CXC CSEC English A — Paper 02, Practice Paper B

Total marks: 105 · Duration: 2 hours 40 minutes

Instructions to candidates

• This paper has FOUR sections, A, B, C and D.
• Answer the ONE question in Section A, the ONE question in Section B, ONE of the TWO questions in Section C, and the ONE question in Section D.
• Section A is worth 25 marks, Section B 30 marks, Section C 25 marks and Section D 25 marks.
• In the January 2027 sitting this paper is "hybrid": you read the questions on screen and write your answers in the answer booklet.
• Plan your answers before you write. Leave time to read through and correct your work.
• You are advised to spend about 30 minutes on Section A, 40 minutes on Section B, 45 minutes on Section C and 40 minutes on Section D, leaving a few minutes to check.
• All the passages and stimulus material in this paper were written for Kramizo practice and are not taken from published works.

Paper

Section A — Summary (25 marks)

Question 1

Read the following passage carefully. Then answer the question that follows.

Growing Our Own

Walk through almost any supermarket in the region and the evidence is on the shelves: tinned vegetables from one continent, frozen chicken from another, rice and flour shipped across thousands of kilometres of ocean. Caribbean countries now import most of the food their people eat, and the bill for those imports runs into billions of dollars every year. That money leaves the region instead of circulating among local farmers and vendors.

This dependence makes us vulnerable. When fuel prices rise or shipping is disrupted, the cost of imported food rises with it, and families feel the change at the checkout within weeks. During the pandemic, and again after recent hurricanes, some islands saw shelves empty while ships waited at distant ports. A country that cannot feed itself has handed control of its dinner table to forces far beyond its shores.

Growing more of our own food would also improve our health. Many imported products are heavily processed and high in salt, sugar and fat, and doctors across the region link such diets to rising rates of diabetes and high blood pressure. Fresh callaloo, dasheen and breadfruit, picked close to home, are cheaper per meal and far better for the body.

There are economic benefits, too. A thriving agricultural sector creates jobs, not only on farms but in transport, processing and markets. Even a backyard garden can cut a household's grocery bill noticeably, and a surplus can be sold to neighbours. Some young people have found that growing herbs and vegetables in containers, using little more than a balcony, gives them a small income and a skill they are proud of.

Yet the obstacles are real. Many young people still see farming as back-breaking, poorly paid and old-fashioned, the work their grandparents were glad to escape. Praedial larceny, the theft of crops and livestock, can wipe out a season's work in a single night, and many farmers say they have given up reporting it. Would-be farmers often struggle to obtain land or the loans needed to buy equipment and seed. The weather is less predictable than it was: droughts are longer and hurricanes stronger, and a farmer may lose everything in one storm. Finally, local growers find it hard to compete with cheap imports, and many supermarkets prefer the steady, year-round supply that large importers can guarantee.

None of these problems is impossible to solve, but none will solve itself. If the region is serious about feeding itself, governments, communities and shoppers will all have to play their part.

In not more than 120 words, summarise the reasons the writer gives for growing more of our own food AND the obstacles that stand in the way. Use your own words as far as possible, and write in continuous prose (not note form). (25 marks)

Section B — Exposition (30 marks)

Question 2

The Parish Council in your community is considering what to do with the old market building on Bay Street, which has been empty for three years. Your youth club carried out a survey of 200 residents. The notes and results are below.

Survey of 200 residents, aged 15 and over — "What should the old market building become?"

Notes from the youth club meeting

• 71 of the 86 who chose the skills centre were aged 15–30.
• Most popular courses requested: computer skills, cosmetology, auto mechanics, food preparation.
• Several older residents worried about noise in the evenings.
• The roof leaks badly; a contractor estimates repairs at $180 000.
• Two local businesses have offered to donate equipment and run free short courses.
• Vendors currently sell on the roadside on Bay Street, which blocks the pavement on Saturdays.

As secretary of the youth club, write a REPORT to the Parish Council. In your report you should:

• state the purpose of the survey and how it was carried out
• summarise the main findings
• recommend what should be done with the building, giving reasons, and respond to at least ONE concern.

Your report should be between 250 and 300 words. Use an appropriate format and a formal register. (30 marks)

Section C — Short Story (25 marks)

Answer ONE question from this section.

EITHER

Question 3

Write a story that begins with these words:

"The lights went out just as Mr Baptiste reached the part of the story that everyone had been waiting for."

Your story should be between 400 and 450 words. (25 marks)

OR

Question 4

Write a story about a character who must choose between loyalty to a friend and doing what is right. Your story must end with these words:

"…and I never told anyone, not even my mother."

Your story should be between 400 and 450 words. (25 marks)

Section D — Argument (25 marks)

Question 5

Your school is holding a debate on the motion:

"Every secondary school student should complete forty hours of community service before graduating."

Write the speech you would deliver EITHER for OR against the motion. Your speech should be between 250 and 300 words and should present a clear, well-supported argument. (25 marks)