West African Examinations Council
WASSCE English Language · Paper 3 — Test of Orals
Sat separately from the written papers.
8 exam-style questions, written to the West African Examinations Council format and free to read. The answers are here too — what they do not tell you is how many you would get right with a clock running.
1. This is written practice for the Test of Orals.
(a) Define word stress. [4 marks]
(b) State which syllable carries the stress in each of: 'photograph', 'photographer', 'photographic'. [6 marks]
(c) Explain how a change of stress can change the word class of 'record' and 'present', giving the meaning of each form. [10 marks]
2. This is written practice for the Test of Orals.
(a) Define a syllable. [3 marks]
(b) State the number of syllables in each of: 'beautiful', 'comfortable', 'necessary', 'opportunity'. [8 marks]
(c) Explain how syllable count affects where stress can fall in a word. [9 marks]
3. This is written practice for the Test of Orals.
(a) Explain what makes two words rhyme. [4 marks]
(b) From the list — 'height', 'weight', 'bite', 'eight' — group the words that rhyme and state the vowel sound of each group. [10 marks]
(c) Explain why spelling is an unreliable guide to rhyme in English. [6 marks]
4. This is written practice for the Test of Orals.
(a) Distinguish between voiced and voiceless consonants, giving two examples of each. [8 marks]
(b) State the consonant sound at the beginning of each of: 'thin', 'this', 'ship'. [6 marks]
(c) Explain why 'thin' and 'this' begin with different sounds although both are spelt 'th'. [6 marks]
5. This is written practice for the Test of Orals; the examined paper is delivered by audio.
(a) State the vowel sound represented by the underlined letters in each of: b**ea**t, b**i**t, b**e**d. [6 marks]
(b) Explain the difference between a long and a short vowel, giving one example of each. [8 marks]
(c) Give two words that rhyme with 'seat' and justify your choice by reference to the vowel sound. [6 marks]
Reading these is not the same as sitting them.
Every question above is answerable given time. The exam does not give you time. Sit the whole paper on the real clock and the number you get back is the one that means something.
Sit it against the clock — freeExampaper is an independent study service. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to WAEC, NECO, JAMB or any examination body. Exam names and subject titles are used only to describe what each paper is for.