Last reviewed: 1 November 2026
Updated November 2026. These KCSE 2025 English Paper 1 questions and answers are original practice items in the 101/1 Functional Skills format, with worked answers for each part. English Paper 1 is a 2-hour paper worth 60 marks with three questions: functional writing (20 marks), a cloze test (10 marks) and oral skills (30 marks). For 2026 candidates the paper is the very first core paper, on Monday 2 November 2026 at 8.00 am, so use this page for a last timed run-through.
Original practice questions in the KCSE style, not the KNEC 2025 paper and not a KNEC marking scheme.
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How KCSE English Paper 1 (101/1) Is Structured
The KNEC 2025 KCSE timetable opened the core papers with 101/1 English (Functional Skills) on Monday 3 November 2025, 8.00 to 10.00 am. The KNEC 2026 KCSE timetable, instructions and guidelines keeps the same 2 hours on Monday 2 November 2026.
| Question | Task | Marks | Suggested time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Functional writing (letter, email, memo, report, minutes, speech, CV and so on) | 20 | 45 min |
| 2 | Cloze test: fill ten blanks in a passage | 10 | 15 min |
| 3 | Oral skills: poems, sounds, stress, intonation, conversation, listening | 30 | 50 min |
Leave about 10 minutes to proofread. Oral skills carries half the paper, so do not leave it until the last few minutes.
KCSE 2025 English Paper 1 Answers: Functional Writing Practice
Question 1 (20 marks)
You are the secretary of the Environment Club in your school. The club met on Friday to plan a tree-planting day. Write the minutes of the meeting.
What earns the marks:
- Format (about 8 marks): heading naming the club, venue, date and time; members present, absent with apology, and in attendance; agenda; minute numbers in the form MIN 1/10/2026; preliminaries (call to order, prayer); confirmation of previous minutes; matters arising; any other business; adjournment; space for the chairperson’s and secretary’s names, signatures and dates.
- Content (about 8 marks): realistic decisions, for example the date of planting, number of seedlings (say 300 from the county forest office), roles for each form, a budget for transport and who reports back.
- Language (about 4 marks): reported speech in the past tense (“The chairperson informed members that…”), not dialogue.
Model opening: Minutes of the Environment Club meeting held on Friday 30 October 2026 in the Biology Laboratory at 4.00 pm. MIN 1/10/2026: Preliminaries. The meeting was called to order at 4.10 pm by the chairperson, who welcomed members.
Cloze Test Practice With Worked Answers
Question 2 (10 marks): fill each blank with one suitable word
Many families in Kenya now save money through mobile phones. A parent can put aside a small amount every day, (1) ____ by the end of the term the fees are ready. The idea is simple, (2) ____ it requires discipline. Some people withdraw the money as (3) ____ as they receive it, which defeats the purpose. Experts advise savers to set a clear (4) ____ and to track it weekly. (5) ____ the amount is small, regular saving builds a habit (6) ____ lasts for years. Children who watch (7) ____ parents save often learn to do the (8) ____. In this way a phone becomes more (9) ____ a tool for chatting; it becomes a tool (10) ____ the future.
Worked answers: (1) so (2) but (3) soon (4) goal / target (5) Although / Though (6) that / which (7) their (8) same (9) than (10) for. One mark each; spelling must be correct and only one word per blank.
Oral Skills Practice (30 marks)
(a) Read the lines and answer the questions.
Drum, drum, beat the drum, / call the village, let them come; / dance, dance, under the sun, / the harvest days have just begun.
(i) Identify two features that make the poem suitable for oral performance. Answer: repetition (“drum, drum”, “dance, dance”); end rhyme (drum/come, sun/begun); a regular beat that suits clapping or drumming. (ii) How would you perform line 2? Answer: with a rising, inviting tone and a beckoning gesture, because it is a call to the villagers.
(b) Underline the stressed syllable to show the noun and the verb. (2 marks)
Answer: PREsent (noun), preSENT (verb). Nouns in these pairs usually take first-syllable stress.
(c) Give a word that sounds the same as each: “flour”, “sole”, “pair”. (3 marks)
Answer: flower, soul, pear (or pare).
(d) Telephone etiquette (4 marks)
A caller says, “Give me the principal now!” Rewrite the request politely and give one reason why manners matter on the phone. Answer: “Good morning. May I please speak to the principal?” Politeness builds goodwill, since the listener cannot see your face and judges you by your words and tone.
Revise Smarter Before 2 November
Read the full plan in our KCSE English Paper 1 revision guide, then sit the timed KCSE English Paper 1 challenge. Short drills on sounds, stress and grammar are in the KCSE English quiz, and every subject is on the KCSE quiz index and the KCSE challenges page. More functional writing tasks are on the KCSE English Paper 1 practice papers page, and the KCSE 2026 hub has the full timetable.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many marks is KCSE English Paper 1?
60 marks: functional writing 20, cloze test 10 and oral skills 30, in 2 hours.
Where can I get the KCSE 2025 English Paper 1 marking scheme?
KNEC does not sell its marking schemes. Use worked answers like these and the format checklist above to mark your own functional writing.
What functional writing tasks come up in English Paper 1?
Letters, emails, memos, minutes, reports, speeches, CVs, notices, invitations and similar everyday documents. Learn the format of each.
Is there a KCSE English Paper 1 prediction for 2025 or 2026?
No genuine prediction exists. Practise each format and the oral skills areas rather than chasing guessed questions.
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