HOW TO ANSWER WAEC QUESTIONS ACCURATELY

Believe it or not, WAEC questions can be very tricky sometimes. And as you may, know WAEC has a marking scheme which must be followed in answering WAEC questions (if you want to get your full marks).

Take for instance, if WAEC says that you should “LIST and EXPLAIN“, it means that there is a mark for listing and there is a mark for explaining. So you have to take cognizance of these little tricks. As we continue I will share with you some of the ways to tackle WAEC questions when you see them.

1.   LIST and EXPLAIN: 

If a WAEC question says that you should list and explain, don’t make the mistake of only explaining. There is definitely a mark for listing and another mark for explaining. When you are listing, make sure that the list is numbered. Again, if you are explaining, make sure you fill, at least, 4 – 5 lines.

Take for example:

WAEC Question: List and explain 5 causes of corruption in Nigeria.

You: The causes of corruption in Nigeria are:

1. Greed

2. Illiteracy

3. Lack of patriotism

4. Lack of political awareness

5. Tribalism and Favoritism

After listing the causes of corruption like the one above, you can then proceed to explaining them. To get your full mark, it is important that you explain each of them in details.

2.   MENTION: 

This is a one of the institutions that get many WAEC candidates confuse. In most cases candidates will start discussing and explaining irrelevant things that can even reduce their marks. That is not the right way to tackle questions that requires you to mention.

To MENTION means to discuss briefly. You don’t need to start telling stories that does not concern you. Take for example, if WAEC question says, “MENTION the causes of corruption in Sierra Leone “, you don’t need to list again.

Just go ahead to mention and give little details about the causes of corruption in Sierra Leone .

3.   DESCRIBE: 

This is usually asked in WAEC CRS, IRS or science practical questions. If you are asked a question that requires you to describe, kindly write down everything you know about the question in an orderly manner.

However, if this kind of question is asked in CRS or IRS WAEC examination, make sure you tell the story in the question. Take for example, if the question says:

“Describe the event that led to the death of John the Baptist”

Here, you are required to tell the story about what exactly led to the death of John the Baptist. Please don’t tell the whole life story of John the Baptist. Just restrict yourself to that part that concerns his death.

4.   HIGHLIGHT: 

If you are asked to HIGHLIGHT in WAEC examination, it means that you should briefly examine. Don’t tell stories! Just go straight to what you were asked to highlight and hit the nail on the head. You can check How to Write a Good Answer to Exam Essay Questions

5.   DEFINE: 

Most times many WAEC candidates DESCRIBE instead of DEFINE when they are asked to define. Well, they are not the same. When you are asked to define, it means that you should explain precisely. It can also mean to determine with precision.

In short, just make sure to explain what you are asked to define very precisely and make sure that all the relevant keywords are mentioned in your definition. It is worthwhile to note that a definition is not supposed to be too long. So, try to be as short as you can.

 

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