9 Reasons why Candidates Fail English Language 2016 WAEC

Of truth, English Language as a subject has an overriding influence over many other subjects and the reason for this is not far-fetched, failure to pass the subject in WAEC cast a big doubt on the usefulness of the result. Therefore, it is crucial to re-broadcasting the reasons why candidates fail English Language 2016 WAEC. These reasons are still very applicable even unto this time.

Candidate’s Weakness

The weaknesses observed include:

1. poor expression as a result of wrong concord, poor use of punctuation marks, wrong use of tenses, poor use of prepositions and articles;
2. failure to grasp the requirements and demands of the questions attempted;
3. ignorance of common literary terms;
4. writing below the required number of words on the essay topics;
5. illegible handwriting;
6. spelling errors;
7. poor knowledge of the basic rules of English grammar;
8. mindless lifting of portions of the passages as answers;
9. use of text message abbreviations such as “u” for “you” and “d” for “the”.

Suggested Remedies from Council

Candidates should:

1. endeavour to improve on their vocabulary and grammar in English Language through extensive reading;
2. take time to understand the demands of questions before attempting to answer them.
3. read through their work to correct spelling and grammatical mistakes before submitting their scripts;
4. practise essay writing regularly;
5. converse regularly in simple and correct English expressions;

Teachers should:

1. spend more time in teaching grammar topics and comprehension skills;
2. in addition to giving their students assignments frequently, teachers should also mark such assignments in order to help students identify and correct their mistakes;
3. regularly attend workshops and seminars that would keep them abreast of global best practices in the teaching of the English Language.

Schools should ensure that:

1. only qualified teachers are engaged to teach English Language;
2. the library is equipped with relevant books and materials that will aid the students academically.

 

Candidate’s Strengths

Many candidates:

1. demonstrated adherence to rubrics;
2. showed improvement in their knowledge of the formal features of essay writing;
3. were able to identify the figure of speech used in question 6(h);

Conclusion

Candidates who lack knowledge of the rudiments of English Language and the approach to summary and comprehension questions will continue to perform poorly. The only way to overcome the weaknesses highlighted every year is to study well and practice constantly.

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