Waec in Review

By Benjamin Freeman

WAEC in Review is a practical intervention strategy in transforming the weakening educational system of Liberia where academic excellence is unceasingly diminishing. LIPACE Pilot Study Guide is not only a landmark achievement in the educational history of Liberia but a remarkable strive towards the proper preparation of Liberian students for future diets of the WAEC exam. As a member of the National Committee of the West African Examinations Council and a Stakeholder in the Liberian Education System, I wish to recommend the use of this study guide to adequately prepare each and every Liberian student for future examinations thereby setting the stage for an easy transition to the emerging West African Senior Secondary Examinations (WASSCE). I am explicitly confident that you will definitely find your journey through this guide very rewarding as you prepare to sit the next WAEC Exam.David S. Massaquoi, Sr., director of Education, The Salvation ArmyLiberia Command Education Secretariat

Our students sit the exam in constant fear of proctors and supervisors. They know nothing about the exam and its structure and this fear lead to them failing massively. We need to build the confidence level of our students and help them to study hard and understand the roles of proctors and supervisors to stop the intimidation during the exam. Thanks to LIPACE and the Turning the Tide project, we have helped our students achieved an amazing achievement for the first time in the history of Gbarpolu County where all senior students successfully passed the exam.Lartey Bemah, principal of Bopolu Public School (2012-2013), Gbarpolu County, Liberia

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Nov 7, 2014
• ISBN: 9781499070453

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Copyright © 2014 by Benjamin Freeman Jr.

ISBN:      Softcover      978-1-4990-7044-6

                eBook           978-1-4990-7045-3

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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Rev. date: 11/05/2014

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CONTENTS

Acknowledgment

About Lipace

A Message From Executive Director

Introduction

Know The Exam

Strategies For Passing The Exam

General Expectations On Test Day

Understanding The Content

Cracking The Compulsory (Core) Sections

Cracking The Science Section

Cracking The General Section

Understanding Exam Dos And Don’ts

Practice Section

Language Arts

Mathematics

Biology

Physics

Chemistry

Economics

Geography

History

Literature In English

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

We recognize the fact that producing a study guide of this kind inevitably requires teamwork and diligence. The Liberia Institute for the Promotion of Academic Excellence expresses sincere gratitude and profound appreciation to the following people who played pivotal role in the production of this guide.

Editorial Oversight & Production Leadership (LIPACE)

Benjamin M. Freeman Jr

Teddy S. Hallie

Analytical Research (LIPACE)

Reuben Ban (Lead Researcher)

Dale G. Gbotoe (WAEC Liaison)

Warton K. Pewu

Marcus Kpoleh

Darus Dolewon

Issac Depity

Cyrus Garteh

Saydee Zeiguah

Logistics & Presentation (LIPACE)

Ahmed Massaley

Michael Francis

Alphonso T. Sackor (Turning the Tide Tutor Representative)

Sappon Tubwon (Draft Typist)

All deserve our utmost gratitude for the time, skill and energy put in preparing this guide. The collaboration and utmost support from all staffs at LIPACE was just impressive.

ABOUT LIPACE

The Liberia Institute for the Promotion of Academic Excellence (LIPACE) is an accredited youth led non-governmental organization that applies a data-driven approach in designing programs and projects aimed at improving access to quality education in Liberia. LIPACE programs are designed to reduce the performance level gap and bridge the existing learning gap between school and the world of work while ensuring access to quality education for all.

In 2011, LIPACE partnered with a youth led organization Youth Exploring Solutions for the implementation of its Turning the Tide project. Through Turning the Tide, LIPACE’s flagship program, LIPACE has addressed the problem of the high rate of Liberian students who are failing to pass the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) exam. LIPACE held remedial classes in three different counties over a three-month period. As a result, approximately 75% of the students enrolled in tutorial classes passed their exam, compared to national passing average of 69%. Notably, the passing rate in Bomi and Gbarpolu Counties more than doubled in the three years since the program was established.

LIPACE have expanded its project scope to Gbarpolu, Bomi, Nimba, Bong and Montseraddo counties and have formed partnerships with institutions such as the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), We Care Foundation, as well as corporate institutions as Lonestar Cell MTN. With a growing relationship with more than 100 secondary schools and project impact benefiting more than 10,000 students and 125 school teachers in Montseraddo, Bomi and Gbarpolu Counties, LIPACE remain determined to form sustainable partnerships to expand the impact of her work in aiding in the acceleration of our educational reform process.

A MESSAGE FROM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Greetings,

I am thrilled on behalf of the staffs of LIPACE to extend our deepest thanks to all who worked tirelessly towards the production of this pilot study guide for the WAEC exam. This study guide is a visible testimony of the commitment we made three years ago to help in reducing the massive failure of students in the WAEC exam. Through partnership with WAEC over the last two years, we have achieved an amazing impact but the fact remains that our scale is small. We have yet to reach 10% of the annual exam takers.

The need for us to increase the impressive impact of our work led to the design of this pilot study guide for senior students sitting the WAEC exam. Though the journey to this accomplishment was daunting, we demonstrated our selfless commitment and unflinching dedication to improving Liberia’s educational system. We are so proud to live the truthfulness of the words of Nelson Mandela when he said; it always seem impossible until it is done.

To our senior students, I encourage you to peer through with a great sense of diligence. I am convinced your dream of passing the WAEC exam can be guaranteed through the proper use of this exam guide and all of its features. Thanks a lot for your unwavering support to us and we look forward to an even more cordial relationship working together to achieve our goal of impacting change in our educational system at the macro level.

Truly yours,

Benjamin M. Freeman Jr.

Executive Director – LIPACE

THERE IS NO GREAT ACHIEVEMENT THAT DID NOT

REQUIRE PREPARATION

This publication is a guide produce wholly by the Liberia Institute for the Promotion of Academic Excellence and is independent of WAEC as an examination body. Your study of this guide does not guarantee that you are bound to be successful in your exam.

INTRODUCTION

This study guide is intended to help you get the best results on your WAEC exam and help reduce the massive failure of students in the exam.

One section focuses on helping you understand the rubrics (common rules) about the exam. In that section, you’ll find everything you need to know about the exam and some proven test taking strategies for you to use when you sit the exam. These strategies have work well in time past for previous test takers even out of Liberia and you can rest assure that once you commit to understanding and applying them it will definitely help you increase your chances of passing the exam.

The next section focuses on the content of the exam and key topics that you would need to understand before sitting the exam. We are hoping that this section will help you demand more from your teachers and gauge your preparedness level before the exam. Our analytical research team identified these key topics as cutting edge topics because of their regularity on past exams and you would do yourself a lot good understanding these topics. We encouraged you to read this study guide carefully and answer the practice test before you leave for the exam.

LIPACE monitors the WAEC exam and is no stranger to the components of the exam. Our strategies and core topics were developed through exhaustive analysis of past exam papers and a careful research into the methods by which standardized test are to be taken.

In addition, LIPACE core value as a youth led organization means that every member of our team at one point in time sat the exam and had positive and negative experiences that we feel will better your experience on the WAEC exam and contribute to you passing.

1   KNOW THE EXAM

What is the WAEC exam? Who makes the test? What constitute a good score on the WAEC exam? The answers to these questions and many others are found within this exam guide. In the next few pages, we’ll give you some key points on the things you need to know about the WAEC exam.

CRACKING THE WAEC EXAM

For a lot of students, taking a standardized test like the WAEC exam usually brings out a number of different emotions many of whom are negative. But here’s the good news: this study guide is going to make this whole ordeal a lot easier for you. We’ll give you the information you need to do well on the WAEC exam including our time tested and proven strategies and techniques for getting a better grade on the exam. Senior students sitting the exam ought to bear in mind that there are several important skills that are needed to be cultivated while preparing for the exam and each of them is attainable with the right guidance (something we will give you), a strong study ethic (something you must give yourself) and a healthy dose of optimism (reward for them all).

WHAT IS THE WAEC EXAM?

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) exam is an exam that is administer in both the Junior High school and secondary schools across Liberia. It is intended to evaluate senior students leaving high schools for possible enrollment into colleges and universities. The exam is the most reliable assessment of student’s competency in Liberia and has the trust of a number of international evaluations body including the World Evaluation Services.

The timing portion of the exam per subject consists of the following section:

• 30 minutes for shading in numbers, subject code and sex code (In recent years, WAEC have provided shaded answer sheets for students needing to verify their personal information during the allotted time!!)

• 1 hour for multiple choice questions

• 1 hour 30 minutes for essay questions

*Note: There might be changes to the time which are routinely made by WAEC either for a certain subject or for the whole exam.

WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF THE WAEC EXAM?

The structure of the WAEC exam has been around for the last three decades but by 2016, the government through the Ministry of Education and WAEC have agreed to transition to a new version of the exam called the West African Senior Secondary School Certificate Exam (WASSCE). This test is the same for other West African countries including Ghana, Sierra Leone, Gambia and Nigeria. This new test will be practically longer in length and will include a test of practical and a theoretical section which involves writing and a strong analytical background on the part of sitters.

TEST STRUCTURE

You should expect to see something in this sequence when you sit the test:

• The first section on the paper collects all of your biographical information. Be sure to verify all of the information such as Name Spelling, Date of Birth, Name of School and Sex.

• Once this is completed you can now proceed to the multiple choice section of the exam. You will probably have at least one hour for this section.

• After the multiple choice section you will have 10 minutes break but in some cases supervisors may proceed with the essay section right away. Be sure to make good use of the break if given by taking a walk, or stretching up your arms and legs.

WHAT DOES A WAEC SCORE LOOK LIKE?

The grading system used by WAEC is a number base system:

1 – Excellent

2 - Very Good

3 - Good

4, 5, 6 - Credit

7, 8 - Pass

9 – Fail

The grades boundary per subject for each of the grades is determined at the subject awards meeting held by the Test Development Division of WAEC after which the grade/calculation sheets are submitted for processing.

HOW DOES WAEC OBTAIN THE FINAL GRADE FOR A CANDIDATE?

The final grade