WAEC and NECO English Language

Comprehension & summary — questions and answers

4 high-yield, syllabus-aligned questions on Comprehension & summary, covering 12 individually creditable mark points. Each one shows the answer that scores full marks under our guide, which phrase earns which mark, and a common incomplete answer — so you can see the difference rather than guess at it.

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Every question and solution is reviewed by examiners versed in WAEC and JAMB, each with more than thirty years of experience.

Mark allocations are TopMarks’ own, written against the published syllabus and Chief Examiners’ reports. They are a guide to how these answers are usually credited, not an official marking scheme.

State4 marks

State four rules that must be followed when answering a summary question.

TopMarks model answer

Answer in your own words as far as possible, rather than copying whole sentences from the passage. Write in complete sentences, not in note form or in bullet points, unless the question directs otherwise. Give only the number of points asked for; extra points are not credited and they cost time. Keep strictly within the topic set by the question, and do not add your own opinions, examples or comments.

Suggested marking guide

  1. 1Use your own words
  2. 2Write in complete sentences
  3. 3Give only the number of points asked for
  4. 4No personal opinion or material from outside the passage

Why it scores

The rule about the NUMBER of points is the one that surprises candidates. If the question asks for four points and you give six, the examiner marks the first four and stops — so a wrong point placed early can displace a correct one you wrote later. Order your points with the strongest first.

A common incomplete answer

“Write in your own words and do not copy from the passage.”

What it costs: Three marks of four. The own-words rule is credited, but nothing about complete sentences, nothing about the number of points, and nothing about excluding your own opinions.

Key ideas to include: own words, complete sentences, number of points, lifting, relevance.

Explain2 marks

Explain why lifting a whole sentence from the passage usually scores no mark in a summary question.

TopMarks model answer

A summary tests the candidate’s ability to identify the required idea and to re-express it in their own words, so copying shows only that the sentence containing the idea has been located, not that it has been understood. A lifted sentence also usually carries extra material that is not relevant to the point asked for, which shows that the idea has not been isolated from its surroundings.

Suggested marking guide

  1. 1The skill being tested is re-expression and understanding
  2. 2A lifted sentence carries irrelevant material

Why it scores

The second reason is the practical one. Lifting is penalised not only because it is copying, but because a sentence from the passage almost always contains more than the single point asked for — so the answer is no longer a summary of that point. Isolating the idea IS the skill.

A common incomplete answer

“Because copying is not allowed in a summary.”

What it costs: Both marks. It states the rule without giving any reason, and “explain” asks for the reason. Neither the skill being tested nor the problem of irrelevant material is mentioned.

Key ideas to include: lifting, own words, isolate the point, relevance.

State3 marks

State three strategies for answering a comprehension question that asks for the meaning of a word as used in the passage.

TopMarks model answer

Read the whole sentence in which the word appears, together with the sentences before and after it, because the meaning required is the one the context gives and not the dictionary meaning you already know. Replace the word with your suggested answer and read the sentence again to check that it still makes sense. Give your answer in the same part of speech as the original word: replace a verb with a verb and a noun with a noun, or the answer will not fit the sentence.

Suggested marking guide

  1. 1Use the context
  2. 2Substitute your answer and check that it reads correctly
  3. 3Keep the same part of speech

Why it scores

The part-of-speech rule is where most of these marks are lost. Asked for the meaning of “mounted” in “the tension mounted”, a candidate answers “climbed onto a horse” — a real meaning of the word, in the wrong grammatical form and the wrong context. Substituting your answer back into the sentence catches that instantly.

A common incomplete answer

“Use the context of the passage to work out what the word means.”

What it costs: Two marks of three. The context rule is credited, but nothing about substituting your answer back to test it, and nothing about matching the part of speech.

Key ideas to include: context, substitution test, part of speech, contextual meaning.

Explain3 marks

Explain the difference between a literal question and an inference question in comprehension, and state how each should be answered.

TopMarks model answer

A literal question asks for information that is stated directly in the passage, so the answer can be found in the text and needs only to be re-expressed accurately in your own words. An inference question asks for something that is not stated but is implied, so the answer must be worked out from the evidence in the passage. An inference answer should therefore be supported by pointing to the words or details in the passage that lead to it.

Suggested marking guide

  1. 1Literal: the answer is stated directly
  2. 2Inference: the answer is implied and must be worked out
  3. 3An inference answer must be supported by evidence

Why it scores

The third mark is the technique. An inference answer that simply asserts a conclusion looks like a guess; the same answer with “because the writer says …” attached looks like reading. Anchoring your inference to a specific detail in the passage is what turns it into a creditable answer.

A common incomplete answer

“A literal answer is stated in the passage while an inference answer is implied.”

What it costs: One mark of three. Both definitions are credited, but the question also asked HOW each should be answered, and nothing is said about supporting an inference with evidence from the text.

Key ideas to include: literal, inference, implied, evidence from the passage.

Practise Comprehension & summary on real questions

Reading a full-mark answer is the first half. Writing one under time is the other. A free account opens exam-standard practice in English Language with the full solution on every question.

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