WAEC Syllabus / Business / 2026
WAEC Typewriting Syllabus
Every examinable topic area in WAEC / WASSCE Typewriting, with the scheme of examination and answers to common questions — compiled topic by topic by waeccbt.com for school (SSCE) and private (GCE) candidates. Read it here, or download the free Typewriting syllabus PDF.
How the WAEC Typewriting papers work
One practical paper of 2 hours 45 minutes in total: 5 minutes warming up on a preliminary passage (not counted), a 5-minute speed and accuracy test at 40 words per minute (10 per cent of the marks, syllabic intensity 1.35 to 1.40), 10 minutes for reading the paper, and 2 hours 30 minutes for a maximum of 5 production tasks. The total standard words lie between 1,350 and 1,450, and 40 to 50 instructions attract penalties. Tasks are presented as manuscript, typescript and printed drafts with interpolations and manuscript correction signs. There is NO multiple-choice paper in Typewriting; the practice bank on this site tests the knowledge behind the production tasks — display rules, correction signs, document parts, keyboard and machine technique — so that candidates read drafts correctly and lay out mailable documents at speed.
WAEC Typewriting syllabus topics
These are the examinable topic areas. Every one of them is covered by the 1,000-question Typewriting practice bank — finish a topic, then test it under the clock.
1. Correspondence
- Use of pre-printed A4 and A5 headed paper
- Letters and memoranda with insets, continuation sheets, subject headings, enclosures, attention lines, private/personal/confidential markings and distribution of carbon copies
- Form letters and circular letters with or without tear-off portions
- Envelope addressing; envelopes with special marks
2. Manuscript
- Manuscript with or without inset matter
- Reading manuscript correction signs and interpolations
- Proofreading and correcting the typescript
3. Display Work
- Headings: main, sub-heading, shoulder, paragraph and marginal/side headings
- Paragraphing: blocked, indented and hanging paragraphs
- Paragraph numbering: Arabic, Roman, decimal and alphabetical
- Display work: menus, advertisements and itineraries
4. Meetings, Forms and Tabulation
- Notice of meeting with or without agenda, chairman's agenda, minutes and reports
- Business forms and cards: completion of pre-printed application and personal record forms, invoices, order forms, delivery notes, advice notes, invitation cards and postcards
- Tabulation with ruling, with or without leader dots, in chronological and alphabetical arrangement
5. Literary Work and Financial Statements
- Short plays, poems and articles; footnotes
- Simple statements of accounts
6. Speed and Accuracy
- Speed and accuracy test at 40 words per minute
- Standard words (five strokes), syllabic intensity, counting errors and penalties
- Keyboard mastery, touch typing, posture and care of the machine
WAEC Typewriting — frequently asked questions
Is there an objective paper in Typewriting?
No. The WAEC Typewriting examination is entirely practical: a 5-minute speed and accuracy test at 40 words per minute plus up to five production tasks in 2 hours 30 minutes. The question bank here tests the knowledge you need to read drafts and lay out documents, not a paper you will sit.
How is the examination timed?
2 hours 45 minutes in all: 5 minutes warming up on a preliminary passage (not counted), 5 minutes for the speed and accuracy test, 10 minutes reading the paper and 2 hours 30 minutes for the production tasks, which start after the speed scripts have been collected.
How much does the speed test count?
The speed and accuracy test carries 10 per cent of the total marks. It is set at 40 words per minute with a syllabic intensity between 1.35 and 1.40.
What are 'instructions attracting penalties'?
Each task carries instructions — insets, headings, corrections, special marks, carbon copies — and between 40 and 50 of them in the whole paper attract penalties if ignored. Reading every instruction before typing is the single biggest mark-saver.
Which document types appear in the production tasks?
Letters and memos on A4 and A5 headed paper, form and circular letters with tear-off portions, envelopes, manuscripts with insets, display work (menus, advertisements, itineraries), notices, agenda, minutes and reports, pre-printed forms and cards, tabulation with ruling and leader dots, literary work with footnotes and simple statements of accounts.
What is a standard word?
Five keystrokes including spaces and punctuation. The whole paper contains between 1,350 and 1,450 standard words, so plan your time across the tasks.
Which correction signs must I know?
The caret (insert), deletion, stet (let it stand), new paragraph, run on, transpose, close up, insert space, capitals (three lines under), lower case, centre, and the abbreviations such as NP, trs, uc and lc. They are practised in the bank.
waeccbt.com is an independent study site, not affiliated with WAEC. This topic map is compiled and worded by waeccbt.com from the official scheme; it is not an official WAEC document.