Shocking errors in English exam paper

Johannesburg - The education department in Mpumalanga has issued a warning to an official who drafted a Grade 7 exam paper littered with grammar and spelling mistakes.

The paper was for an English Home Language exam for pupils in Nkangala, reported The Star.

Instructions on the paper included: “Instruction to learners Read all the intructions carefully. Answere on the answer sheet provide. Write neatly. [sic]”


It included a comprehension test based on a story that was printed as follows:

“One day I returned at the camp to find Isaiah sitting at some distance crying. ‘The bees, she got the jam.’ He had been stung in many places. While he was up at the Windmill doing some laundry and swimming, a bee has discovered some open tin of fig jam in the tent. She had made a beeline for her hive, and returned several co-workers. On the principle of finders keepers, they believed that the fig was theirs, and made these quite clear to Isaiah. As I has been guilty of leaving the jam leaving the jam in the tent, I felt in duty bound to get that tin of jam out way before others returned returned. [sic]”

Mpumalanga education spokesperson Jasper Zwane said the department was aware of the issue and it had been dealt with.

He said the official who had set the paper had been removed from the task and had been given a warning.

He said a team had been put together to ensure this did not happen again.

- News24