THE MALAWI NATIONAL EXAMINATIONS BOARD
2022 JUNIOR CERTIFICATE OF EXAMINATION
CHIEF EXAMINERS’ REPORT
AGRICULTURE (J012)
A. GENERAL COMMENTS ON QUALITY OF THE PAPER
The 2022 Agriculture paper compared well with the previous papers. It covered all the
five core elements in the teaching syllabus and tested all the skills. The language was
suitable for JCE candidates. It tested all levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy ranging from
knowledge to application.
B. GENERAL COMMENTS ON OVERALL PERFORMANCE OF CANDIDATES
The general performance of candidates was below average. There were some candidates
who performed very well while others performed poorly. Candidates who performed well
demonstrated mastery of skills in Agriculture. They were able to express themselves in
good English. They were also able to construct grammatically correct sentences in their
responses. Almost all the candidates performed very well on recall questions than
reasoning and application of knowledge. However, only few candidates were able to
adequately respond to comprehension questions which demanded them to give an
explain. Candidates who performed poorly failed to express themselves in grammatically
correct English. This resulted in loss of marks. The poor performance could be attributed
to poor knowledge of the subject matter due to inadequate coverage of syllabus.
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C. PERFORMANCE OF CANDIDATES ON INDIVIDUAL QUESTIONS
There were a lot of variations in terms of performance on individual questions.
Section A: Multiple Choices
In this section, the general performance was above average.
Question1
The question asked candidates to identify husbandry practices done in both crops and
animals. More than half of the candidates performed very well. Those who failed opted
for supplying instead of breeding.
Question 2
The question asked candidates to identify a term which meant removal of unwanted
plants in a vegetable garden. Most candidates performed well.
Question 3
The question asked candidates to calculate the seeds germinated after being given the
germination percentage. More than half of candidates performed very well.
Question 4
The question asked candidates to identify the cause of phosphorous depletion in the soil.
Less than half of the candidates got it right. Those who failed opted for ‘adsorption to soil
particles’ instead of ‘absorption by plants’.
Question 5
The question asked candidates to identify a statement which was not an economic
importance of growing vegetables. Most candidates performed well.
Question 6
The question asked candidates to identify a given poultry parasite. Less than half of the
candidates did well. Those who failed opted for round worm.
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Question 7
The question asked the candidates to identify the effects of the parasite on poultry. Most
candidates performed well.
Question 8
The question asked candidates to identify ways of controlling the parasite identified on
question 7. Less than half of the candidates got it right. Those who failed did not refer to
the figure that was given. Popular wrong response was A (fencing chicken house).
Question 9
The question asked candidates to identify a statement which gave the importance of
agricultural research. Less than half of the candidates performed well. Popular wrong
response was A instead of B.
Question 10
The question asked candidates to identify a statement which was not an approach to
agricultural research. More than half of the candidates did well and those who failed
opted for C instead of D.
Question 11
The question asked candidates to identify an example of poor farming methods. Most
candidates performed well.
Question 12
The question asked candidates to identify importance of air in crop production. More than
half of the candidates performed well. The correct option was B.
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Question 13
The question asked candidates to identify human causes of climate change. Most
candidates performed well. The correct option was C. however the popular wrong option
was A.
Question 14
The question asked candidates to identify activities which farmers should do to conserve
air. Most candidates performed well.
Question 15
The question asked candidates to identify the best reason for keeping farm records. More
than half of the candidates did well.
Question 16
The question asked candidates to identify the importance of agricultural marketing. Less
than half of the candidates performed well. The correct option was B, but majority of the
candidates opted for the wrong response which was the combination of alternatives.
Question 17
The question asked candidates to identify marketing activities which are under
facilitating function. Most candidates performed well. The correct option was C and
popular wrong response was A.
Question 18
The question asked candidates to identify a term which means a collection of goods from
different places to a common place. Most candidates got it right.
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Question 19
The question required candidates to identify a term which meant the ability of a country
to internally produce that is food adequate. More than half of the candidates got it right. B
was the correct response and the popular wrong response was C. Most candidates seemed
not to know the difference between food security and food self sufficiency.
Question 20
The question asked candidates to identify a statement which showed the relationship
between family size and food security. More than half of the candidates got it correct.
Option B was the most popular although it was a wrong response. The poor performance
reflected inadequate coverage of the topic.
Section B: Short Answer
Question 21a
The question asked candidates to name one example of a ruminant animal. Most
candidates got it right. The correct responses were cattle, sheep and goats. Those who
failed gave rabbits and horses as correct responses.
Question 21b
The question asked candidates to name two macro- nutrients needed by a maize plant.
More than half of the candidates got it right. The correct responses were nitrogen,
phosphorus and potassium and those who failed gave carbon, hydrogen and oxygen as
responses.
Question 22a
The question asked candidates to name two gender roles of women in crop production.
Less than half of the candidates performed well. The correct response was that women
are restricted to producing food crops. Wrong responses written were cooking nsima,
collecting firewood and caring for children which are not agricultural roles.
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Question 22b
The question asked candidates to explain the importance of hardening off seedlings. The
correct response was to prepare seedlings for the tough conditions in the field. More than
half of the candidates got it right. Those who failed gave the meaning of the term
‘hardening off’.
Question 23a
The question asked candidates to explain one way in which health of workers as a labour
challenge affects crop production. Less than half of the candidates got it right. The
correct response was; if workers are in good health, work output is high hence high crop
production.
Question 23b
The question asked candidates to explain one way in which low efficiency in manual
operation as a labour challenge that affects crop production. Most candidates failed to
give the correct response ‘with low efficiency in manual operation, workers get tired
resulting in low crop production.
Question 24a
The question asked candidates to identify a country that was food secure but not food
self-sufficient. Less than half of the candidates got it right. The correct response was
country A, but the popular wrong response was country B and C.
Question 24b
The question asked candidates to identify a country which was both food secure and food
self – sufficient. Most candidates got it right. The correct response was country B but
majority gave two countries either A and B or B and C while others A and C. This
reflected poor observation skills.
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Question 24c
The question asked candidates to explain ways of achieving food security. Most
candidates performed well although a few failed to give the correct explanation which
were producing more food to enhance availability of food all the time and proper storage
of food, to avoid post-harvest losses.
Question 25
The question asked candidates to state two activities that are carried out during
preparation of a maize field. More than half of the candidates got it right. The expected
responses were: clearing the land, ploughing, ridging. However, some candidates gave
wrong response such as weeding, planting and fertilizer application. These are done after
the land has been prepared.
Question 26a
The question asked candidates to give one reason for keeping pigs in given conditions as
follows:
(i) A house that is warm in winter and most candidates gave wrong responses instead
of the correct response which was to prevent pig from chilling / cold stress
because they have little hair to keep them warm.
(ii) A house that is cool in summer. Most candidates got it wrong. The correct
response was to prevent pigs from heat stress / reduce the body temperature as
pigs have a lot of fat under their skin.
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Question 26b
The question asked candidates to state two challenges associated with given factors of
production as follows:
(i) Land
Less than half of the candidates got it right. Those who failed gave their responses
in a positive way such as ‘large land size results in more production’. As a
challenge it was supposed to be presented in a negative way such as ‘land tenure
system, land degradation and low soil fertility which will reduce agricultural
production.
(ii) Capital
Less than half of the candidates got it right. Those who failed gave their responses
in a positive way just like on land. The correct responses were; high interest rate
and lack of collateral.
Question 27a
The question asked candidates to present a given data in a table form. Most candidates
got it right. Those who failed just listed the items without indicating columns and rows.
Others were calculating the total yield per variety. This reflected inadequate knowledge
of the topic.
Question 27b
The question asked candidates to give reasons for randomizing treatments to plots in an
experiment. Most candidates performed well. The correct responses were; to avoid
human biases and also to prevent environmental interferences. However, others gave
wrong responses such as types of experimental designs.
Question 27c
The question asked candidates to state three ways in which application of manure would
conserve soil. Less than half of the candidates performed well. The expected correct
responses were; to hold water, hold nutrients, binds soil particles together and improve
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soil structure. Common wrong responses included types of manure e.g. farm yard,
compost and green manure.
Question 28a
The question asked candidates to identify a maize disease indicated in a diagram. Most
candidates got it right. The correct response was ‘Headsmut’. Those who failed gave
wrong responses like maize rot and cob rot.
Question 28b
The question asked candidates to mention the cause of the disease identified in 28a. Most
candidates got it right. The correct response was fungus. Common wrong responses were
bacteria and virus.
Question 28c
The question asked candidates to mention ways of controlling the disease identified in
question 28a. Most candidates gave correct responses which were; uprooting and burning
the infected plants, planting clean/certified seeds and planting resistant varieties.
Question 29a
The question asked candidates to state one advantage of feeding colostrum to piglets.
Most candidates did not performed well. They gave wrong responses such as for fast
growth instead of that antibodies for boosting immunity in piglets, is highly digestible
and it is a laxative.
Question 29b
The question asked candidates to state one way in which market availability would affect
rabbit production. Majority of the candidates did not attempt the question and for those
who attempted the performance was poor. The correct response was that availability of
the market act as an incentive to farmers and this encourages farmers to produce more
rabbits.
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Question 29c
The question asked candidates to give two examples of exotic leafy vegetables. Most
candidates got it right. The correct responses were cabbage, rape, mustard amongst
others. Wrong responses included nkhwani, bonongwe and black jack.
Question 30a (i)
The question asked candidates to identify the type of a given experimental design. Half of
the candidates got it right. The correct response was Randomised Block design while the
common wrong response was Latin Square design.
Question 30a (ii)
The question asked candidates to identify two common errors in the experimental design.
Most candidates performed well. The correct responses were repetition of NSCM 41 in
plot 2 of blocks 2 and 3. Repetition of MH 18 in plot A of blocks 2 and 3. Those who
failed did not indicate the blocks in which the varieties were repeated.
Question 30b
The question asked candidates to describe one way in which iron deficiency symptoms
could be corrected. Most candidates performed well. The correct responses were;
injecting piglets with iron to supply the much needed iron. Applying of both organic and
inorganic fertilizers to pasture to make it available in the feeds. Feeding animals feed rich
in iron.
Section C: Essays
Question 31
The question asked candidates to explain five ways in which agricultural research is
important. Less than half of the candidates got it right. Examples of correct responses
were; to generate knew knowledge for increased agricultural production and development
of new crop varieties and animal breeds that are resistant to diseases for high quality
produce.
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Question 32
The question asked candidates to describe five ways in which parasites could reduce
chicken production. Half of the candidates got it right. Examples of correct responses
were; sucks blood leading to anaemia. Feed on the food nutrients in the intestines
resulting in low chicken production. Those who failed gave ways of controlling parasites
in chicken.
Question 33
The question asked candidates to explain five causes for failure of seeds to germinate.
Many candidates did not attempt the question a reflection of inadequate knowledge of the
topic. Examples of correct responses were; planting small sized seeds which did not have
enough food reserve. Planting damaged seeds leading to death of the embryo.
D. RECOMMENDATIONS TO:
Schools
Teachers should make sure that they cover the syllabus.
Practical lessons should be conducted thoroughly.
Technical vocabulary should be emphasized when teaching.
The subject should be taught in English so that candidates can manage to answer
questions in good English.
Malawi Institute of Education
The topic on Experimentation should be scraped off from the Junior section and
be taught in the Senior section.
There should be a thorough review of the text books recommended as core.
Ministry of Education
The Ministry and Private school proprietors should recruit qualified teachers to
teach Agriculture.
Organize INSET for Agriculture teachers.
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