Nji spent more than 25 years travelling to more of the sustainable development.”
most under privileged corners of the world to ask the question that had
been puzzling him since he was a young man in Cameroon: why do
poor people remain poor?
His travels took him to most parts of his native Africa, as well as to
Asia, Europe and the United States of America. Wherever he went he
spoke to poor people, and painstakingly recorded his conversations and
interviews as he went.
Over the years, a pattern began to emerge. Whether he was talking to
farmers in Machacos, Kenya or to herders in Sabongari, in the North
West Region of Cameroon, a common thread of injustice, poor access
to natural resources and lack of opportunities and education ran
through the picture. Given that it took the author a quarter of a century
to investigate this vast subject, it would be absurd to try to synthesis
the answers here.
In one chapter, he comes up with 26 reasons why poor people remain
poor. One clue, however, comes with the account of a poor fisherman
he met in Cameroon, distraught because his old canoe leaked badly
and because his net only caught a few young fish.
This book is written for the fisherman, who might come to understand
(…) that he is poor because the rich, deep-sea fishermen use their
wealth, greater resources and larger vessels to catch the big fish,
pushing only the fries to the shores into his net, writes the author,
many years after that encounter.

Exercise 23 visas, etc. will have to be minimized, and a “green card” insurance
You are an engineer working for the African Union. And you have system should be accepted by all participating countries.
been delegated by the union to carry out a survey on the construction
of a Trans-African Highway. Selecting relevant material from the Such measures will overcome some of the minor problems; the major
passage below, write a talk in two paragraphs of not more than 150 problems remain much more serious. The main problem is that of cost.
words, outlining the problems that would be faced in constructing the For example in 1981, the cost of realizing the project was quoted at
Trans-African Highway and saying why you think it is worth while about 4000 million US dollars. The estimate for 1986 was 6400
carrying out the project. million dollars and in the year 2000, it could be 16000 million dollars.
THE TRANS-AFRICAN HIGHWAY

The total length of the Trans-African Highway is to be over 7000
kilometers. Most of the route is already covered by existing roads,
many of them of very poor quality. Only about 5 percent of the route
requires completely new roads to be built. if the starting point is taken
to be Mombasa in Kenya, then the first part of the road through Kenya
and Uganda to the edge of the Ruwenzori mountains is already
virtually complete and in good condition. Most of the Nigerian stretch,
from Lagos eastwards through Benin and Onitsha is similar. The rest
of the proposed road is in poor condition, however, and the 1600
kilometers through Zaire are especially bad. work is currently being
carried out on the Cameroon section of the main line between
Bamenda and Bafoussam as well as on branches of the main line
(Douala-Bafoussam and Bafoussam-Yaoundé, a distance of about 700
kilometers. But although work is being carried out on certain sections
of the highway, the main axis of the road (with total length of 6,373
kilometers) is today worse than it was at the low level of technical
expertise. The roads have been badly maintained and some sections of
the road have reverted to dirt tracks.
The coming of the road must bring other reforms and co-ordination for
the countries that this road passes through. Five main measures will
need to be carried out. All participating countries will need to agree to
allow commercial vehicles free access across frontiers; there will have
to be integrated traffic, vehicles and highway standards and
regulations; foreign exchange facilities will need to be established
close to isolated border and road crossings; immigration formalities,

Exercise 24 spectator wondered aloud when he asked, “Have these boys not taken
You work in the Ministry of Youth and Sports. After a disastrous match lunch?” Even their equipment was not worth their status. The material
between Cameroon and Lesotho, your minister is anxious that the and financial crisis played no small role to reflect poor football from
mistakes are not repeated in future. You are asked to make a report on the Cameroonians.
the match, pointing out why the Indomitable Lions lost it. Selecting
what is relevant from the following speech, write your report, in a Also, most of the young players were representing their country for the
serious manner, to the minister. Do not write more than 150 words or first time. Everything in the camp of the Lions looked new. The new
more than two paragraphs. Write accurately, paying attention to head couch, Jules Nyongha, fielded in young players who looked more
grammar, spelling and punctuation. like people preparing to take part in a second division tournament than
going to reflect the image of a great football nation abroad. The
Cameroon is a country that has made a name in the realms of football. absence of professionals left the Lions deficient. Professionals always
Cameroon honourably represented Africa in the 1990 World Cup. give the necessary psychological boost to a team; they create panic in
Lesotho on the other hand is a name that is unknown when fanatics the opponent’s defence and destabilize their spirits. One of
delve into the annals of football. When one hears that both countries Cameroon’s staunch defenders, Kala Raymond, did not play this match
are to lock horns, it sounds like a David Vs Goliath battle. because of an injury he sustained in a friendly encounter against
Morocco. This created a major loophole in the defence line of the
However, in football, one can always speculate but can never be sure Lions. Moreover, when Jules Nyongha was asked why he did not bring
of the outcome of the match. The Indomitable Lions of Cameroon in Omam Biyick for this crucial encounter he replied, “Give me his
become ‘domitable’ when they fell zero to two to Lesotho at Masero. address”. I guess by now he would have known Oman’s address after
The Lions who were counting on past glories, underestimated their the shock.
opponents and failed to handle the bull by the horns. This explains To the Lions Lesotho was a very strange place, they were more like
why, when the opponents gave the surprising spanks, the Lions were fish out of the water than soldiers in a battlefield were. The match was
disabled and could not even counteract by drawing level. It should be not even shown on television. Perhaps if it had been shown, the boys
noted that match officials were very fair and the weather was from Cameroon would have played harder, knowing that all eyes were
favourable to both teams. The boys from Lesotho, however, had a firm on them. After all, a child fights better when he knows that his father’s
mastery of their field that was comoparatively smaller than the FIFA eyes are on him. One bitter truth is that the Lions do not have the
dimensions allowed. This acted as an advantage to the detriment of the necessary fraternal love and blessing they deserve. Most Cameroonians
Cameroonians. However, the field was far better than the Yaounde would say “Let them return and let us solve our problems before
“grazing terrain”. football.” The same people will sit comfortably and watch the Lions
are play and would complain if the Lions happen to lose the match.
Playing at home, the Lesotho boys had the necessary support of their Perhaps the Lions are being haunted by the ghosts of their suffering
fans, who applauded their players and roared mockingly at their fellow citizens. Perhaps a cleansing rite will have to be performed to
opponents. It would seem as if the spectators would kill somebody if change the fate of the Lions. After all, the coach clearly declared that
victory did not come their way. On the other hand, there was evidence his boys played well but were unlucky as they lost several scoring
of the financial crisis in the faces of some players from Cameroon. One opportunities.

Exercise 25 Most memory failures actually represent failures in attention, says the
book Myteries of the Mind. What can help you to pay attention? Be
Read the following text and selecting what is relevant from it, write a interested and where possible, take notes. Note-taking not only focuses
letter to your friend who is preparing for an end-of-course the mind, but also enables the listener to review the material later.
examination advising him or her on what he or she ought to do in
order to succeed in the examination. With all that you acquire, acquire understanding. When you do not
understand a teaching or concept, likely, you will not remember it
Your letter should be written in one paragraph of 150 words, paying well, if at all. Understanding illuminates the relationship between the
attention to handwriting, grammar, spelling, and punctuation. parts, knitting them together to form a logical whole. For example,
when a student of mechanics understands how an engine works, he
Your name is Amadou Nguma and your address is City Bilingual
will better remember details about the engine.
Grammar School. P. O. Box 5111, New Town.
. Categorize similar concepts or related ideas. For instance, a grocery
Memory involves three stages: encoding, storage, and retrieval. Your
list is easier to remember when we categorize items — meats,
brain encodes information when it perceives it and registers it. This
vegetables, fruits, and so on. Also, divide the information into
information can then be stored for future retrieval. Memory failure
manageable chunks of not more than five to seven items. Telephone
occurs when any one of these three stages breaks down.
numbers are usually divided into two pans so that they can be
Memory itself has been divided into various kinds, including sensory remembered more easily. Finally, it may help to put your list into a
memory. Sensory memory receives information from stimuli through certain order, perhaps alphabetical.
the senses, such as smell, sight, and touch. Short-term memory, also
Repeating aloud what you want to remember (a foreign language word
called working for brief periods. Thus, we can add up numbers in our
or phrase, for example) will strengthen the neural connections. How
head, remember a telephone number in our head, remember a
so? First, saying the word forces you to pay close attention. Second,
telephone number long enough to dial it, and remember the first half of
you may get immediate feedback from your teacher. And third,
a sentence while reading or listening to the second half. But as we all
listening even to yourself calls into play other arts of your brain.
know, short-term memory has its limits.
Make a mental picture of what you wish to remember. You might also
If you want to store information indefinitely, it must go into your long-
find it helpful to draw it or map it out. Like verbalization, visualization
term memory. How can you put it there? The following principles will
makes use of different parts of your brain. The more senses you use,
help.
the deeper the information is embedded.
Cultivate an interest in the subject, and remind yourself of the interest
When learning something new, associate it with something you already
for learning. As your own experience in life may tell you, when your
know. Linking thoughts to, memories already stored makes encoding
emotions are involved, you enhance your memory. This fact can be a
and retrieving easier, the association serving as a cue. For example, to
great help to examination students. When they read their notes with the
remember a person’s name, link it to some unusual feature of his
two-fold goal of understanding and being able to teach others, their
appearance or to something else that will call the name to mind. The
memory can be considerably enhanced.
more humorous or absurd the association is, the better the recall. In

short, we need to think about the people and things we want to Exercise 26
remember.
The Mayor of your council launched A “Clean home” Competition,
The book searching for Memory states: “If we operate on automatic and your family won the first prize. Selecting relevant material from
pilot much of the time and do not reflect on our environment and our the passage below, write a report on how your family managed up the
experiment and our experiences, we may pay a price by retaining only clean-up routine activity, in a paragraph of 150 words. Write in a
sketchy memories of where we have been and what we have done”. convincing manner and pay attention to grammar, spelling,
punctuation and handwriting. You are Sih Emma, Spokes person for
Allow time for the information to be processed, to soak in as it were. the Sih family.
One of the best ways to do this is to review what you have learned,
perhaps by repeating it to someone else. If you had an interesting How pleasant it is to live in clean, uncontaminated surroundings!
experience or read something up building in the notes or in lectures, However, with the increase of garbage and refuse in homes and cities,
share it with someone. In that, both of you will benefit your memory it is ever more difficult to keep our environment clean and orderly.
will be reinforced and your friend, encouraged. For good reason,
repetition has been called the mother of retention. Municipal governments strive to keep streets clean by arranging for
garbage collection systems, but in spite of this, trash accumulates in
In ancient Greece and Rome, orators were able to deliver long some areas, where it becomes appalling and a threat to public health. Is
speeches without referring to a single note. How did they do it? They there anything that you can do about the situation? Yes, keep your
used mnemonics. A mnemonic is a strategy or device that helps us home and surroundings clean and neat.
store information in the long-term memory and recall it when needed.
Some people think that dirty neighbourhoods or homes are
A mnemonic device used by ancient Greek Orators was the method of synonymous with poverty. However, this is not necessarily so.
loci, or the location method, first described by Greek poet Simonides Granted, the lack of material means can make it more difficult to keep
of Ceos in 477B.C.E our surroundings clean. But a Spanish proverb says: ‘Poverty and
cleanliness have no quarrel with each other”. Cleanliness in and around
the home depends on a mental attitude that translates into action. In
fact, keeping the home clean is dependent, to a great extent, on the
mental attitude of the entire family. The entire family should examine
what each and everyone can do to contribute to cleanliness of the
home, neighbourhood and the city.
To be very practical, a well-defined cleaning programme that includes
the whole family can be of great importance. Again, mothers should
play a leading role in this besides preparing food and getting the
children ready for school. She also has to work to keep the home and
its surroundings clean.

There are places in the home where cleanliness is critical for good Exercise 27
health such as the bathroom and the kitchen. They need regular and
more thorough cleaning. To achieve this, some parents can make rules You are a worker in the ministry of Basic Education. In a workshop to
for their children and train them appropriately. When they leave their raise awareness on a new language, you have been selected to give a
rooms in the morning for school, the bed should be made; dirty dresses talk to adults who are interested in learning a new language. Selecting
should be in the proper place and their personal belongings in order. In relevant material from the passage below and in one paragraph of not
short, the useful rule is “A place for everything and everything in its more than 150 words, give a talk on how these challenges can be
place”. overcome. Write in a convincing manner paying attention to grammar,
spelling, punctuation and handwriting.
Also, some members of the family can have specific assignments to do
in the house. Family cooperation will be of utmost importance. Again, In countries around the world, a growing number of people are
make a good programme for maintaining your home. If the activities of learning new tongues for a variety of reasons. Some are personal,
members of your family are so tight, you can also hire someone to help financial and religious. A number of people who are studying a foreign
you, giving particular assigned task. language were interviewed. Among the questions asked were: “What is
it like to learn a new language as an adult and, what can facilitate
Achieving a clean surrounding is not limited to the inside, the outside learning?”
appearance of the house is very important. Try to repair broken hinges
of the gate from the hedges, empty the trashcan and clear the While young children can pick up two or more languages
environment of items that lie untidily outside a house. simultaneously just by being exposed to them, adults usually find
learning a new tongue more difficult. For one thing, they must be
Furthermore, it is good that weekly, we sweep and clean, up the side patient because learning a new language can take a long time. And
walk and the street in front of the house. The government, too, has put with their busy schedules, this often means putting other pursuits on
in place a very good system for keeping the neighbourhoods clean. hold.
Some families not only have a programme that includes the chores of Humility is essential. When you are new to the language, you must be
the home but they have gone a long way to write it down on paper and willing to speak and in some respects, be treated like a child. In
post it where the family can see and follow. addition, you have to shed some of your self-importance and your
worries about dignity if you really want to make progress. So don’t
The beauty of an environment lies greatly on what the eye sees. So, it take yourself too seriously, if you have never made mistakes, you are
is good to conclude this cleanliness by planting flowers and not using your new language enough. In learning a new language, do
ornamental plants for the beautification of the surrounding. not worry if others laugh at your mistakes. Instead, laugh along with
them. In fact, the day will likely come when you will be telling
These brief suggestions will no doubt make the whole family aware of
entertaining stories about the things you had said. Don’t be afraid to
the need to maintain your home and your surrot1ndings. Remember,
ask questions if you don’t understand why something is said in a
keeping a home and its environs clean depends, not upon your means,
certain way.
but upon your mental attitude.

Learning a new language often means learning a new culture. It helps Exercise 28
to be adaptable, and to have an open mind. Learning another language
has helped many people realize that there is more than one way of You are the Minister of Women’s Empowerment and the Family. You
looking, at things. Reaching out and making fiends with people who think that the Cameroonian woman is undergoing negative changes
speak the language and enjoy being with them, will make them that are affecting the family. Selecting relevant material from the
naturally drawn to you. passage below, write a speech in 2 paragraphs of not mere than 150
words, stating the reasons for these changes and what the women
The more time you spend studying and even more so, using the should do to uphold African values. Write in a convincing, manner
language, the faster your progress will be. We acquire language skills paying attention to grammar, spelling, punctuation, and handwriting.
the way a chicken eats grain by grain. The little specks are not much in
themselves, but adding up. Many have found that regularly devoting In every society, women play a vital part. Visitors of West Africa often
short periods of time to study is more effective than infrequently describe the lot of women as “depressed or slavish”. In their functions
setting aside large chunks of time. There is a dazzling array of aids as guardians of the physical well-being of the family and the tribe, they
available to help people learn a language including books, recordings, occupy a very strategic position; What is more, the women are in many
flash cards, and more. Even with all these products many people find cases, not merely “builders” but guardians of their traditions. They
that they learn best in a structured classroom atmosphere. Use greatly influence the fate of their people.
whatever methods work well for you. Keep in mind, though, that there
Let me say here that I am not a feminist. I find it impossible to
are no shortcuts in learning a language but there are ways to make
subscribe to the view that women are equal to men. I believe the male
learning easier and resting. One way is to increase your exposure to the
and female species are complementary to one another. In Britain, for
language and culture. After mastering some of the basics and having at
example, the equality of the sexes has been stressed to such an extent
least a beginner’s vocabulary, it is advisable to spend some time with
that most men see no reason why the so-called “weaker sex” should be
native speakers. Visiting the country allows you to absorb the flavour
given any preferential treatment. I feel this is a great pity, for in their
of the language. Most important, being immersed in the environment
fight for equality and better conditions, some societies seem to have
helps you to think in the new language. Of course, most people may
ignored the very nature of women.
not be in a position to go to another country. For these, they should
seek out people in the area who speak the language well and interact In most parts of West Africa, we find the other extreme. She is the
with them. subordinate of the male, relegated to those duties which her lord and
master finds irksome, or rather degrading to perform.
In the end, practice is the single most important rule for making
progress. The ideal seems to be the mean between the British and African
extremes.
West African society is now undergoing a period of transformation.
Contact with the western way of life has brought changes to most
urban areas and their women, from whom new standards infiltrate into
rural parts and womenfolk therein. Many women in larger towns have

had education alongside the men: now they can argue with their Exercise 29
fathers, brothers and husband and hold their own. The former African
social structures are breaking down. Instead of presiding over farm and You are a member of the Debate Club of your school. The club is
home, most African women now either confine their influence to the organizing a debate on the motion: “Cell phones are a necessity in
home alone or extend into the office, the hospital or the school. But the society.” You intend to oppose this motion. Selecting relevant ideas
tendency seems to be to follow very closely the British pattern of from the material given below, develop your argument
equality among the sexes.
Write in one paragraph of not more than 150 words. Write in a
But while striving to improve their position women must keep ever convincing manner and pay attention to grammar, spelling,
before them the goal of truly feminine career woman; a mother no less punctuation, and handwriting.
in public affairs than her husband, and participating filly in his career.
Cell phones
Anything threatening to interfere with this balance should be
sacrificed. It may mean a part-time job instead of a full-time one, 9 Cell phones are very convenient to use
where there are young children to consider. The true mother should be 9 Users incur high bills due to the urge or pressure to keep up
prepared to do that much to ensure a successful running of her home. with additional services
9 The feelings of nostalgia, loneliness, and separation are
In searching for a new way of life that would at once embrace all that
minimized. Cell phones bring people closer together
is good in women of other races, the woman has traditions of her own
9 The use of cell phones in class can attract disciplinary
that she must not lose. Much has been said about the extended family
measures. The teacher may get angry and book students for
system with its rather elastic hospitality; the African idea of hospitality
punishment or dismiss the student if the disturbance is
is one of the things we should do well to preserve. Our respect and
recurrent.
consideration for elders is another, so are many tribal customs and
9 Parental control over their children is difficult.
rituals, which give colour and originality to our way of life.
9 Cell phones make communication easier. Children can contact
their parents anytime, anywhere and vice versa within the
twinkle of an eye.
9 They sometimes disrupt lessons and make it difficult for other
students to communicate.
9 It is not uncommon for half-educated middle-class people and
what we popularly call “bayam-sellam” to proudly pick up their
cell phones to calculate weights and costs of their goods.
9 Spending too much time on the phone could lead to unhealthy
problems.
9 The use of cell phones cause indiscipline in class.
9 Communication using the cell phone can be done with little or
no coast. Users can write short messages and communicate
these to as many people as are found on their log.

9 They are a nuisance, especially during solemn occasions like Exercise 30

church services and deep mediations.
9 Users can while away time listening to music or playing games You are the President General of your village Cultural and
on the phone. Development Association. The people of your area rely on your
9 Some people may acquire their phones at very low cost or may information and education about their well-being. They like and take
even have received them as gifts, but they end up spending too great joy in the practice of all night watch by a corpse, prior to every
much money on the phones and extra services they render. burial.
9 Most children use cell phones to communicate secretly with
You strongly disapprove of this practice due to the untold hazards that
those of the opposite sex.
go with it. Selecting relevant material from the list below, write a letter
9 Phones can connect you to cyberspace, providing access to
to the president of your village traditional council suggesting the
websites and e-mails.
dangers of keeping wake with corpse.
9 There is mush expenditure in buying expensive and
sophisticated cell phones. Paying attention to grammar, spelling, punctuation and handwriting,
9 They are in the form of relaxation, either in the comfort of your letter should be in one paragraph of not more than 150 words.
one’s home or when travelling on long journeys. Your name is Mbimbo Paul and your village is Nsangapi. You are
resident in Mbole. Your postal address is P.O. Box 25, Mbole.
9 Finances are constantly drained.
9 Mourners enjoy sumptuous meals.
9 Funeral uniforms add to individuals’ stock of clothes.
9 Wakes are proof of love to the departed.
9 Sleepless nights for the living.
9 People enjoy getting together.
9 Mourners inhale unhealthy air from corpse.
9 Sales of drinks
9 Carpenters get busy.
9 The dead are resting while the living suffer for them.
9 Money is generated through funeral attire
9 Fast turn over
9 The spirit of the dead is appeased.
9 Sexual promiscuity abounds.
9 People socialize.
9 Late meals are unhealthy feeding habits.
9 Absence of parents from homes for vigil gives freedom to
children.
9 All is vanity, whether we live or die.

9 Discoveries of new relationships BIBLIOGRAPHY

9 Forum to receive blessings from the dead
9 Overfeeding
9 Bandits take undue advantage. Bobda, A. S. (2002). Watch Your English! A Collection of Remedial
9 Corpse forgives family members and friends Lessons on English Usage (2nded), B and K Language Institute.
9 Mortuaries always congested Dukk, Yun. ‘’Hepatitis B: A Silent killer’’ Awake. Aug. 2010:12.
9 Enough time for grave digging Fualefeh, A. et al. (2006). Graded English For Cameroon Schools.
9 Reduction of tension and quarrels 2nd ed. Menji: ANUCAM.
9 Mourners have some relief.
Jones L. (1991) New Cambridge Advanced English. Cambridge: CUP
9 Neglect for domestic responsibilities
9 Proper planning time for a befitting burial Lecture at a CAMELTA Congress. Catholic University of
9 Death is disgraced. Central Africa. 19th August 2010.
9 Burial process is facilitated. Nchia Dieudonné, K. (2007). Essentials of the English Language
9 The peace of neighbours is disturbed. Paper: Unpublished Monograph.
9 The bigger the crowd, the higher the fame Nyoh, Amos B. Letter Summit Nov. 2007: 4-5.
9 Scarcity of drinks and food On English Usage (2nd ed.), B & K Language Institute.
9 Wakes breed strange and unhealthy attitudes.
Onare Evelyne and Chia Primus, (n.d.) Practical Exercises in Directed
9 Pastors evangelize at wakes.
9 A boom in the ceremony of that area Paper: G C E Ordinary Level. Unpublished monograph
9 Indication of popularity of the dead Perrin, R (1990). The Beacon Handbook. 2nd eds. Houghton Mifflin:
9 Emotional torture to the bereaved family Regulations and Syllables for the Cameroon GCE Examinations.
9 Wake or not, the dead is gone. Strunk, W., Jr. and White, E.B. (n.d.) Elements of Style. Manuscript
9 Portrayal of class distinction Tabe, H (2008). Mastering English Language Skills. 2nd ed. Limbe:
9 Exhibition of wealth through wakes The Cure Publishers
9 Excessive drinking
Titanji, Beatrice. ‘The Demise of Letter Writing in our Classrooms.’’
www.cliffsnotes.com
Yembe, F E O (2003). GCE Ordinary Level English Language. Limbe:
Presbyterian Press.

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DIRECTED WRITING: A Hand Book for Teachers and Students DIRECTED WRITING: A Hand Book for Teachers and

DIRECTED WRITING: A Hand Book for Teachers and Students

Contact: 652 280 126

DIRECTED WRITING Published in Cameroon by

© Nyoh Amos Buh

ISBN: 978 – 9956 – 454 – 50 – 8

TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.9 Role.....................................................................................................18

3.4 The Passive Voice................................................................................48

3.5 Use of Clichés......................................................................................48

5. SAMPLE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS...........................................49

4.1 APPLICATION FOR A JOB..............................................................49

4.2 FORMAL REPORT............................................................................54

4.3 INFORMAL REPORT........................................................................59

1. INTRODUCTION 1.2 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF DIRECTED WRITING

1.5.3 Accuracy (6 marks)

1.5.3.1 Format (2 marks)

1.5.3.2. Mechanical (4 marks)

2. DIRECTED WRITING TEXT TYPES

2.1 LETTER WRITING Commentary

Kind regards, (closing or ending)

Sandra (Signature and/or name)

Sample I Nouvelle Route Bastos

Dear Sir, (Greeting) Letter of Apology

Please find enclosed... Sample

Amos Buh Nyoh

Culled from Summit Magazine

Sample 2.3.2 INFORMAL REPORTS

Divisional Delegate of Education General Characteristics

2.5.2 INFORMAL SPEECHES

Voice 3. TIPS ON COMPREHENSION AND WRITING SKILLS

3.2 How to organise ideas in a Text

Emphasis: certainly, in fact, of course, indeed, really, etc Giving Advice

5. SAMPLE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS EXPERIENCE:

Hobbies should not be mentioned in the body of your application.

Another problem is that of inadequate preservation methods. The

Many measures are being taken to boost fish production. Firstly

Commentary 4.5 FORMAL SPEECH

delinquency, abortion, all sorts of sexually transmitted diseases and ANSWER

Long Live GBHS Benda,

...while proposing that... 5. PRACTICAL EXERCISES

It is true that some unscrupulous family heads intimidate and seduce

“I enjoy helping people,” said Ivan, a British police officer. “I was

Travelling without documents is more traumatizing, and may even lead

Nevertheless, a good number succeed to get through to the south of

Wherever you find yourself, it would be prudent to be concerned about

Alcohol is eliminated from the body by a slow process of oxidation,

EXERCISE 10 over university entrance examination, consisting of 320 questions on

Pornography poses a major problem on the internet. Unsuspecting parents EXERCISE 13

Dr Salifu: Illnesses that have a mysterious origin. Sometimes they EXERCISE 16

Warning signals of lung cancer include symptoms such as a persistent

Among 237 who had inhaled, 53 percent reported signs of addiction. It

It is believed that teenagers are more vulnerable to addiction because

Other smoking-related diseases include gum inflammation resulting in

Emphysema is thirteen times more prevalent among cigarette smokers

-A language is not a piece of property with an owner. It is a tool

Exercise 19 scripts, leading to their failure in promotion examinations. On their

Exercise 21 young refuse to work on the farms, considering it a “dirty job”.

THE TRANS-AFRICAN HIGHWAY

9 They are a nuisance, especially during solemn occasions like Exercise 30

9 Discoveries of new relationships BIBLIOGRAPHY

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