Whatever the case might be, during schooling, tests cannot be avoided. They play an important role in determining achievement and certifying attainment. They also provide incentives and goals for students, and information for decision makers. In fact, at the level of the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), tests may more be regarded as motivation for learning. There is no dispute about the fact that should tests be absent from the school system, many students at this level may find no motivation to learn. They may even absent themselves from teaching sessions without fear of losing anything.

In spite of their highly advantageous use, tests have varied social implications. These include classifications that could be embarrassing or demeaning to students who are relentlessly trailed by low test scores. Fear of the demeaning social implications of tests, generates the anxieties that accompany test-taking and receiving of test scores and grades. In an attempt to circumvent the negative effects imposed by the social implications of testing, which include the stigma of being labelled a non-achiever, many examinees resort to various kinds of examination malpractice during test-taking. The temptation to indulge in this vice is sometimes so strong that candidates who could be classified as well-behaved and would ordinarily not indulge in wrongdoing fall prey to it. Yet, the phenomenon amounts to corruption that should not be tolerated. This is because it threatens the moral fibre of the society and can lead to the selecting of misfits into vital and sensitive positions at the expense of the hardworking ones. Research has further shown that majority of test-takers who indulge in examination malpractice are those who are poorly prepared for the examination.

It is to help candidates prepare well for BECE and WASSCE, and avoid examination malpractice and its social effects, that this venture of producing a compilation of past question papers and their corresponding chief examiners’ reports was undertaken. The past question papers in the booklet present candidates with the opportunity to practise the concepts and principles acquired during classroom instructions. The chief examiners’ reports reveal to students their strengths and weaknesses with a view to helping them consolidate their strengths and improve on their identified weaknesses. The importance of adherence to rubrics and time management are also underscored in the reports.

Certainly, there are other compilations on the market similar to this. However, none points out the drawbacks associated with taking the examination, as well as suggesting remedies as this does. The aim of such revelations is to assist students to avoid the pitfalls and prepare well for the examination. While other factors may contribute to the poor performance of students, the lack of practice material cannot be exempted. Thus, this compilation which will offer practice opportunity to the students should be a welcome development. It is believed that, by and large, this work would contribute in raising the educational standard of the country.

VERY REV. DR. SAM NII NMAI OLLENNU, PhD.
Former Head of Ghana National Office of WAEC.