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Candidates of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination will sit for the English paper on Wednesday, May 15. May failure not be their portion – so says the spiritual me. The exam comes days after the results of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination were released, with less than 500,000 of the about 1.9 million candidates who sat it scoring 200 and above. (Note that there is no error in ‘sat it’. You can sit for an exam; you can also sit it.) Beyond prayers, therefore, I shall quickly revise with the WASSCE candidates an important part of the English paper: essay writing.
Essay or letter?
In the theory part, candidates will be required to write on any of the five topics that will be given. These will include essays and letters. It is thus your first intriguing duty to choose any. Do you plan/hope to write an essay or a letter? Well, although your interest and experience largely matter, you cannot really decide ahead until you see the questions, to know what the focuses are and how difficult/easy they are. Whichever you choose, remember that the features of a letter are different from those of an essay. May you never structure an essay the way you should a letter!
What type of essay/letter?
There is also the need to watch what type the essay or letter you choose to write is. The reason is that each type has its own characteristics which should not be mixed with others’. If you decide to write a narrative essay, for instance, don’t forget to largely set it in the past, meaning that the past tense form of the verb will be dominant, except where you introduce the direct speech or when the verbs follow ‘to’ or the modal verbs. If it is an expository essay – like ‘How Fuel Scarcity disrupts the Economy’ – the verbs will usually be present. Also, although argumentative essays and debate involve arguing for or against, their structures are not the same. It is in the latter that you greet and acknowledge participants because it is supposed to be a live event. You don’t greet anybody in an argumentative essay. Not even WAEC DG or the Minister of Education! Similarly, if you are asked to deliver or present a speech at a function, you also set it out like a live presentation, including acknowledging dignitaries present. Yet, you don’t greet co-debaters, panel of judges or the ‘accurate time keeper’ when delivering a speech. When should you do that? Kindly hold the answer till you get into the exam hall!
Heading
Unless you are writing an informal letter, the heading or title is compulsory in all essays. Whether it is narrative, expository, argumentative, a debate or speech writing, you must write the title of the essay. The formal letter must also have a title, which comes after the salutation – not before it. Note that the question, as framed by the examiners, is not the same thing as the title of the essay. So, don’t repeat their question and think you have given your essay a title. You are to generate or extract the title from the question, based on the theme of your essay. Here is an example:
Read the question well
After picking a question, whatever type it is, read it very well and ensure you thoroughly understand it. Understand exactly what the examiners want you to do. If the question has two parts – like causes and effects etc. – ensure you provide points for all the parts. Tailor your writing towards what the question says. Remember that it is a grave blunder to face left in your essay or letter (using a street idiom) when WAEC wants you to face the right. It is an automatic zero!
Make a plan or an outline
It is crucial you make a plan before you begin to write. Simply put, jot down the points you will develop paragraph by paragraph in the essay. Then, don’t forget or abandon the plan when you begin to write. Let it guide you all through.
Brief but effective intro
Your introduction should not be too long because it is only leading the reader/marker into the body of the message. In about three paragraphs, you should be done. However, you should not forget to declare your goal or intention in the intro.
Body of the essay
At this stage, write out the piece. Develop the essay/letter in clear and effective paragraphs linked with conjunctions like firstly, secondly, also, moreover, however and in conclusion. Each paragraph should discuss a point or aspect of the story you are telling – explain it and give appropriate examples. Don’t forget the topic sentence in each paragraph, the one that states the key point, which other developing sentences explain. It is often at the beginning of the paragraph.
Conclusion
Like the intro, the conclusion is not expected to be dragged. Just summarise all you have said; emphasise your stand if it is an argument or offer solutions if all you have done in the body is identify some problems.
Simple and Correct English
Avoid grammatical and structural errors. Don’t be carried away by what you write at the expense of how – particularly the language of presentation. Write simple and correct English, even where your expressions are literary or colourful. Remember that the marker will penalise you for any grammatical error you commit. So, be careful and ensure you read through your essay or letter before submitting your paper. By doing so, you will be able to spot and correct the errors and omissions the witch-eyed marker will be looking for.