How to write a WAEC English essay with an example

Start a WAEC English essay by identifying the form, audience and purpose in the question. Decide what each paragraph will do before writing. When you finish, read the prompt again and check whether your response covers every task and follows the instructions printed on the paper.

Read the prompt before you plan

Original practice prompt. Write an article for your school magazine about the litter left after lunch. Explain how it affects students and suggest three things students can do to reduce it.

The form is a magazine article and the main readers are other students. The task has two parts. Explain why the litter matters, then give three actions students can take. A title can introduce the issue and a direct opening can show the readers why it concerns them.

1. Open with a familiar scene and explain the effect of litter on students using the school grounds.
2. Give each action its own paragraph. Explain what students can do, where they can do it, and how it helps.
3. Close by asking readers to try a specific step. Give yourself time to check tense, punctuation, paragraph breaks and the required length.

Sample school-magazine article

A cleaner courtyard starts at lunch

At the end of lunch, the benches near the canteen should be a good place to sit and talk. Instead, we sometimes come back to a courtyard scattered with biscuit wrappers and half-empty water sachets. When it rains, rubbish collects near the drain and water spreads across the path. Students walking back to class have to step around muddy patches. A place many of us use every day becomes a place we hurry through.

We can begin by bringing less packaging to school. A washable bottle or a lunch box can be used again the next day. If you buy a snack that comes in a wrapper, keep the wrapper in your bag or pocket until you reach a bin. The class can also choose one day to see how many of us bring a refillable bottle. We can share ideas with anyone who wants to try it. The aim is to make the useful habit easier to remember.

We can also make better use of the bins we already have. On busy days, the bin closest to the canteen fills before some students finish eating. Leaving rubbish next to a full bin gives the wind a chance to scatter it. Take it to the next available bin and tell a prefect or teacher if the area regularly runs out of space. We could ask the school to try placing a bin near the busiest exit during lunch and check whether fewer wrappers end up along the path.

Finally, each class can take a short turn checking the area where its members sit. A pair of students could look over the benches after lunch and remind classmates to collect anything they have left. If they see something sharp or unsafe, they should tell an adult. A simple class rota would give everyone a turn. It would also help us notice where litter keeps appearing, so we can bring a specific problem to the student council.

This week, start with the item you carry out of the canteen most often. Bring a reusable container for it if that works for you, or decide which bin you will pass on your way back to class. Before you leave the courtyard, look once at the ground around your bench. If the space is clean, someone arriving after you will have somewhere pleasant to sit. That is a result we can see by the end of one lunch break.

What to notice in the sample

• The opening answers the first part of the prompt with a specific effect on students. It shows what happens on the path after rain.
• Each middle paragraph has one job. The writer reduces packaging, improves bin use, then sets up a class routine. Each suggestion names a situation in which a student can act.
• The conclusion asks for one action the magazine reader can try during the week. It ties the action back to the courtyard in the opening.

Edit your own practice response

Try a new prompt about making better use of the school library. Plan one effect and three actions. Draft the article, then underline the sentence in each paragraph that addresses the task. If a paragraph has no clear job, revise the opening sentence or remove detail that takes you away from the prompt.

Use WAEC’s English Language e-Learning materials to compare question types and examiner comments. Put one new writing task and one editing task in your weekly revision plan so you can practise both skills.