Office Practice WASSCE (SC), 2018

Question 1

 

Despite the seeming improvement in the ability of the candidates to respond to the case study questions, performance of some of the candidates in this aspect of the question was still below expectation. For instance, some candidates were not able to provide correct answer for questions 1 (a), (b) and (c). The answers should have been as follows:

  1. (i)  Identify and explain the filing system in use at LKJ Ltd

(ii)  State three advantages of filing system
(b)  List two filing equipment that could be used to facilitate the system used              

  1. (i)  State three filing problem in the company.

(ii)  State three things that should be done to help the company to easily retrieve files when needed.

 

Observation

 

They were expected to pin-point the causes of the problem at LKJ Ltd. This is very simple because they were stated in the case study but most of the candidates could not do so.
Some of the answers expected from the candidates are as follows:

(a)       (i)  The filing system in use at LKJ Ltd is centralized filing.

            (ii) The advantages of centralized filing system are:

  1.       duplication of file is minimized ;

 (ii)      it saves time;
(iii)      it makes for easier control of files;
(iv)      it saves the cost of duplicating filing equipment in various department/ branches;
(v)       the filing staff become specialist
(vi)      confidentiality of document is ensure;
(vii)     elimination of duplicating filing staff in various department/ branches;
(viii)    effective supervision of filing staff;
( ix)     more effective follow-up system;
(x)       there is uniformity in filing classification

(b)       Filing equipment include:

  1. flat files / folders;
  2. box files;
  3. filing cabinets;
  4. wallet files;
  5. card index;
  6. strip index;
  7. punched-edge cards
  8. shelves;
  9. file trays;
  10. loose leaf binders;

 (c)i     The filing problems in the company are::

  1. unqualified supervisor;
  2. congestion in the mail room/ piling of files on the floor/top of cabinets;
  3. no record was kept for outgoing files;
  4. Inadequate filing cabinets;
  5. Document relating to different subjects were kept in the same folder.

(c) ii    Things to be done by the company for easy retrieval of files when needed are:

  1. Documents should be filed appropriately e.g (alphabetically, numerically, according to subjects, geographically, chronologically, alpha-numerically);
  2. Adequate filing cabinets should be provided;
  3. Staff should be given adequate training;
  4. Employment of qualified filing staff
Use of index cards should be introduced;