IMPORTANT INFO ON GENDER AND WRITING

SUGGESTED MARKING SCHEME FOR ESSAY QUESTIONS (20 MARKS)

The drafting of the marking scheme is based on the general guidelines for preparing marking 

schemes for literature essay questions. However, since exams differ, the scheme is not expected to 

be a template for marking all questions. The nature of the scheme is solely the preserve of the examiner. Hence, the proposed scheme below is only a guide which aims at giving you a sense of 

how literature essay questions are marked. 

General Guidelines for Marking Essays

Content (12 marks)

A candidate’s essay must meet the requirement of the question. Generally, candidates are required 

to discuss four major points and these points must reflect the demands of the questions. For 

instance, for a question such as Discuss Aissatou and Jane as two women who resist patriarchy, 

a candidate is expected to discuss the oppression of both characters by the patriarchal structures of 

their respective societies, how they resist patriarchy as well as similarities or differences in their 

resistance to patriarchy. Each of the four points well discussed should be marked out of 3 marks.

However, when based on the nature of the question, three points are deemed enough; each of them 

well discussed should be marked out of 4 marks. Candidates are to cite specific instances from the 

texts to support their arguments. A mere statement of point should not earn more than 1 mark. A 

candidate should avoid narration and show a level of criticality in his or her essay.

Organisation (2 marks)

A candidate is expected to present a six-paragraph or a five-paragraph essay, depending on the nature of the question, with an introduction, a body and a conclusion. The introduction should state a theme from the story relevant to the question and where necessary define the key term(s) in the question or introduce the character the question centres on. For instance, for a question such as Assess the effectiveness of the style employed by Bronte in Jane Eyre, it is mandatory to define the term style and mention some elements of style. There should be four or three paragraphs in the body of the essay, each of which discusses one point in relation to the question. Candidates are expected to use transitional markers such as firstly, to begin with, also, as a result etc. and pronouns to achieve coherence and cohesion in their essays. The concluding paragraph should 

summarise the issues discussed in the essay.

 

Expression (4 marks)

A candidate is expected to use language appropriate for literary appreciation or analysis. The 

language and diction must reflect the tone of the question. The language should be formal and

devoid of ambiguity and grammatical infelicities. There should also be consistency in terms of 

tense as well as the variety of English used. 

Mechanical Accuracy (2 marks)

Here, the emphasis is on the mechanics. Candidates are expected to demonstrate mastery of 

grammatical rules such as rules regarding subject-verb agreement, pronoun-noun antecedent 

concord, sequence of tenses and punctuations. An error regarding any of these attracts a penalty: 

half a mark is deducted up to a total of 2 marks. Faulty expressions and wrong use of literary terms 

may be ringed or underlined.