Common mistakes and guidance
- The use of English vocabulary to replace a Swahili word or phrase.
- Candidates who memorise their presentations fully often give the impression they are reading from a script. It is important to remember that a key indicator in the higher levels is for the presentation to be engaging and natural.
- The frequent use of informal language, e.g. ‘ako, ‘nga’.
- Mistakes with nouns and their agreements
- The limited ability to understand and respond to questions in Swahili.
- Teachers/examiners not giving candidates the chance to think about their responses and rushing to the next question. Patience is key.
- Candidates not taking the
opportunity to engage fully in conversations with the teacher/examiner, perhaps
feeling constrained to answering questions only. Candidates who perform best
are often those who take initiative.
For further details about how candidates performed in this particular examination series please refer to the Principal Examiner Report for Teachers.