THE WEST AFRICAN EXAMINATIONS COUNCIL
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
OF ENTRIES, RESULTS AND CHIEF
EXAMINERS’ REPORTS
ON THE
WEST AFRICAN SENIOR SCHOOL
CERTIFICATE EXAMINATION
(WASSCE)
CONDUCTED IN
THE GAMBIA
IN 2006
THE WEST AFRICAN EXAMINATIONS COUNCIL
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF
ENTRIES, RESULTS AND CHIEF EXAMINERS’ REPORTS
ON THE 2006 WEST AFRICAN SENIOR SCHOOL CERTIFICATE
EXAMINATION (WASSCE) CONDUCTED IN
THE GAMBIA
1.
MAY/JUNE 2006 WASSCE (FOR SCHOOL CANDIDATES)
(1)
Statistics of Entries and Results
(a)
Entry Figures
• Number of candidates that sat the examination
=
6,332
• Number of Male candidates
=
3,665
• Number of Female candidates
=
2,667
(i)
Table I: Subjects with Entry Figures above Three
Thousand (3,000) in the May/June 2004-2006 WASSCE
In The Gambia
Subject
Entries
% Increase
2004
2005
2006
Over 2005
English Language
4,730
5,597
6,358
11.97
Mathematics
4,730
5,597
6,358
11.97
Science (Core)
3,114
4,182
5,047
17.14
Agricultural Science
3,464
3,952
4,567
13.47
Economics
2,830
3,251
3,967
18.05
History
2,787
3,441
3,881
11.34
Islamic Studies
2,782
3,623
3,734
2.97
Geography
2,226
2,750
3,010
8.64
(ii)
Table II: Subjects with Entry Figures Between 1,000 and
3,000 in the May/June 2004-2006 WASSCE in The Gambia
Subject
Entries
% Increase
2004
2005
2006
Over 2005
Government
1,696
2,198
2611
15.82
Business Management
1,365
1,626
2107
22.83
Biology
1,849
1,968
1658
-18.70
Commerce
863
1,153
1657
30.42
Financial Accounting
1,265
1,429
1579
9.50
Literature-In-English
1,530
1,617
1493
-8.31
Visual Art
747
1,137
1376
17.37
1
(iii)
Table III: Subjects with Entry Figures Between 100 and 1,000
in the May/June 2004-2006 WASSCE in The Gambia
Subject
Entries
%
2004
2005
2006
Change
Foods & Nutrition
537
696
740
5.95
Chemistry
510
617
517
-19.34
Physics
436
482
439
-9.79
Technical Drawing
352
357
412
13.35
Christian Religious Studies
283
328
328
10.06
French
207
263
194
-35.57
Health Science
154
239
185
-29.19
Wood Work
166
226
182
-24.18
Physical Education
148
111
161
31.06
Further Mathematics
144
167
153
-9.15
Principles of Cost Accounting
90
88
136
35.29
Metal Work
150
157
112
-40.18
(iv)
Table IV: Subjects with Entry Figures less than 100 in the
May/June 2004-2006 WASSCE
Subject
Entries
%
2004
2005
2006
Change
Home Management
100
100
93
-7.00
Clothing & Textiles
41
51
71
39.22
Applied Electricity
25
25
28
12.00
Auto Mechanics
21
20
26
30.00
Typewriting
16
18
19
5.56
Arabic
10
2
2
0.00
Engineering Science
-
2
2
0.00
(2)
Interpretation of Entry Statistics
(a)
Overall entry figures increased within the 3-year period;
(b)
More males than females entered for the examination during the
period;
(c)
Science subjects recorded fluctuating entries;
(d)
Most Vocational subjects recorded low entries which also fluctuated
within the period;
(e)
Most Arts subjects recorded high entries which also increased steadily
within the period.
(f)
The lowest entry figures in 2006 were recorded in Arabic and
Engineering Science
2
(3)
Three-Year (2004-2006) Performance Statistics
(a)
Table V: Subjects with Steady Rise in Performance
% of Passes at Credit
% of Failure
Subject
Level (Grades A1-C6)
2004
2005
2006
2004
2005
2006
Economics
5.32
9.58
9.88
73.51
17.63
68.74
Islamic Studies
11.55
20.59
24.16
57.03
35.42
55.58
Geography
15.45
20.37
27.35
57.65
53.72
51.32
Commerce
6.03
8.24
9.32
86.03
88.14
79.75
Chemistry
13.88
16.28
32.3
65.19
68.79
64.09
Physics
17.63
37.58
42.22
34.33
34.34
28.77
Further Mathematics
23.18
39.24
46.85
35.50
33.54
19.58
Applied Electricity
48.00
80.00
100.00
40.00
0.00
0.00
(b)
Table VI: Subjects with Fluctuations in Performance
% of Passes at Credit Level
% of Failure
Subject
(Grades A1-C6)
2004
2005
2006
2004
2005
2006
English Language
4.18
5.97
3.89
72.00
67.88
75.95
Science (Core)
17.35
19.06
10.86
56.15
62.27
68.02
Agricultural Science
18.98
5.14
7.67
24.77
62.05
18.72
Business Management
35.15
19.86
42.23
47.65
62.21
36.61
Biology
17.71
17.53
24.8
58.96
59.26
48.01
Financial Accounting
11.48
7.98
8.49
69.55
76.44
74.87
Foods & Nutrition
24.52
33.92
27.03
18.39
19.32
35.28
Technical Drawing
42.66
56.49
43,67
37.20
29.12
45.33
Christian Religious Studies
24.27
44.29
19.87
46.01
30.45
58.36
French
42.21
27.53
33.15
43.71
56.28
46.74
Health Science
61.07
31.14
36.52
11.40
28.95
24.74
Physical Education
18.88
1.92
4.49
48.25
79.81
75.64
Metal Work
41.09
38.78
60.00
43.15
40.14
7.27
Home Management
9.00
38.38
15.38
35.00
12.12
24.47
Clothing & Textiles
21.95
21.57
33.33
31.70
31.37
44.93
Arabic
10.00
100.00
50.00
50.00
0.00
0.00
3
(c)
Table VII: Subjects with Steady Fall in Performance
% of Passes at Credit
% of Failure
Subject
Level (Grades A1-C6)
2004
2005
2006
2004
2005
2006
Mathematics
3.63
3.25
3.07
91.38
90.27
88.93
History
61.74
43.43
36.72
28.56
64.02
35.18
Government
51.74
25.46
22.18
28.56
54.55
62.78
Literature-in-English
20.66
18.70
16.94
49.15
55.00
57.48
Visual Art
43.23
25.73
20.07
2.54
37.04
39.33
Cost Accounting
48.93
48.78
44.53
35.10
35.37
48.44
Typewriting
60.00
44.44
38.89
26.66
38.39
33.33
(4)
Interpretation of Performance Statistics
(a)
On the average, less than 50% of candidates passed at credit
level (A1-C6) in the three-year period;
(b)
Less than 10% of the candidates passed at credit level in English
Language, Mathematics, Economics and Commerce;
(c)
Between 10% and 50% of the candidates passed at credit level in the
sciences and most of the Vocational subjects;
(d)
Performance in English Language, Biology, Science Core and most
of the vocational subjects fluctuated;
(e)
Performance in Mathematics, Cost Accounting, Typewriting and
Visual Arts among others, dropped steadily within the period;
(f)
Performance in Chemistry, Physics, Further Mathematics, Economics
and Geography among others improved steadily within the period.
(5)
Policy Implications of Statistics of Entries and performance
(a)
Access to education increased over the three-year period as shown by
the increase in overall entry figures for the three-year period.
(b)
Quality of education was poor over the three-year period as shown in
the percentage of candidates that passed at credit level (A1-C6) in most
subjects especially English Language, Mathematics, the Sciences as
well as the Vocational subjects.
(c)
The generally poor performance of candidates over the three-year
period is indicative of poor (and perhaps, declining) quality of
education at the senior secondary school level.
4
(d)
The low level of performance in English Language and Mathematics
(25% - 42%) over the three-year period calls for a review of the
strategies for the teaching and learning of the two subjects.
(6)
Recommendations
(a)
Government and school authorities should identify the causative
factors for the poor (and in some cases steadily declining) performance
level of school candidates at the senior secondary school level.
(b)
Government and school authorities should apply necessary
intervention strategies for quality assurance in education at the
secondary level.
(c)
Critical issues such as the learning environment, appropriate
infrastructure, required teaching aids and equipment,
appropriate number and quality of teachers, etc., should be
addressed by the appropriate authorities in the education sector.
(d)
Government and school authorities should engage the services of
qualified teachers of English Language and Mathematics and provide
appropriate teaching/learning equipment/facilities.
(e)
Government and school authorities should encourage the development
of literary and debating societies and other subject-based societies
(especially in the Sciences, Mathematics and vocational/technical
subjects), sponsorship of intra-school and inter-school debates,
quizzes and essay contests, among others.
(f)
Government should take necessary steps to make relevant books
readily available and affordable for students’ use.
5
2.
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2006 WASSCE (FOR PRIVATE CANDIDATES)
(1)
Statistics of Entries and Results
(a)
Entry Figures for November/December 2006
• Number of candidates that sat the examination
=
1,386
• Number of Male candidates
=
961
• Number of Female candidates
=
425
(b)
Entry Figures
(i)
Table I: Subjects with Entry Figures of over 400 in the
Nov/Dec 2006 WASSCE in The Gambia
Subjects
Entries
%Increase
2004
2005
2006
Over 2005
English Language
1514
1648
1320
-19.90
Mathematics
1014
1097
863
-21.33
Science
295
497
400
-24.25
Agricultural Science
574
525
460
-12.38
(ii)
Table II: Subjects with Entry Figures of between
100 and 400 in the Nov/Dec 2006 WASSCE in The Gambia
Subjects
Entries
%Increase
2004
2005
2006
Over 2005
Biology
506
338
263
-22.19
Business Management
214
297
229
-22.30
Commerce
270
209
193
-7.66
Financial Accounting
166
221
185
-16.29
Islamic Studies
556
516
298
-42.25
History
488
476
281
-40.97
Geography
180
194
154
-20.62
Government
424
437
247
-43.48
Economics
563
571
359
-37.13
Entries in all the above subjects dropped steadily. Entries in Islamic
Studies, History and Government dropped by more than forty per cent
(40%) below the previous year’s figures.
6
(iii)
Table III: Subjects with Entry Figures of less than 100 in the
Nov/Dec 2006 WASSCE in The Gambia
Subjects
Entries
%Increase
2004
2005
2006
Over 2005
Chemistry
83
72
88
22.22
Physics
57
53
66
0.25
Health Science
64
58
66
0.13
Further Mathematics
24
16
11
-0.31
Literature-In-English
80
115
84
-0.27
Cost Accounting
5
11
14
0.27
French
27
22
13
-0.41
Christian Religious Knowledge
21
18
24
33.33
Visual Arts
115
167
66
-0.60
Foods & Nutrition
29
35
30
-0.14
Technical Drawing
7
9
8
-0.11
Physical Education
13
8
4
-0.50
Home Management
8
3
7
1.33
(2)
Three-Year (2004-2006) Performance Statistics
(a)
Table IV: Subjects with Steady Rise in Performance
% of Passes at Credit
% Failure
Subjects
Level (Grades A1-C6)
2004
2005
2006
2004
2005
2006
English Language
7.53
11.77
8.21
68.84
62.06
61.90
Mathematics
2.24
3.20
7.46
93.48
89.85
80.00
(b)
Table V: Subjects with Fluctuations in Performance
% of Passes at Credit
% Failure
Subjects
Level (Grades A1-C6)
2004
2005
2006
2004
2005
2006
Science Core
5.90
5.73
4.31
87.00
80.28
87.70
Physics
33.33
20.00
36.54
46.66
65.00
42.31
Agricultural Science
6.36
4.26
16.88
84.14
89.57
61.96
Health Science
33.89
40.82
38.18
35.59
26.53
32.73
Further Mathematics
23.03
45.45
12.50
30.76
27.27
50.00
Business Management
20.10
24.19
10.20
69.07
66.53
58.67
Literature-In-English
7.57
3.92
4.55
90.90
86.27
84.85
Christian Religious Studies
26.31
18.75
42.11
68.42
43.75
31.58
History
5.93
19.47
25.21
88.35
68.99
55.56
Foods & Nutrition
25.00
18.75
20.00
35.71
62.50
20.00
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(c)
Table VI: Subjects with Steady Fall in Performance
% of Passes at Credit
% Failure
Subjects
Level (Grades A1-C6)
2004
2005
2006
2004
2005
2006
Financial Accounting
6.84
6.84
6.45
83.56
83.56
80.00
Physical Education
28.57
0.00
0.00
42.85
87.28
100.00
(3)
Interpretation of Performance Statistics
(a)
On the average, candidates’ overall performance was generally poor
over the three-year period.
(b)
Although the core subjects - Mathematics and English Language -
recorded an improved performance in 2006 over the 2005 level, less
than 10% of the candidates passed each of the two subjects at credit
level.
(c)
In most of the subjects in 2006, less than 30% of the candidates passed
at credit level.
(2)
Implications of Entry and Result Statistics for Policy Formulation
The statistics of entries and performance for the November/December
WASSCE did not vary significantly in pattern from those of the May/June
WASSCE. As such the comments under Implications of Entry and Results
Statistics for the May/June WASSCE may also be applicable to the
November/December WASSCE.
(3)
Recommendations
The statistics of entries and performance for the November/December
WASSCE did not vary significantly in pattern from those of the May/June
WASSCE. As such, the Recommendations made for the May/June WASSCE
may also be applicable to the November/December WASSCE.
3.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF CHIEF EXAMINERS’ REPORTS ON
THE MAY/JUNE 2006 WASSCE IN THE GAMBIA
(1)
Standard of the Papers
The Chief Examiners stated that the papers in the various subjects
were equivalent in standard to those of previous years. The quality
of the papers were also reported to be very high in terms of syllabus
coverage, clarity of rubrics and unambiguity of questions. The
Marking Schemes were also reported to be detailed.
8
(2)
Performance of Candidates
The Chief Examiners reported that many of the candidates recorded
a poor performance in subjects like Mathematics, Financial
Accounting, Business Management, French and English Language.
An improved performance was however reported in Further
Mathematics, Literature-In-English and Geography.
In Biology, Chemistry, Health Science and Physics, the candidates
recorded a generally poor performance.
(3)
Candidates’ Strengths
The Chief Examiners reported that some candidates did well.
They gave the following reasons for the good performance:-
(a)
Adherence to rubrics
(b)
Adequate knowledge of the subject matter.
(c)
Good illustrations and diagrams.
(4)
Candidates’ Weaknesses
The following weaknesses were highlighted by the Chief Examiners:
(a)
Misinterpretation of questions.
(b)
Poor command of the English Language as a result of poor
competence level in the semantics of English. The candidates
could not express themselves clearly. This deficiency had an
adverse effect on their performance.
(c)
Inadequate preparation. The Chief Examiners reported in
Literature-In-English 2, Mathematics 2, Physics 2, and Art 2,
that there was evidence that the candidates did not prepare for
the examination.
(d)
Poor knowledge of the subject matter. In the Sciences and
Business subjects, candidates were unable to present their
answers clearly and buttress their arguments with the required
points.
9
(5)
Suggested Remedies
The following suggestions were given by the Chief Examiners:-
(a)
Candidates should be adequately prepared for the
examinations.
(b)
Teachers and candidates should work hard to cover
the syllabus.
(c)
Regular assignments should be given to the candidates.
(d)
Candidates should read questions carefully and adhere
to rubrics.
(e)
Candidates should buy/use recommended texts.
(f)
Candidates need to have a better understanding of the
subject matter and the use of English Language.
4.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF CHIEF EXAMINERS’ REPORTS
ON THE NOV/DEC 2006 WASSCE FOR (PRIVATE CANDIDATES)
IN THE GAMBIA
(1)
Standard of the Papers
The Chief Examiners report indicated that the standard of the papers
in the various subjects were equivalent to those of past years. The
papers adequately covered the syllabus and the questions were
reported to be unambiguous, the rubrics were explicit and the Marking
Schemes were detailed and adequately reflected the demands of the
questions.
(2)
Performance of Candidates
The performance of candidates was variously described as good, fair
and poor by the Chief Examiners.
A poor performances was registered by a number of candidates in
many of the subjects such as English Language, Visual Art,
Literature-In-English and Mathematics.
About 50% of the candidates exhibited a poor knowledge of the
English Language. The candidates showed lethargy in the mastery of
grammar especially in French.
In Mathematics, less than 15% scored 50% and above. The
candidates had difficulty in applying statistical and functional graphs to
10
solve problems. They lacked basic knowledge in indices, algebraic
expressions, vectors, theory of logarithms, Venn diagram etc.
In the Science subjects, the Chief Examiners reported that
performance in the Science papers were poor. In Biology 2,
Agricultural Science 2, Physics 2, Science 1, and Chemistry 2,
performance were described as unsatisfactory.
(3)
Candidates’ Strengths
In spite of the poor performance, some candidates were reported
to have demonstrated some strengths.
(a)
Good knowledge of the subject matter.
(b)
Adherence to rubrics.
(c)
Clarity of work.
(d)
Knowledge of vocabulary and terms.
(4)
Candidates’ Weaknesses
The weaknesses exhibited by candidates accounted for their poor
performance. These were namely:
(a)
Poor command of the English Language resulting
in candidates’ inability to understand questions and to
express themselves adequately.
(b)
Poor knowledge of the subject matter.
(c)
Inadequate preparation.
(d)
Disregard of Rubrics.
(5)
Suggested Remedies
The Chief Examiners made various recommendations for improving
candidates’ performance as follows:-
(a)
Candidates should read and understand the instructions
before attempting the questions.
(b)
Candidates should acquaint themselves with the structure
and scheme of the examination.
(c)
Candidates should be conversant with the syllabus for
11
the examination.
(d)
Candidates should possess basic text books.
(e)
Candidates should improve on their personal preparation through the
development of a reading culture.
(f)
Candidates should endeavour to get appropriate tuition or assistance
before attempting the examination.
WAEC HEADQUARTERS
ACCRA, 2008
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