Candidates’ weaknesses were observed in the following areas:
1. Mechanical Accuracy - Many candidates failed to observe the rules of punctuation marks. They also omitted diacritic marks where necessary. Spelling errors were rampant in the candidates’ scripts. Concerted efforts should be made by the teachers and candidates to ensure that candidates learn the rudiments of writing in Igbo.
2. Content – Many candidates failed to write up to 300 words or 2½ pages as required which made them to score very low marks. Some candidates did not give up to the required points.
These candidates should be encouraged to read Igbo books and also to practise essay writing so as to be familiar with writing essays.
3. Poor knowledge of the prescribed literature texts - It was obvious that many candidates did not study the prescribed texts. Most of them deviated from answering the literary part of the question. Parents and teachers should encourage candidates to develop good reading culture so as to perform well.