Speeches and Article Writing

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Speeches and Article Writing are two of the four compulsory essay-type options in WAEC WASSCE English Language Paper 1 (Section B), tested through Question 4 (Speech) and Question 5 (Article). A speech is delivered live to a seated audience and uses direct address; an article is written for a newspaper readership. Each option attracts about 12–13 marks under the WAEC Essay scheme (Content 24, Organisation 15, Expression 11, shared across one chosen question).

Speech cues: “as the head boy/girl”, “addressing your school”, “delivering a welcome address”.
Article cues: “as a newspaper article”, “for publication in a national daily”.
Target length: around 450–550 words, equivalent to one legible handwritten page.
Marks lost fastest: wrong format, missing salutation, no paragraph breaks, ignoring the given role.

Feature	Speech	Article
Salutation	”Mr Chairman, distinguished guests…”	None — supply a title
Voice	First-person plural “we/us”	Detached or columnist voice
Closing device	Slogan + thank-you	Recommendation or verdict
Register	Persuasive, oral	Informative/analytical, written

🟡 Standard — Regular Study (2d–2mo)

Standard content for students with a few days to months.

Identifying the Required Format

The WAEC question stem gives explicit cues. Phrases like “deliver a speech as the Senior Prefect” or “addressing the graduating set” signal Question 4, demanding a speech. Phrases like “write an article suitable for publication in The Guardian” signal Question 5, demanding a feature article. Mixing the two formats — opening an article with “Dear Editor” or ending a speech with a recommendation paragraph — is the single most penalised error.

Anatomy of a WAEC Speech

A speech follows a fixed rhetorical skeleton. Begin with a salutation naming the audience (chairman, principal, guests, colleagues), then state the occasion and purpose in the introduction. The body should carry three to four points, each with rhetorical devices such as repetition, rhetorical questions, parallelism, and emotive appeals. Close with a memorable slogan or call to action, and end with “Thank you for listening.”

Anatomy of a WAEC Article

An article opens with a catchy title (e.g. The Menace of Exam Malpractice), followed by an introductory paragraph that frames the issue. Subsequent paragraphs each develop one main idea with a topic sentence, supported by examples, statistics, or quoted authority. The final paragraph offers a recommendation, prediction, or reflective verdict consistent with the title’s stance.

The WAEC Marking Lens

Criterion	Marks	What the examiner scans for
Content	24	Relevance, depth, and balanced treatment of the topic
Organisation	15	Paragraphing, logical flow, intro–body–conclusion
Expression & Mechanics	11	Grammar, spelling, punctuation, appropriate vocabulary

Use register matching the audience (formal for school assembly, semi-formal for a youth column).
Keep a consistent tone — persuasive for speeches, analytical or persuasive for articles.
Maintain the stipulated role: writing as yourself when told to write as the Head Boy breaks the voice contract.

🔴 Extended — Deep Study (3mo+)

Comprehensive coverage for students on a longer study timeline.

Edge Cases and Examiner Traps

WAEC rewards candidates who obey the role, audience, and purpose triangle. A question asking you to “address new students on the dangers of drug abuse” requires three identifications: you are the Head Boy, the audience is freshers, and the purpose is to warn and persuade. Slip on any one and the answer reads as a generic essay. Another trap is the argumentative article that demands a balanced view — WAEC penalises one-sided rants unless the question explicitly says “support” or “against”.

Connecting to Adjacent Skills

Speech writing overlaps with debate and oratory tested in oral English, while article writing feeds into comprehension summary and letter-to-the-editor tasks. The paragraphing discipline used here is identical to the organisation scheme in Narrative/Descriptive essays (Question 7).

Common Mistakes to Pre-empt

Writing “Dear Sir” inside an article body — that belongs to Question 6 (Letter Writing).
Omitting the slogan line in a speech, which leaves the ending flat and forfeits rhetorical marks.
Producing under 400 words so ideas appear skeletal and Content marks collapse below 12.
Padding with repetition of the same point in different words, which Organisation marks down.

Worked Micro-Plan: Question 5 — “Write an article for publication in a national newspaper on the rising cost of living and its effects on students.”

Section	What to write
Title	When Textbooks Become a Luxury
Para 1	Hook — a student skipping meals to buy handouts
Para 2	Causes — fuel price hikes, naira devaluation, school fees
Para 3	Effects — dropout risk, poor concentration, mental strain
Para 4	Government and school-level recommendations
Closing	Forward-looking verdict: education must not become a casualty

Practice Prompts

As the Head Girl, deliver a speech at your school’s prize-giving day urging students to embrace reading culture.
Write an article titled “Social Media: A Blessing or a Curse?” for publication in your school magazine.

Target 45 minutes per essay in the exam hall — 5 minutes planning, 35 minutes writing, 5 minutes proofreading for spelling and paragraph breaks.

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Speeches and Article Writing