Description

What’s Inside Each Paper?

📘 Paper 1 – Functional Writing, Cloze Test & Oral Skills (60 Marks)

Functional Writing (20 marks):

• Write an informal/friendly letter to your parent/guardian informing them about:

  • A class tour to a National Park (second term)

  • An academic clinic (second term)

  • A prayer day (third term)

Cloze Test (10 marks):

• Complete a passage on the release of 2025 KCSE results, featuring:

  • Candidate statistics (996,000+ candidates)

  • Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba

  • KNEC logistical operations

  • Deployment of centre managers, supervisors, invigilators, security officers, and drivers

Oral Skills (30 marks):

• Analyze the poem “You are a part of me” – rhyme scheme, performance techniques, sound patterns

• Study the Swahili tongue twister: “Waite wale wana wa liwali wale wali wa liwali”

• Identify intonation patterns in sentences

• Underline stressed syllables in words

• Provide homophones (sight/cite/site, new/knew/gnu)

• Prepare for a debate contest

• Lead a discussion group effectively

• Analyze telephone etiquette in a parent-teacher conversation

📗 Paper 2 – Comprehension, Literary Appreciation & Grammar (80 Marks)

Comprehension (20 marks):

• Read and answer questions on a passage about euphemisms and polite language

• Topics covered:

  • Why polite language is described as an art

  • Examples of euphemisms (passed away, senior citizen, differently abled, plump/full-figured)

  • Relationship between polite language and community harmony

  • Functions of euphemism in protecting feelings

  • The “oil in a machine” simile

  • Tone identification (informative/educative, advisory, persuasive, reflective)

  • Vocabulary: euphemism, build bridges, compassion

Literary Appreciation – Excerpt (25 marks):

• Analyze an excerpt from Paul B. Vitta’s Fathers of Nations

• Key focus areas:

  • Events preceding and following the excerpt

  • Setting (Chaminuka restaurant)

  • Character traits of Comrade Melusi and the visitor

  • Stylistic devices (dialogue, metaphor, simile, personification)

  • Themes (ethnicity/tribalism, political instability, politics)

  • Tone (sympathetic/compassionate)

  • Vocabulary: shrewd, plotting, brought the two men to a parting of ways

Poetry (20 marks):

• Analyze the poem “The Silent Cry”

• Key focus areas:

  • What the poem is about (loneliness, hidden pain, suffering)

  • Meaning of the title

  • Stylistic devices (personification, simile, rhyme, alliteration)

  • Character traits of the persona (patient, reflective, honest, resilient)

  • Lessons about society (appearances can be deceptive)

  • Mood (sad/somber/melancholic)

  • Meaning of “I wear courage like a borrowed grace”

Grammar (15 marks):

• Sentence transformation (Although, unless, Hardly)

• Correct verb forms (be, awe, live, direct)

• Pronoun selection (I/me, they/them, she/her)

• Phrasal verbs (put off, taken aback, takes after)

• Ambiguity interpretation

📙 Paper 3 – Imaginative Composition & Set Text Essays (60 Marks)

Imaginative Composition (20 marks):

• Option A: Write a story that includes: a wallet, a letter, and a reward

• Option B: Write a composition explaining how we can conserve our forests

Compulsory Set Text – The Samaritan by John Lara (20 marks):

• Essay topic: “Greed has driven man to the rock bottom of moral depravity.”

• Key characters to discuss:

  • Bembe – Municipal official with unexplained wealth (Mandingo Golf Club), member of Ghettoboyz gang

  • Harvester – “Born again” Christian who commits injustice to please Mayor Mossi

  • Ted – Accused of “eating” the whole hospital, involved in corrupt tenders

  • Seymour – Takes bribes for building approvals, behind the Black Swan gang and drug trafficking

Optional Set Texts (20 marks) – Choose ONE:

Option A: The Sins of the Fathers by Charles Mungoshi

• Essay topic: “The scars of the past hurts can cause pain if the victim does not forgive and heal.”

• Key points:

  • Rondo’s dilemma – whether to shoot his father or not

  • His father’s pressure to produce a male heir

  • The burning of Rondo’s guitar (his childhood dream destroyed)

  • Rondo’s stammer when answering his father’s questions

  • His father’s suicide

Option B: Parliament of Owls by Adipo Sidang

• Essay topic: “Liberation is achieved through determination and bravery.”

• Key points:

  • Day birds’ determination to end the reign of owls

  • Oyundi’s clever plan to overthrow the royal owl

  • Red String’s attempt to bribe Teltel to spread propaganda

  • The golden bead and its power

  • The Flock of Birds replacing the Parliament of Owls

Option C: An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro

• Essay topic: “One’s past achievements give one satisfaction even in old age.”

• Key points:

  • Ono saving Yasunari Nakahara (Tortoise) from other artists

  • Noriko’s successful marriage to Saitos

  • Ono’s house from Akira Sugimura’s family

  • Ono’s painting career success (Shigeta Foundation Award)

  • Ono’s defiance of his father’s wishes

Who Should Use This Bundle?

What Makes This Bundle Special?

✅ Authentic LANJET Material

These are actual joint examination tests prepared by experienced teachers from the LANJET (Lanet Joint Evaluation) consortium, known for producing high-quality KCSE preparation materials.

✅ Up-to-Date Content

All questions, passages, and topics are current and aligned with the latest KCSE syllabus for the July 2026 examination.

✅ Student-Centered Design

Clear instructions, ample writing space, and a self-evaluation section encourage independent learning and self-improvement.

✅ Teacher-Approved

Used and trusted by schools across Kenya as a reliable benchmark for student performance.

✅ Comprehensive Coverage

All three papers cover the entire KCSE English syllabus with detailed marking schemes.