WAEC-Style Descriptive Essay Questions and Answers

Introduction: Mastering WAEC Descriptive Essays

One recurring feature of WAEC English Language exams is the descriptive essay. In this type of essay, candidates are expected to paint vivid pictures with words, describing people, places, events, objects, or personal experiences. Unlike a narrative essay that focuses mainly on telling a story, a descriptive essay requires you to make your reader see, feel, and experience the subject as if they were present.

What Examiners Look For in Descriptive Essays

WAEC examiners award high marks to candidates who demonstrate:

• Creativity and originality: Going beyond the ordinary to make the description lively and engaging.
• Good organization: Arranging ideas logically in paragraphs, usually starting with an introduction, then description in detail, and a conclusion.
• Effective use of language: Employing appropriate vocabulary, figures of speech, and varied sentence structures to create strong imagery.
• Mechanical accuracy: Correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar throughout the essay.
• Clarity of expression: Writing in simple, clear English that is easy to follow, while avoiding slang or vague expressions.

Tips to Excel in WAEC Descriptive Essays

1. Plan before you write – jot down points you will describe and arrange them logically.
2. Use your senses – describe what you saw, heard, felt, smelt, and even tasted, where relevant.
3. Employ vivid vocabulary – words like buzzing, glittering, blazing, aromatic add colour.
4. Avoid storytelling only – focus on description. A little narrative may appear, but the emphasis must be on painting pictures with words.
5. Conclude neatly – round off your essay with a remark or reflection.

Below is a list of past WAEC descriptive essay questions to help you practice.

 

30 Past WAEC Descriptive Essay Questions

1. Describe your school’s environment on the day of a major inter-house sports competition.
2. Describe your best friend to someone who has never met him or her.
3. Describe your favourite teacher and explain why you admire him/her.
4. Describe your father or mother to someone who has not met them before.
5. Describe a day you will never forget in your life.
6. Describe the market in your area on a busy day.
7. Describe your classroom during an English Language lesson.
8. Describe your last birthday celebration.
9. Describe how you spent your last holiday.
10. Describe the person you admire most in your family.
11. Describe your best friend.
12. Describe a wedding ceremony you attended recently.
13. Describe your principal/head teacher.
14. Describe your village or hometown during a festival.
15. Describe your school library.
16. Describe an accident you witnessed.
17. Describe your favourite meal and how it is prepared.
18. Describe a rainy day in your area.
19. Describe the hospital you visited recently.
20. Describe a popular leader in your country.
21. Describe your experience on the first day in your present school.
22. Describe your best holiday experience.
23. Describe an event in your school that attracted visitors from outside.
24. Describe a room in your house.
25. Describe your elder brother/sister.
26. Describe the celebration of an important festival in your community.
27. Describe the morning of your last examination.
28. Describe a journey you made by bus or car.
29. Describe the compound where you live.
30. Describe a person who has influenced your life greatly.