WAEC English Language past questions and answers

Checked by the Skolra question team · Last updated 23 October 2026

WAEC English Language: 146 objective past questions from 2 papers between 2021 and 2024, each with the answer and an explanation. Here are ten.

How the WAEC English Language paper is set. On WAEC's 2026 timetable for private candidates, Paper 1 (objective) takes 1 hour, Paper 2 (essay) 2 hours and Paper 3 (Test of Orals) 45 minutes. If the question paper on the day gives another time, follow the question paper. The questions here are from Paper 1.

1. 1.

   From the words lettered A to D, choose the word that rhymes with the given word.

   muscle

   1. A
      muzzle
   2. B
      puzzle
   3. C
      nuzzle
   4. D
      hustle
      Correct
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: D

   The word muscle is pronounced /ˈmʌs.əl/ — the "c" is silent, so it sounds like "MUSS-el", with an -s- sound before the final syllable.

   hustle is pronounced /ˈhʌs.əl/ — "HUSS-el". It has the same -ussle ending and the same s sound, so it rhymes exactly with muscle.

2. 2.

   From the words lettered A-D, choose the word that contains the sound represented by the given phonetic symbol.

   /aʊ/

   1. A
      through
   2. B
      though
   3. C
      bough
      Correct
   4. D
      thought
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: C

   bough is the correct answer. It is pronounced /baʊ/, rhyming with words like "cow" and "how" — it carries exactly the diphthong sound represented by /aʊ/.

   The other three words all belong to the tricky "-ough" spelling family, where identical letters are pronounced very differently, which is exactly why they are tempting wrong choices:

   though is pronounced /ðoʊ/, with a long "o" sound as in "go" — not /aʊ/.
   through is pronounced /θruː/, with a long "oo" sound as in "true" — not /aʊ/.
   thought is pronounced /θɔːt/, with the "aw" sound as in "caught" — not /aʊ/.

3. 3.

   From the words lettered A-D, choose the word that contains the sound represented by the given phonetic symbol.

   /aɪ/

   1. A
      Key
   2. B
      Cot
   3. C
      Kite
      Correct
   4. D
      Kit
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: C

   The symbol /aɪ/ is a diphthong, the vowel sound heard in words like "eye", "my" and "time". It glides from an open front sound toward a close front sound in one syllable.

   "Kite" is pronounced /kaɪt/, so it contains exactly this sound, making it correct.

4. 4.

   From the words lettered A-D below each of the following sentences, choose the word or group of words that is nearest in meaning to the underlined word as it is used in the sentences.

   Some of the merchant's goods were impounded by the customs officers

   1. A
      examined
   2. B
      destroyed
   3. C
      released
   4. D
      seized
      Correct
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: D

   Impounded means officially taken and held in custody by an authority, usually because of a rule violation - customs officers impound goods that breach import regulations, holding them until duties are paid or the matter is resolved.

5. 5.

   From the words lettered A to D, choose the word that has the same vowel sound as the one represented by the letter(s) underlined.

   wolf

   1. A
      foot
      Correct
   2. B
      boot
   3. C
      won
   4. D
      bone
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: A

   The word wolf is pronounced /wʊlf/. The underlined letter "o" represents the short vowel sound /ʊ/, the same sound heard in words like put, could and foot.

   foot is pronounced /fʊt/, which carries exactly this /ʊ/ sound, so it is the correct answer.

   boot is pronounced /buːt/, with the long vowel sound /uː/, not the short /ʊ/ in "wolf" — a common trap because both words are spelled with double "o".

6. 6.

   From the words lettered A to D, choose the word that has the same consonant sound(s) as the one represented by the letter(s) underlined.

   indict

   1. A
      object
   2. B
      debt
      Correct
   3. C
      picture
   4. D
      attack
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: B

   indict is pronounced /ɪnˈdaɪt/. The letter c is silent, so the underlined letters "ct" stand for only one consonant sound: /t/, as in "tip".

   So a Nigerian candidate should remember: this question is about silent letters changing what a spelling "sounds like" — indict and debt both hide a letter, leaving the same /t/ sound behind.

7. 7.

   From the words or group of words lettered A-D, choose the word or group of words that best completes each of the following sentences.

   He claimed to be an expert, but he knew next to ______ about it.

   1. A
      something
   2. B
      anything
   3. C
      nothing
      Correct
   4. D
      everything
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: C

   "Next to nothing" is a fixed idiom meaning "almost nothing" or "hardly anything at all." The sentence sets up a contrast with "claimed to be an expert" — the irony is that despite his claim, he actually knew almost nothing about the subject. This is why nothing is correct: "knew next to nothing about it" fits both the grammar and the idiomatic meaning perfectly.

8. 8.

   From the words or group of words lettered A-D, choose the word or group of words that best completes each of the following sentences.

   Everybody should treat their parents with respect, _______?

   1. A
      should they?
   2. B
      shouldn't they?
      Correct
   3. C
      shouldn't he?
   4. D
      shouldn't it?
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: B

   A question tag must do two things: flip the polarity of the main clause, and use a pronoun that matches the subject.

   So the correct tag is "shouldn't they?".
   "shouldn't he?" wrongly assumes the sentence is about one male person.
   "shouldn't it?" wrongly treats "everybody" as if it refers to a thing rather than people.
   "should they?" gets the pronoun right but fails the basic rule that an affirmative statement takes a negative tag.

9. 9.

   From the words or group of words lettered A-D, choose the word or group of words that best completes each of the following sentences.

   Jide _____ before I arrived.

   1. A
      had left
      Correct
   2. B
      has left
   3. C
      was leaving
   4. D
      left
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: A

   The sentence describes two past actions: Jide leaving, and the speaker arriving. Jide's leaving happened before the other past action (the arrival), so it must be marked as the "earlier" past action using the past perfect tense (had + past participle).

   "Jide had left before I arrived" correctly shows that the leaving was completed before the arriving took place.

10. 10.

    From the words or group of words lettered A-D, choose the word or group of words that best completes each of the following sentences.

    The teacher needs ______ to write the note on the chalkboard.

    1. A
       chalks
    2. B
       a chalk
    3. C
       a piece of chalk
       Correct
    4. D
       some chalks
    Show answerHide answer

    Answer: C

    Chalk is an uncountable (mass) noun in English, so it cannot take the indefinite article "a" on its own, and it cannot be made plural.

    To talk about a single unit of an uncountable substance, English uses a partitive expression such as "a piece of", "a bit of" or "a stick of". That is why a piece of chalk is the correct completion: "The teacher needs a piece of chalk to write the note on the chalkboard."

The questions come from past JAMB, WAEC and NECO papers. We use software to help write the answer options and explanations, and every answer is checked twice before it goes on the site. How we check

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