Teacher guide · SPM English 1119/2

SPM English Paper 2 marking scheme, explained for teachers

How the 1119/2 writing paper is marked: what each part asks for, the four criteria, how the 0 to 5 bands work, and how to mark consistently when the pile is tall.

The paper at a glance

SPM English Paper 2 (1119/2) is the writing paper. It carries 60 marks, lasts 1 hour 30 minutes and has three parts worth 20 marks each. Each part is pitched at a different CEFR level, so the same criteria are applied with rising expectations.

Recent examples: in SPM 2024, Part 1 was an email to a friend and Part 3 offered a story, a report or a review. In SPM 2023, Part 3 offered a story, an article or a report.

The four criteria

Every part is marked on the same four criteria. Each criterion is scored from 0 to 5, so each part totals 20.

How the bands work

The official scales describe what a response looks like at band 5, band 3 and band 1. Bands 4 and 2 sit between them, and 0 is for a response with nothing creditable for that criterion. In practice, most teachers decide in two steps:

1. Place it. Read the whole response and decide whether it best matches the band 5, 3 or 1 description.
2. Fine-tune it. If it clearly does more than one description but not all of the next one up, give the band in between (4 or 2).

Mark each criterion on its own. A student with weak grammar can still score well on Content if every point is covered, and a fluent writer can lose Communicative Achievement by using the wrong format.

Same criteria, rising expectations

Because each part targets a higher CEFR level, the same band means more in Part 3 than in Part 1. The examiner reports make this visible:

• Part 1 (A2): high scorers answer every prompt, use the conventions of an email such as a suitable opening and closing, and link ideas with simple connectors. Errors are fine as long as the meaning is clear.
• Part 2 (B1): high scorers fulfil all task requirements and use the conventions of the task type, such as an essay, to communicate straightforward ideas.
• Part 3 (B2): high scorers use the conventions of their chosen genre effectively, hold the reader's attention, and organise a longer text with a wider range of cohesive devices.

Where students usually lose marks

• Missing a content point. Answering two of three prompts caps Content, however well the rest is written.
• Wrong format or register. An email with no greeting or sign-off, or a story written like a report, costs Communicative Achievement.
• Ignoring a task instruction. If a Part 3 story must begin with given words, leaving them out means the task was not fully done.
• Only basic connectors in Part 3. A B2 task expects more than and, but and then.
• Writing far outside the word range. Very short answers rarely cover the content; very long ones usually lose control of organisation and language.

Adding up a paper: a worked example

Scores like this, stronger in Part 1 and dipping in Part 3, are typical: the criteria stay the same, but the target level rises.

Marking consistently across a class set

• Anchor first. Before marking, pick one strong, one average and one weak script and agree their bands. Compare every later script to those anchors.
• Mark in parts, not in scripts. Mark every student's Part 1, then every Part 2. Your sense of each band stays steadier.
• Write the four scores, not just the total. It makes your feedback specific and makes moderation with colleagues faster.
• Watch for drift. Re-check your first few scripts at the end. Most teachers mark harder or softer as the pile goes down.

Related guides: CEFR writing levels, explained for Malaysian English teachers · UASA English writing paper format, Form 1 to 3

Sources

• Lembaga Peperiksaan, Kupasan Mutu Jawapan SPM 2024, 1119/2
• Lembaga Peperiksaan, Kupasan Mutu Jawapan SPM 2023, 1119/2

This guide summarises publicly available examiner reports for teachers. It is not an official Lembaga Peperiksaan document; always follow the marking scheme issued for your paper.