Instructions to the Supervisor
Before the examination starts:
(a) ensure that all the candidates are seated and that each candidate has a typewriter;
(b) inform the candidates that:
– (i) a warm-up passage will be read within two minutes; –
(ii) there will be two examination passages at 110 w.p.m; (ili) each passage will be dictated for three minutes;
(iv) there will be a five-minute interval at the end of each of the two passages; (v) candidates will be expected to go through their shorthand notes during the five-minute intervals.
(vi) the transcription time will be 65 minutes;
NO TYPING WILL BE ALLOWED DURING THIS TIME
(c) give the reader ample time to read through the passages;
(d) _ ensure that the reader writes the subject of each of the two passages on the chalkboard as follows:
Passagel: <A PROPOSAL TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS ON HOW TO IMPROVE PERFORMANCE OF THE COMPANY
Passage II: THE PLACE OF ADVERTISING IN COMMERCE
During the dictation:
(a) the reader should:
(i) ensure that the passages are read at the correct speed i.e. 110 w.p.m. by use of a stopwatch. To achieve this, each passage is marked in portions which should occupy a quarter of a minute in reading. The slanting lines (/) mark the division of time. The reader should not make pauses where the lines occur unless sense requires it. Four slanting lines (////) complete-each minute; (ii) take care to articulate the words. Punctuation marks should be indicated by the inflexion of the voice and under no circumstances should they be dictated. The matter must be dictated according to the natural sense of the words.
(b) The invigilator should ensure that the reader takes three minutes to read each passage by use of a stopwatch.
After the dictation the invigilator should:
(i) allow the candidates five minutes at the end of each of the passages in which to read their shorthand notes before the transcription;
(ii) inform the candidates of the transcription time;
(iii) ensure that the reader leaves the room immediately the dictation is over;
(iv) ensure that the candidates are seated at least 114 metres apart; (v) make a report about the dictation.as to whether there was any interruption or whether certain words were mispronounced or substituted;
(vi) allow candidates to refer to their English dictionaries during transcription; (vii) append his/her signature immediately after the last shorthand outline in each of the passages as the candidates transcribe their notes.
At the end of the examination the invigilator should ensure that candidates:
(i) arrange both their shorthand notes and transcribed work;
(ii) insert the arranged work in the answer booklet, then staple and hand in.
WARM-UP PASSAGE
(To be dictated within two minutes)
There are many methods of getting new employees to learn / the ropes in their 10 new assignments. The commonest way is / by holding a serious induction programme for 20
all employees joining / the firm. In this programme, the employee is attached to / each of 30/40 the sections he will be required to work / with for a specified period of time. The 50
duration of / attachment will largely be determined by the employee’s ability to / grasp 60/70 the material he is being exposed to. It also / depends in part, on the volume of work and 80 the / documentation in that section and can range anywhere from one / day to one week. 90/100
During induction, the new employee works / very closely with each officer so that he HO gets an / insight into the work processes of every area related to / his job. | 120/130
Another method of helping the new employee to / quickly catch on is to ‘140 send him for some relevant / training to equip him with the necessary knowledge and 150
skills / to perform his duties. The training will often be conducted / by a consultant 160/170 who has sufficient knowledge of the company’s / internal processes and procedures. 180
In the case of a job / in the department of information technology, for example, this 190 might / be the person who supplied the software package and, therefore, / is able to 200/210 offer support trainitig in using it. Whether / the employee goes out for the traitiing or 220 the consultant / comes to offer in-house training will all depend on / the employer. If the 230/240 number of employees is substantial, however, / most firms will choose to hold an in-house 250 training / programme so as to minimize their costs. 260
3272 oes. od “Turn over
A PROPOSAL TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS ON HOW TO IMPROVE PERFORMANCE OF THE COMPANY
(Not part of the dictation)
Dear Sirs,
Asa follow-up to our latest quarterly review, | am pleased to report that we are now finalizing a proposal that might greatly improve / our firm’s financial position.
Ata recent workshop with other top officials in the industry, we tried to look at possible solutions to the problems facing us. One // of the suggestions that kept
coming up in the course of our discussions is the idea of involving employees in the decision making process when it comes /// to finding new ways of improving business. Most of
those who attained good results owed their success to a scheme where a reward was being offered to any //// employee whose idea was adopted by the firm. They testified that ever
since they had put in place such a scheme in their companies, employees had opened / up and come up with all types of creative ideas, many of which were proving to be
” useful. In addition to this, they reported improved employee performance owing // to the fact that there was an overall sense of ownership enjoyed by the employees since the ideas were from one of their own. After several meetings /// with my heads of department to consider the matter further,
we agreed that we would work on the modalities of such a scheme and put out a notice//// to sensitize employees on the proposal. We have given ourselves up to the end of
the current financial year to fine tune the scheme before appointing a / committee which will do the initial review of all suggestions received from employees. If the committee
members feel that an idea is viable, they will present it to // the executive arm, which consists of all heads of department, for the final approval. Once the idea has been approved
at this level, its originator will get /// a reward in accordance with the laid down guidelines. We. hope and trust that this proposal will help to tum around the fortunes of our
company. Yours faithfully, ////
(FIVE-MINUTE INTERVAL)
THE PLACE OF ADVERFISING IN COMMERCE
(Not part of the dictation)
Advertising, as a function of selling, has become so highly specialized that it has eamed itself a place in its own right among the divisions of commerce. / It has been argued
by many that the role of advertising is to influence consumers to buy what they do not require; and desire what they should never // have. This, however, would seem to be an
extreme view as most of us must have enjoyed some benefit of advertising in one form or another.
Whatever /// form the advertising may take, its main function is that of communication. The producer of the goods must find a way of making sure that information
reaches the //// public for whom the product is intended. In order to do this, he must enlist the help of an advertising agency whose job is to inform the / public of the presence
of a new product and provide information on it. Having raised product awareness among the public, the next hurdle is that of
persuading them // to buy it once it is available in the market. It should be assumed that before the manufacture of that product, the public was using a different /// product to satisfy that need. The task on hand is, therefore, for the advertiser to get people to switch from the . former product to which they are accustomed //// to the new one which they know nothing about. This can prove to be a major challenge to the advertising agency and usually requires a great deal / of time and money. : It should, however, be noted that the resources used here are not a waste as the producer reaps some benefits. A good advertising campaign // will increase demand for the’ —
product, thereby increasing production. As the production volumes go up, the cost of producing comes down which, in turn, translates into lower /// prices for the buyers.
These reduced prices tend to stimulate demand for the goods even more and, therefore, help to make the whole advertising venture a worthwhile one. ////
(FIVE-MINUTE INTERVAL)
