Exam Prep and Coaching – SS3 Fashion and Garment Making Lesson Note (Second Term)

Exam preparation in Fashion and Garment Making means revising the core construction skills, understanding the business side of tailoring, and following good exam habits. Read every question carefully, manage your time, check your tools, neaten the inside of your garment, press every seam, and avoid the common mistakes that cost marks.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

• explain how to read questions and manage time in the objective, theory and practical papers;
• describe plain, French and flat-felled seams, darts, pleats, facings and interfacing;
• work out the total cost of a garment and handle a difficult customer;
• list what examiners check on a finished garment, including the inside, fasteners and pressing;
• name common mistakes such as the wrong needle, ignoring the grainline and not understitching.

How should you approach the exam?

In the exam, you are marked on what you know, and also on how you manage your time and your nerves.

Read the questions carefully

Many students fail because they do not read the instruction. If a question says “List any four…” and you list ten, you are wasting time. If it says “Explain with the aid of a diagram,” and you do not draw, you lose half the marks.

Manage your time

• Objective questions: Answer the easy ones first. Do not get stuck on one tricky question.
• Theory: Leave enough time for the questions that carry more marks.
• Practical: Speed is key, but do not rush the cutting. A mistake in cutting cannot be fixed later.

Check your tools

Make sure your “Maths Set” is ready, your chalk is sharpened, and your scissors are oiled. A tailor without sharp scissors in an exam is like a soldier without a gun.

What should you revise in garment construction?

This is the “meat” of your tailoring exam. You must be able to explain these three things in your sleep.

Seams

Know the difference between these seams:

• Plain seam: general use.
• French seam: delicate or transparent fabrics.
• Flat-felled seam: strong wear, such as jeans or men’s shirts.

Darts and pleats

Darts give shape to the body. Remember: always press your darts toward the centre of the garment. Pleats add fullness, so make sure they are equal in width.

Facings and interfacing

Facings finish a raw edge, such as a neckline. Interfacing (stay) is the “skeleton” inside the fabric that makes the collar or cuff firm.

What business skills does the exam test?

WAEC and NECO now focus heavily on the “Tailoring Business.” You must understand how to survive as an entrepreneur.

How do you cost and price a garment?

Know this formula:

Total Cost = Materials + Labour + Overheads (Electricity, Rent, Transport).

If you do not include your transport fare in the price, you are losing money.

How do you handle a difficult customer?

• Stay calm.
• Listen to the complaint.
• Offer a solution (adjustment or repair).
• Never shout back.

What is branding?

Your brand is your reputation. It includes your logo, your neatness and, most importantly, your punctuality (delivering on the agreed date).

What do examiners look for in the practical exam?

The examiner will pick up your garment and turn it inside out. They look at your technique, so a garment that only looks beautiful on the outside will not score well.

The “inside-out” rule

If the inside of your dress is full of loose threads and raw edges, you will lose marks. Use an overlocker or a neatening stitch.

Fasteners

• Zips: Must be flat and open and close smoothly.
• Buttons: Must be aligned with the buttonholes. No “staircase” buttons.
• Hooks and eyes: Must be sewn securely and hidden.

Pressing

A garment that is not pressed looks like a “rag.” Press every seam as you sew it. The final press makes the garment look professional.

What common mistakes take away marks?

Using the wrong needle

A thick needle on a light fabric (like silk) will leave holes. A thin needle on jeans will break. Match your needle to your fabric.

Forgetting the grainline

If you cut your fabric “anyhow” to save space, the dress will twist on the person’s body. Always place your pattern so that the grainline runs parallel to the selvedge.

Not understitching

If your neckline facing keeps “peeping out” to the front, it is because you did not understitch. This is a common error examiners look for.

Final words of coaching

You have practised for three years. Trust your hands. When you enter that hall, take a deep breath, read your questions, and sew with pride. You are a designer in the making.

Evaluation

1. Why is it important to read the instruction in each question carefully?
2. State the formula for total cost and name the three overheads listed in this lesson.
3. Name the seam suitable for each of these: delicate fabrics, and jeans or men’s shirts.
4. List four things an examiner checks when the garment is turned inside out.

Assignment

1. Write short notes on any three common mistakes that take away marks in the practical exam, and say how to avoid each one.
2. List the steps for handling a difficult customer.