2024 WASSCE practicals underway

The practical aspect of this year’s Ghana Only West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for School Candidates (SC) is underway in the various senior high schools (SHSs) across the country.

To help execute their Leatherwork, Sculpture, Graphic Design and Textiles projects, among others, the candidates are using various tools, including chisels, scissors, cutters, needles, thread, awls, pliers, hammers, tape measures, mallets and office pins.

Projects

During a visit to some schools in Accra yesterday, some candidates were spotted in their working gear busily undertaking various projects to respond to questions posed in the examination.

Questions for the project work for Leatherwork, Ceramics, Picture Making Basketry, Graphic Design, Textiles and Jewellery were given to candidates two weeks in advance to ensure adequate preparation.

Each project takes six hours a day with a two-hour break. That means the candidates are supposed to work for three hours, take a break and then return to complete their projects within the remaining three hours.

When the Daily Graphic visited Accra High School and St Thomas Aquinas School in Accra yesterday, the candidates were seen busily working on various products, including quivers and bottle holders.

At Accra High School, for instance, the candidates were undertaking leatherwork at the time of the visit.

While one could hear the sound of the mallet and the hammer being used by some candidates, others were seen using tools such as chisels, cutters, drive punch, scissors and soldering iron, both in and outside the classroom.

Interactions

In separate interactions, the candidates said the examination, which began last Monday, had been smooth so far. One of them, Sampson Agama, told the Daily Graphic that “so far it has been good and everything is okay”.

He said his next paper was Graphic Design.

“For me, it is cool,” another candidate, Mohammed Sani Iddris, said, and indicated that the appreciation of the work they had done would be written the following day.

The Supervisor, Noble Otu, said the practicals were going to last for three weeks. He said previously the practicals lasted for two weeks, but per the new arrangement of the department all the candidates were doing the same elective.

Preparations

“The West African Examinations Council gave the questions two weeks ahead of time to enable the students to prepare before the start of the examination,” he said.

At Thomas Aquinas, some of the students were also seen working in the classroom, while others were under a canopy and a chalet. The candidates, who are doing Picture Making and Graphic Design, also used tools such as cardboards, painting brushes, acrylic paint and pencils.  

A candidate, Abdul Razak Sheriff, who was seen designing a calendar, said the examination was okay. “I like what I am doing and the teachers say I am doing well,” he said.

Another student, Charles Koomson, also said everything went according to plan. The Assistant Supervisor, Eugene Twum-Ampofo, said the practical work had been smooth. 

Third successive WASSCE-SC

Ghanaian candidates are sitting the Ghana Only WASSCE-SC for the third successive time because the other four-member countries of WAEC — Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Leone and The Gambia — have returned to the May/June calendar for WASSCE school candidates.

The ‘new normal’ calendar for Ghana was occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.