Letter Writing

ZIMSEC Personal/Informal Letter

Instead of a report, formal letter, speech or article questions, you might encounter a question asking
you to write a personal/informal letter in Section B of the ZIMSEC English Language Paper 1 exam.
The question might not directly ask you to write an informal or personal letter but still require you to
“write a letter.” You should write a personal letter if the stated receipt is someone with whom you
have a personal relationship that is a formal or semi-formal relationship.

Examples of people to whom you can write personal letters are relatives for example parents, aunts,
uncles, in-laws, cousins or grandparents. This also includes guardians and acquaintances such as
teachers and pastors although with these it would depend on the intended purpose of the letter.
Personal letters are also common among friends.

Format of a personal letter

38 Greendale Avenue
Greendale
Harare

[Skip a line]

[Date] For example: 17 March 2014

[Skip a line]

Dear [name/relation] For example Dear Father.

[Skip a line]

[Body of letter]

[Skip a line]

Yours sincerely,

[Your name/relation] For example: John

Things to note

It is usually considered bad form to put greetings in the first paragraph of the letter although in
practice such rules are often ignored. You should instead state the purpose of your letter in the first
paragraph. For example you can begin by saying: “I have written this letter to inform you about the
developments that have taken place in our neighbourhood during the five years you have been
gone.”

Instead put the greetings in the last paragraph so as not to offend those old-fashioned examiners,
for although they will not penalize you for including the greetings in the first paragraph, you will gain
nothing by offending them.
If you are writing in response to an earlier correspondence state this in the introductory paragraphs
of your letter. For example: “It was pleasant to hear from you after so long, we were beginning to
think that you had forgotten us.”

Your language and tone should be warm and friendly but you should use contractions (words like
don’t instead of do not, wasn’t instead of was not etc) sparingly for although they are becoming
more and more accepted they are still to be universally accepted as being proper.

Avoid slang and colloquialisms like “ gwan” for story, “skwa” for school and “shacking” for going. The
examiners will most likely not be familiar with the meanings of these words and even if they do it is
still not proper English and you will be penalized accordingly.

Avoid mannerisms for example most people like to use phrases like “it’s like ….” and “basically …” as
well as others when either beginning sentences or trying to put forward a point. It is wrong and
annoying.

Do not use pet names for example Pa/Dad/Daddy for father, Ma/Mum/Mummy for mother,
Grandpa/Grandma for your grandparents. Use the proper forms like father.

You may use other appropriate forms to sign off instead of the plain Yours sincerely for example:
Your son, Your friend, Your loving daughter, Yours forever etc.

You may also have to come up with an excuse for ending your letter, for example,” I will write to you
soon if anything changes.” etc.

Practice Questions

1. A friend of yours has written to you expressing extreme disappointment with his or her
poor grades in school. Using the points given below and adding any relevant points of
your own, write a letter to him or her giving encouragement and advice.
 Accept limits of one’s potential
 Plan and manage time effectively
 Concentrate on areas of strength
 Visit a school based counsellor
 Have a never die spirit
 Identify areas of weakness and seek help
 Practise regularly

2. Your friend has been out of the country for five years, during which many changes have taken
place in your home area. Using the notes below, and adding any relevant information of your
own, write a letter to your friend updating him of or her on the developments.
 land redistribution
 road construction
 ‘A’ Level classes
 telecommunication services
 natural resources depleted
3. You have discovered that your cousin who lives in the area where you work has of late joined a
group of bad friends. You decide to inform his father who works elsewhere about it. Using the
following notes and adding any of your own, write a letter to your cousin’s father expressing your
concern:
 drunk every night
 involved in public violence
 trouble with police
 associated with criminals
 popular with people of loose morals
 danger of drug abuse and AIDS

Sample answer

7717 31st Close

Glen Norah C
Harare

20 July 2016

Dear Uncle Chemhere

I write to register my deepest concerns over the wayward behaviour of your son
Dambudzo who of late has been a real problem and has joined a group of bad friends
who call themselves “Naughty Boys”.

Dambudzo is no longer the innocent boy that l have always known and loved so much.
He has tremendously changed and is now coming home late and drunk every night. The
other day, he was involved in public violence and ended up with a deep cut on his left
eye. When you see him you will notice the scar where he had stitches. To make matters
worse, I had to pay $20 from my pocket for his fine when he and his entire Naughty
Boys friends were arrested for public violence.

I have tried talking to him but he turns a deaf ear on me and l feel that he may just as
well listen to you as his father. Dambudzo is now just but a problem and is associating
with well known criminals and l fear he could end up in trouble with law enforcement
agents.

Another worry of mine dear uncle is that Dambu is now friends with people of loose
morals. I passed by his place yesterday morning while going to work and was surprised
when Rhoda the well known prostitute opened the door for me. It was clear she had
slept there and as such your son might be in danger of contracting the dreaded
HIV/Aids.

I strongly feel that you should come and knock sense into his head before his life spirals
out of control. How is everyone there in Gweru? I hope that everyone is doing fine. Back
here, all is well except for your son who is giving me sleepless nights. Hope l see you
soon.
Your loving nephew

Ndumiso

4. Imagine that you have a pen-pal friend who lives in the United States of America who is willing
to donate to genuine educational cause in form of cash or kind i.e. library books or financial aid
to build a school library. You decide that your school becomes one of the beneficiaries of such a
scheme. Write a letter to him or her asking for either of the assistance. Use all the points provided
below and you may add any other points of your own.
A. Financial help
 Amount of money required
 Estimated cost of the building
 Size of the library
 Target population
  Accountability of the fund
 Target period for building the library
B. Material assistance
 Types of books required
 Educational relevance of the books
 Guarantee of a library at school
 Estimated quantities required

5. Your mother went to the clinic because she has not been feeling well. She has frequent headaches,
is often of short breath, feels dizzy and she has occasional pains in her left shoulder and chest.
The nurse measured her blood pressure with a blood pressure cuff and told her she had high blood
pressure. The nurse gave her some medicine and told her to do the following:
 Lose weight by eating less than what she eats now
 Avoid eating fatty foods and foods with a lot of sugar
 Use vegetable oil when cooking
 Cook without salt and eat without salt
 Get more exercises
 Learn to exercise

Write a letter to your father who is working in another town telling him about your mother. You
may add whatever details you like to make the letter informative.

6. Your sister is returning from England and she has offered to bring you something. Write a letter to
her asking her to bring you a radio –cassette player. Use the following and you may add your own
relevant points
 Portable radio-cassette player
 Battery and electronically operated
 Stereo if possible
 Either have an attachable microphone or a built-in one
 Preferably one with tone-control
 Minimum two-waveband radio

7. Your friend has lent you his/her bicycle for the holidays. Unfortunately you had an accident with
it and it is somewhat damaged. Write to him/her using some or all of the points below. Add any
details you wish to.
 Enjoyed having the bicycle
 Accident happened a week after school ended
 Dog ran after bicycle
 Got very nervous
 Car approaching
 Dog bit foot
 Kicked dog
 Swerved into pavement
 Damaged front wheel
8. After a long search for employment, you eventually got a job with a private company.
Since then, you have worked very well and now you have recently been promoted. Write
a letter to a friend who is looking for a job telling him about your own searched for
employment and success at work. Use the following notes and any of your own.
 Scarce job opportunities
 Relevant qualifications
 Positive attitude at work
 Character and personality
 Punctuality, co-operation and respect
 Willingness to learn.

9. Your family has moved to a new area where you are finding it hard to adjust. Using the ideas
below and any other you may think of, write a letter to your friend describing your experiences
there.
 move made at an inappropriate time
 a whole new way of life
 still attached to old home
 general feeling of loneliness
 unfamiliar environment
 transport problems
 at least no known crime record
 will cope with time

Format of a formal letter

38 Greendale Avenue
Greendale
Harare

[Date] For example: 17 March 2014

The Manager
Innscor Holdings
Private Bag 990
Harare

[Skip a line]

Dear Sir/Madam or Dear Mr Shagare.

[Skip a line]

[Reference]

RE: What the letter is all about

[Body of letter]

[Skip a line]

Yours faithfully (if you don’t know the person) or sincerely (if you know the person),

[Your full name] For example: Gavhu Thulani T. In brackets you put either Mr,Mrs or Ms.

Practice Questions

1. Your school is situated far away from the nearest shopping centre. Students have nowhere to buy
stationery and other items that they need. You are convinced that establishing tuckshop at school
would solve the problem. Using the following notes and adding any other ideas you may think of,
write a letter to the school Head expressing the need for a tuckshop.
 pupils unable to buy stationery
 vendors charging high prices but selling limited items
 unhygienic conditions
 profits generated for school projects
 service to school community

2. Imagine you are the headmaster of Eternal Life College. A parent has visited your school and you
receive the following letter about the state of the school buildings and premises.

7717 31st close

Glen Norah C
Harare

20 June 2016

The Headmaster
Eternal Life College
P O Box 204
Glen Norah

Dear Sir

Re: State of the school.

Last week, on Tuesday, l came to see my son, Lebogang. As l walked through the school grounds and
buildings l could not help noticing that the school needs attention in a number of areas. To begin with, the
road leading up to the school is in a sorry state. Pot-holes are everywhere, some of them obviously filled in
hastily with stones and rubble. Also, the recent rains have made some of them like small ponds. Not only
that. The school gardens are clearly being neglected. Shrub and flower-beds have a straggly appearance,
with things growing anyhow. The hedges, too, are overgrown. Is anybody responsible for looking after
these areas? First impressions are all-important, and l just wonder if the same neglect runs throughout
the school life as a whole.

Then there is the state of the classrooms. In many cases, the doors leading into them could do with a lick
of paint, or at least a good wash down. Grubby fingerprints and grime are everywhere. Some of the doors
don’t even have door handles and when they do, they don’t look as though they are capable of shutting a
door!

I wonder, too, when the windows last had a good clean. In some areas, it was difficult to see outside. In
others, it was too easy. The window panes had either disappeared altogether, or were shattered. I realise
that the teaching that goes on in schools is perhaps the main priority. You are proud of the recent
improvement in the “O” Level pass rate at your school, and l have no complaints about that side of
things.

Nevertheless, all-round appearances are important. Could your staff and pupils take part in a general
clean-up? Parents could be involved too. It would do a good deal to promote community spirit in the
school.

I look forward to your reply and hearing what steps will be taken to put things right.

Yours faithfully

P. Pota(Mrs)

Write a letter in reply to the parent. Your reply should note the points she makes and outline some
of the steps already being taken to repair the faults. You may add additional information of your
own to support the details of your reply.

3. The following advertisement for the position of Senior sales person has been posted in a daily
newspaper by Technosales Pvt (Ltd). Using the information provided in the advertisement, apply
for the post.

TECHNOSALES PVT( LTD)

As a leading company which specialises in the sale of computer hardware and software, cellular
phones and accessories and a wide range of machines, we are inviting applications for the position of
Senior Sales Person.

Qualifications and Experience:

  Five (5) Ordinary level subjects including English Language and Mathematics
 Minimum qualification of National Diploma in Marketing or equivalent
 Experience in selling computer related hardware and software
 Ability to supervise clerical staff in the Sales Department
 Must be out-going and able to communicate at all levels
 A clean class four (4) driver’s licence is essential

Written applications, including expected date of availability and names of two contactable referees,
should be submitted to: The Human Resources Manager
Technosales Pvt (Ltd)
P. O Box MSA 4198
Harare

Deadline for submission of applications is 29 July 2017.

4. You are an officer in the Ministry of Environment and Tourism. After touring Shakashe
Communal Lands, you realised that there was considerable degradation of the environment. Using
the notes below and adding any relevant information of your own, write a letter to the District
Administrator drawing his attention to the unacceptable state of the environment.
 massive deforestation
 river bank cultivation
 siltation in the rivers
 uncontrolled mining activities
 serious soil erosion

5. Imagine that you are Mr. Shonhiwa, the headmaster of Glen Norah High School. You receive a
letter from the headmaster of a neighbouring school in which he complains about the behaviour of
your staff and pupils at a recent inter-school football match.

Write a letter in reply, dealing with the complaints he makes. As far as possible, give good
reasons for what happened and try to assure him of the action which you will be taking.
 You may use any of your own additional information to support your reply.

REF: F/3/16

High Glen Secondary School

Private Bag 2000
Glen Norah B

10 June 2016

Dear Mr Shonhiwa

RE: SOCCER MATCH OF 05 JUNE 2016

I wish to complain about the way my soccer team was treated when it played your team at your
school last Saturday.

As the bus in which my team was travelling approached your main gate, several boys from your
school blocked the road by standing across with their hands joined, thus forcing the bus to stop.
Two members of your staff saw this but did nothing to remove the boys from the road. It was
only after our Sports master had got down from the bus that the boys ran away and cleared the
road.

Later, just before the match, a large number of boys and girls surrounded my team, booing for
no apparent and hurled abuse at the players who were engaged in a warm-up exercise. That
was not all.

During the match itself my sportsmaster discovered that four of your players were local school
leavers who had been hired by your team – contrary to regulations governing our league – to
play for your school. The referee, a teacher from your school, was informed of this but ignored
my sports master.

The referee made matters worse for my team. He was so biased and so unfair that he penalised
my players even when they were right, at one time he disallowed a clear score but none of my
players was offside. It was by sheer luck that we won by two goals to one.

I would be most grateful if you could make certain that these embarrassing actions and
injustices are not repeated in future.

Yours sincerely

A.F. Gavhu

Headmaster

6. You are a music promoter in Zimbabwe and you have decided to invite a well known reggae band
to this country. Write a letter of invitation to them using some or all of the points below. Add
more details wherever you wish.
 Many enthusiastic reggae fans
 The band enjoys great popularity here
 Arrive Thursday morning
  Accommodation at Holiday Inn
 Play at National Spots Stadium
 Fly to Bulawayo to play at White City Stadium on Saturday
 Drive to Masvingo to see Great Zimbabwe on Sunday
 Back in Harare on Monday
 Charity concert on Monday night
 Leave Zimbabwe on Tuesday

7. You have been very concerned about lack of development in your area. Now that a new member
of parliament has been elected for the area, you have an opportunity to voice your concerns.

Write a letter to the Member of Parliament, drawing his or her attention to the following problems
and suggest possible solutions. You may add other details of your own.

 Poor communication
 Non-existent medical facilities
 Inadequate water supply
 Not enough schools
 Absence of recreational facilities
 High crime rate

Report Writing
ZIMSEC Writing a report

Perhaps the most important form of communication within businesses and at the workplace is the
report. They are found everywhere no matter what profession you will choose be it in the Sciences,
Arts or Commercials field you will most likely have to file some form of report or another. Even a
humble security guard is required to write regular reports, so are the police, army personnel, the
self-employed, scientists, judges, lawyers, politicians and everyone else including even Tobacco
farmers.

To prepare you for this, the English Language syllabus requires you to learn the proper format of a
report. In Section B of English Paper 1 you might be presented with a question that will test you on
your understanding of the report format.

Format of a report

To: [The full name or professional title of the recipient] for example: To: The General Manager.
From: [ Your full name or title] for example: From: The Finance Manager.

Date: [ Date on which the report was written] for example: 18 April 2014

Title: [A brief and descriptive title for the report] for example: Quarterly Financial Report.

In the first paragraph state the Who, what, where and when or even why. For example, “As is
required by company policy and as the finance manager I hereby present the quarterly financial
report for the quarter ended 31 March 2014.”

In the other paragraphs use the points given in the question and expand them using your knowledge
and diligently present them in chronological or some other logical order. The points might be in the
form of a graph or chart. In such cases do not merely repeat the information shown on the graph for
example we had a Sales figure of $38 000 over the course of the quarter. Be insightful and analytic
for example: We had sales of $38 000 in the quarter which is a decrease from the previous sales of
$45 000 in the same quarter last year. This might be a result of a fall in demand of pencil skirts which
were are most popular product last summer. We hope to find alternative fashionable items to fill the
void in the coming quarter.

In the last paragraph give a general remark or make a recommendation based on the topic. For
example:

Generally the quarter was not as bad as we had feared although there is definitely some room for
improvement next time around.

[Signature at the end] Reports should always be signed to prove that there are from whoever they
say they are from.

Tips for writing a report

Always state the purpose of the report in the first paragraph and your authority for compiling such a
report.

You might also want to provide the general aim of the report.

Pieces of information (as given in the question) must include/be followed by reasonable and
plausible explanations, comments, suggestions, situations and conditions depending on the nature
of the question.

References to related correspondence/previous reports where appropriate must be made. For

example: Based on my visit to your farm I have compiled this report on what I observed and my
suggestions on what you should do to solve the highlighted problems.

Sequential discourse markers would be useful as they make it easier for you to state ideas and for
those reading to follow the report. For example words like: Firstly, secondly and finally. Go to English
Notes Home to find a more detailed list of discourse markers.

Whenever appropriate try to predict the future based on your understanding of current data. For
example: We expect food production to continue to increase at Tola farm as demand is still healthy
and the macroeconomic environment has improved.
Make suggestions wherever appropriate. For example: I would strongly recommend more timely
purchase of necessary inputs so as to avoid such problems in future.

Give a proper conclusion e.g. The report clearly shows that food production at Tola farm is on an
upward trend.

Practice questions
1. A new headmaster who has been just appointed to your school wishes to find out as much
as possible about the school. As a senior student, compile a report for the headmaster
highlighting the areas you would like improved using notes given below. You may add any
relevant points of your own.
 buildings
 furniture
 sporting facilities
 textbooks and facilities
 school rules
 timetable

2. Your school is planning new building projects. The students feel that the construction of a
separate building for a library is a priority and they have asked you to represent their views
to the school administration. Write a report to the headmaster incorporating the following
points, but also add others that can highlight the importance of the library project.
 opportunity for quiet study
 development of reading habit
 improved examination results
 increased variety of books for borrowing
 research opportunities for pupils and teachers
 provision of a specialist information room – media access
 advertisement of library facilities to private students and adults – possible source of
income

3. Imagine that you are the Director of Health services in the City of Harare Council and there
was an outbreak of Cholera in Budiriro high density suburb. The Mayor of Harare
Metropolitan City has asked you to write a report on the outbreak so as to assist the council
to make informed professional decisions to eradicate the disease in its infancy. Write a
report using some or all the points below
 When the disease was detected
 Where the disease erupted
 Possible causes of the disease
 Any fatalities recorded
 Council reaction to the outbreak
  Measures being taken to control the outbreak
 Long term solution to the disease outbreak

4. As captain of the school sports team, you have been instructed by the school headmaster to
write a report explaining why you failed to fulfil a fixture against Fungisai High School. Using
the following notes and adding any of your own, compile a report for your headmaster.
 late departure
 rough road
 student taken ill
 wrong road
 flat tyre
 too late to continue

5. You were the captain of your school team at the inter- schools athletics competition held at
your school. Many participants, including yourself, were clearly disappointed with the lack of
organisation on the day.

Using the notes provided below, write a report to your headmaster on the observations that
you made, making suggestions for the improvement in the future. You may add any other
details of your own.

 late start to the opening events

 poor attendance from parents and friends
 badly marked lanes
 inadequate organisation of some field events
 widespread cheating in the age groups
 unfair, incompetent officials
 rowdy spectators
 poor prizes for the winners
 disorderly end to the competition

6. There have been several thefts at your school recently. As the head prefect, you have been
involved in investigating these thefts. Using the notes below and any relevant information of
your own, write a report to either the headmaster or headmistress on your findings.
 items stolen
 outsiders responsible
 poor lighting system
 pupils’ reactions
 reinforcing security
 bringing culprits to book
7. You are the chairperson of a club at your school. Using the following ideas and any other
that you may think of, write a report to the school magazine on the activities of the club in
the year about to end.
 diversity of membership
 objectives of the club
 visits to other schools
 fundraising activities
 reaching out to school and community
 support given by staff
 future of the club

Report Writing

8. You are the chairperson of a club at your school. Using the following ideas and any other
that you may think of, write a report to the school magazine on the activities of the club in
the year about to end.
 diversity of membership
 objectives of the club
 visits to other schools
 fundraising activities
 reaching out to school and community
 support given by staff
 future of the club

9. The head of your school has asked you to write a report on the services offered at the school
tuckshop. Write the report suggesting practical ways in which the service could be improved.
Use the following notes and any of your own.
 Attendant rude and generally slow
 Standards of hygiene
 Afternoon lessons delayed
 Variety of goods
 Regular spot checks

10. You are an officer in the Ministry of Labour. Your superiors have asked you to investigate the
continuous loss of trained manpower to other countries. Using the following points and
adding any of your own, compile a report outlining the causes of the problem and suggesting
ways of dealing with it.
  High unemployment rate
 Low salaries
 Impatience of the young generation
 Making local working conditions more attractive
 Bonding certain groups of workers

Speech Writing
Writing Speeches

When you are asked to write speeches you should bear the following things in mind:

Speeches differ slightly with the other guided essays that you will be asked to write. Speeches are made to
inform, share, support/persuade your audience on the topic set out in the examination question.

You should write in a conversational style i.e. you should write the same way you speak. Imagine yourself in
front of the given audience. Usually the question itself sets out the audience you are supposed to be facing for
example a graduation speech would have you facing your fellow graduating students in perhaps the school
hall/during assembly imagine what you would say to them.

Start and end with opening quotes either double quotations ” ” or single ‘ ‘quotations can be used at the
beginning and last paragraph of the speech. It is always good practice to use these alternatively if they are
nested. For example let us say you chose the double quotes to open your speech and somewhere in the speech
you decide to include a relevant quotation by some famous author, it is good practice to use the single quotes to
set out the exact words of that author in the speech instead of using the double quotes again. The converse
would be true if you had begun by using single quotes.

Start by greeting your audience. The degree of formality and tone of the speech depends on your relationship
with the audience and the topic of the speech. For example you could either start by saying,” Good morning to
you my fellow students…” or “Good morning ladies and gentlemen…”

Depending on the situation the greeting may be followed by a self introduction even if you have already been
introduced and the audience knows you. This maybe in the form of an allusion to your standing on the matter at
hand for example “As your head girl …”

You might want to remind your student of the occasion. This can be done subtly for example,” I cannot believe
this is our graduation day, it only seems only like yesterday when we started out as little tiny form ones.”

You should always state the purpose of your speech. The intent clause should fall naturally into place of your
speech. This can be done by making sure that it matches the style of your entire speech. The purpose of the
speech is usually given out in the question itself and even when it is not given you can always surmise from the
points given in the speech. You could say for example,” As we march out into the wide and cruel world, I stand
here as your sage, to impart words of parting wisdom.”
Speeches are written in the way that they are spoken which means a lot of the verbs are in the “-ing” format for
example ” speaking” instead of “spoke” which would be more likely in say a narrative compositions. Also
sentences may not follow the traditional structure, see tips below for more on this.

It is considered bad form however to make use of fillers like “you know”,”so” where so is supposed to be a
superlative for example “He was so short.”

Good speeches make use of rhetorical questions.

Elaborate the points given in the essay question adding relevant material of your own based on your experience.

End your speech by thanking the audience for their patience and attentiveness.

Another popular way to end a speech is to use a quote or a call to action. For example you could say,” Julius
Ceaser said,’ I came, I saw, I conquered.’ I hope you too came to this school, saw enlightenment and will now
go into the world and conquer it.” or you could say “Go out into the world and prosper!”

You can (this is a polite way of saying you must) also use discourse markers. There are three types of discourse
markers and all these are indispensable when writing your speech. Go to English Notes Home for more on
discourse markers.

While it is not required the best speeches often make use of poetic devices in order to captivate the hearts of
their audience and if you are up to it you would do well to use the following techniques:

-Make sure that each sentence has roughly the same amount of syllables in each sentence (line).

-Make use of rhyming words to create a “rhythmic feel” to your speech. Do not sacrifice meaning just so you
can get the rhyme that you want, the examiners will not be impressed.

-Repeat ideas and thoughts for emphasis, for good example see Martin Luther King Junior’s I have a dream
speech.

-You can also change the traditional sentence structure to suit your needs so long as you do not violate the rules
of grammar. For example instead of the more traditional structure statement,” This man I am speaking of is a tall
and handsome.” You can instead say,” Tall and handsome is the man I speak of.” Both statements contain the
exact same number of words but the second line sounds more poetic.

-Think of the paragraphs as more of stanzas instead.

-Make use of rhetorical questions to force the audience to think more deeply on the subject at hand.

As with all English topics you will need to practice more extensively in order to become proficient.

Practice Questions

1. As a senior prefect, your school head has asked you to present a speech on the theme “Leadership
Qualities” at a meeting organised for newly appointed prefects. Write the speech using the notes given
below. You may add any relevant points of your own.
 Respectable
 Ability to communicate
 Firmness
 Good decision making skills
 Approachable
 Be a role model
2. Your community is very worried about the increase in the cases of housebreaking that have occurred in
your area in the last few weeks. A meeting has been organised to discuss this problem and to suggest
some possible solutions. You have been asked to give your views at this meeting. Using the notes
provided below, write the speech you will give. You may add any other relevant details of your own.
 Several houses broken into
 Valuable items stolen
 Some people attacked
 Co-operation among neighbours important
 Keep watch for suspicious strangers
 Police advice on criminals operating in the area
 Identity marks on property
 Proposed security measures for buildings.
3. You have been asked to speak in a debate entitled “Small families bring about progress.” Using the
notes below and adding relevant points of your own, write a speech you would deliver in support of the
motion.
 Light financial burden
 Women remain healthy and strong
 Easy to accommodate
 Ability to spend on luxuries
 Easy to educate few children

4. You have been asked to give the main speech on the occasion to honour a successful sporting team at
your school. Write the speech using the following points and adding any other details of your own.
 Congratulate team
 Applaud team spirit
 High standard of commitment
 Represented the school well
 Precedent set

5. You have been asked to give the main speech at the hand-over ceremony of a valued donation to your
school. Write the speech using the points given below. You are expected to add other relevant ideas of
your own.
 Inadequate resources
 Benefits to community
 Add value to school life
 More donations welcome
 Strengthening of partnerships

6. You are the head prefect of Wisdom High School. Using the points given below, and adding relevant
points of your own, write a speech you would give to the incoming Form One pupils enlightening them
on the School rules.
 Punctuality
 Uniforms
 Library
 School times
 Respect and discipline
 Sports
7. Your school is hosting Zonal Soccer Competitions. As the captain of your school soccer team, you
have been tasked to give a speech on fair play just before the competitions. Use the following notes and
add some of your own to compile the speech.
 Identification and development of talent
 Building friendship
 Image of the school
 Accepting defeat
 Entertainment value

8. Imagine that you are one of the students taking part in a public speaking competition. The topic you
have chosen is:

“Today’s Youths Are Misunderstood”

Using the following ideas and any other you may think of, write out your speech.

 Times have changed

 Different values and beliefs
 Youths capable of managing their time
 Adult expectations too high
 Attitude towards school and work not always negative
 Youths’ involvement in community projects a sign of responsibility
 Adult advice well taken

9. Your school is hosting the minister of agriculture who will be addressing farmers in your local
community on farming issues. You are the chairperson of the school’s young farmer’s club and have
been asked to prepare a speech on the activities of the club. The speech will be delivered before the
minister and all the farmers in your community and other guests.

Your speech may include some or all of the following points:

 Name of the club

 When it was formed
 Membership
 Objectives of the club
 Projects completed and underway
 Future plans
 Challenges /problems

Writing an Article
A magazine article.

ZIMSEC English Language Notes: Writing an article

Articles are magazine and newspaper style essays. As part of your ZIMSEC English Language
examination you can be asked to write an article on a chosen topic in Section B of Paper 1. The given
topics normally require you to write an informative article for example you can be presented with a
topic such as, “Write an article for your school magazine titled, ’Why my school is the best.'”

Whenever presented with such a topic you should take an approach that is not very different from
the one you should employ when dealing with argumentative essays although the “correct
viewpoint” is this instance is non-optional. For example you cannot choose to say write about why
you think your school is not the best.

You have to write supporting the topic and providing probably fictional information to expand and
develop the points given in the question for example if the question has points like: High Pass rate,
Recent successes in sport etc you might want to support the first point by saying you school has
consistently achieved a 100 % pass rate for the past 5 years and some of your students have
received national prizes due to their academic excellence. It does not have to be true, just
reasonable, plausible and in support of the given topic.

Format of an article

Headline/Title: Put title of article here. You could use the question as a guide e.g. Why St Faith’s
Secondary is the best school in Zimbabwe.

By/Author: Your Name here.

1. Samaringa High School which opened twenty years ago, organised a day’s reunion for its
pioneer students. As one of its first students, you gladly attended the reunion and met old
friends.

Write an account of the day and what you and your friends talked about.

Use the following points, but also add others that can give extra interest to your account.

 Memories of schooldays
 The sight of familiar faces still around the school
 The atmosphere of the old buildings
 The contrast with the new buildings and developments
 The changes you and your friends notice in one another
 The different careers you have all followed
 Your present interests
 Your family backgrounds