Before you start
- This is a free set of KJSEA 2026 English sample questions for Grade 9, in two parts that mirror KNEC's two English papers.
- Part A is in the style of 901/1 English Language: 15 multiple-choice questions, 15 marks, 30 minutes.
- Part B is in the style of 901/2 English (Composition and Literary Analysis): a functional writing task, a poem and an oral narrative, 30 marks, 60 minutes.
- Both papers are on Monday 26 October 2026: 901/1 at 8.30 a.m. and 901/2 at 11.10 a.m. Answers and a marking guide follow the questions.
KJSEA English is the first thing a Grade 9 candidate sits, and it sets the tone for the whole week. The two papers test very different skills: 901/1 rewards accurate grammar and careful reading at speed, while 901/2 rewards planning, format and the ability to explain a literary text in your own words. This page gives an original practice set for both, with every multiple-choice answer explained and a mark-by-mark guide for the written questions, so a parent can mark it without being an English teacher.
These are original practice questions written by CBC Edu Kenya, not a KNEC paper and not a leaked paper. The poem and the narrative were written for this page, so no set text is needed.
How this set compares with the real papers
| Paper | Real KJSEA paper (KNEC 2025 sample format) | This practice set |
|---|---|---|
| 901/1 English Language | 50 multiple-choice items, 50 marks, 1 h 40 min | Part A: 15 items, 15 marks, 30 min (same 2 minutes per item) |
| 901/2 Composition and Literary Analysis | Composition 15, oral literature 10, poetry 5, prose extract 10, play 10: 50 marks, 1 h 45 min | Part B: functional writing 15, poetry 5, oral narrative 10: 30 marks, 60 min |
Part A: 901/1 English Language style
CBC EDU KENYA: KJSEA 2026 ENGLISH SAMPLE QUESTIONS, PART A
Grade 9 · Time: 30 minutes · 15 marks · Choose the best answer, A, B, C or D.
Read the passage and choose the best option for each numbered gap.
By the time the judges arrived, the Grade 9 learners __1__ their exhibits. Each of the groups __2__ given ten minutes to present its work. The judges were most impressed __3__ a solar fruit dryer, __4__ had been built from old window glass and timber. Although it rained heavily in the afternoon, __5__ until five o'clock.
| Gap | A | B | C | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | have already set up | had already set up | has already set up | will have set up |
| 2 | were | are | was | have been |
| 3 | on | by | at | for |
| 4 | who | whom | whose | which |
| 5 | but the fair continued | yet the fair continued | the fair continued | and the fair continued |
6. Choose the correct passive form of: The committee will announce the results tomorrow.
A. The results will be announced by the committee tomorrow.
B. The committee will be announced by the results tomorrow.
C. The results would be announced by the committee tomorrow.
D. The results are announced by the committee tomorrow.
7. If I ________ you, I would apologise to her today.
A. am B. were C. will be D. have been
8. The match was called off because of the heavy rain. The phrase called off means
A. started late B. watched C. won D. cancelled
9. Which sentence correctly rewrites As soon as she sat down, the bell rang?
A. No sooner she had sat down than the bell rang.
B. No sooner had she sat down when the bell rang.
C. No sooner had she sat down than the bell rang.
D. Hardly had she sat down than the bell rang.
10. Let's go to the library after lunch, ________?
A. will we B. shall we C. don't we D. isn't it
Read the passage below and answer questions 11 to 15.
When Nasimiyu Wafula started a reading club at her junior school in Bungoma, only four learners turned up. The school library had a few hundred books, most of them old textbooks, and many of her classmates believed that reading was something you did only to pass examinations.
Nasimiyu disagreed. She had grown up listening to her grandmother's stories by the fire, and she knew that a good story could hold a listener far better than any lecture. She asked each member to bring one book from home, even a torn one, and to swap it for another. She also persuaded the Grade 9 English teacher to let the club meet during Friday games time, on condition that every member would still take part in at least one sport.
Within a term the club had grown to thirty-two members. They read aloud to Grade 7 learners, wrote short reviews that were pinned on the noticeboard, and held a debate on whether phones help or harm reading. Their teacher noticed that the members' compositions had become longer and more varied, although she was careful to add that reading alone would not replace practice in writing.
Asked what she had learnt, Nasimiyu laughed. "People do not hate reading," she said. "They hate being told what to read. Give them a choice and a friend to talk to about the book, and they will come."
11. How many learners came to the first meeting of the club?
A. Thirty-two B. Four C. A few hundred D. Seven
12. Why does the writer mention Nasimiyu's grandmother?
A. To show that Nasimiyu had no books at home
B. To explain why Nasimiyu believed a good story could hold people's attention
C. To show that her grandmother was a teacher
D. To criticise the school library
13. The word persuaded, as used in the passage, means
A. forced B. paid C. convinced D. reminded
14. Which phrase best describes the teacher's attitude to the club's effect on writing?
A. Completely negative B. Cautiously positive C. Uninterested D. Exaggerated
15. What is the main point of Nasimiyu's final words?
A. Reading should be made compulsory.
B. Phones are the main cause of poor reading.
C. People read more when they can choose their books and discuss them with others.
D. Examinations are the best reason to read.
Part B: 901/2 Composition and Literary Analysis style
CBC EDU KENYA: KJSEA 2026 ENGLISH SAMPLE QUESTIONS, PART B
Grade 9 · Time: 60 minutes · 30 marks · Answer ALL three questions.
16. Functional writing (15 marks). Last term your school's environment club planted 200 tree seedlings along the school fence. By the end of the term, more than half of them had dried up. As the secretary of the club, write a report to the principal explaining what happened and recommending what should be done. Your report should not exceed 300 words.
17. Poetry (5 marks). Read the poem below and answer the questions that follow.
Morning of the Exam
The cock has not yet cleared its throat,
yet Mother's lamp is burning;
she irons the collar, folds the note,
her quiet prayer returning.
Outside, the mist lies on the maize
like a blanket no one folded;
I count the hours, I count the days,
the years in which I was moulded.
Walk slowly, child, the gate is near,
the desk will wait your coming;
the ink is calm, the page is clear,
and your heart has stopped its drumming.
(a) What is the rhyme scheme of the first stanza? (1 mark)
(b) Identify one figure of speech in the second stanza and explain how it is used. (2 marks)
(c) Describe the mood of the last stanza and quote one line that shows it. (2 marks)
18. Oral literature (10 marks). Read the narrative below and answer the questions that follow.
Long, long ago, Hen and Hawk were the best of friends. One day Hen's son fell and a thorn went deep into his foot, and Hen needed a needle to take it out. She went to Hawk.
"My friend," said Hen, "lend me your needle. I will return it before sunset."
Hawk gave her his only needle, the one his grandmother had left him. "Guard it well," he said. "A borrowed thing is a promise."
Hen took out the thorn and laid the needle on the ground while she comforted her son. When she looked again, the needle was gone. She scratched and scratched the earth, but she could not find it.
At sunset Hawk came for his needle. Hen hid her face. "Give me time," she begged. Hawk waited one day, then another. On the third day he said, "Since you cannot return my needle, I will take one of your children every time I pass, until it is found."
And that is why, to this day, the hen scratches the ground wherever she goes, and the hawk swoops down on her chicks.
(a) Classify this narrative and give a reason for your answer. (2 marks)
(b) Identify two features of oral narratives used in the story. (2 marks)
(c) Describe one character trait of Hen, with evidence from the story. (2 marks)
(d) State two lessons the story teaches. (2 marks)
(e) Explain the meaning of Hawk's words, "A borrowed thing is a promise." (2 marks)
Original practice items prepared by CBC Edu Kenya. Not an official KNEC paper and not a leaked paper. cbcedukenya.com
Stop here until both parts are finished. The answers and marking guide start below.
Part A answers with explanations
One mark per item, for the correct letter only.
1. B, had already set up. "By the time" plus a past event (the judges arrived) needs the past perfect for the action finished earlier. A and C are present perfect, which cannot sit with a past time frame, and D looks forward. (Tenses and aspect)
2. C, was. The subject is each, which is singular, so it takes was. The plural groups after "of the" is the trap. (Subject-verb agreement)
3. B, by. We are impressed by (or with) something. "Impressed on", "at" and "for" are not idiomatic here. (Prepositions and collocations)
4. D, which. The relative pronoun refers to the dryer, a thing, so which is correct; who and whom refer to people, and whose shows possession. (Relative pronouns)
5. C, the fair continued. Although already joins the two clauses, so adding but, yet or and doubles the conjunction, a classic error. (Sentence types and clauses)
6. A. The object (the results) becomes the subject, the tense stays future (will be announced), and the doer follows by. C changes the tense and D the time; B reverses the meaning. (Active and passive voice)
7. B, were. An imaginary present situation (the second conditional) uses were for all persons in formal English: "If I were you, I would..." (Conditionals)
8. D, cancelled. To call off an event is to cancel it. (Phrasal verbs)
9. C. No sooner at the start of a sentence needs inversion (had she) and pairs with than. A has no inversion, B uses when, and D uses hardly, which pairs with when, not than. (Sentence transformation: inversion)
10. B, shall we. A suggestion starting with Let's takes the tag shall we. (Question tags)
11. B, four. Stated in the first sentence. Thirty-two was the number a term later. (Literal comprehension)
12. B. The very next words explain it: "she knew that a good story could hold a listener far better than any lecture." (Purpose of a detail)
13. C, convinced. She talked the teacher into agreeing; nothing suggests force or payment. (Vocabulary in context)
14. B, cautiously positive. The teacher saw an improvement but "was careful to add that reading alone would not replace practice in writing." (Attitude and tone)
15. C. Nasimiyu says people hate being told what to read, and will come if given "a choice and a friend to talk to about the book." (Main idea)
Part B marking guide
This is our marking guide for home practice, modelled on how structured and written answers are usually marked: a mark for each valid, clearly expressed point. It is not a KNEC marking scheme.
Question 16: the report (15 marks)
| Element | Marks | What earns the marks |
|---|---|---|
| Format | 4 | A clear title, for example Report on the Drying of Tree Seedlings Planted in Term 2 (1); an introduction saying who asked for the report and why (1); headings for findings and recommendations (1); name, position (Secretary, Environment Club) and date at the end (1). |
| Findings | 4 | Any four clear causes, 1 mark each: no watering rota during the holiday; seedlings planted late, at the end of the rains; no mulch around the seedlings; goats getting in through gaps in the fence; seedlings planted too close together. |
| Recommendations | 3 | Any three workable actions that match the findings, 1 mark each: a watering rota that includes the boarders or the groundsman; planting at the start of the long rains; mulching; repairing the fence; replacing the dead seedlings with drought-tolerant indigenous trees. |
| Language | 4 | Formal, impersonal tone (1); past tense for findings and "should" or "it is recommended that" for recommendations (1); accurate grammar and spelling (1); points in numbered or clear paragraphs, within the word limit (1). |
| Total | 15 | A report written as a letter or a story loses most of the format marks. |
Question 17: the poem (5 marks)
(a) abab: throat and note rhyme, burning and returning rhyme. (1)
(b) Any one, with its explanation: simile, "like a blanket no one folded", comparing the thick mist lying over the maize to an untidy blanket spread across the field (1 for naming and quoting, 1 for explaining); or repetition, "I count the hours, I count the days", which stresses how long the speaker has waited and prepared. (2)
(c) The mood is calm and hopeful or reassuring (1). A supporting line: "the ink is calm, the page is clear" or "and your heart has stopped its drumming" (1). Do not credit "sad" or "fearful": the fear has passed by the last stanza. (2)
Question 18: the oral narrative (10 marks)
(a) It is an aetiological (explanatory) narrative (1) because it explains why hens scratch the ground and why hawks catch chicks: "that is why, to this day..." (1). It can also be called an animal story; give the reason mark only for the explanation of origin.
(b) Any two, 1 mark each: an opening formula ("Long, long ago"); an ending that links the story to the present ("And that is why, to this day"); animal characters with human qualities (they talk, borrow and make promises); dialogue; repetition ("scratched and scratched", "one day, then another"); a wise saying ("A borrowed thing is a promise"). (2)
(c) Careless: she laid a borrowed needle on the ground and lost it. Or caring: she went to find a needle to help her injured son and comforted him. Trait 1 mark, evidence 1 mark. (2)
(d) Any two, 1 mark each: take good care of what you borrow; keep your promises; carelessness can have lasting consequences; a friendship can be destroyed by a broken promise. (2)
(e) When you borrow something you commit yourself to returning it (1), so failing to return it is breaking your word to the owner, which is exactly what happens between Hen and Hawk (1). (2)
Answer table
| Question | Answer | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 5 (cloze) | 1 B, 2 C, 3 B, 4 D, 5 C | 5 |
| 6 to 10 (grammar) | 6 A, 7 B, 8 D, 9 C, 10 B | 5 |
| 11 to 15 (comprehension) | 11 B, 12 B, 13 C, 14 B, 15 C | 5 |
| 16 (report) | Format 4, findings 4, recommendations 3, language 4 | 15 |
| 17 (poetry) | (a) abab; (b) simile or repetition, explained; (c) calm and hopeful, with a line | 5 |
| 18 (oral literature) | Aetiological narrative; two features; trait with evidence; two lessons; the saying explained | 10 |
| Total | 45 | |
A candidate who scores well in Part A but loses half of Question 16 usually knows the language and has not learnt the formats: that is fixable in a week with our breakdown of where composition and functional writing marks sit. For pacing in 901/1, read the 901/1 multiple-choice strategy, and for 901/2, how to score in the composition paper.
Want full KJSEA English papers with answer booklets?
The KJSEA Complete Course includes full-length predictive papers for both 901/1 and 901/2 in the KNEC timings, with separate answer booklets and marking guides, plus full Grade 7 to 9 English notes covering all five strands, from grammar in use to literary appreciation. It covers all 9 KJSEA learning areas, not only English.
It is KSH 400 for all nine learning areas, instant download after M-Pesa payment. Original practice material, not KNEC papers and not leaked papers, and we never promise a grade.
Get the KJSEA Complete Course: notes, predictive papers and answer booklets for all 9 learning areas, KSH 400.
Frequently asked questions
When are the KJSEA 2026 English papers?
Both are on Monday 26 October 2026: 901/1 English Language from 8.30 a.m. to 10.10 a.m., and 901/2 English (Composition and Literary Analysis) from 11.10 a.m. to 12.55 p.m. See the KJSEA 2026 timetable, paper by paper.
Is 901/1 all multiple choice?
In the KNEC 2025 sample format, yes: 50 items in 1 hour 40 minutes, shaded in pencil. Every item should be shaded, because a blank scores nothing.
Do I need the set books for 901/2?
The prose and play questions in 901/2 are based on extracts from the texts your school has studied, so revise those. The poem and oral narrative questions can use unseen texts, like the ones on this page.
Are these the questions that will come in KJSEA 2026?
No one can honestly promise that. These are original questions on the sub-strands the Grade 7 to 9 design emphasises. Use them to find gaps, not to guess the paper.
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