ENG • SHS 1Term 2WAEC / WASSCE SyllabusVIP Lesson
Composition: Writing the Informal Letter
Full WAEC-format informal letter — address, date, greeting, conversational body, closing — with tone control, the marking scheme (content, organisation, expression, mechanical accuracy), and paragraph planning.
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Real-World Context & Relevance in Ghana
Ghana is a letter-writing culture where WhatsApp meets postage: a SHS 1 girl in Sunyani writing to her cousin in Takoradi about her new school blends exactly the voice WAEC rewards — warmth, shared jokes ("remember the mango tree you claimed?"), news, requests — the kind of message families still post during long vacations.
Key Syllabus Learning Objectives
- 1Produce the correct informal letter format from address to signature
- 2Match content points to the question and develop each with details
- 3Sustain a friendly, conversational register with appropriate contractions and direct address
- 4Organise the letter into opening/body/closing paragraphs with linking
- 5Protect mechanical-accuracy marks by self-checking spelling, punctuation and concord
1
Format Mechanics: Where Every Line Lives
The address block (your address, top right) uses two to three short lines with logical commas, no full stops at line-ends. Directly below, the date (day-month-year with ordinal: 3rd, 4th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd — never "22th"). Salutation on the left margin ("Dear Esi,") — a comma after it is mandatory. The letter ends with the subscription at the left margin, capitalising ONLY the first word ("Yours sincerely,"), then the signature on the next line: your first name alone, or first name plus a familiar second name the recipient actually calls you by.
- No recipient address, no designation, no subject heading — those belong to formal letters only.
- Date styles accepted: 5th May, 2026 / 5 May 2026 / May 5, 2026 — choose ONE and stay consistent.
- Address may be punctuated (commas each line) or blocked (no commas) — consistency earns accuracy marks.
- The signature line: "Abena" or "Abena Yaa" — never "Abena Mensah (Miss)" and never your full legal name.
Practical Example:
A WAEC model letter header: "B12 Amasato Line / Kumasi / Ashanti Region" then "23rd June, 2026" — three-line local address, correct ordinal date.
Core Takeaway:
Right-side address + date, left-side greeting, left-side first-name signature.
2
Content: Answering the Question Fully
Informal letter questions list three or four tasks (describe your new school, thank him for a gift, advise him on JHS entry, invite him for vacation). Content marks demand you cover EVERY point, with the DEEPEST treatment of the point the question flags first or spends most words on. Plan before writing: number the task points 1-3-4 in the margin, one body paragraph per point, each paragraph developed with a topic sentence plus two supporting details, an example, or a question back to the friend.
- A 4-line question = usually 4 content points; missing the last one caps you at roughly 6-7/10 for Content.
- Develop, do not list: instead of "The school is big. It has a library.", fuse + expand: "My school is huge — the library alone has three reading halls."
- Invent small specifics (names of teachers, the football field, hostel food) — details read as real content.
- End every point with a hook to the friend: "You would love the library; do you still have your old one?"
Practical Example:
Task: "tell your cousin about the harvest at your uncle's farm in Techiman" — the content-rich letter reports tomatoes piled in crates, a broken pump, and wages paid weekly — specifics over general statements.
Core Takeaway:
One point = one paragraph = one topic sentence plus development.
3
Tone: The Conversational Register
Informal voice = the language of living rooms: contractions (I'm, haven't, you'll), exclamations ("What a surprise!"), direct address ("Guess what!"), rhetorical questions ("Can you believe it?"), friendly hyperbole ("a million mosquitoes"), phrasal verbs, and short vivid sentences. The danger is swinging into letterless stiffness: "I am writing to apprise you of the development" belongs in a formal letter. Also keep the friendship real: no abusive slang, no crude jokes — WAEC wants warmth with school discipline.
- Openings that work: "How are you? I am fine." / "You will never guess what happened!" / "Thanks for your last letter — sorry I took two months to reply."
- Avoid archaic filler ("Respect is due to whom it is due") — examiners now treat it as padding that kills Expression.
- Mix sentence lengths: one 25-word flowing sentence per paragraph shows range; keep 6-8 word punches for excitement.
- Use linking that sounds spoken: "Anyway,", "By the way,", "Another thing —", "Before I forget,".
Practical Example:
A real SHS girl's opening: "Akwaaba! I know you thought the zongo boys had forgotten you — well, YOUR favourite cousin has finally picked up a pen."
Core Takeaway:
Write as you talk to a friend, then tidy the punctuation.
4
Closing and Self-Editing for Accuracy
The closing paragraph wraps: signal the end ("I must stop for now"), a final thought, regards to named family ("Give my love to Aunt Esi and the kids"), a promise or request ("write soon / I will call on Friday"), then subscription + signature. Before submission, run the mechanical pass: capital letters at sentence starts and proper nouns, the comma after salutation and subscription, apostrophes in contractions, singular-plural concord, verb tense of reported events, and no full stops in the address/date blocks.
- Each mechanical error costs a half-mark; ten tiny slips can wipe 4-5 full marks.
- Length discipline: aim 350-450 words for WAEC informal letters — too short loses Expression, too long breeds errors.
- A sign-off with a first name only also proves you understand informality — full names there also cost format credit.
- Read the letter ONCE mentally as if the friend will read it: anything confusing or cold gets rewritten.
Practical Example:
Closing model: "Write soon and tell me about the new shop. Give my regards to Papa and Mama. Your friend, / Esi."
Core Takeaway:
Warm wrap-up + a disciplined accuracy sweep protect both halves of the score.
WAEC / WASSCE Examiner Tips
- Spend 5 minutes planning with the task points numbered; examiners award Content 10 only when every point is visible in order.
- Write the address block exactly in 3 short right-aligned lines; a sprawling address eats Organisation marks and time.
- Insert one idiom or proverb naturally ("as you sow...") for Expression credit, but never force it — misused proverbs backfire.
- Mechanical accuracy is deducted per error (half-mark): after writing, proofread ONLY for the five big killers — concord, apostrophe, capitals, date comma, and run-on sentences.
- If the question says "to your brother" or "to your cousin", mention that relationship at least twice (opening + closing) — it reassures the examiner you hold the correct addressee throughout.
Common Candidate Pitfalls & Errors to Avoid
- Adding the recipient's address or a subject line (copying the formal letter format).
- Signing with a full name plus title: "Kwame Asare (Mr)" — informal letters take the first name only.
- Writing "Yours Sincerely" with both capitals or with an apostrophe ("Your's").
- Missing the date, or placing it at the left, or writing "The date is 14th October" instead of the bare date.
- Formal tone throughout ("I hereby inform you...") which caps Expression marks.
- Ignoring one of the listed content points — the most common single reason for a mediocre grade.
Topic Mastery Checklist
- Can I lay out the address, date, salutation, body, subscription and signature without looking at a model?
- Can I list the four WAEC marking components and their weights (10/10/20/10)?
- Can I rewrite a stiff sentence into conversational English in three ways?
- Can I build one body paragraph per task point with development?
- Can I run the mechanical-accuracy proofread on my own letter?
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