Level: SHS (Forms 1 – 3) | Subject: English Language | Topic: Summary Writing, Essay Types, and Grammar at SHS Level | Curriculum: Ghana GES / WAEC
At SHS level, English Language demands are significantly higher than at JHS. This lesson targets three of the most commonly assessed areas at WASSCE: summary writing (arguably the hardest skill), the four essay types, and grammar structures that appear regularly in objective and essay sections of the exam.
Summary Writing
Summary writing is the ability to identify the main points of a passage and rewrite them in your own words, briefly and accurately. It is one of the most important skills in the WASSCE English paper, and it is also one of the most poorly done.
Steps for Effective Summary Writing
- Read the passage at least twice. The first reading gives the general picture. The second reading helps you identify main points.
- Identify the question’s focus. “Summarise the writer’s advice on…” tells you to look specifically for advice – not description, not background, not examples.
- Underline or note the relevant sentences. Not every sentence counts. Ignore: examples (e.g., “For instance…”), illustrations, repetitions of a point already made.
- Count your points. WASSCE usually asks for 5 or 6 points in a summary. Aim for exactly the right number.
- Rewrite in your own words. Copy-pasting scores very poorly. Paraphrase – change the vocabulary and sentence structure while keeping the meaning.
- Write in continuous prose (not numbered points) unless the question specifically says otherwise.
- Do not include your own opinions or information not in the passage.
- Count your words. WASSCE summaries are usually asked to be “in about [number] words.” Aim to be within 10% of that number.
Common Summary Writing Mistakes
- Copying sentences directly from the passage (penalised heavily)
- Including irrelevant points (examples, background detail)
- Writing too many or too few points
- Writing in bullet points when prose is required
- Including opinion or outside knowledge
Essay Types at SHS Level
WASSCE English requires students to write essays in four main modes. Each has a distinct purpose and structure.
1. Argumentative / Persuasive Essay
Purpose: Take a clear position on a controversial topic and defend it with evidence, reasoning, and acknowledgement of opposing views.
Structure: Introduction (hook + thesis) → Arguments for your position → Counter-argument + refutation → Conclusion
Tone: Formal, logical, assertive.
Typical topics: “Free education should be provided for all Ghanaians.” / “Social media has done more harm than good to society.”
Key phrases: “It is evident that…” / “Critics may argue that… However…” / “The evidence clearly demonstrates…”
2. Expository Essay
Purpose: Explain or inform the reader about a topic. No opinions – just facts, explanations, and analysis.
Structure: Introduction (topic + controlling idea) → Body paragraphs each developing one aspect → Conclusion (summary without repeating word for word)
Tone: Neutral, objective, formal.
Typical topics: “Describe the causes of unemployment in Ghana.” / “Explain the importance of reading.”
3. Narrative Essay
Purpose: Tell a story (real or imagined) that makes a point or entertains.
Structure: Setting and characters introduced → Rising action → Climax (the most exciting moment) → Falling action → Resolution
Tone: Engaging, vivid, personal (first person if telling your own story).
Key techniques: Vivid description (show, don’t just tell); dialogue; sensory details (what you saw, heard, smelled, felt).
Typical topics: “Narrate an incident that taught you an important lesson.” / “Write a story ending with: ‘…and I have never forgotten that day.'”
4. Descriptive Essay
Purpose: Create a vivid picture of a person, place, object, or event using sensory details so the reader can experience it.
Structure: Introductory paragraph establishing overall impression → Body paragraphs focusing on specific aspects → Conclusion that ties impression together
Tone: Sensory, atmospheric, detailed.
Key techniques: Use all five senses; use figurative language (similes, metaphors, personification); vary sentence length for effect.
Typical topics: “Describe a busy market scene.” / “Describe a person you greatly admire.”
SHS Grammar: Key Structures
Reported Speech (Advanced)
Beyond the basics covered at JHS, SHS students should handle questions, commands, and exclamations in reported speech:
- Questions: “Are you coming?” → She asked if I was coming. [Use if/whether for yes/no questions; use wh-word for information questions]
- Commands: “Close the door.” → He told her to close the door. [Use infinitive with “to”]
- Exclamations: “What a beautiful sunset!” → She exclaimed that it was a very beautiful sunset.
Conditional Sentences
| Type | Usage | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zero conditional | General truths | If + present, present | If you heat ice, it melts. |
| First conditional | Real future possibility | If + present, will + base verb | If you study hard, you will pass. |
| Second conditional | Hypothetical present/future | If + past simple, would + base verb | If I were rich, I would build a hospital. |
| Third conditional | Hypothetical past (what didn’t happen) | If + past perfect, would have + past participle | If she had studied, she would have passed. |
Concord (Subject-Verb Agreement)
Common concord problems in WASSCE:
- “The committee has made its decision.” (collective noun treated as singular)
- “Neither the teacher nor the students were present.” (verb agrees with closer subject)
- “Everyone is responsible for their actions.” (indefinite pronouns like everyone, someone, nobody take singular verbs)
- “The news is encouraging.” (some nouns look plural but are singular)
Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal verbs appear frequently in WASSCE comprehension and vocabulary sections:
- bring about (cause), bring up (raise a child / raise a topic), call off (cancel), carry out (perform), come across (find unexpectedly), fall out with (argue), get over (recover from), give up (stop), look into (investigate), put off (postpone), run out of (exhaust supply), set off (start a journey), take after (resemble), turn down (refuse), wear off (gradually disappear)
Practice Questions: Summary, Essays, and Grammar
1. In summary writing, when a passage gives an example to support a point, the example should:
Reveal Answer
2. “If she had arrived earlier, she would have met the director.” This sentence is which type of conditional?
Reveal Answer
3. Kofi said: “I cannot attend the meeting tomorrow.” In reported speech, this becomes:
Reveal Answer
4. Which essay type would best answer: “Describe the scene at Kumasi Central Market on a Saturday morning”?
Reveal Answer
5. Choose the correct verb form: “The number of students in the classroom ___ increasing every year.”
Reveal Answer
Next SHS English topics: WASSCE Comprehension Strategies | Oral English at SHS Level | Literature in English: Prose, Poetry, and Drama