By Elimu Assistant Team 
Explore the detailed review of the 2008 KCSE English language examination, highlighting candidates’ performance, strengths, weaknesses, and recommendations for improvement.
The document provided is a review of the 2008 KCSE English language examination. The English papers tested candidates’ language knowledge, comprehension skills, grammar mastery, and ability to respond to literary cues. Three papers were offered: Paper 1 tested functional skills, Paper 2 tested comprehension, literary appreciation, and grammar, while Paper 3 tested conventional composition and essays based on set texts.
Candidates’ General Performance:
The performance of candidates in the English papers over three years (2006-2008) was analyzed. The overall performance declined from 2006 to 2008. Paper 1 had a decrease in performance from 2007 to 2008, while Paper 2 showed the poorest performance in 2008 compared to 2007. However, the performance in Paper 3 slightly improved in 2008.
Paper 1 (101/1):
Candidates were tested on functional skills, including writing a Notice for a drama club meeting and preparing an Agenda. Many candidates struggled with the format of the Notice, missing out on key elements like the agenda. The cloze text section also revealed weaknesses in candidates’ reading and grammar skills.
Advice to Teachers:
Teachers were advised to focus on teaching all aspects of language, including grammar, vocabulary, and comprehension. Emphasis should be placed on practising cloze texts to improve candidates’ reading and understanding skills.
