Regardless of the subject, passing an exam boils down to how well you prepare for it. If you're reading this, then it is because you intend to prepare adequately to attain a high score which means that you're serious about your education.
There's no better way to pass your exams than to go through your syllabus, understand the requirements therein, and use study resources in line with it to imbibe enough knowledge.
If your imminent exams are English Language and Literature in English in WASSCE, you're at the right place. The revision practices here will help improve your preparation and ultimately help you ace your exams.
Read on below to find out.
After your exams, an examiner looks closely at your answers and gives appropriate marks accordingly.
Being Creative and Unique in Your Exam
Before you begin revision for your English Language and Literature in English exams in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), it's worth noting that you get multiple-choice questions in the first papers of the exams. Therefore, the theory paper is where you need to come in full swing by taking a different approach to answering your questions.
The advantage of this method is that it can impress your examiner and spur them to give you higher obtainable points. However, the focal point is to ensure you're eloquent and convincing in the presentation of your answers. Ensure to use human-readable words.
At the end of it all, you can be sure that you'll leave your examiner with a new, positive impression, which differs from that of other candidates. But, of course, this would only work if the ideas in your answers are plausible and presented clearly.
Conversely, there's a trend amongst senior school students or WAEC candidates when preparing for exams. They get hints on what topics or areas most of their questions will be based on, prompting them to leave out others.
Do not join this bandwagon, as it can prove detrimental to your performance in your exam papers and your general education. There's a reason WAEC releases the syllabus before the examinations kick-off.
As such, it is your responsibility as a candidate to prepare for your exam using the provided syllabus as a blueprint; do not deviate from it.
Reading more texts or words will broaden your knowledge and improve your chances of analysing your WASSCE questions and giving an appropriate answer.
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What Happens If You Don't Revise Properly Before Your Exams?
Those who do the bare minimum will earn underwhelming results in their SSCE or WAEC. Some students intend to pass their exams by relying on 'expo', which they get by paying specific fees before their exams.
This practice is not advisable as it encourages complacency, which doesn't help the furtherance of your education in the long run. Besides, an 'expo', as it's popularly called amongst SS3 students, is not something you can bank on as it's known to let candidates down or even lead to your results being withheld.
Besides, there's no worse feeling than sitting in an exam hall with little to no idea of what words to pen down on your paper. At that point, you'd gladly take any help that comes from a co candidate, even if they're just as lost as you. You don't need telling on what the result of this will be.
All in all, the focal point is to ensure you study well ahead before your papers. And how do you do this? By using the recommended revision materials and resources, the best of which you'll find below.
Where to Find Revision Resources
Thanks to the many resources available in today's technologically advanced world, you can now revise for your exams without being restricted to just your textbooks. And some of these resources you'll find helpful, even when they're not intended for WAEC candidates.
A notable example is the website ArtsandCulture.com, where you can find rich Nigerian and, an extension, African history broken into intelligible, concise texts. This website will come in handy for WAEC candidates sitting for History.
Similarly, you'll find websites that immerse you into the art of subjects such as English Language and Literature in English. These websites achieve this with their rich catalogue of poems and passages. A notable example is the Literature section on the forum, Nairaland.com.
Below are some of the best online resources that you can harness for your SSCE/WAEC English Language exams.
Websites
MySchool.ng is arguably the best website where you can revise English Language and Literature in English, especially as a WASSCE candidate. The website has tons of resources that'll put you on the right track before the inception of your exam.
The most important of these is its Past Questions and Answers section, where you can go through past questions from WAEC's previous years and answer them in a CBT fashion. This web-based programme is designed like a proper exam; thus, you'll get a score after attempting each question in a series of tests.
In addition, the website has an e-learning section where you can study all subjects in WAEC topic-by-topic. Some of the study materials you'll find here are in written form, while others are videos that you can stream and learn from on the go.
Meanwhile, since WAEC and other examination boards in Nigeria updated the drama, prose, and poetry texts for their exams from 2021 to 2025, you must get acquainted with them as you may not find them in currently available past questions.
One of the best websites to get an analysis of poems in WAEC and understand them better is PoemAnalysis.com. The website breaks down African and Non-African poems into easily-understandable words that'll help SSCE/WAEC candidates ace their papers.
For instance, if you intend to explore the poem, Song of the Women of my Land by Oumar Farouk, you'll get the summary, structure, poetic techniques, and detailed analysis of the poem on the website mentioned earlier.
Lastly, if you don't have all the textbooks prescribed in your syllabus, you might want to download them on the internet instead. And the good news is you can download them for free using the steps below:
- Open your smartphone or PC internet browser, preferably Chrome
- In the address/search bar, type Textbook name + PDF + Download. For example, Purple Hibiscus PDF Download
- On the search results page, click on the web address with a PDF box in front of it
- Begin the download to your local drive
This method may not work for some books, especially more recent publications. You can, however, give it a shot and see which books you're able to get.
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Applications
Just as there are websites you can take advantage of to prepare for your English Language papers, you'll also find handy apps that'll help you study on the go. Interestingly, you can get these apps regardless of your smartphone's operating system, be it iOS or Android.
Below is a list of recommended apps for your WASSCE.
Ulesson Educational App
First on the list, this is your go-to app if you want detailed yet intelligible insights into English Language texts just as SS3 students are taught in school. Its vast library is relevant to SSCE candidates, and you'll also get video lessons to help you learn easily and engagingly.
English Essays for WAEC NECO
This app from NjidemarsbooksNg will help improve your English essay skills. The app provides you with over 40 essay topics, which you can go through to get an idea of their pattern and then test your ability to understand them. You'll also get an idea of how to tackle letters in your paper 2.
Oral English Companionship
Last on the list of recommended apps, you should make this one a priority on your smartphone if you struggle with the oral aspects of English. The app touches down on English syllables, stress, and syllable structure. And with these come lettered notes, sounds, and exercises that can help improve your understanding of spoken English.
English Language/Literature Revision with a Tutor
Your SSCE/WAEC revision for subjects such as English Language and English Literature doesn't necessarily end with online resources. You can also employ the services of a competent tutor to break down complex ideas for you.
This method makes more sense if you're the type who struggles to learn anything from studying alone. A private tutor will walk you hand-in-hand through your WAEC syllabus and ensure you learn something substantial after completing each topic.
That said, where can you find a private tutor that'll help you achieve all this in a short time before your exam kicks off? Look no further than on Superprof. Superprof is an online tutoring platform that connects students across Nigeria with tutors in their subjects of interest.
Thankfully, there are many English Language and Literature in English tutors on Superprof who can prepare you for your SSCE, be it that of WAEC or NECO. You can get tutors to come to tutor you at home or give you classes online.
Many of the tutors on Superprof offer the first hour of their lesson for free. So you can take advantage of this to know if the tutors will match your lesson expectation.
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