NSSCAS English First Language 8167 case studies
NSSCAS English First Language 8167 · Put your knowledge to work in context.
NSSCAS English First Language 8167 is an Advanced Subsidiary level qualification for candidates who have completed the Namibian Senior Secondary phase and want to study English at a level that treats language as both a craft and an object of analysis. It suits learners who already write fluently and read critically, and who intend to use English as a tool in further study, journalism, law, education or public communication. The NSSCAS English First Language 8167 case studies are 5 cases and about 2,364 words.
1Unseen prose: from feature-spotting to analysis
A candidate is 18 minutes from the end of a 45-minute reading paper. The unseen prose passage is a first-person account of a woman returning to her childhood home after a flood.
515 words, about 3 min2Summary: selecting for a parent audience
A candidate is preparing a 120-word summary of a 600-word article about a city bike-share scheme for a school newsletter read by students and parents. The article gives: launch date; 200 bikes at 15 stations; cost €1 per hour, with the first 30 minutes free; three minor accidents in the first month; council funding of €250,000; environmental benefits; complaints that docking stations block pavements; a quote from a cyclist; and plans to expand to 30 stations next year.
479 words, about 2 min3Directed writing: persuading a council without alienating it
A candidate has 35 minutes to write a 300–400 word letter to the local council opposing the closure of a youth centre. The audience is councillors; the purpose is to persuade.
523 words, about 3 min4Descriptive composition: from sensory list to controlling idea
A candidate chooses the descriptive option: 'Describe a busy market at dawn.' They have 40 minutes left in a 50-minute section and a 400–500 word limit. Their plan reads: 'Sight: fruit, people.
481 words, about 2 min5Review writing: repairing a split register
A candidate is writing a 250-word review for the school magazine about a visiting theatre company's production of Macbeth. The magazine's style guide says: 'Lively but coherent; no slang; address readers directly as "you"; avoid jargon.' The draft opens: 'OMG, Macbeth was totally sick.
366 words, about 2 min