WASSCE Liberia: English Language - WASSCE Liberia

English Language - WASSCE Liberia

The English Language paper tests reading comprehension, summary writing, vocabulary in context, grammar and usage, and continuous writing. The objective paper rewards precise reading; the essay paper rewards a clear plan and controlled expression. Treat every passage as evidence: answers must come from the text, not from general knowledge.

Core rules and concepts

• Comprehension: match the command word - state, explain, describe, compare. Use your own words unless the question asks for a quotation.
• Summary: find the required number of points, remove examples and repetition, and stay within the word limit. A summary is not a shortened copy.
• Lexis and structure: test the word in its sentence. Revise concord, tense sequence, prepositions, idioms, and commonly confused pairs such as affect/effect and its/it’s.
• Essay: choose a topic you can support, plan three or four paragraphs, and keep a consistent register. Formal letters need addresses, salutation, body, and closing.

Worked example

Sentence: The committee, together with its advisers, has submitted its report. The subject is committee, a singular collective noun. Together with its advisers is parenthetical, so it does not change the verb. The correct verb is has, and the possessive pronoun is its. A common wrong answer is have because advisers is plural and sits next to the verb.

Traps that cost marks

Copying long stretches in summary; ignoring word limits; answering comprehension with outside facts; shifting tense in a narrative essay; writing slang in a formal letter; choosing effect where a verb is needed.