8 Reasons Why Candidates Fail Physics WAEC 2010

For science students, physics is one of the integral subjects that’s should be part of first 5-subjects and that must be passed, luckily for them, it has a practical session which makes the allocation of marks well spread, even with the opportunities, many candidates fail the subject and the reasons why candidates fail Physics WAEC 2010 was made public from their official handle.

Candidates Weaknesses

Many candidates displayed strong ability to:

1. state factors that affect the mass of elements evolved during electrolysis
2. recall units of calculated quantities
3. explain concepts/principles such as uncertainty principle, interference polarization and linear motion
4. plot graphs and interprets graphs
5. sketch a distance-time graph for a particle moving in a straight line
6. state uses of Polaroids
7. state units of calculated quantities
8. solve problems on stress and strain

What are the WAEC Recommendations?

The suggested remedies were as follows:

1. Physics teachers should discourage students from learning by rote
2. Physics teachers should employ relevant teaching aids for their classroom instructions
3. Teachers should give frequent classroom and home assignment to students. Such assignment should be graded and discussed with the students afterwards
4. Teachers should make students understand that examination questions are based on what they have learnt through SS 1 – 3
5. Teachers should lay emphasis on understanding and applications of basic concepts and principles of Physics
6. There is the need for qualified Physics teachers to handle teaching of Physics
7. There is the need for enhanced pedagogy and school-based supervision
8. Candidates should change their lukewarm attitudes to learning
9. There is the need for adequate and effective coverage of the syllabus.

Candidates Strengths

Candidates did show acceptable level of knowledge in:

1. conversion of units
2. explanation of some concepts such as viscostatic, initial mass, natural and artificial radioactivity
3. pairing correctly items when asked to distinguish two quantities in tabular form
4. the cause of the spreading of the candle flame near a positive charge and the sticking together of two
5. ice cubes when pressed together
6. adhering to the given rubrics
7. drawing correct labeled diagrams
8. the demand of the questions
9. correct labeling of graph axes
10. computational skills
11. grammatical expressions
12. understanding of some concepts such as cathode rays, X-ray tubes and D.C. circuit analysis

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