
Mr John Kapi, Director of Public Affairs at the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), has revealed that Chief Examiners observed a significant challenge among candidates in the correct use of English vocabulary.
Many students reportedly struggled to employ appropriate words in articulating their answers across various examination questions.
“The weaknesses they (Chief Examiners) include poor use of vocabulary. They reported that most candidates face challenges in their use of the appropriate vocabulary to express themselves, especially in the section where they were to provide appropriate synonyms for the listed words from the passage,” he said on JoyFM’s Super Morning Show on Tuesday, December 2.
He added that “They also indicated that there was a poor use of language. And then the final one was the poor analysis of the text that was made available to them.”
Meanwhile, he noted that the candidates performed well in the essay component. “With the English Language, the Chief Examiners were clear that the candidates were able to select the appropriate essays for the relevant points.”
WAEC raised the concerns following the release of the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), particularly in the core subjects, including English Language, Mathematics, Integrated Science and Social Studies.
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