2016 WAEC Question: A friend of yours wants to study in your school and has written to you for information and advice. Write a reply to him, telling him all that he needs to know about the school.
Points to Note in Writing Informal Letters
1. This is an informal letter, remember to use only one address which is your address.
2. The minimum word count for a WAEC essay or letter is 450 words. One side of an answer sheet accommodates about 150 words for an average handwriting, so you need to write up to 3 sides to achieve the minimum word count.
3. Pay attention to punctuation. If you are going to use punctuation in the address endeavor to apply to all; don’t jump one line and continue with the next.
4. Remember the important aspects of your writing; you must start with an introduction, the middle part (body which will contain the points you are making), and a conclusion. This is very important!
If necessary, refresh your memory by reading the rules of writing informal letters.
Example Of A Letter To A Friend Of Yours
Ambassadors High School,
P.O. Box 16,
Jos,
Plateau State.
15th May, 2016
Dear Divine-Will,
I was so happy when I received your desire to attend my school. It would really be fun to have you here because Jacob joined me last term and all that is left to renew our trio of friendship is you. I know you might have some reservations about the school, so let me tell you about it.
Firstly, my school is known for always carrying the torch of academic excellence in many national examinations. Some people might say the students cheated or our school is helping us, but I want to personally tell you it simply isn’t true. You need to see the way our teachers force us to read; it is truly something else. My school also has zero tolerance for exam malpractice; just last week, a few students were expelled for cheating in a classroom test!
As you know, my school is a boarding school and I am aware that you hate boarding schools, but my school is not like the others you have heard of. My school is up to date on all current technological advancements and infrastructure developments. Tales of damp and unsightly walls, dirty toilets, and unhealthy, undercooked foods, are non-existent in my school. A qualified nutritionist is the head of the kitchen department, making sure meals are prepared in a balanced diet format. The school is repainted yearly whether the paint is wearing thin or not. The classrooms have comfortable chairs as well as wide windows to enable cross-ventilation. Knowing you are a voracious reader, it would be heartless of me not to mention the separate building that houses a physical library, e-library and an ICT centre.
Apart from academics, my school recognizes the artistically and athletically gifted students. Many sports, spoken words. Art, and drama-based competitions are hosted in the school. I am happy to tell you that I won first place in a spoken-word competition. Also, unlike other schools who only play football, we are trained in a variety of sports like basketball, swimming, table tennis, gymnastics, and badminton, which I know you like so much.
In your letter, you stated that you were afraid for your welfare in terms of bullying by other students. While bullying sadly still exists, the school management is doing everything in their power to stamp out the menace with security cameras and other safety measures.
In addition to all the nice things above, my school offers scholarship programs and foreign student exchange programs in partnerships with some prestigious universities in Europe and Canada, with one of them being Imperial College, your dream school!
There are still many things I would love to tell you about my school, but I am afraid this letter won’t contain them all. In the meantime, all I have to say is that my school is an excellent place of learning. I wish you would attend and receive not just academic education, but an all-round training. In closing this letter, I would seriously urge you to tell your parents to enroll you now!
Please extend my greetings to your dad, mom, and younger siblings. And hopefully, the next time we see each other we’ll be on our way to school together.
Yours sincerely,
Roshan.
Note
When you get to the end of your letter, always check the question again before you close your letter. That way, you will be sure that you are not writing out of context.
The question here is; A friend of yours wants to study in your school and has written to you for information and advice. Write a reply to him, telling him all that he needs to know about the school.
Summary of the Rules of Informal Letters
In the above letter to a friend of yours who wants to study in your school, you will notice that it has:
1. a friendly tone. This is suitable for an informal letter.
2. seven paragraphs with five out of those seven discussing one reason.
3. a conclusion, where the writer summarizes by sending greetings to his friend's parents.
4. an introduction that makes us understand that a friendship exists between the two.
5. no signature because informal letters should not have signatures.
6. Always remember that whichever essay or letter writing question you choose, your answer must NOT BE LESS THAN 450 WORDS.
A Little Reminder
You may also like to read other past WAEC letter writing questions and answers to familiarize more with WAEC-type questions.
Don’t forget to also study examples of narrative essay questions and answers as well as comprehension and summary questions from previous WAEC examinations.
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