The answer that copied the passage
An unseen passage of about 130 words, titled أَهَمِّيَّةُ الْمَاءِ, states that water covers most of the earth but only a small fraction is fit to drink; it urges readers not to leave taps running and not to pollute rivers. Four questions carry 2 marks each: (1) Why is water called the source of life? (2) Mention two ways of saving water. (3) What is the main idea of the passage? (4) Suggest a title. A candidate answers Q1 by copying a full sentence from the passage, Q2 with one way only, Q3 with her own opinion about her village well, and Q4 with the title الْمَاءُ. The teacher must mark 8 marks without a detailed scheme, and the Board's sample paper says answers should be 'in the candidate's own words wherever possible'.
1. Write a model answer to Q1 in 20-25 words that would earn full marks, and explain what the candidate's copied sentence lacks.
Read the worked answer
Model answer (20 words): يُسَمَّى الْمَاءُ مَصْدَرَ الْحَيَاةِ لِأَنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ وَالنَّبَاتَ وَالْحَيَوَانَ لَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ الْعَيْشَ بِدُونِهِ، وَلِأَنَّ جِسْمَ الْإِنْسَانِ يَحْتَوِي عَلَى نِسْبَةٍ كَبِيرَةٍ مِنْهُ.
Why it earns full marks: it selects the relevant idea (water is the source of life), compresses it into the candidate's own structure, and adds one supporting detail from the passage (living things cannot survive without it / the human body contains much of it). What the copied sentence lacks: copying may contain the right content, but it does not show that the candidate can select, connect, and restate. The Board instruction 'in the candidate's own words wherever possible' is testing comprehension, not scanning. A copied sentence can earn partial credit for content, but not full credit for expression.
2. Q2 asks for two ways; the candidate gives one. Using a 2-mark split, what score and feedback would you give?
Read the worked answer
Score: 1/2. One valid way earns 1 mark; the second mark requires a second distinct way. If she repeats the same idea in different words, the second mark is not awarded.
Feedback: (a) Underline the imperatives and prohibitions in the passage - e.g. لَا تُسْرِفْ، لَا تُلَوِّثِ الْمِيَاهَ - because question words like 'mention two ways' usually map to commands, not to examples. (b) Require numbered answer format: أَوَّلًا ... ثَانِيًا ... (c) In class, practise a two-column table: 'action required' / 'action forbidden'. This turns a vague 'save water' into two scorable points. Marking note: if the second way is implied but not stated, do not infer it; the exam tests whether the candidate can retrieve and state it.
3. Q3 asks for the main idea, but the candidate wrote a personal opinion. How would you coach her to produce a main-idea answer in 2 marks?
Read the worked answer
Coach the main idea with a three-step formula.
- Topic: one word - الْمَاء.
- Writer's purpose: what does the writer want us to believe or do? - الْمُحَافَظَةُ عَلَى الْمَاءِ وَعَدَمُ تَلْوِيثِهِ.
- Combine: topic + purpose in one sentence, with no examples: يَدْعُو الْكَاتِبُ إِلَى الْمُحَافَظَةِ عَلَى الْمَاءِ وَعَدَمِ تَلْوِيثِهِ لِأَنَّهُ مَصْدَرُ الْحَيَاةِ.
Why the candidate's answer fails: her village well is a personal example, not the passage's central claim. It may be relevant as support, but it cannot replace the main idea. 2-mark split: 1 mark for identifying the topic (water), 1 mark for the writer's purpose (conserve/protect it). A title such as الْمَاءُ is acceptable for Q4 but too broad for Q3.