Welcome to our blog post on mastering how to Answer WAEC Questions correctly in the upcoming May/June 2024 WAEC exams!
If you’ve ever wondered how to answer those tricky exam questions with confidence and precision, you’re in the right place.
We’ll examine practical tips and strategies to help you excel in your WAEC exams and achieve your academic goals. We encourage you to read attentively and ensure you understand everything in this article.
Before we proceed, it’s important for you to understand the format of the WAEC exam and how its questions are structured.
Here are a few key points you should know about the WAEC examination.
What you should know about WAEC examination
The full meaning of WAEC is West African Examination Council. It is an examination body that started in 1952, with the aim of fostering education in Africa particularly. Currently, WAEC examination is written in five different African countries, namely:
Nigeria;
Ghana;
Gambia;
Sierra Leone;
Liberia;
Similar to other exam boards, WAEC follows a specific format when presenting questions. It’s important to understand that all WAEC exams, including practicals, require handwritten answers.
Typically, there are 60 mandatory multiple-choice questions, and candidates can choose to answer 3 out of 6 optional essay questions.
Additionally, for science subjects such as Biology and Chemistry, a separate day is usually allocated for practical exams.
During WAEC practical exams, candidates often need to recognize, explain, or label items and record their observations in their answer scripts. Additionally, candidates may be required to physically work with some items to achieve a specific result during the practical exams.
Top 10 (Ten) Rules for Answering WAEC Questions Correctly
The following are the tips for answering WAEC questions:
1. Do not write in the margin line: In the WAEC answer booklet, there’s a warning about not writing in the margins, but many students ignore it.
It’s important to follow instructions, not just study for the exam. Some WAEC officials overlook these mistakes, but others don’t.
A teacher told me that not following simple instructions could lead to failing the exam. It’s best to avoid margin lines if you want to pass your WAEC exams, even though some officials might be lenient.
2. Read questions carefully: You might think your reading skills are perfect, but they’re not always reliable, especially when you’re feeling stressed. One important tip for answering WAEC questions accurately is to read them carefully. This is because small mistakes can lead to big failures in your exams. I learned this lesson the hard way during my own WAEC exam.
There was a question that asked, “Discuss three systems of government that have not been practiced in Nigeria before.” However, I missed the word “NOT” while reading the question. So, I ended up discussing systems of government that had been practiced in Nigeria, not realizing my mistake until after I finished the exam. It was a question I knew how to answer well, so when I discovered my error, I felt devastated.
This experience taught me the importance of thoroughly reading and understanding each question before answering.
You probably wouldn’t want to go through the same disappointment, so always take the time to read every question at least twice before giving your answers.
3. Always answer easy questions first: This tip isn’t just for WAEC—it works for almost any test! Starting with the easier questions isn’t just about getting them right; it’s also about saving time.
In WAEC exams, you’ll probably come across some tough questions that take up a lot of time, and sometimes you might not know the answers at all.
In those situations, it’s best to skip that question quickly and move on to one you’re more confident about. This strategy can really boost your chances of passing your WAEC exam.
Remember, there’s always a time limit in exams. For WAEC, it’s usually 2 hours and 30 minutes. If you don’t manage your time well, you might run out of time before answering all the questions, even the ones you know.
So, if you encounter a question you’re not familiar with, don’t dwell on it—just skip to the next one. It can make a big difference in your exam performance.
4. Answer objective questions first: Not everyone agrees with this, but I’m personally in favor of it, and I’ll explain why.
Even though essay questions often carry more marks, it’s important to tackle objective questions first. This is because sometimes, the answers to those essay questions can be found in the objective section.
By starting with the objective questions, you’ll get a better idea of what’s expected in some of the essay questions. Believe me, this is a strategy many students overlook.
The reality is that some of the WAEC objective questions are repeated in essay format. That’s why it’s smart to handle the objectives first.
However, as you do this, try to answer the objective questions quickly. If you spend too much time on the objectives, you might not have enough time left for the essay questions.
Recommended: WAEC Sample Questions and Schemes for All Subjects 2024
5. Use Capital letters when required: You might think it is actually useless, but it is not. Some WAEC officials take it very seriously. So, wherever you are required to write in capital letters don’t hesitate to do so. Just like I have stated before, WAEC does not only assess your ability to answer questions correctly. They also want to know whether you can keep to instructions.
Don’t fall for that little trick. Make sure you write your name and subject in capital letters. It may not be important to anyone marking you script, but it will keep you on a safer side.
6. Shade your answers, don’t tick: Don’t make the mistake of ticking the answers to your objective questions because you are putting yourself in great danger. Recently, WAEC started using a machine to mark objective questions. This is actually a welcome development for the examination body because it will make results to be processed on time.
Nonetheless, candidates that fail to tick or fail to shade their answers properly are at risk because the machine will not notice it.
So, to keep yourself in a safer side, make sure you shade your objective answers very well. It is advisable to use HD pencils because they work better in this kind of situation. Even WAEC recommends this type of pencil too. Doing this will also help you in the impending WAEC examination.
7. Avoid unnecessary cancellations: It’s important for students to realize that the WAEC Examination isn’t just about what you know; it’s also about how accurate you are and your ability to correct mistakes. That’s why you should do your best to avoid errors.
Being careful shows that you pay attention when reading before answering questions.
Another reason to avoid mistakes is that too many errors might wrongly suggest that you cheated or committed serious exam misconduct. This can make the examiner doubt your understanding of the subject.
So, make an effort to minimize mistakes. If you realize you’ve made a significant error, consider requesting a new exam paper if there’s enough time.
8. Make sure you provide your exam details: It’s really important to provide your personal exam details like your name, seat number, and exam number before starting your exam. Forgetting to do this could lead to failing that specific exam.
Once the exam time is up, you might not get another chance to write down these details, and the supervisor may not allow it either. So, it’s crucial to do this right at the beginning.
Take a moment to carefully fill out your answer sheet, making sure all the forms are filled correctly and in capital letters.
Don’t forget to include the date as well. This ensures that the exam date is recorded accurately and helps prevent any future problems that could arise.
9. Do not Give in to Exam Anxiety: It is important to know that feeling anxious during WAEC exams is a natural reaction linked to your body’s fight-or-flight response.
To manage this, focus on reading effectively and calming your nerves. Try this breathing exercise: breathe in for four counts, then breathe out for eight counts.
This technique helps reset your nervous system and brings a sense of calm, even after just a few repetitions.
Give it a try before your exam; you’ll be surprised how effective it is!
10. Avoid Exam Malpractice: Cheating during exams also known as exam malpractice, should be avoided in order to keep academic honesty intact and ensure fair evaluations.
Exam Malpractice not only tarnishes the reputation of schools but also hinders personal growth. Unfortunately, in Nigeria, exam malpractice can sometimes seem normal.
However, it’s important to realize that cheating can ruin your chances of success in the upcoming WAEC exams if you get caught.
Instead, focus on careful planning, managing your time well, and seeking help when needed to maintain ethical standards. Being honest creates a positive learning environment and fosters trust between teachers and students.
Prioritizing integrity over taking shortcuts is the best approach to exams when you’re aiming to gain knowledge.
Now that you’re familiar with the 10 rules for answering WAEC questions, I’ll share some helpful tricks to ensure you answer your questions perfectly.
Keep in mind that not everyone knows these tips, so I encourage you to share this article with all the WAEC candidates you know.
How to Answer WAEC Questions Correctly
You might not realize it, but WAEC questions can be quite tricky at times. And as you might already know, WAEC has a specific way they want you to answer questions to get the full marks.
For example
If WAEC instructs you to “LIST and EXPLAIN,” it means there’s a mark for listing and another mark for explaining. So, paying attention to these details is very important.
In the following sections, I’ll discuss some strategies to help you answer WAEC questions effectively when you encounter them.
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:
- Greed
- Illiteracy
- Lack of patriotism
- Lack of political awareness
- 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.
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 Nigeria“, you don’t need to list again.
Just go ahead to mention and give little details about the causes of corruption in Nigeria.
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:
For Example: “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.
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.
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.
Take Point
It’s important to understand that writing too much in an exam can sometimes show what you don’t know. That’s why we suggest sticking to the questions asked and not going overboard. If you’re asked to explain something, just focus on that and move on to the next question. This way, you’ll save time and score better.
I hope this article was useful to you. I trust you’re now equipped to tackle your WAEC questions with confidence and accuracy.
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