(Here’s an Audiovisual Lecture on How to Write a High-Scoring Essay in Your WAEC English Exam)
1. Why is it Important to Score High in Essay Writing in the WASSCE English Exam?
Essay writing carries the highest marks in the WASSCE English exam. In the essay writing section, you’re given four or five topics and you’re required to write on only one of them; yet that single essay writing question carries 50 marks. This implies that if you can write a good essay you’ll score maximum marks in this section, and this will enhance your overall performance in the entire English exam. This is the focus of this article – to show you how exactly you can write a high-scoring essay that will boost your overall performance in the exam.
2. Types of Writing to Expect in the Essay Writing Section
In the essay writing section of the WAEC English exam, questions are usually set on the following various topics:
1.Letter Writing
2.Article Writing
3.General Essays
4.Speech Writing
5.Report Writing
6.Story Writing
From these various types of writing, 5 questions are set, and you’re required to pick just one question and write on it in about 450 words. This one question carries 50 marks, and your score will depend on how well you perform in the following areas of assessment: 1.Content = 10 marks 2.Organization =10 marks 3.Expression = 20 marks 4.Mechanical Accuracy =10 marks.
The following past WAEC English essay questions exemplify the types of essay questions that frequently occur in this theory section of the exam:
WASSCE JUNE 2020 ENGLISH LANGUAGE 2 THEORY QUESTIONS (SECTION A) ESSAY
1.Your brother who is in the third year in another school has written to confide in you that he is about to stop schooling and go into business. Write a letter to him advising him against the decision.
2.Write an article suitable for publication in a national newspaper on the topic: The Importance of Promoting Good Reading Habits in Students.
3. As the Senior Prefect of your school, write a letter to the Principal pointing out at least two practices among students that should be discouraged and two habits that should be promoted among teachers.
4. A new Principal has been posted to your school. Write a speech you will deliver at the welcome party organized for him informing him about some of the problems faced by students.
5. Write a story that ends with the statement: I had never felt so embarrassed in my life.
In the above June 2020 WASSCE English essay questions, you can see two questions on letter writing, one question each on article writing, speech writing, and story writing respectively. From these five questions, you are expected to pick only one and write on it. Let’s assume that you finally pick a question on letter writing. How are you going to write a high-scoring letter in this exam?
Here are 15 Top Tips on How to Write a High-Scoring Letter:
1. Identify the Type of Letter you’re asked to write. Find out whether it is a formal letter, a semi-formal letter, or an informal letter. This is because each type of letter has a different way of writing it in terms of address, salutation, topic, language and tone, and so forth. For example, a formal letter requires two addresses and a title or topic, whereas an informal letter requires only one address and doesn’t need a title.
How exactly do you identify the type of letter you have been asked to write? The first thing to consider is the question “who am I going to write the letter to?” In question 1 of the June 2020 WASSCE Essay Section mentioned above, you are asked to write a letter to “your brother who is the third year in another school.” This is an informal letter because the person you are going to write to is someone who shares a personal relationship with you. Once it’s a personal letter, it’s an informal letter. In the other letter in question 3 above, you are to write a letter to “the Principal” of your school. This is a formal letter because the person you are going to write to occupies an official position. Once it’s an official letter, it’s a formal letter. Right?
2. Find out the Purpose of the Letter. This is important for two reasons. One, the purpose of the letter helps you to identify the type of letter you are going to write. Two, it helps you to know the exact content of your letter. Let’s take another look at the letter in question 1: Your brother who is in the third year in another school has written to confide in you that he is about to stop schooling and go into business. Write a letter to him advising him against his decision (WASSCE June, 2020). Here, the purpose of the letter is to advise your brother against the decision to stop schooling and go into business. One, since the purpose is to give personal advice, it’s an informal letter. Two, this given purpose provides the basis for your outline (the points to jot down – the exact things you’re going to say in your letter).
3. Write the Appropriate Address(es). Once you identify the type of letter you’re going to write, you will be able to start with the appropriate address(es). In a formal letter, write your address (the writer’s address), the date, and the the receiver’s official designation and full address. In a semi-formal or informal letter, you need to write only the writer’s address, and then go straight to the salutation.
4. Use Appropriate Opening and Closing Greetings. The following are the appropriate opening and closing greetings for the different types of letters: (1) Formal Letter: Dear Sir/Madam; Yours faithfully; (2) Semi-formal Letter: Dear Mr./Mrs/Dr./Prof. Okon; Yours sincerely; (3) Informal Letter: Dear Jane/Sister/Brother/Father/Mother; Yours sincerely/ever/affectionately… Or Your brother/son/daughter/…
5. Use a Title/Topic Where Necessary. The title is necessary in a formal letter but not in semi-formal and informal letters. In the letter to the principal of your school, for instance, you can create the following title: STUDENTS’ PRACTICES THAT SHOULD BE DISCOURAGED AND TEACHERS’ HABITS THAT SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED.
6. Start Your Letter with an Appropriate Introduction (Paragraph 1). Each type of letter requires its appropriate introduction, which is based on the given purpose of the letter. The following are some examples of different ways to introduce different types of letters:
Formal/Semi-formal: I am writing to inform you that…/I am writing to draw your attention to…./I am writing to apply for…/I am writing in connection with….
Informal: How are you doing?/I hope you and your family are all well/It’s been quite long since we were last in touch…
7. Create an Outline for the Content of Your Letter. For a letter to advise your brother against the decision to stop schooling and go into business, you can jot down the following points:
Outline: 1. Your dropping out of school will offend Dad and Mum 2.You need education to do better in business. 3.To occupy certain political offices in our country, you’ll need a certain academic qualification
8. Divide the Body of Your Letter into Paragraphs 2,3,4… as the case may be. Discuss one main idea in each paragraph. You can start each paragraph with a topic sentence, and then use two or three other sentences to support the point you’ve raised.
9. Make Sure You Discuss at Least the Specified Number of Points. Let’s take a second look at another past WASSCE letter writing question: You are dissatisfied with some practices in your school. Write a letter to your friend in another school discussing at least three of these practices and the improvement you desire (WASSCE June, 2018). In this example, you are required to discuss”at least three of these practices…”
10. Use the Last Paragraph for Conclusion. Use this last paragraph to make the appropriate call for action or simply to re-emphasize the key points already discussed.
11. Write your signature and name appropriately after the closing greetings:
Formal: Yours faithfully + signature + full name
Semi-formal: Yours sincerely + full name
Informal: Yours sincerely + first name only.
12. Use the Appropriate Language Variety and Tone for Your Letter. Examples:
Formal: Standard expressions, formal tone, no use of short forms, jokes, or slang expressions.
Semi-formal: Standard language and polite tone.
Informal: Short forms and decent jokes are allowed; informal language should reflect the level of familiarity you share with the addressee.
13. Write the Required Length of 450 Words. To do this, you can use the following smart technique for approximating the length of your letter:
Divide 450 words by the number of words you write per line to determine how many lines you ought to write, e.g. 10 words per line = 45 lines (450 divided by 10); 9 words per line = 50 lines; 8 words per line = 56 or 57; 7 words per line = 64 or 65, etc.
14 Use Clear, Legible Handwriting. You must avoid writing in unclear, illegible handwriting. If what you’ve written cannot be read, how can the marker know whether you wrote the right or wrong points? Illegible handwriting results in poor marks.
15. Crosscheck Your Letter and Correct All Errors. Use your time well to ensure you proofread your letter and correct errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar, and any other mistakes. This will ensure that you don’t lose marks under mechanical accuracy.
If you follow the above tips, I am sure you will write a high-scoring letter that will enhance your overall performance in your WASSCE, NECO/SSCE, NABTEB or any other English exam.
For a more detailed audiovisual explanation of how to writes high-scoring essay in WAEC English exam, watch the following video lecture: https://youtu.be/Z9AqetXxkRA
The following eBooks will give you further insight into other areas of language proficiency, such as grammatical structures, essay writing – letter writing, article writing, speech writing, report writing, story writing – comprehension, summary writing, vowel and consonant sounds, and so forth:
About the Author
Benjamin Abugu is a university graduate with a flair for content writing. He is an English teacher with over twelve years experience, a published author of many books (both paperback and eBook editions), a blogger and Youtuber.
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