Foods and Nutrition Paper 2, Nov/Dec 2015

Candidates' Weakness

The candidates’ major weakness was inability to express ideas clearly and answer the questions correctly. It was obvious from their responses that the candidates were not prepared for the examination. Some of them could not make complete statement while some would write abbreviations such as ‘@’ instead of writing ‘at’ in full. In question 1d where the candidates were required to write a dinner menu rich in Vitamin B, majority of them answered with meal instead of menu. Also, candidates were unable to answer question 2b correctly. This question required candidates to briefly describe how to prepare tea and in response, candidates referred to tea as cocoa and its product and they cited examples such as ‘tea-tea’, ‘tea-milo’, ‘tea-bournvita. A lack of in-depth knowledge is also reflected in candidates’ response to question 4b which required them to suggest a balanced two course midday meal for a vegan. Majority of the candidates that attempted this question stated fish, snail and meat as meal for a vegan.

Candidates should learn to study hard, prepare for examinations and also work on their command of English Language. Parents should invest on text books and teachers should prepare candidates on the appropriate techniques of answering questions.