English Language for the WAEC Exam

Common failure modes

These are the patterns that cause most candidates to lose marks on this topic. Recognising them in advance is half the work.

• !Writing summaries that exceed the specified word count or introduce new ideas
• !Essay introductions that restate the question instead of presenting a thesis
• !Oral English errors on vowel sounds and word stress patterns

Study tips

• 1Practice the five essay types: narrative, descriptive, argumentative, expository, and formal letter.
• 2Drill English vowel sounds and consonant clusters for the oral English test.
• 3For comprehension, read the passage once for understanding, then answer questions using evidence from the text.

Sample WAEC English Language questions

These sample items mirror the format and difficulty of real WAEC questions. Practice with thousands more on the free Koydo question bank.

1. 1

   In a summary question asking for "problems of urbanization," the candidate should:

   • AWrite a full essay on urbanization
   • BList and briefly explain only the problems mentioned in the passageCorrect
   • CDiscuss both advantages and disadvantages of urbanization
   • DRewrite the passage in their own words
   Why this answer?

   WAEC summary questions require extracting only the specific information requested (in this case, problems) from the given passage. Adding advantages or information not in the passage loses marks.

2. 2

   The word "accommodate" is stressed on which syllable?

   • AFirst: AC-com-mo-date
   • BSecond: ac-COM-mo-dateCorrect
   • CThird: ac-com-MO-date
   • DFourth: ac-com-mo-DATE
   Why this answer?

   "Accommodate" is stressed on the second syllable: ac-COM-mo-date /əˈkɒmədeɪt/. This is a common WAEC oral English question testing correct word stress.