BGCSE –ENGLISH LANGUAGE (PAPER I) REVISION

COMPOSITION PLANNING
By Berry Shaba

English Language Composition Paper I is probably one of the most challenging examination
papers in that it has a lot of demands. This paper requires that candidates write an answer in
continuous writing format whose length is considerably long, at the same time the candidate is
also expected to produce an answer of a high quality. These answers (compositions) should be
relevant to the question and the candidate should display good writing style, use a variety of
sentences as well as vocabulary. The diction used should also be appropriate. It is expected that
the candidate will use figurative language, punctuate properly as well as suitably paragraph their
ideas.

The composition produced should be a unified answer which has cohesion and coherence. These
are certainly high expectations especially under examination conditions. In order to write an
answer (composition) of high standard, it follows that the candidate should plan their answers.
Due to time restrictions (during the exam), planning should be done quickly. Fifteen minutes is
enough time to come up with a good composition plan. This planning process will enable the
candidate to come up with good and relevant ideas for the composition topic they would have
chosen. Most students have problems with coming up with relevant ideas for composition.
Usually when a candidate dries up, whatever they will try to write, is chaotic and of poor
standard.

It is important at this juncture to point out that a good composition is made up of good ideas.
These ideas are contained in paragraphs. So it is appropriate that before “composition planning”
can be discussed, there is need to examine what a “paragraph” is since there is a link between
paragraphs and composition ideas.

WHAT IS A PARAGRAPH?

The ideas that we write are expressed in sentences and through these sentences, paragraphs are
built. A paragraph is a group of sentences which are all connected to one idea. It is this idea
which all the sentences (in a paragraph) are talking about. The length of a paragraph can differ
depending on these factors: the nature of the composition (descriptive, narrative, or factual), the
writing style and ability of the candidate as well as how candidates manage their time during the
examination. So a paragraph can be short or long, detailed or streamlined. The sentence which
states the “idea” of a paragraph is called the “topic sentence”. This sentence can be found at the
beginning, middle or at the end of a paragraph. The topic sentence usually states what the
paragraph will say. The sentences which provide detail or give more information about the idea
which is in the topic sentence are called the “developers”. Developers provide more
information, about the paragraph main idea, they explain the paragraph’s main idea, or exemplify
the main idea.
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Example.

In the paragraph titled: “My dog” the paragraph plan would look like this:

Paragraph heading: - My dog - a mixed breed

Paragraph details: - Cross between a Greyhound & Rhodesian Ridgeback

- Inherited the Greyhound’s tail height & speed

- And the Ridgeback’s brute strength & bravery
- Formidable character
- Very loyal

Paragraph (write up)

My dog is of mixed breed. It is a cross between a Greyhound and a Rhodesian Ridgeback so it

has inherited characteristics of both its parents. My dog has the height of a greyhound and its
speed is quite remarkable though it is stocky animal. It also has the sheer brute strength and
bravery of a Ridgeback. This gives my dog a formidable nature and character which other dogs
do not have. More so, its loyalty is amazing.

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The main idea of this paragraph is that my dog is a mixed breed. All other sentences in the
paragraph center on this idea. This is the structure of paragraphs. In a composition examination,
candidates need to come up with ideas which will be developed into paragraphs. These
paragraphs make up the answer - the composition. Paragraphs represent the body of the
composition. However, without ideas, there are no paragraphs and so it follows that without
paragraphs, there is no composition. Therefore, if candidates fail to be creative enough to think
up ideas to use in a composition, they increase their chances of failure. That is why candidates
should understand the importance of composition planning and how they should never write a
composition without having planned first.

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Exercise 1

1. Identify the main idea and its developers in the following passages.

A. The village is not a big affair. It has one major tarred road. Actually, this is the road
from the big city which runs through the village up to the border post, thirty kilometers
away. Thus the village is dissected into two halves, the north and the south. There is not
much in the way of growth in the village. It has had a hundred homesteads in the past 50
or so years.
 B. She was born forty years ago in the village of Mahalapye. Her grandmother, whom the
villages respected, took her under wing and taught her how to play the “setinkane”
thumb piano. She has recorded an impressive thirty albums since she began her
recording career at the age of fifteen. She has toured the world; America, Europe, Asia
and Africa. Her music has been well received all over the globe and she has sold over 15
million albums. This is the remarkable music career of the most talented musician in our
country; Tshepiso “Fingers” Molefe.

C. His style deception so is his physique. He is gangly instead of being stocky and
muscular like most soccer players. His ungainly gait makes look like a bumbling fool in
the middle of the soccer pitch. Mooketsi Gape is, however, the best thing to come of our
country. In just two years of playing professional soccer, he has scored a record 100
goals. This dribbling wizard and unstoppable scoring-machine is a menace to many
defenders. Big or strong, mature or seasoned, Mooketsi takes them on and always come
out best.

2. Select three of the topics listed below and do the following a) write the paragraph
heading b) write in point form five details (developers) which you would use to develop the
paragraph idea.

Deserts, Rivers, Africa, Movies, Cellphones, Music, Cattle, Wildlife, Sport, Books.

The link between a paragraph plan (paragraph idea & paragraph details) and composition
planning is that when a candidate plans the composition, they should list the main ideas they
want to include in the composition. (Five to seven ideas will suffice for compositions at this
level.) These ideas represent paragraphs. Your five to seven ideas will translate into five to seven
composition paragraphs. Once candidates have realized the link between the two, they have
mastered the art of composition writing. Perhaps, at this stage of this discussion, the burning
question is; how can one come up with good (relevant) ideas in a composition plan. The solution
is very easy. Good paragraph ideas can be formulated (created) through composition
brainstorming and other planning techniques such as; asking questions cluster trees, idea trees,
spider maps. Perhaps this is good time to discuss what brainstorming is.

THE COMPOSITION PLANNING PROCESS

Step 1. Brainstorming

Every planning process begins with the brainstorming activity. The same applies in composition
planning. Once the composition topic has been selected and the question’s demands have been
understood through the analysis of the question’s content words and action words ( rubric), then
the candidate can go on to the next step in the planning process which is the brainstorming.

Brainstorming is the process of coming up with ideas for a given task (composition topic).
Brainstorming is a creative process. In order to be creative a candidate needs to be well-read.
Wide reading exposes the candidate to various kinds of topics, such as; health, war, politics,
environment, narratives, love stories, suffering, human adventure, business and so on. Through
this exposure, candidates get to see how other writers handle different kinds of writing. The
knowledge learnt from such exposure will help the candidate by providing them with a starting
point during the creative (brainstorming) process. For instance, candidates who are not privileged
to have travelled the world, it would be impossible for them to be able to satisfactorily describe
the hardships of being exposed to severe cold if they have never been to cold areas such as the
North or South Pole. However, for a student who is well-read, the task may be made simpler due
to the fact that they probably have read about adventure into such regions. At least such students
have somewhere to start. They will/can base their writing on their reading experiences. Wide
reading and extensive practice of different composition topics trains the mind to be creative, and
think fast because there will be little time in an examination. Candidates must reserve a
maximum of 15 minutes of planning in Section A compositions. Therefore, training the mind to
be creative is vital for anyone who is writing this paper so that one can produce authentic,
exciting and convincing compositions. Basically, brainstorming involves allowing one's thoughts
to run free so as to come up with ideas which answer the question. Remember:

 No idea should be considered too silly, unsuitable or irrelevant.

 Come up with as many points as possible (as fast as you can)
 do not organise or order ideas(as yet),

After one has a sufficient number of ideas, then one is free to order/organize the ideas in the
order which will help answer the question. The number of ideas to be included is also governed
by the composition topic as well as the examination paper stipulations.

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Exercise 2
a).Parents b).Schools c).Beer d).Clothes e).Cars f).Cities g).Art h).Religion

1. Choose three of the above topics and brainstorm 5 to 7 ideas (3-4 minutes /topic).
2. Order / organize the ideas (1-2 min/per topic).
3. Discuss your ideas with your tutor/teacher or study partner.

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Step 2: Paragraph planning (10 minutes)

Paragraph planning comes after brainstorming should be done in not more than 10 minutes.
Constantly practice to work within this time frame. Paragraph planning involves putting the ideas
into groups of similar ideas or simply ordering the points (ideas) into some kind of order. Since
these ideas will become your paragraphs, dividing your ideas into paragraphs will make it easy
for the reader to follow and understand your answer.

Tips for paragraphing

A. Factual compositions (informative, discursive, argumentative)
1. Group ideas with similar theme in the same paragraph. When the theme of the idea
(content) changes, start a new paragraph.
2. Order ideas according to importance

B. Fiction (narratives and descriptive)

1. Major change in the setting – begin a new paragraph whenever the setting changes
2. Changes in time - begin new paragraphs to show the shift in time e.g. do not mix
events which happened in the morning with those which occurred in the evening.
3. Major changes in action – create a new paragraph to differentiate different actions e.g.
do not mix a party scene and a funeral in the same paragraph.
4. Dialogue – create a new paragraph whenever the speaker changes.

NB. When paragraphing is complete, then the candidate must move on to providing
paragraph details (in brief). Phrases and abbreviations can be used.
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Example: Topic: ‘My mother’.

A. Brainstorming

 education and achievements

 family of origin – Mongwato, Moeng
 appearance – light, tall, beautiful
 children – 2 boys and 2 girls,
 character- patient, loving
 likes and dislikes

B.Paragraph plan

Para1: family of origin

 Lebo
 Moeng family
 chief's daughter
 cattle farmers- prosperous

Para2: physical appearance (unusual)

 tallest in her family – muscular

 light brown – freckles
 dark luxuriant hair
 dark blue eyes
 beautiful

Para 3: children (own)

  4 children
 2 boys – Tshepo and Pako
 2 teenage girls – Tumi and Rati
 girls resemble mother – physically
 very well- behaved

Para4: character

 patient
 loving
 hardworking
 ambitious
 Dislikes laziness- admires honesty.

Para 5: education and achievements.

 Degreed – UB and Oxford

 chartered accountant
 board member of BMC
 business person
 share holder

Please note that when this plan is converted into a composition, the paragraph headings will
become the topic sentences while the paragraph details became the developers.

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Exercise 3

My mother has an unusual physical appearance. She is more muscular that most women although
she does not do much sport. She has a dusting of freckles across her brow and nose bridge. The
freckles become vivid when she is upset, so does her eyes. The eyes turn an unusual dark bluish
colour when she becomes intense. It is a marvel to watch this transformation and I am sure it
intimidates those who do not know her much. Her most outstanding feature is her hair; it is as
luxuriant as it was a decade ago. It is so thick one cannot help but notice it. My mother is blessed
with a body which defies aging.

1. Which paragraph from the plan has been developed?

2. Do the numbers of sentences (developers) match the number of paragraph details?
3. Which is the topic sentence?
4. Which paragraph detail(s) was/were not developed? Suggest reasons.
5. Use the composition plan for the topic “My mother” to write a composition (25 relie
6.
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Since an examination is a time management process, do not lose track of time. If after 5 minutes
of thinking and planning, one does not have at least four ideas, one should select another
composition title and start again.

Composition planning is essential because:

1. it gives a composition direction

2. helps the candidate avoid repetition of ideas
3. it helps the candidate to stick to the required length
4. it ensures that candidate’s answer is relevant and focus on the question
5. it allows candidate to focus on coming up with accurate and appropriate expressions.

Before the exam, candidates can practice composition planning especially topics from all kinds
of titles. Do not leave this practice until it is too late. A good full year of preparation will work in
one’s favor. As a skill-subject, English Language examination writing techniques cannot be
learnt in a hurry. Nothing can replace practice and experience. This has to done right up to, say a
few days before the examination. During the examination, candidates should not loose sight of
the fact that time is essential. Therefore, it needs to be well-utilized. Planning helps in this
regard. These best compositions come from candidates who plan their work.

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Exercise 4

Practice planning these topics. Use 15 minutes per topic.

1. Tragedy on a hot summer night

2. City life
3. How is your community preserving the natural environment?
4. The witch
5. Despite numerous convictions, Gofiwa never changed.
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