Lebone II College Grade 8 English Home Language Mid-Year Exam Scope

Paper 1: Reading and Viewing Overview

Institution: Lebone II College of the Royal Bafokeng Examination: Mid-Year Examination Grade: Grade $8$Subject: English Home Language Examination Duration: $1$ hour, $30$ minutes (totaling $90$ minutes)

Question 1: Comprehension

Total Marks: $20$

To succeed in this section, students must know how to answer questions critically and in-depth. It is essential to understand the specific meanings of directive critical terms used in questioning, including:

• Identify
• State
• Mention
• Discuss
• Describe
• Explain
• Compare
• Evaluate
• Infer

Students must remember and apply the following elements of meaning and comprehension:

• Tone: The speaker's or author's attitude toward the subject.
• Attitude: The perspective or feelings held by the author/character.
• Mood: The atmosphere or emotional setting created by the text.
• Main Messages / Themes: The central ideas or lessons conveyed.
• Diction: Broadly defined as the specific choice of words.
• Register: The level of formality in the language.

Furthermore, students should study and remember rhetorical devices, figures of speech, and various literary devices used to enhance text meaning.

Question 2: Seen Poetry

Total Marks: $10$

This section requires the study of all notes and comprehensive analyses for two specific poems:

• Autumn Song by Sajorini Naidu.
• I Am Not Seaworthy by Toni Morrison.

Question 3: Unseen Poetry

Total Marks: $10$

For unseen poetry, students must demonstrate the ability to identify and analyse the following components without prior preparation on the specific text:

• Main Messages / Themes
• Tone
• Attitude
• Diction
• Mood
• Poetic devices and techniques
• Structure of the poem
• Inference (drawing logical conclusions from the text)

Question 4: Visual Literacy

Total Marks: $15$

This section is divided into two primary areas: Advertising and Cartoons.

Advertising

Elements of Meaning: Students must analyze the Tone, Mood, Attitude, Theme (Main Message), and Diction within the advertisement.

Core Terminology:

• Media/Placement: Where the advertisement is found.
• Product/Subject: What is being advertised or the main focus.
• Purpose: The intent of the advertisement.
• Advertiser/Logo/Slogan: Identifying the company and its primary branding signals.
• Target Market/Audience: The specific group the advertisement intends to reach.

Visual Techniques:

• Composition and Focal Point: How the ad is laid out and what draws the eye first.
• Imagery and Symbolism / Colour Associations: The meaning conveyed through visual symbols and specific color choices.
• Typography and Font: The style and appearance of printed matter.
• Facial and Body Language: The non-verbal communication of characters in the ad.

Verbal / Linguistic Techniques: These are word-based strategies used to make an advertisement memorable, including:

• Sound devices
• Figures of speech
• Repetition
• Register, Diction, and Tone
• Calls to Action (directives to the consumer)
• Shared techniques of humor

The AIDA Principle: A guide used to analyze the strength and overall effect of an advertisement. AIDA stands for Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action.

Cartoons

Satire & Satirical Cartoons: Students must understand the definition and purpose of satire in a visual context.

The 6 Steps of Analysis / SCAMVV Analysis:

• Setting: Where the action takes place.
• Characters: Who is involved.
• Action: What is happening in the scene.
• Message: The underlying point the cartoonist is trying to make.
• Verbal Elements: Text, speech bubbles, and captions.
• Visual Elements: Drawing style, symbols, and artistic choices.

Techniques of Humour:

• Symbolism
• Labelling
• Analogy
• Parody
• Exaggeration (Hyperbole)
• Caricature
• Irony
• Stereotypes
• Sarcasm
• Pun

Question 5: Language

Total Marks: $10$

Potential topics for study include all language material covered in the curriculum to date:

• Parts of Speech: Comprehensive knowledge of all types.
• Sentence Structure: Subject, Object, and Verb.
• Tenses: The timing of actions (past, present, future).
• Word Formation: Prefixes, Suffixes, and Root Words.
• Language Varieties: Colloquialism, Jargon, and Slang.
• Abbreviations: Shortened forms of words or phrases.
• Idioms & Proverbs: Fixed expressions with figurative meanings.
• Speech: Direct and Indirect Speech.
• Voice: Passive and Active Voice.

Paper 1: Recommended Execution and Timing

Grand Total: $65$ Marks

Recommended Time Allocation:

• Question 1 (Comprehension): $30$ minutes
• Question 2 (Seen Poetry): $15$ minutes
• Question 3 (Unseen Poetry): $10$ minutes
• Question 4 (Visual Literacy): $25$ minutes
• Question 5 (Language): $10$ minutes

Recommended Execution Order:

1. Question 1: Comprehension
2. Question 4: Visual Literacy
3. Question 2: Seen Poetry
4. Question 3: Unseen Poetry
5. Question 5: Language

Paper 2: Literature and Transactional Writing

Examination Duration: $1$ hour, $30$ minutes (totaling $90$ minutes)

Question 1: Literature

Total Marks: $20$Assessed Work: The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton Scope: Contextual Questions on Chapters $1$ to $4$.

Students must demonstrate mastery of the following regarding the novel:

• Setting of the story.
• Character development and traits.
• Elements of meaning.
• Themes present in the first four chapters.
• Literary devices used by Hinton.
• Narrative flow and a detailed summary of each assigned chapter.

Question 2: Transactional Writing

Total Marks: $20$Task Options: Students will be required to write ONE of the following three pieces:

1. Blog
2. Prepared Speech
3. Email

Study Requirements:

• Formats, elements, purposes, and registers for the blog, prepared speech, and email.
• Word Count: The word count must be clearly indicated. The count should only include the introduction, three ($3$) body paragraphs, and the conclusion.
• Execution: Students must complete both a Planning stage (Rough Draft) and a Final version during the exam session.

Paper 2: Recommended Execution and Timing

Grand Total: $40$ Marks

Recommended Time Allocation:

• Question 1 (Literature: Contextual Questions): $40$ minutes
• Question 2 (Transactional Writing): $50$ minutes

Recommended Execution Order:

1. Question 1: Literature: Contextual Questions ($40$ minutes)
2. Question 2: Transactional Writing ($50$ minutes)