Weakness and Remedies
The observed weaknesses are as follows:
- inability to spell technical and biological terms correctly;
- lack of in-depth knowledge of some basic topics and poor interpretation of questions;
- inability to spell some scientific names and technical words correctly;
- inability to articulate points coherently;
- lack of in-depth knowledge of some basic topics and poor interpretation of questions;
- inability to answer the question on Punnett square of a dihybrid cross;
- inability to distinguish between somatic cells and reproductive cells;
- inability to provide the similarity and differences between the eggs of toads and the eggs of birds;
- inability to classify organisms;
- inability to give the functions and deficiency symptoms of plant nutrients.
The following remedies were suggested to overcome these weaknesses:
- teachers should use better strategies and teaching aids to help candidates to understand Genetics;
- teachers should prepare their candidates to note the importance of biological structures and diagrams;
- candidates should be guided by their teachers on how to answer questions by organizing seminars and giving them assignments using past questions;
- teachers should endeavor to adequately cover the syllabus in the teaching of candidates before the commencement of examinations;
- textbooks that cover wide range of the syllabus should be used by the teachers and candidates;
- schools should endeavour to get previous copies of Chief Examiners’ Reports and utilize same in teaching the candidates;
- teachers should emphasize on legible hand writing for candidates;
- candidates should cultivate the habit of reading and covering adequate scope of the syllabus;
- teachers should prepare candidates on how to improve their spellings of scientific names and technical words in Biology;
- teachers should endeavour to participate in WASSCE marking and coordination exercises.