NSSCAS Setswana First Language 8196 cheat sheet

Comprehension answers must be traceable to the passage: quote or paraphrase a specific line, then explain it in your own words - marks are split between identification and interpretation.

Distinguish mola (main idea) from dintlha tse di tshegetsang (supporting details): a question asking 'maitlhomopho' wants the central claim, not a list of examples.

Setswana question words and what they demand: 'eng' (what), 'mang' (who), 'leng' (when), 'ka goreng' (why), 'jang' (how), 'kae' (where/how many) - answer the exact category asked.

Register clues: dialogue with 'a/' and vocatives signals direct speech; 'go twe' or impersonal constructions signal reported or general opinion.

Inference questions ('go ya ka mokwalo, o ka reng...') require a conclusion plus textual evidence; an unsupported personal opinion earns no mark.

Tone and attitude terms in Setswana: 'bofefo' (lightness/ease), 'boikanyo' (confidence), 'letshwiti' (calm), 'khutsafalo' (sadness), 'pelo e e botlhoko' (bitterness) - match the term to the evidence.

For vocabulary-in-context items, substitute the proposed meaning back into the sentence; a correct gloss must preserve both the sentence's grammar and its sense.

When asked to compare two characters or viewpoints, use a two-column plan mentally and answer with explicit contrast markers: 'fa a le... ene a...', 'mme', 'le fa go ntse jalo'.

A summary must be shorter than the source and in continuous prose; lifting whole sentences verbatim is penalised even if the content is correct.

Select only points that answer the summary question; a relevant but unasked-for detail counts as an inclusion error and can cancel a content mark.

Standard summary length in this paper is a stated word count - count words, not lines, and stay within roughly 10% of the target.

Convert first- and second-person source text into third person: 'ke' and 'o' become 'ene' or a named subject, and direct speech becomes reported speech.

Delete examples, illustrations, repetition, and rhetorical questions; retain causes, effects, definitions, and stated conclusions.

Use connectives to link points into flowing prose: 'gomme', 'le fa go ntse jalo', 'ka jalo', 'mme', 'morago ga moo' - a list of unconnected sentences loses coherence marks.

Information transfer (e.g. completing a table, form, or notice from a passage) requires exact transfer of names, figures, and dates without alteration or added commentary.

Do not introduce opinion, evaluation, or new facts in a summary; the marker rewards faithful compression, not commentary.

Match the format to the task: 'lokwalo lo lo ikemetseng' (formal letter), 'lokwalo lwa tsala' (informal letter), 'memo', 'kitsiso' (notice), 'phasalatso' (advertisement), 'potso' (report), 'aterese' (address speech).

Formal Setswana letter conventions: sender's address, date, recipient's address, salutation ('Mogolo/Dumela'), body, closing ('Wa lona'), and signature - omitting conventions loses format marks.

Informal letters use contractions of address and warm openings ('Dumela, tsala ya me'), but still need a date and a sign-off.

Register must stay consistent: formal texts avoid slang and 'wena/lona' direct address; informal texts avoid bureaucratic phrasing.

Every directed-writing task specifies a purpose, an audience, and usually two or three content points - each required point must appear explicitly.

A notice or advertisement needs a heading, essential details (what, when, where, contact), and brevity; full sentences are optional, clarity is not.

Speeches and talks require an address to the audience, a stated topic, signposting ('Sa ntlha... Sa bobedi...'), and a closing thanks.

Length and mark allocation are linked: a 20-mark letter typically needs about 200-250 words, and under-length answers cap the content band.

Choose the topic type deliberately: narrative ('ditira'), descriptive ('tlhaloso'), argumentative ('ngangisano'), or reflective - each has a different structural skeleton.

Narrative structure: seti (setting and situation), bothitho (complication), tlhatloso (rising action), setlhoa (climax), and bokhutlo (resolution) - a story without a climax reads as a flat account.

Argumentative essays need a thesis in the introduction, one paragraph per reason with evidence, a counter-argument acknowledged and rebutted, and a conclusion that restates the position.

Descriptive writing earns marks through sensory detail and figurative language, not through plot; use 'tshwantshanyo' (simile), 'mokgabo' (metaphor), and 'phetapheto' (personification) purposefully.

Paragraphing is assessed: one idea per paragraph, an opening topic sentence, and linking words between paragraphs.

Punctuation and direct speech in Setswana use the same quotation conventions as English, with a new paragraph for each new speaker.

Vocabulary range is rewarded: replace generic verbs ('go dira', 'go re') with precise ones ('go bolela', 'go supa', 'go gakolola') and avoid repeating the same adjective.

Plan for 5-8 minutes before writing; an unplanned composition typically loses marks for coherence and for an unresolved ending.

Noun class governs concord: the subject prefix on the verb, the adjective concord, and the pronoun must all agree with the noun's class (e.g. class 1 'mo-' takes 'o-', class 2 'ba-' takes 'ba-').

Setswana verb structure is sequential: subject concord + tense marker + object concord + root + extension + ending; identify each slot when asked to analyse a verb.

Tense markers to recognise: '-a-' present, '-tla-' future, '-ne-'/'-nne-' past, '-ka-' potential, '-sa-' negative continuous - the marker, not the context alone, signals time.

Negation is formed with '-sa-' or '-se-' plus the appropriate final vowel change ('-a' to '-e' in many negative forms); check the ending, not just the prefix.

The '-ile' perfect and the '-a' perfect (with tone change) both mark completed action; do not treat '-ile' as the only past form.

Copulatives ('ke', 'ga se', 'ke...') and identificative constructions behave differently from ordinary verbs; 'ke' agrees with the subject in some persons ('ke le', 'o se').

Concordial agreement in relative clauses uses '-yo'/-'o' forms agreeing with the head noun; the relative marker must match the noun class.

Ideophones ('maaka', 'phuu') and reduplication carry intensity or repetition; identifying them in context is a common analysis question.

Answer literature questions with a claim plus textual evidence: name the character or line, quote briefly, then explain how the evidence supports the claim.

Character analysis requires motivation and change: what the character wants, what blocks them, and how they differ by the end of the text.

Theme statements must be arguable, not plot summaries: 'Bogolo jwa maikutlo a lorato bo senya botshelo' is a theme; 'the story is about a man who loves a woman' is not.

In drama, distinguish 'puisano' (dialogue), 'ditaelo tsa sela' (stage directions), and 'melaetsa' (monologue); stage directions reveal setting and mood as much as dialogue does.

Poetry analysis must name the device and its effect: 'phetapheto e gatelela maikutlo a khutsafalo' beats 'the poet uses repetition'.

Poetic form terms: 'mola' (line), 'kgaolo' (stanza), 'moribo' (rhythm), 'mokgabo' (metaphor), 'tshwantshanyo' (simile), 'phetapheto' (repetition).

Context questions test knowledge of the whole text: identify the speaker, the addressee, and the situation at that point before explaining significance.

Essays on a whole text need a clear thesis, paragraph-by-paragraph evidence across the beginning, middle, and end, and a conclusion that answers the exact question asked.