This document provides guidance for teachers on the CSEC English SBA. It outlines the required sections and criteria for evaluation, including the Plan of Investigation, three Reflections, Group Written Report, and Oral Presentation. Tips are provided for each section on what to include and common mistakes to avoid based on examiner feedback. General comments note that students should discuss individual artifacts, include titles and sources, and avoid unnecessary introductions. Teachers are advised to use whole numbers when scoring and ensure the required sections are present.

1. CSEC English SBA
HASSAN BASARALLY

2. Objectives
1. Describe the layout of the English SBA.
2. Understand the content required for the Plan of
Investigation, Reflections and Group Written Report.
3. Practice marking samples from the English SBA.
4. Understand the importance and correct method of
English SBA upload.
5. Identify weaker areas in the English SBA mentioned in
Examination Reports.
6. Develop teacher self efficacy.

3. Before you start…
► Ensure that the topic can have enough sub topics for
each group member.
► Students should choose artefacts that are: of sufficient
length, directly related to the topic and contains a
language strategy.
► Encourage students to note the bibliographic
information of the artefacts as soon as it is collected.

4. Cover page
► CANDIDATE NAME:
► CANDIDATE NUMBER:
► CENTRE NAME:
► CENTRE NUMBER:
► YEAR OF EXAMINATION:
► TEACHER:
► SUBJECT:
► TOPIC:
► TERRITORY:

5. Table of contents
► Have the students start it and add to it as the SBA
progresses.

6. PLAN OF INVESTIGATION
CRITERIA BREAKDOWN
Reason for choosing the topic and
selection of title. 3 marks
Must be well explained.
‘I find this topic interesting’:1 mark
Expected benefits to you as a student of
English. 3 marks
Summary writing, persuasive writing,
persuasive speaking, vocabulary.
Research skills, knowledge of the topic: 1
mark
Material to be collected. 2 marks Genre e.g. poem, song, short story, article:
1 mark
Sources: newspaper, internet, textbooks 1
mark
Use of the English Language skills to be
used in analysing the material 2 marks
Summary writing & expanded vocabulary
will be used in writing reflections and group
report.
Persuasive writing & persuasive speaking
will be used in the oral presentation.

7. Selection of artefacts
LESS DIFFICULT MORE DIFFICULT
Poem Video
Short story Audio
Song Picture
Article
Play

8. Refection 1
1. How did the student think about the issue before
starting the SBA?
2. What was the main idea or issue in the 3 selected
pieces?
3. What new knowledge did the student gain from each
piece of material?

9. Hints for reflection 1
► The artefact title must be mentioned.
► Speak about each artefact separately.
► Each reflection must be 150 words

10. Reflection 2
1. What category did the piece fall into (e.g. poem,
article, and poster)?
2. What was the purpose of each piece (to persuade, to
entertain, to inform, etc.)?
3. What were some of the main language techniques used
by the writer in the pieces?
4. How effective were these techniques in achieving the
writer’s purpose?

11. IEE
Identify Example Explain

12. Hints for reflection 2
Choose one language device to speak about
► Registers: formal, informal, consultative, frozen, intimate
► Tone
► Mood e.g. fearful, angry, sad, calm, cheerful, peaceful,
exciting, lonely etc.
► Literary devices e.g. simile, metaphor, personification,
repetition

13. Hints for reflection 2 (continued)
► Examples
► Statistics
► Structure: categorical, comparative, evaluative,
sequential

14. Reflection 3
1. What did the student learn about the topic?
2. Did the student’s research help him in any facet of his
life (socially, academically, etc.)?
3. What was the student’s experience working in a group?
4. Was the group work challenging or beneficial? Does the
student explain his opinion of the experience?
5. How did the student cope with group challenges?
6. Were the students able to help each other?

15. Reflection 3 (continued )
7. Did the student have any other experiences and how
did these help them to grow?
8. Was the student able to assess, read, find and evaluate
a range of research information?
9. Did the student’s writing improve?
10.Was the student’s vocabulary expanded?
11.Did the student’s self-discipline increase?

16. Reflection 3 interpretations
Reflection 3 – may be interpreted two ways
► (a) a discussion on how the completion of an SBA or SBA
generally has helped the student to “become a better
person’
► (b) How doing a specific (topic) SBA has caused the
improvement.
{Improvement / better person may include the personal –
psychological, social, physical…educational}

17. Group written report
1. Content: 4 marks
a. What different aspects of the theme did each group
member investigate?
b. Was it easy or hard to find pieces/artefacts? Why?
c. How did the group decide what three pieces/ artefacts
to use?
d. How many pieces/artefacts did the group have? What
are the names of the three chosen?

18. Group written report
2. Evidence of investigation: 3 marks
a. What did the group learn from each of the pieces/artefacts?
b. What was the major issue in each piece/artefact?
c. Title of artefact, author and year of publication (if possible).
3. Language use and vocabulary: 3 marks
a. Grammar and mechanics
b. Utilise vocabulary/jargon from the stimuli.

19. Hints for group written report
► If any group member has a different report, the
candidate cannot receive the same mark as the rest of
the group.
► This is the only part of the SBA that spelling and grammar
is penalised.
► The three artefacts must be included after the report of
the SBA for each member of the group.
► Basic APA format is to be used.
► All artefacts used for the report must be included in the
portfolio.
► 300 word limit.

20. Oral presentation
► A personal response related to issue/topic/ theme/
event should be delivered orally in 3 to 5 minutes.
► The oral presentation should be delivered predominately
in Standard English and in a genre of the student’s
choosing, for example, drama, poetry, prose, role play,
speech, argument, exposition.
► Creole is accepted in the suitable contexts and registers.

21. Plan of oral presentation
► The student should deliver a brief overview of the
presentation including the genre chosen, the sources
used and a comment on the kind of language used.
► A brief plan of the Oral Presentation must be submitted
in the Portfolio.
► TOPIC:
► GENRE:
► SOURCES:
► LANGUAGE TECHNIQUES:

22. REFERENCES
► Basic APA format

23. Uploading of samples
► Two documents are required: 1. CXC Cover sheet 2. SBA
► SBA should be typed, if it is handwritten it must be
scanned in PDF format.
► You can include the CXC Cover sheet with the SBA as
well. This will be useful if for some reason it cannot be
viewed during moderation.

24. SBA report
The following are some comments made by moderators
over the years:
1. Plan of Investigation
► There were several unnecessary ‘Introductions’ to the
plan as well as bulleted lists of several ‘problems’ the
students expected to occur.

25. SBA report
Plan of Investigation (continued )
► The main area to be improved is in how the language
skills would be used in the SBA. Language skills cover a
wide range of speaking, writing, reading and listening.
Expected responses included developing and using skills
in writing genres such as report writing to provide
information about the chosen topic, or
narrative/descriptive/creative writing to craft a personal
response to the theme.
► Candidates wrote very long reasons for choosing the
topic and used most of the 100 words allocated .

26. SBA report
Plan of Investigation (continued)
► Definitions are not needed.
► English skills need to be mentioned, not general skills.
► Sources of information and genres of artefacts are
required.

27. SBA report
2. Reflections
► Students needed guidance in choosing suitable
artefacts, especially visual artefacts.
► A statement on previous knowledge of the topic is
required in Reflection 1.
► In writing Reflection 2 which required students to discuss
the use of language in the material selected, many
students failed to identify and discuss a suitable
language technique. Students must be able to discuss
the use of language in each artefact

28. SBA report
Reflections (continued )
► An example of the language strategy from the artefact
is needed in Reflection 2.
► There were elements of repetition in Reflection 3.
► Mention the title of artefacts.

29. SBA report
3. Group Written Report
► Candidates need to discuss the reason for selecting the
stimuli for the Written Report from the pool of artefacts
the group possessed.
► Each stimuli must be discussed separately.
► The title and author of each stimuli should be mentioned.

30. SBA report
General
► Projects should have the appropriately titled sections.
► There should be evidence that there are three artefacts
used for the individual sections.
► Teachers are advised against the inflation of students’
scores as the moderation exercise will result in the scores
for the entire class being reduced using regression
analysis.

31. SBA report
General (continued)
► Teacher must use whole numbers in scoring.
► Teachers should ensure that the SBA actually contains
the sections which are to be moderated and for which
they have awarded marks.

32. Thank you
QUESTIONS?