CLERICAL OFFICE DUTIES
WAEC SYLLABUS ON CLERICAL OFFICE DUTIES
OBJECTIVES
The objectives of the examination are to test candidates’ ability to(1) understand the principles and procedures in performing clerical duties in an office;
(2) apply knowledge acquired on the uses of office equipment and materials and perform basic clerical office duties;
(3) communicate effectively;
(4) explain basic personal and professional habits and attitudes necessary for the performance of office duties;
The examination is further meant to:
(1) develop problem solving skills to deal with clerical and secretarial issues in the office;
(2) provide the foundation for further courses in business studies.
SCHEME OF THE EXAMINATION
There will be two papers, Paper 1 and Paper 2, which will constitute a composite paper and will be taken at a sitting.
PAPER 1:
This paper will consist of fifty compulsory multiple choice objective questions to be answered within 50 minutes for 30 marks.
PAPER 2:
This paper will be made up of one compulsory case study carrying 22 marks and six other questions out of which candidates will be required to answer any three for 16 marks each. The case study will be based on office situations and candidates will be required to show understanding of the issues involved. The paper will carry a total of 70 marks and will last 2 hours 10 minutes.DETAILED SYLLABUS
TOPICS |
CONTENTS |
NOTES |
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1. THE OFFICE |
(1) Definition of an office |
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(2) Functions(a) Receiving information (b) Recording information (c) Processing/Analysing information (d) Giving information (e) Storing information (f) Safeguarding/Protecting Assets |
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(3) Sections(a) Reception (b) General Office (c) Stores (d) Mail Room/Registry |
identify the important roles played by each of these sections in an organization; | |
(4) Departments(a) Accounts their (b) Purchasing (c) Sales (d) Personnel/Human Resource (e) Production (f) Legal (g) Administration (h) Transport |
examine the linkages among the
departments, sections and functions; identify the interrelationship among heads of departments; |
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(5) Office Personnel(a) Office Manager (b) Office Supervisor (c) General Clerks (d) Accounts Clerks (e) Data entry Clerks (f) Administrative Assistants (g) Secretaries (i) Company Secretary (ii) Private Secretary (iii) Stenographer Secretary (h) Receptionist (i) Typist (j) Messenger |
outline the relationship among office
personnel in terms of their duties/
functions in the office; identify the differences between the different types of secretaries and state their duties; |
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(6) Professional Image of Office Staff(a) Personal and Business Attributes (b ) Social habits, Personal Hygiene and healthy Lifestyle (b) Time Management |
give a detailed explanation of the personal
and business attributes of office staff; identify the importance of good social habit and personal hygiene; explain time management as well as identify time management skills and time wasters in the office; |
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(7) Layout(a) open (b) closed |
give the factors that determine choice of
office layout and reasons for planning an
office; state the advantages and disadvantages of open and closed office layout. |
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2 ORGANISATION |
(1) Principles of Organisation(a) Unity of objectives (b) Span of control (c) Authority and Responsibility (d) Delegation (e) Unity of functions (f) Unity of command (g) Supervision (h) Remuneration (i) Accountability (j) Esprit de corps |
explain of the principles of organisation and how they can be applied in an organization; |
(2) Organisational Structure(a) Line structure (b) Line and staff structure (c) Staff structure (d) Functional structure (e) Matrix structure |
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(3) Organisational Chart/Organogram |
draw an organizational chart and state its uses, advantages and disadvantages; | |
3. BUSINESS TRANSACTIONS |
(I) Documents used in Business Transactions(a) Letter of enquiry (b) Price list/ Catalogue/Quotation (c) Local Purchase Order (d) Order (e) Proforma Invoice (f) Invoice (g) Delivery Note/Waybill (h) Debit note (i) Credit note (j) Statement of account (k) Cheques/Payment Orders (l) Receipt (m) Purchase Requisition |
identify the documents, their purposes and
when to use them; complete the documents; |
(2) Methods of Payment(a) Cash (b) Cheque (c) Standing order (d) Credit transfer (e) Money transfer |
describe the various methods of payment used in business as well as state their advantages and disadvantages; | |
(3) Payroll Handling |
explain the termnologies - wages
salaries, gross pay, net pay, allowances,
basic pay and PAYE; know the metthods of determining workers’ pay - piece rate, time rate, commission, flat rate, overtime and bonus expain and prepare payroll for the payment of wages and salaries of staff with given information; |
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(4) Tax Regimes(a) VAT, (b) Income Tax (c) Communication Service Tax(CST) (d) Property Tax (e) Import/Customs Duty |
identify and explain the various types of taxes and their importance; | |
(5) Petty Cash |
expain the terms petty cash and imprest system and complete the petty cash book. | |
4. BANKING |
(1) Types of Bank |
know the functions of Commercial, Development, Merchant, Rural/ Community Banks and the Central Bank give examples of the various types of banks; | (2) Types of AccountSavings Current Fixed deposit |
state the features of the various accounts; | (3) Cheques |
give the definition, types, features of a valid cheque, parties to a cheque as well as the reasons for dishonouring cheques. explain a crossed cheque, various ways of crossing a cheque and the effect of the crossing. |
5. STOCK PROCEDURE |
(1) Ordering of Stock |
explain the term ‘stock’, the importance of stock keeping in business and describe the procedure for ordering stock from the manufacturer or supplier; | (2) Duties of the Storekeeper |
state the duties of the storekeeper and the requirements of a good stock system; | (3) Requisition Procedure |
describe the store requisition procedure; | (4) Stock Record and Stocktaking(a) Annual (b) Periodic (c) Perpetual |
explain stock, methods of stocktaking, stock records, types of stock records , the different methods of stocktaking and describe the use of various documents. (Bin card, tally card, purchase order etc.); | (5) Stock Control(a) Minimum Stock (b) Maximum Stock (c) Re-order level |
(6) Stock Valuation(a) Cost price (b) Average price (c) Market price (d) Lower price |
explain the meaning and methods of Stock valuation; |
6. OFFICE EQUIPMENT/ MACHINES |
(1) General Office Machines/Equipment(a) Computer (b) Photocopier (c) Risograph (d) Collating machine (e) Dictaphone (f) Typewriters (g) Duplicating machines (h) Perforator (i) Calculator (j) Cash Register (k) Pager (l) Fax machines (m) Accounting machines (n) Scanner |
mention and explain factors to be
considered when purchasing office
machines/equipment; identify different office machines/equipment, their uses as well as the advantages and disadvantages of using manual and electric machines; describe how to maintain office machines/ equipment; |
(2) The Computer and ICT |
give the meaning, components, types,
peripheral devices, functions, uses,
advantages and disadvantages of
computers; explain the basic terms used in computing, functions of the Internet, Intranet and the Worldwide web as well as mention service providers. |
(3) Mail Room Equipment/Materials(a) Letter opening machine (b) Addressing machine (c) Franking machine (d) Shredding machine (e) Scales (f) Pair of scissors, paper knife or blade (g) Stapling machine (h) Staple remover (i) Guillotine |
7. COMMUNICATION |
(1) Meaning(a) Verbal i. oral ii. written (b) Non-verbal (c) Visual |
describe the different forms of communication with examples and identify their advantages and disadvantages. |
(3) Channels of Communication |
identify the differences between vertical, horizontal and diagonal communication | |
(4) Barriers to effective Communication(a) Organisational Barriers (b) Physical Barriers (c) Psychological Barriers (d) Socio-Cultural Barrier |
explain and give examples of the various barriers to communication. | |
(5) Business Correspondence(a) Letters i Form Letters ii Circulars (b) Memos (c) Reports i Short formal ii Short informal iii Periodic /Routine iv Special v Statutory |
state the parts, formats, and uses of each
type of business correspondence. identify types of reports, the purposes, characteristics and format of each. |
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(6) Mail handling(a) Mail Room (b) Incoming and Outgoing mail (c) Incoming and Outgoing mail register (d) Postage book (e) Messenger’s Receipt book |
state the procedure for handling incoming and outgoing mail and complete the various books used in the process. | |
(7) Meetings(a) Purpose and kinds of meetings (b) Requirements for a valid Meeting (c) Purpose and kinds of meetings (d) Requirements for a valid Meeting i Chairperson ii Secretary iii Teller iv Scrutineer |
state the duties of the officials. | |
| (e) Meeting terminologies | mention and explain meeting termnologies such as notice, quorum, agenda, resolution, ad-hoc committee, minutes, motion, ex-officio, casting vote etc. | |
| (f) Preparation of meeting
documents i Notice ii Agenda iii Minutes |
draft meeting documents from given information | |
8. BUSINESS ENGLISH |
(1) Proofreading and office Abbreviations |
state the importance and purpose of
proofreading. correct errors in passages, expand office abbreviations and use them correctly. |
(2) Spelling, Word division and Punctuation |
know the basic rules for spellings, word division and punctuation. | |
9. FILING AND INDEXING |
(1) Methods of Classification(a) Alphabetical (b) Numerical (c) Subject (d) Geographical (e) Chronological (f) Alpha-numeric (g) Subject-numeric |
explain filing, features of a good filing
system and reasons for filing. understand the rules for the various filing methods together with their advantages and disadvantages. |
(2) Systems of filing(a) Lateral (b) Suspension (c) Vertical (d) Horizontal |
explain how each system operates and identify the advantages and disadvantages of each system. | |
(3) Rules for filing |
state the general rules for filing. | |
(4) Indexing and Cross-Referencing |
identify the types/forms of indexing and importance of indexing | |
(5) Electronic filing |
explain electronic filing and state its advantages and disadvantages e.g microfilming/micrographics | |
(6) Central and Departmental filing |
compare central and departmental filing and list their advantages and disadvantages. | |
10. REFERENCE BOOKS AND SOURCES OF INFORMATION |
(1) Reference Books(a) General reference books i dictionary ii encyclopaedia iii almanac (b) Places i atlas ii site plan (c) Specialized reference books i trade journals ii post office guide iii telephone directory (d) Government Publications i Hansard ii White paper iii Gazette iv Financial Instructions v General orders |
mention information that could be obtained from each reference book. |
(2) Sources of Information(a) Personal documents (b) Driving documents (c)Passport (d) Visa (e)Tax clearance |
identify the various sources of information
with examples, e.g.
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(3) Business Information(a) Exchange rates (b) Stock exchange listing (c) Financial bulletins (d) Employment Opportunities |
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11. POST OFFICE SERVICES |
(1) Postal Services(a) Postage stamps (b) Express mail (c) Special mail (d) Poste restante (e) Private mail bag (f) Registered mail (g) Recorded delivery (h) Airmail (i) Business reply service (j) Private mail box |
explain the use of each postal service. |
(2) Courier ServicesExpedited Mail Service (EMS) Delsey, Helbor & Lyn (DHL) Federal Express (FedEx) |
state the features and benefits of courier services. | |
(3) Agency Services |
mention and explain agency services provided by the post office. | |
(4) Remittance servicesPostal Order Money Transfer |
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12. HUMAN RELATIONS |
(1) Internal Relations in the Office |
explain internal relations and public relations and identify ways of improving human relations. |
(2) Relations with the Public |
state factors that promote public relations and ways of improving interpersonal skills. | |
(3) Interpersonal Skills |
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13. HEALTH, SAFETY AND WELFARE IN THE OFFICE |
(1) Health Hazards in the office |
identify and explain health hazard in the
office; state the types of health hazards in the office and how they could be prevented; |
(2) Accidents in the Office |
state the types and causes of accidents as well as measures to prevent them; | |
(3) Staff Welfare |
identify welfare services and benefits available to office staff and the advantages associated with them. | |
14. PRE-EMPLOYMENT PROCEDURES |
(1) Advertisement |
design an advertisement; write application letters with curriculum vitae; |
(2) Submission of Letters of application and curriculum vitae |
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(3) The interview |
know how to prepare for an interview. | |
15. ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND SMALLSCALE BUSINESS |
Entrepreneurship and Smallscale Business |
explain the term “entrepreneur” and give
the general characteristics of an
entrepreneur; explain small scale business and identify the characteristics of a small scale enterprise; identify the importance of small scale businesses in the society/country. |
SUGGESTED READING LIST |
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|---|---|---|---|
S/No |
TITLE OF BOOK |
AUTHOR |
PUBLISHER |
| 1. | Secretarial Duties | John Harrison | Pitman Publishing Ltd. |
| 2. | Office Practice for Colleges | Elendu O. Elendu, New | Africa Publishing Co. Ltd. Owerri (1985) |
| 3. | Case Studies, A Skills-Based - Approach | Sheila May | Pitman Publishing Ltd. |
| 4. | Office Procedure | John Harrison | Pitman Publishing Ltd. |