Literature in English · Lesson 7

Writing Literature essays (WAEC Papers 2 and 3)

JAMBWAECNECO

What the syllabus asks

JAMB: textual analysis skills (theme, plot, setting, characterisation, style, socio-political relevance) applied to prescribed texts

WAEC: Paper 2 essays on African and non-African prose (one from each section, 1 h 15 min, 50 marks); Paper 3 essays on African and non-African drama and poetry (one from each of four sections, 2 h 30 min, 100 marks); answering character, theme, technique and significance questions

NECO: Paper 2 essays on African and non-African prose (one from each section, 1 h 15 min, 50 marks); Paper 3 essays on African and non-African drama and poetry (one from each of four sections, 2 h 30 min, 100 marks); answering character, theme, technique and significance questions

What you will learn

Describe the WAEC essay papers and plan timing.
Decode questions into instruction, focus and limit.
Choose and plan an essay quickly.
Write introductions, PEEL paragraphs and conclusions.
Use incidents, quotations and close reference effectively.
Write character, theme, technique, poetry and comparison essays.

Key points

WAEC Paper 2: two prose essays (1 h 15 min); Paper 3: four drama/poetry essays (2 h 30 min); about 35 minutes each.
Decode: instruction word, focus, limit; answer exactly that.
Choose the question you can prove with four or more points.
Plan for about five minutes: thesis, points, evidence, order.
Introduction: name text and author, answer the question.
Body: PEEL paragraphs, one point each.
Evidence: incident, short embedded quotation, close reference; always explain.
Character questions: traits, role, significance; theme questions: aspects; technique questions: device and effect.
Poetry: avoid line-by-line paraphrase; compare point by point.
Conclusion: sum up and judge; present tense; formal English; check at the end.

Start here: How Literature essays are examined

Most of the marks in WAEC and NECO Literature come from essays. JAMB is wholly objective, but the thinking you develop for essays (finding evidence, explaining effect) also improves your JAMB score.

WAEC (WASSCE) essay papers

Paper 2 (prose): Section A African prose, Section B non-African prose. Two questions are set on each prescribed novel; you answer one from each section, in 1 hour 15 minutes, for 50 marks. That is about 35 minutes per essay.
Paper 3 (drama and poetry): four sections: African drama, non-African drama, African poetry, non-African poetry. You answer one question from each section (four essays) in 2 hours 30 minutes for 100 marks. That is about 35 minutes per essay.
No essay is set on the Shakespeare play; it is tested by context questions in Paper 1.

NECO

NECO SSCE Literature also has essay papers on prose, drama and poetry under the same national curriculum. Check the exact current timings with your school, because this lesson only confirms WAEC’s figures from the WAEC syllabus.

What examiners reward

Essay marking in Literature generally rewards four things:

Relevance: you answer the exact question set.
Knowledge of the text: accurate incidents, characters and close references.
Analysis: you explain how and why, not only what.
Expression and organisation: clear, correct English in well-built paragraphs.

Worked example 7.1

WAEC Paper 3 is 150 minutes for 4 essays. If you spend 5 minutes reading the paper first, how long is left for each essay?

150 − 5 = 145 minutes.
145 ÷ 4 = 36.25 minutes.

About 36 minutes per essay

💡 Exam tip: plan your time before the exam. Running out of time on the fourth essay is one of the commonest causes of lost marks.

Try it yourself. How many essays do you write in WAEC Paper 2, and on what?

Show solution

Two: one on African prose and one on non-African prose.

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Practice questions

1. WAEC Literature Paper 3 requires candidates to write

four essays, one from each section
two essays
one essay
six essays

Show answer

A: four essays, one from each section
Sections: African drama, non-African drama, African poetry, non-African poetry.

2. WAEC Literature Paper 2 contains essays on

Shakespeare only
unseen poetry only
grammar
African and non-African prose

Show answer

D: African and non-African prose
One question from each section.

3. In WAEC Literature, the Shakespeare text is tested by

an oral examination
no questions at all
context questions in Paper 1
an essay in Paper 3

Show answer

C: context questions in Paper 1
There is no Shakespeare essay.

4. “Account for” in an essay question means

list the characters
give reasons why
retell the story
describe the setting

Show answer

B: give reasons why
It asks for explanation.

5. “Examine” or “discuss” asks you to

consider several points and support them with evidence
write a short summary
copy the question
give only your opinion

Show answer

A: consider several points and support them with evidence
Balance and evidence earn marks.

Key words

Thesis: Your one-sentence answer to the question.
Instruction word: The verb telling you what to do: discuss, examine, account for.
Focus: The topic named in the question.
Limit: A restriction on the scope of the question.
PEEL: Point, Evidence, Explanation, Link.
Topic sentence: The sentence stating a paragraph’s point.
Embedded quotation: A short quotation built into your own sentence.
Close reference: A precise paraphrase of a textual detail.
Significance: A character’s or incident’s importance to plot and theme.
Point-by-point comparison: Comparing two texts on one aspect per paragraph.
Literary present: Using the present tense to discuss texts.
Relevance: Answering the exact question set.

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