EDUCATION-NEWS CONSULT – 2023 APRIL HOME MOCK GENERAL EXAMINER’S REPORT ON ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND MATHEMATICS
April 2023 BECE Home Mock Examiner’s Reports (Maths, English, Social Studies)
This is a general report covering the performance of candidates in Maths and English. This has been put together instead of the individual reports to help all candidates and parents know the issues that confronted candidates.
English Language Examiner’s Report
Most students have a weak foundation in Literature or do not take the section seriously. The literature paper is an easy-to-score paper worth 10 marks. However, candidates do not have the needed understanding. They should take the section seriously. 10 marks from literature can change your grade, and every mark is important.
Most candidates have a challenge providing synonyms that replace words in the comprehension passage without the passage/word losing its meaning. Some seem to be carried away by providing more than one word or phrase. Note that, anytime a candidate provides more than one phrase or word to replace another in the passage, and one of the alternatives provided is wrong, the candidate scores zero. Hence, they must provide one answer which is the best to replace the word in the passage.
Students must desist from offering two synonyms or phrases to replace one word. Always provide one phrase or word that is the best answer. Where a candidate provides two answers for one question and one of the answers provided is wrong, the candidate scores zero for that answer.
Students need to keep the essay question in mind when writing. A lot of candidates seem not to brainstorm questions and plan, leading to long essays that provide less information needed to score good marks. Some do not know the features of narrative and descriptive essays, hence many wrote without for instance “Titles”
Candidates should master one address writing approach and keep to it. Students have challenges writing an address for a letter. They should master either the blocked or indented and keep using just that. In doing this, they should also watch and master how the date is written if the indented address is used, and the punctuation.
Candidates need to master or know the features of each letter format and ensure they apply them when answering questions. This also requires them to know whether a question is a friendly letter or a formal letter.
The examiner could not understand how final year BECE candidates will write a narrative/descriptive essay without neatly writing titles, underling them, and making sure they are centred neatly. This is unacceptable and candidates must sit up. Candidates must apply all the features of narratives/descriptive essays if they decide to attempt such questions.
Candidates are advised to plan and brainstorm essay questions and jot down points to be used before starting the essay.
Some candidates demonstrated very good writing skills, spelling, vocabulary, and grammar which is better than the March examination. Reading more stories and content helps candidates to polish their tenses, and spelling, among others.
Candidates should stop rewriting the full question before answering. It is a waste of time and also not allowed. The candidate should write the question number boldly and then provide the needed answers.
Candidates who rewrite the question before answering are warned to stop it. It is never done at any final examination and must not be a habit during these mock.
Take note that students who copy questions before answering do not often do well, and they only waste precious time. It may also be an indication to the examiner that you are just feeling spaces.
Most candidates who answered the letter-writing question scored very good marks. The question was the easiest to handle. Most candidates who answered the question deployed good grammatical constructions, and explained reasons for not attending the party.
How over candidates who answered the questions on festival and narrative did fair to poor work on the topics.
There is the need for candidates to revise by reading about one festival, one interesting story, and one sad ending story to be able to make good choices should questions be posed requiring such information.
Mathematics Examiner’s Report
Most candidates have problems with objective tests –It is recommended that candidates strive for a grade of one by solving more questions. Pay attention to the objectives test as well.
Some candidates performed far below average. Such results are not encouraging. Students need to cover more topics, solve past questions and engage in more practice.
Candidates need to sit up and work hard on showing working and providing steps since Mathematics is marked based on steps and not the final answer.
GENERAL OUTLOOK FROM EXAMINERS FOR THE FEBRUARY TO APRIL 2023 MOCKS CONDUCTED BY EDUCATION-NEWS CONSULT
Apart from the Worrying 2023 BECE Home Mock Examiner’s Reports above, parents, teachers, candidates, and schools need to know the following from our last three mocks for schools and individual candidates.
The results released come with a brief examiner’s report which must be taken seriously. The trend analysis from the last three mocks has revealed that
- BECE candidates or schools do not take the literature aspect of the English paper seriously. The general performance of candidates in the literature is weak.
- Most BECE 2022 candidates have a challenge answering descriptive-related essay questions. Teachers of the English language need to help their candidates master the organization, content, etc. of such essays and test their candidates in such areas often to help bring the needed improvement.
- Students are faced with the challenge of communicating answers accurately to obtain the full marks allocated.
- Candidates do not know how to approach Social Studies Questions. Social Studies teachers should not only concentrate on the completion of topics but must begin to dedicate quality time to teaching candidates how to answer social studies questions to obtain the allocated marks in full.
- Students further showed weakness in integrated science, especially in JHS2 and JHS1 topics, in our March Exam. In April, we examined our candidates in only JHS2 and JHS1 topics. It has come to light after the April Mock that most candidates do not have good control of topics in JHS2. However, those of JHS1 were better. Candidates and schools need to revise JHS two topics carefully for integrated science because that can determine the performance of the candidates should WAEC tap into questions in that class.
It is also possible that schools do not teach certain topics well enough for candidates to grasp the concepts and scientific knowledge. The biggest headache for candidates has to do with the practical aspect of the science paper.
READ: 2023 BECE marking process & grading system explained by WAEC
Finally, candidates must know that knowing the answer and not being able to express them in the English language has a negative effect on their scores and grade. Revisions and learning sessions should not only be about reading materials but also practicing, thus, retaining knowledge, rewriting them, and answering questions from retained knowledge to train the brain to recollect during the examination and to get ready for the upcoming examination.
We hope all and sundry will take these observations captured in this April 2023 BECE Home Mock Examiner’s Reports (Maths, English, Social Studies) article seriously.