The comprehension passage tests whether you can understand what you read and express it clearly. WAEC examiners mark for understanding, accuracy, and your ability to rephrase: not for whether you copied the passage word-for-word.
The five-step approach
1. Read the questions FIRST so you know what to look for. 2. Read the passage once for general meaning. 3. Read again: this time underlining key sentences relevant to each question. 4. Answer in your own words. If you lift phrases directly, you score less. 5. Check your answers are complete sentences and make grammatical sense.
Types of comprehension questions
• Factual: 'According to the passage...': the answer is directly in the text. • Inferential: 'What do you think the author means...': you must read between the lines. • Vocabulary: 'Find a word in the passage that means...': context is everything. • Summary: 'In not more than 50 words, summarise...': covered in the next lesson.
Vocabulary in context
When asked to explain a word or phrase, read the whole sentence: even the sentence before and after. The surrounding context almost always tells you what the word means even if you have never seen it before. Example: 'The politician's actions were perfidious, betraying the trust of every constituent who voted for him.' 'Perfidious' means treacherous: the word 'betraying' tells you.
Key points
- Read questions before the passage
- Use your own words: avoid direct copying
- Factual vs inferential: know the difference
- Use context clues for vocabulary questions
- Write complete, grammatically correct sentences
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WAEC tip
WAEC deducts marks for answers that are too long. Each question has a mark allocation: one mark usually needs one point, not three sentences.
Practise this
Find a recent WAEC English past paper. Time yourself on the comprehension section: 40 minutes maximum. Then mark it against the marking scheme.
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