ED/01/03/01-Cir (EFLB) .01.

2018

Circular No 09/2014(iii)

To: Provincial Secretaries of Education,

Provincial Directors of Education,
Provincial coordinators of English
Zonal Directors of Education,
Zonal DDEs/ADEs of English,
Principals,

English Language and Drama Competitions

This is further to my circular number 09/2014 and 15.02.2016 on the above subject. The
instructions on conducting English Language and Drama Competitions have been revised as
follows. You are kindly requested to take necessary action accordingly.

National Level English Language and Drama Competitions are held annually at school,
divisional/zonal, provincial and national levels, with the objective of promoting the use of
English among school children through enjoyable and participatory competition in an
informal educational setting. The competitions must be organized in such a way that every
student gets an opportunity to show his/her talents and creativity in the use of English from
the classroom level to the national level.

Competitors are expected to use accepted Standard English in any category of the
competition.

This circular must be adhered to in planning, organizing, conducting, judging and keeping
records of the competitions so that they are held in a uniform, impartial and reasonable
manner throughout the country.

The primary aim of the competitions is to encourage and motivate the students to learn
English and foster a culture where all students have an opportunity to use English by
participating in competitions held at different levels. In this respect, support and
encouragement from teachers, In Service Advisors and Education Administrators should be

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directed to motivate students to use English effectively thereby upgrading their fluency and
command of the language. In addition, students will get an opportunity to develop their latent
talents and particularly public performance and confidence by participating in the
competition. Further, the competition will help achieve the following objectives:

a. to enable participation at all levels on an island-wide basis

b. to encourage and foster the use of English in a non-judgmental and free environment
c. to make speaking in English a ‘fun’ activity
d. to provide recognition to children with the potential to develop their English language
skills further
e. to provide recognition to dedicated and innovative teachers and recognize out-of-the-
box thinking
School level competitions must be conducted in such a manner that they

a. involve every child at school level.

b. promote English use in an enjoyable manner
c. do not disrupt the normal school work.
d. do not incur unnecessary expenses for the competitors, teachers, schools or parents.

Students of government schools, government approved private schools and Pirivena

Institutions are eligible to participate in the competitions.

The following schedule must be adhered to in conducting the competitions:

 School level competitions From 1st January to 15th March

 Divisional/Zonal level competitions From 1st May to 31st May
 Provincial level competitions From 1st June to 30th June
 National level competitions From 15th September to 15th October

Officers concerned must make every effort to conduct the competitions according to the
above schedule and submit the results in time, as late entries may be rejected at all levels.

Provincial level results must reach the Director/English and Foreign Languages, by 15th
August with a soft copy of an excel file (using the font-Times New Roman-) according to
the format prescribed (Annex iv and V) by the English and Foreign Languages Branch.
Results received after this date may be rejected, resulting in competitors from the Province

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that has failed to submit results on time being excluded from the National Level
Competitions.

Categories of competitions are listed in the following chart:

Individual Events:

Handwritin Handwriting/ Oratory/

Creative Recitatio Oratory /
Grade g/Print Cursive Dictation Impromp
Writing n Prepared
Script Script tu
3

10

11

12

13

Drama:

Primary Grade 3 - Grade 5

Junior Grade 6 - Grade 9
Senior Dialogue Grade 10 - Grade 13
Senior Poetic Grade 10 - Grade 13
It is the responsibility of the Principals to ensure that the competitions are conducted at
school level in a fair manner and applications for divisional/zonal level competitions are
submitted on time.

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A fair opportunity must be given to every eligible student to participate in the competitions,
giving every student the necessary encouragement to participate.

It is essential that competitors for divisional/zonal level are selected on the results of the
school level competitions, which must be conducted under the supervision of the
Principal, who must certify that the competitions were conducted properly and
impartially.

Zonal authorities may decide whether to have Divisional level competitions after the school
level or to have Zonal level competitions without conducting the Divisional level
competitions, depending on factors such as the number of competitors involved, amount of
time available, etc.

Students who win the first and second places in all the individual items at any level are
eligible to compete at the next (upper) level of the competitions.

In some provinces, Divisional, Zonal and Provincial Level competitions are initially held at
levels of school categories depending on the student population. However, even if the
competitions have been organized in this manner, at the Provincial Level, irrespective of the
categories, from each individual item, only the 1st and 2nd place winners should be selected
and sent to the National Level.

In Drama Competitions, except Senior Poetic dramas, the dramas that win the first and
second places at divisional level are eligible to compete at zonal level competitions. The
first and second place winners at zonal level competitions are eligible to participate in
the provincial level.

However, the Provincial Director has the authority to decide whether to accommodate
both the first and second places to compete at any level of the competition or to allow
only the first place winner to compete.

With regard to Senior Poetic dramas, the initial competition level will be the Provincial
Level.

Only the drama that wins the first place at the Provincial Level is eligible to compete in the
national level competitions. This applies to all four categories.

The maximum number of individual events a competitor can participate in is two, while he or
she may participate in the Drama Competition in addition.

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All competitors must be in basic school uniform for the individual events at divisional/zonal,
provincial and national levels. In order to maintain the anonymity of the competitors
during the competitions, arrangements must be made to cover up identifying features
such as monograms, so that room for criticism of bias in the judgments can be
minimized.

Only the competitors, judges and authorized officers are allowed to enter the ‘competition
area’ for individual items. Parents, teachers and students are allowed to watch the dramas on
condition that they do not disturb the proceedings.

Wearing of make-up is allowed only for students participating in Drama Competitions.

Competitions need to be conducted systematically and methodically at all levels. Answer

scripts, task sheets, and duly filled mark sheets and signature sheets and other relevant
documents must be dated and signed by the relevant judges and finally by the Director and
preserved for a period of at least three years so that they are available for scrutiny in case of
an inquiry.

Any grievance at any level – school / divisional/ zonal / provincial/ national - should be
submitted within 10 days of releasing the results at the particular level, to the relevant
authority: Divisional Director, Zonal Director, Provincial Director, National Director –
English & Foreign Languages. All such grievances or complaints must be made in writing;
oral complaints and anonymous complaints will not be entertained.

Results of the Divisional, Zonal and Provincial level competitions will be informed to all the
schools that participated in the competitions in writing as soon as the results are finalized.

Results of the National Level Competitions will be released only after 10 days from the
completion of the competitions which will be informed to the provincial coordinators. It is
the responsibility of the relevant provincial coordinator to communicate the said results in
writing to the schools that participated in the National Level competitions as soon as they are
received. Further, the National Level results will be made available on the Ministry of
Education website (www.moe.gov.lk) after the results are released.

The officers who organize the competitions are responsible for these tasks.

 Panel of Judges:
The following instructions need to be taken into consideration.

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 1. A panel should consist of 3 judges for the Recitation and Oratory competitions.
2. For Recitation and Oratory (prepared) competitions, the panel should consist of an
additional judge for accuracy checking in addition to the other 3 judges.
3. In drama competitions, the panel should consist of 5 judges in addition to the
accuracy judge. However, it should not consist of any individuals involved in the
direction of dramas competing at the level being judged.
4. They should be knowledgeable, honest and impartial.
5. There should be no conflict of interest.
6. When deploying judges, the organizers should ensure that the panel is selected
beforehand in such a way that any biases/ partiality is avoided.
7. They should be punctual and available for the whole period of the competition.
8. There should be no use of mobile phones or contact with others outside during the
competition.
9. Confidentiality must be maintained at all times.

 Competitors
What competitors need to bring for the competition.

1. For the Divisional/Zonal/Provincial levels, the list of competitors certified by the

Principal.
2. A valid Identity Card (Postal /National / Passport or a photograph certified by the
Principal).
3. The format sent by the Ministry of Education for the entry of national level
competition. This format, duly filled and certified by the principal, should be
handed over to the registration desk on the day of national level competition.
4. Pen / pencil

Competitors need to be punctual as per the given timetable.

Detailed descriptions of each of the competitions are given below:

Two types of competitions are held:

1. Written Items - Handwriting(Print Script & Cursive Script), Dictation,

Creative Writing
2. Performing Items - Recitation, Oratory(Prepared, Impromptu), Drama

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1. Written Items:

1.1 Handwriting: (Grade 3 – Grade 13)

In this competition, the competitors must only use ball point pens. Special permission is
granted for Grade 3 and 4 students to write with either a pen or a pencil. Use of gel pens is
not allowed. This competition is conducted under two categories:

I. Handwriting-Print Script: Students from Grade 3 to 13 can participate in this

competition. Competitors must use block (not joined) letters. Competitors must
adhere to the print script administered in the 2018 Grade 3 writing practice book.
Other styles are not accepted.
II. Handwriting-Cursive Script: Students from Grade 10 to 13 can participate in this
competition. Joined-up writing must be used. Competitors must specifically use Civil
Service Script. Other styles are not accepted. Civil Service Script is given in Annex
1.
Competitors are required to copy a given passage within a limited time. Texts are selected
from the relevant text books except at national level, where unseen passages are used. The
competitors will be provided with single ruled paper.

The time given for the Handwriting competition is 30 minutes. Text length for each Grade is
given below:

Grade Text Length

3, 4, 5 25 to 35 words
6, 7 60 to 70 words
8, 9 80 to 90 words
10, 11 100 to 110 words
12, 13 110 to 120 words
The competitors must copy the whole passage within the given time. Those who finish the
passage before the given time MUST NOT write the passage again. All competitors must
submit their entries whether complete or incomplete at the end of the given period of time.

Incomplete work will not be considered.

Use of correction fluid is prohibited.

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Competitors’ work will be judged on a countdown system of marking based on the following
criteria:

 Errors in spelling or in missing out/ addition of words are accepted to a maximum of

three (3). If there are any of such errors above three (3), the entry should be rejected.
 Write the letter “R” to indicate that the script is rejected, date and sign.
 Punctuation and other errors must be marked only in the un-rejected entries.
 Reduce 1 mark for each error with reference to the following criteria. A repeated error
of any criterion given below must be counted as one error.
 Count the total number of errors (inclusive of the spelling errors up to 3, if there is
any) and deduct from 100 to get the final score.
 If there are any ties, award extra points out of 10 for the graphical presentation of the
written work. ( for the formality and neatness of the handwriting)
I. Accepted formation of letters
II. Stipulated size among letters
III. Legibility
IV. Space between words
V. Punctuation
Total 100 Marks

1.2 Dictation (Grade 6 – Grade 13)

In this competition, a passage and a list of 10 words will be dictated to avoid any tie in the
competition.

The Dictation passage and the list of words are based on the relevant text books at all levels
except the national level, where an unseen passage and words will be given.

The Dictation competition is administered as follows:

First Reading: First, the whole text followed by the words is read at normal conversational
speed during which competitors are not allowed to write. They must listen and try to
understand it.

 Second Reading: The competitors will be asked to write at the second reading. The
text is read in chunks. After each chunk there will be a pause, during which the
competitors are expected to write down what they have heard in a form of a

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 meaningful text in a paragraph. Instruct the students to write the extra words in a
form of a vertical list.
 Third Reading: Begins after a pause of 1 minute after the second reading. The text
and the list of words are read again at normal speaking speed.
 At the end of the third reading, there will be a pause of two minutes. Competitors
must use this time to check spelling, capitalization and punctuation.
 Announce the end of the competition.
 Instruct competitors to lay their pens down and the entry upside down on their
desks. Each competitor will hand over his / her entry to the supervisor and walk out
at the end of the competition. They can walk out only after every entry has been
collected.
Text length of Dictation passages for each Grade is given below:

Grade Text Length

6, 7 60 to 70 words

8, 9 70 to 80 words

10, 11 90 to 100 words

12, 13 100 to 110 words

Competitors’ work will be judged in accordance with the original text on the following
criteria on a countdown system of marking from 100. (If any clarification is needed, the
second judge’s notes can be referred):

1. Entries written in phrases/ chunks will be rejected

2. Accuracy of spelling – Mark every error. Reduce 2 marks for each error. If the same
word is misspelt several times in the text, it is counted as one error. Reject entries that
carry over 7 errors.
3. Write the letter “R” to indicate that the script is rejected, date and sign.
4. Punctuation – Punctuation errors must be marked only in the un-rejected entries.
5. Reduce 1 mark for each punctuation error.
6. Omission or Addition of words - If a word is omitted it is also counted as one error.
Similarly, if a word is added, that too is counted as one error. Reduce 1 mark each for
each of the two categories of errors.
7. In case of no error free entries errors up to three (3) may be acceptable for placing.

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1.3 Creative Writing (Grade 6 – Grade 13)

The competitors are required to write on a given story line, which should be selected
carefully so that it is within the social, psychological, emotional and cognitive scope of the
child. The story line need not be text-based; however, it must be within the experiences and
interests of the children of the particular Grade. The competitor has the freedom either to
begin writing with the given story line or use it at any point of his/ her piece of writing.
Particulars about the competition are given in the following chart:

Grades Time (Minutes) Minimum Number of Words Expected

6–9 20 150 - 200

10 - 11 30 200 - 250

12 - 13 40 250 - 300

Any entry that does not have the minimum number of words will be rejected.

Competitors’ work will be judged on the following criteria:

1. Creativity/Originality 40 Marks
2. Organization/ Coherence 30 Marks
3. Grammar and Spelling 20 Marks
4. Adherence to topic 10 Marks
Total 100 Marks

Marks given for each of the above criteria must be clearly indicated at the bottom of the final
page of each entry.

__ , __ , __ , __ = _____
40 30 20 10 100

2. Performing Items
2.1 Recitation (Grade 3 – Grade 11)

Poems for Recitation will be prescribed periodically by the English and Foreign Languages
Branch of the Ministry of Education. The prescribed list of poems for 2016 and beyond is
given in Annex 2.

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The competitor must face the board of judges when reciting the poem. There should be a
distance of about 3 meters between the competitor and the panel of judges.

Organizers must ensure that separate class rooms are arranged in order to have a quiet
atmosphere for the Recitation Competition. However, if interruptions occur during the
Recitation; for example, barking of dogs or other external noises, then the competitor may be
given a chance to recite the poem again from the beginning. If a competitor forgets the lines
while reciting, marks will be deducted.

Criteria for judging

Recitation.

1. Expression of the content, the tone, the mood, of the poem (must
be expressed through voice without resorting to action.) - 40 Marks.

2. Pronunciation - 20 Marks
3. Audibility / Pitch/ Clarity - 20 Marks
(Audibility and Pitch should not be at the expense of

meaning and expression)

4. Posture / Eye Contact - 10 Marks

5. Pace/Pause / Rhythm - 10 Marks
Total - 100 Marks

 Reduce marks for lack of accuracy in recall. Give minus one (-1) each for the
addition or omission of a word. If it exceeds minus three (-3), the attempt will be
rejected. This relates to number 1 of the above criteria.

2.2 Oratory (Grade 12 – Grade 13)

Separate class rooms should be arranged to hold the competition. The competitor must face
the board of judges when delivering the speech. There should be a distance of about 3 meters
between the competitor and the judges.

There are two categories of oratorical competitions.

2.2.1Oratory - Prepared: A speech delivered by a famous person is to be re-delivered by

the competitor. Speech texts will be prescribed periodically by the English and Foreign

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Languages Branch of the Ministry of Education. Texts of prescribed speeches for 2016 and
beyond are given in Annex 3.

The time allotted for a speech is approximately 5 minutes.

Criteria for Judging Oratory - Prepared:

1. Delivery/Fluency (Understanding of content) - 30 Marks

2. Pronunciation - 20 Marks
3. Expression, Tone, Mood - 20 Marks
4. Audibility / Pitch/ Clarity - 10 Marks
a. (Audibility and Pitch should not be at the
b. expense of meaning and expression)
5. Posture/Eye Contact - 10 Marks
6. Accuracy (addition/ omission of words) - 10 Marks
Total - 100 Marks

2.2.2 Oratory - Impromptu:

 Each competitor will be given the topic ten minutes before they are due to present the
speech.
 No competitor should be allowed to exceed this timing in order to ensure that all the
competitors are given an equal time for preparation.
 The competitors who are awaiting their turn for preparation should be kept in a
separate class room to avoid them gaining any advantage by possessing prior
knowledge of the kind of topics being given.
 After the topic is given to the first competitor, the next competitor should be called
only after 5 minutes to the room where the competition is held.
 Judges should ensure that only those two competitors are kept in the room where the
competition is held.
 Organizers should deploy a coordinator to call competitors from the waiting room to
the room where the competition is held.
 Prior to the competition, give clear instructions to all the competitors at the waiting
room.
 The time allowed for this competition is three minutes.
 A warning bell should be sounded at two minutes and a final bell at three minutes.

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Criteria for Judging Oratory/ Impromptu:

1. Content/ Relevance / Organization 30 Marks

2. Delivery/Fluency/Persuasion 20 Marks
3. Pronunciation 20 Marks
4. Audibility / Pitch / Clarity 20 Marks
5. Posture/Eye Contact 10 Marks
Total 100 Marks

2.3 Drama (Grade 3 – Grade 13)

The Drama Competition serves as a platform for students and teachers to promote and
demonstrate creativity. Drama motivates students’ opportunities to use English and
therefore, their command of the language can be improved.

There are four categories of Drama as given below.

Category Group Duration in Minutes

Primary Grade 3 – 5 20
Junior Grade 6 – 9 25
Senior/Dialogue Grade 10 - 13 30
Senior/Poetic Grade 10 - 13 30

Each drama must incorporate one of the following themes:

Love Society and Culture Environment Humanity

Peace and harmony Historical Events Myth/Legend Dynamism

Select themes so that they will instill values amongst students to be more sensitive and
appreciative of human beings regarding emotional, social and cultural issues.

The Dialogue Drama is characterized by the use of day-to-day speech as it relates to everyday
life. A drama written wholly or mainly in verse or in a heightened poetic form of prose is
referred to as a Poetic Drama.

The duration of the dramas presented for the competitions must adhere to the specified times
shown above.

 A drama five (5) minutes shorter or longer than the specified time will be disqualified.

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  Three (3) marks will be deducted if the drama is three (3) minutes shorter or longer
than the specified time.
 Five (5) marks will be deducted if the drama is four (4) minutes shorter or longer than
the specified time.
All dramas presented for the competitions must be original productions. The Principal must
certify that the drama is an original production. Moreover, the script of the drama
should be made available to the organizers in advance.

The responsibility of the Provincial Co-ordinator is to send 6 personally certified copies

of the script of each winning drama of respective category at the Provincial Level to the
Director, English & Foreign Languages Branch of the Ministry, along with the
Provincial Results.

Competition

1 Cast-Number

The number of students in the cast of a drama should not be less than six or more than
twelve. They may perform any number of characters. Students who actively play their
roles on stage as main or supporting characters as per the script will only be considered
as characters.

Students should not be used on stage as stage props because it will deprive them from
displaying their talents.

2 Assistance:-

Once the performance has started, students or teachers of the relevant school can be allowed
for any assistance behind the curtain. Competing teams can make arrangements to play a CD
or a DVD as well. The organizers, however, are not responsible for any failure or breakdown
in this respect. No outside professional assistance is allowed.

3 Certification from the Principal:-

I. The authenticity of the script.

II. The authenticity of the production.
Presentations may not contain more than 10% singing.

Priority will be given to dramatic performance and acting and verbalization skills rather than
to the use of props, music, expensive costumes etc.

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Poetic drama should reflect the period (Elizabethan / Victorian / Modern and so on) to which
the drama belongs (costume, character, stage props).

Each team is responsible for setting up (5 Minutes) and clearing of sets and props (5
minutes). Timing of the presentation starts with the first movement, first word uttered or any
sound / lighting effects, once the stage is cleared.

Service of a prompter is allowed. However, the prompter must do his/her part unobtrusively.
The prompter must be one of the students from the competing school, and is not counted as a
member of the cast. Attempts at identifying one’s team and addressing judges may only result
in loss of time and effect.

Creativity, innovation, effectiveness and economical use of resources will be given

preference over mere theatricality.

What is not acceptable

1. Use of obscene words, alcohol, sharp objects, fire, inflammable and dangerous
chemical substances, items suggesting drugs, smoking.

2. Use of attire suggestive of immodesty.

3. Interpretation in terms of overt sexual behavior, and deliberate perversion of morality

/ values.

4. Use of non - English inputs.

5. Scripts with reference to sensitive issues regarding public sensitivity/ conflict of

interest.

6. Scripts and adaptations that have already been presented with substantial evidence of
such earlier presentations – strongly reminiscent of previous shows - will lead to
disqualification.

It has been noted that there is a recent tendency for the cast to spill over to the
auditorium, and perform to the board of judges ignoring the stage almost entirely.
Performing in this way is not allowed.

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Criteria for judging the Drama competition are given below:

1. Creativity / Authenticity / Consistency 20 Marks

(relevance of theme / message)

2. Acting – appropriateness in relation to the role 20 Marks

3. Use of stage space, involvement of all actors 20 Marks
4. Audibility, clarity, accuracy (pronunciation) 15 Marks
5. Relevant / economical / effective use of stage props 15 Marks
6. Costumes / Makeup 10 Marks
Total 100 Marks

As a step towards making use of the ‘marks’ allotted for each category please make use of the
following general outline given below.

3–5 - Weak

6 – 8, 9 - Acceptable

10 – 15 - Good

16 – 20 - Error free commendable

It is expected that all concerned adhere to this circular, the aim of which is to help improve
the standard of English in the country.

Sunil Hettiarachchi
Secretary
Ministry of Education

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17
 Prescribed poems for English Day 2016
PRESCRIBED POEMS FOR RECITATION –GRADES 3 -11

GRADE 3
THE TEA PARTY
ROGER WAS A RAZORFISH
By Jessica Nelson North
BY Jill Bennett
I had a little tea party
Roger was a razor fish, This afternoon at three.
As sharp as sharp could be. 'Twas very small-
He said to Calvin Catfish, Three guests in all-
“I’ll shave you for a fee Just I, myself and me.

“No thanks”, said Calvin Catfish, Myself ate all the sandwiches,
While I drank up the tea;
“ I like me like I be”
'Twas also I who ate the pie
And passed the cake to me.
And with his whiskers on his face,
He headed out to sea.

GRADE 4

BUMBLE - BEE SPRING WISH

By John . C. Farrar
Dusted with yellow
The Bumble-bee comes, A frog’s a very happy thing,
A good – natured fellow Cool and green in early spring,
Who buzzes and hums. Quick and silver through the pool,
Where even an elf With no thoughts of books or school.
Could scarcely crawl.
The hollyhocks near Oh ! I want to be a frog -
And the foxgloves too. Sunning, stretching on a log,
Are happy to hear Blinking there in splendid ease,
Hiss “How-do-you-do?” Swimming naked when I please.
Steadily humming,
His work he does. Nosing into magic nooks,
Listen!, he ‘s coming Quiet marshes, noisy brooks -
Buzz, Free ! and fit for anything -
Buzz, Oh, to be a frog in spring !
Buzzzzzzzzzz!

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GRADE 5

THE PET SHOP DINING OUT

-By Rachel Field

“I wish you’d come and dine with me,”

If I had hundred dollars to spend,
The little squirrel said,
Or may be a little more,
“I’ve acorns from the old oak –tree
I’ll hurry as fast as my legs could go
Upon my table spread.”
Straight to the pet-shop door.

“I’ve hazel nuts so fat and brown,

I wouldn’t say , “How much for this or
A most delicious dish,
that?”
I found a dozen tumbled down,
“What kind of a dog is he ?”
Pray take some if you wish”
I’d buy as many as rolled an eye,
Or wagged a tail at me!
“I’ve pine seeds from a fallen cone,
To nibble for a treat,
I’d take the hound with drooping ears
I do so hate to be alone,
That sits by himself alone;
I hope you take a seat.”
Cockers and Cairns and wobbly pups
For to be my very own.
We dined together he and I,
His nuts were very good,
I might buy a parrot all red and green,
And then I thanked him, said goodbye,
And a monkey I saw before,
And ran home through the wood.
If I had a hundred dollars to spend,
Or may be a little more.

GRADE 6

THE FIELD - MOUSE

I live among the grasses

And watch them growing high,
And as the summer passes
they seem to touch the sky.

The spiders are my neighbours.

Busy people they,
I watch them at their labours,
Spinning day by day.

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The Ear-wig comes a-calling,
The lady bird as well.
And snails go up crawling,
And slugs without a shell.

The Bumble, fat and furry,

A flying visit pays,
And caterpillars hurry
Way down the grassy ways.

I am your little brother

mouse in brown and grey,
So if we meet each other,
Please let me run away.

ANTS
by Barry Louise Pollisar

In my kitchen by my door
Ants are crawling ‘cross my floor,
Along the wall they march in style
Regimented, single file.

I want them gone but I’m unable

To stop the stacking of my table,
At night I spray and set the traps
But they return for kitchen scraps.

Some are clearly on patrol

Scaling up the dog food bowl,
They’re climbing all around my sink
Descending downward for a drink.

I see their small antennae rattle

They’ve dug in for a long hard battle,
They’ve even come with queen and throne
And claimed my kitchen as their own.

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GRADE 7 DADDY’S MAKING DINNER

A Railway Carriage
by Robert Louis Stevenson
Faster than fairies, faster than witches,
Bridges and houses, hedges and ditches;
And charging along like troops in a battle
All through the meadows the horses and
cattle:
All of the sights of the hill and the plain
Fly as thick as driving rain;
And ever again, in the wink of an eye,
Painted stations whistle by.
Here is a child who clambers and
scrambles,
All by himself and gathering brambles;
Here is a tramp who stands and gazes;
And here is the green for stringing the
daisies!
Here is a cart runaway in the road
Lumping along with man and load;
And here is a mill, and there is a river:
Each a glimpse and gone forever!
BY Jeff Mondak
Daddy’s making dinner
I’ve seen it all before,
French fries black and burning
And the meat loaf on the floor.
Daddy’s making dinner
The sugar bowl just broke,
Fido ate the gravy
The house has filled with smoke.
Daddy’s making dinner
But I’m not one to moan,
Soon he will surrender
And go pick up the phone.
Daddy made the dinner
Today’s my lucky day,
Dinner is in the trash can
And Pizza’s on the way !!

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GRADE 8

THE GREAT BIG WAVE

It first began first out at sea, and raised a

small green head ,
And tall and taller still it grew as into
shore it sped,
Then with a mighty crash it broke, and turned
from green to white,
And up the sand in creamy foam , it ran
with all its might .
Upon its way it swallowed up, a wooden
spade and pail,
A castle built with golden sand, a little
ship with sail.
A pair of paddling shoes, a ball a brand new
shrimping net,
And then it ran round people’s feet, and made
them soaking wet.
It certainly was tiresome, and very much
to blame,
But if I were a wave – dear me! – I’d love
to do the same.

SEA FEVER
By John Masefield

I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by;
And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song and the white sail’s shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea’s face, and a grey dawn breaking.
I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.
I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull’s way and the whale’s way where the wind’s like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,

22
 And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick’s over.
GRADE 9
I WANDERED LONELY AS A CLOUD
By William Wordsworth

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they

Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

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ABOU BEN ADHEM
By Leigh Hunt

Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!)

Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,
And saw, within the moonlight in his room,
Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom,
An angel writing in a book of gold:—
Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold,
And to the presence in the room he said,
"What writest thou?"—The vision raised its head,
And with a look made of all sweet accord,
Answered, "The names of those who love the Lord."
"And is mine one?" said Abou. "Nay, not so,"
Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low,
But cheerly still; and said, "I pray thee, then,
Write me as one that loves his fellow men."

The angel wrote, and vanished. The next night

It came again with a great wakening light,
And showed the names whom love of God had blest,
And lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest.

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GRADE 10
MY NATIVE LAND
Sir Walter Scott
Breathes there the man, with soul so dead,
Who never to himself hath said,
This is my own, my native land!
Whose heart hath ne'er within him burn'd,
As home his footsteps he hath turn'd
From wandering on a foreign strand!
If such there breathe, go, mark him well;
For him no Minstrel raptures swell;
High though his titles, proud his name,
Boundless his wealth as wish can claim;
Despite those titles, power, and pelf,
The wretch, concentred all in self,
Living, shall forfeit fair renown,
And, doubly dying, shall go down
To the vile dust, from whence he sprung,
Unwept, unhonour'd, and unsung.
WESTMINSTER BRIDGE, SEPTEMBER
3, 1802
By William Wordsworth
Earth has not anything to show more fair:
Dull would he be of soul who could pass by
A sight so touching in its majesty:
This City now doth, like a garment, wear
The beauty of the morning; silent, bare,
Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie
Open unto the fields, and to the sky;
All bright and glittering in the smokeless air.
Never did sun more beautifully steep
In his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill;
Ne'er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!
The river glideth at his own sweet will:
Dear God! the very houses seem asleep;
And all that mighty heart is lying still!
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GRADE 11

THE SOLITARY REAPER

By William Wordsworth

Behold her, single in the field,

Yon solitary Highland Lass!
Reaping and singing by herself;
Stop here, or gently pass!
Alone she cuts and binds the grain,
And sings a melancholy strain;
O listen! for the Vale profound
Is overflowing with the sound.

No Nightingale did ever chaunt

More welcome notes to weary bands
Of travellers in some shady haunt,
Among Arabian sands:
A voice so thrilling ne'er was heard
In spring-time from the Cuckoo-bird,
Breaking the silence of the seas
Among the farthest Hebrides.

Will no one tell me what she sings?—

Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow
For old, unhappy, far-off things,
And battles long ago:
Or is it some more humble lay,
Familiar matter of to-day?
Some natural sorrow, loss, or pain,
That has been, and may be again?

Whate'er the theme, the Maiden sang

As if her song could have no ending;
I saw her singing at her work,
And o'er the sickle bending;—
I listened, motionless and still;
And, as I mounted up the hill,
The music in my heart I bore,
Long after it was heard no more.

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SLAVES DREAM
By Henry Wordsworth Longfellow
Beside the ungathered rice he lay,
His sickle in his hand;
His breast was bare, his matted hair
Was buried in the sand.
Again, in the mist and shadow of sleep,
He saw his Native Land.
Wide through the landscape of his dreams
The lordly Niger flowed;
Beneath the palm-trees on the plain
Once more a king he strode;
And heard the tinkling caravans
Descend the mountain-road.
He saw once more his dark-eyed queen
Among her children stand;
They clasped his neck, they kissed his chee
ks,
They held him by the hand!--
A tear burst from the sleeper's lids
And fell into the sand.
And then at furious speed he rode
Along the Niger's bank;
His bridle-reins were golden chains,
And, with a martial clank,
At each leap he could feel his scabbard of
steel
Smiting his stallion's flank.
Before him, like a blood-red flag,
The bright flamingoes flew;
From morn till night he followed their flig
ht,
O'er plains where the tamarind grew,
Till he saw the roofs of Caffre huts,
And the ocean rose to view.
At night he heard the lion roar,
And the hyena scream,
And the river-
horse, as he crushed the reeds
Beside some hidden stream;
And it passed, like a glorious roll of drums
,
Through the triumph of his dream.
The forests, with their myriad tongues,
Shouted of liberty;
And the Blast of the Desert cried aloud,
With a voice so wild and free,
That he started in his sleep and smiled
At their tempestuous glee.
He did not feel the driver's whip,
Nor the burning heat of day;
For Death had illumined the Land of Sleep
,
And his lifeless body lay
A worn-out fetter, that the soul
Had broken and thrown away!
27
PRESCRIBED TEXT FOR ORATORY (PREPARED )GRADE 12

Excerpts from the First Inaugural speech made by Mr Ronald Reagen-delivered on 20th
January 1981

Senator Hatfield, Mr. Chief Justice, Mr. President, Vice President Bush, Vice President
Mondale, Senator Baker, Speaker O’Neill, Reverend Moomaw, and my fellow citizens:

This is the first time in our history that this ceremony has been held, as you’ve been told, on
this West Front of the Capitol.

Standing here, one faces a magnificent vista, opening up on this city’s special beauty and
history. At the end of this open mall are those shrines to the giants on whose shoulders we
stand. Directly in front of me, the monument to a monumental man. George Washington,
father of our country. A man of humility who came to greatness reluctantly. He led America
out of revolutionary victory into infant nationhood. Off to one side, the stately memorial to
Thomas Jefferson. The Declaration of Independence flames with his eloquence. And then
beyond the Reflecting Pool, the dignified columns of the Lincoln Memorial. Whoever would
understand in his heart the meaning of America will find it in the life of Abraham Lincoln.

Beyond those moments -- those monuments to heroism is the Potomac River, and on the far
shore the sloping hills of Arlington National Cemetery, with its row upon row of simple
white markers bearing crosses or Stars of David. They add up to only a tiny fraction of the
price that has been paid for our freedom.

Each one of those markers is a monument to the kind of hero I spoke of earlier. Their lives
ended in places called Belleau Wood, the Argonne, Omaha Beach, Salerno, and halfway
around the world on Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Pork Chop Hill, the Chosin Reservoir, and in a
hundred rice paddies and jungles of a place called Vietnam.

Under one such a marker lies a young man, Martin Treptow, who left his job in a small town
barber shop in 1917 to go to France with the famed Rainbow Division. There, on the Western
front, he was killed trying to carry a message between battalions under heavy fire. We're told
that on his body was found a diary. On the flyleaf under the heading, “My Pledge,” he had
written these words:

28
"America must win this war. Therefore, I will work; I will save; I will sacrifice; I will endure;
I will fight cheerfully and do my utmost, as if the issue of the whole struggle depended on me
alone."

The crisis we are facing today does not require of us the kind of sacrifice that Martin Treptow
and so many thousands of others were called upon to make. It does require, however, our best
effort, and our willingness to believe in ourselves and to believe in our capacity to perform
great deeds; to believe that together with God’s help we can and will resolve the problems
which now confront us.

And after all, why shouldn’t we believe that? We are Americans.

God bless you and thank you. Thank you very much.

PRESCRIBED TEXTS FOR ORATORY (PREPARED) – GRADE 13

Excerpts from John .F. Kennedy’s Inaugural speech delivered on 20th January 1961

Vice President Johnson, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Chief Justice, President Eisenhower, Vice
President Nixon, President Truman, reverend clergy, fellow citizens:

We observe today not a victory of party, but a celebration of freedom -- symbolizing an end,
as well as a beginning -- signifying renewal, as well as change. For I have sworn before you
and Almighty God the same solemn oath our forebears prescribed nearly a century and three-
quarters ago.

The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all
forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs
for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe -- the belief that the rights of
man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God.

We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution. Let the word go forth
from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new
generation of Americans -- born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and
bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage, and unwilling to witness or permit the slow
undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which
we are committed today at home and around the world.

29
Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any
burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and the
success of liberty.

This much we pledge -- and more.

To those old allies whose cultural and spiritual origins we share, we pledge the loyalty of
faithful friends. United there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures. Divided
there is little we can do -- for we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split
asunder.

To those new states whom we welcome to the ranks of the free, we pledge our word that one
form of colonial control shall not have passed away merely to be replaced by a far more iron
tyranny. We shall not always expect to find them supporting our view. But we shall always
hope to find them strongly supporting their own freedom -- and to remember that, in the past,
those who foolishly sought power by riding the back of the tiger ended up inside.

To those people in the huts and villages of half the globe struggling to break the bonds of
mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves, for whatever period is
required -- not because the Communists may be doing it, not because we seek their votes, but
because it is right. If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few
who are rich.

To our sister republics south of our border, we offer a special pledge: to convert our good
words into good deeds, in a new alliance for progress, to assist free men and free
governments in casting off the chains of poverty. But this peaceful revolution of hope cannot
become the prey of hostile powers. Let all our neighbors know that we shall join with them to
oppose aggression or subversion anywhere in the Americas. And let every other power know
that this hemisphere intends to remain the master of its own house.

30
 Annex IV
National Level English Language & Drama Competitions - 20….

Provincial Results Sheet - ………………… Province

S.No Individual Event Grade Name of the Student School and Address Place

I hereby certify that the above results are true and correct

……………………………………………………….
Provincial Coordinator (English) Rubber Stamp

Annex V
National Level English Language & Drama Competitions - 20….

Provincial Results Sheet (Drama) - ………………… Province

Category Name of the School and Address Contact No.

Primary

Junior

Senior Dialogue

Senior Poetic

I hereby certify that the above results are true and correct

……………………………………………………….
Provincial Coordinator (English) Rubber Stamp

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32