By Keng ElsonESSTIC is the most unusual Grande Ecole concours in Cameroon and for the right candidate,
one of the most rewarding. It does not test whether you can solve differential equations or write a
note de synthese. It tests whether you can think like a journalist and write like a diplomat: with
clarity, precision, critical awareness, and genuine engagement with the world. For candidates with
strong language ability and intellectual curiosity about media and public affairs, ESSTIC is within
reach. This guide tells you exactly how to prepare.
What You Will Learn in This Guide
• What ESSTIC trains, which programs it offers, and what careers each leads to.
• Why the ESSTIC concours is unlike any other Grande Ecole entrance exam in
Cameroon.
• How to prepare the French and English essays, the general culture paper, and the
media analysis paper.
• Why the oral examination matters more at ESSTIC than at most other Grande Ecoles.
• The five preparation mistakes that eliminate capable candidates and how to avoid all of
them.
What ESSTIC Is and What It Leads To
The Ecole Superieure des Sciences et Techniques de l’Information et de la Communication,
known as ESSTIC, is Cameroon’s premier journalism and media communication school. Attached
to the University of Yaounde II, ESSTIC trains the journalists, communications professionals,
documentary filmmakers, public relations specialists, and information science managers who
shape how Cameroon and Central Africa tell their stories.
ESSTIC alumni lead newsrooms at CRTV, Canal 2 International, STV, Vision 4, Cameroon
Tribune, Le Jour, and Mutations. They work for international media organisations RFI, France
24, BBC Africa, and VOA Africa. They lead communications departments at government
ministries, the Presidency, and parastatal organisations. They manage corporate
communications at multinationals, oil companies, and NGOs across Cameroon.
ESSTIC offers four programs: Journalism (the most competitive track), Communication and Public
Relations, Documentary Production, and Information Science (Archives and Documentation).
Consider applying to all tracks you are eligible for the journalism track is the most sought-after
and thus the most competitive.
Why ESSTIC Is Unlike Any Other Grande Ecole Concours
ESSTIC is exceptional in the Cameroonian Grande Ecole landscape for one fundamental reason:
language quality is co-equal with subject knowledge in determining results. At ENSP you could
theoretically pass on the strength of Mathematics and Physics despite weak French. At ESSTIC,
both the French essay and the English essay carry the same weight as the general culture paper.
Language is not a supporting paper at ESSTIC it is a core paper.
The oral examination also carries more real weight at ESSTIC than at most other concours.
Examiners assess whether you can speak clearly, analytically, and confidently in both French and
English because public communication professionals must. Candidates who perform brilliantly
in the written phase but are hesitant or unclear in the oral have been eliminated from ESSTIC.
The oral is not a formality here.
How to Prepare the French and English Essay Papers
The French and English essay papers at ESSTIC each consist of a formal essay on a social,
political, media, or cultural topic and typically a summary (resume in French, summary in
English) of a provided document. Both test formal writing quality at a high standard.
What High-Quality Formal Writing Looks Like
The introduction states a clear position in the first sentence not background context, but your
argument. The body develops the argument in 2-3 well organised sections, each with a clear point
supported by a specific example or piece of evidence. The conclusion evaluates the argument
rather than simply repeating it. The register is formal throughout: no contractions, no slang, no
personal anecdotes unless specifically invited by the question.
This standard is trainable but it requires consistent daily practice over months, not intensive
preparation in the final weeks. Write one formal essay per day in French and one per day in
English for three months on current events, media topics, or social issues. After three months,
your formal writing quality will be genuinely transformed.
The Summary Component
A summary asks you to express a document’s main ideas concisely in your own words within a
specified word limit. The most common errors are: copying sentences from the document (earns
zero for the expression component), including irrelevant details, exceeding the word limit, and
failing to capture the main argument rather than just the interesting details. Practise summaries
weekly using articles from Cameroon Tribune or Le Monde.
How to Prepare the General Culture and Media Analysis Papers
General Culture
ESSTIC general culture is broader and more media focused than at science or law concours. It
tests knowledge of current Cameroonian and African political developments, major global events,
the media landscape in Cameroon and globally, cultural affairs (Cameroonian literature, music,
arts), and civic knowledge. Questions about press freedom in Africa, the role of social media in
political movements, African public broadcasting challenges, digital media regulation, and
journalism ethics appear regularly.
Build your general culture by reading deliberately: Cameroon Tribune daily (for national affairs),
Jeune Afrique weekly (for African and international affairs), and media-focused sources such as
the RSF (Reporters Sans Frontieres) annual press freedom index or the African Media Barometer
Cameroon report. Keep a notebook of key facts, dates, names, and positions.
Media Analysis
The media analysis paper is the most distinctly ESSTIC paper in the concours it has no
equivalent at any other Grande Ecole. You receive a set of media documents: newspaper articles,
TV news transcripts, social media posts, or online news extracts. Your task is to analyse them as
media objects: what angle is being taken? What editorial choices were made? What information
is emphasised and what is left out? What framing is being used?
To answer these questions well, you need to be familiar with the basic concepts of media analysis:
news values (what makes something newsworthy proximity, timeliness, prominence, conflict,
human interest), framing (how the choice of language, images, and story structure shapes how
audiences understand an issue), gatekeeping (how editors and platforms decide what becomes
news), media bias (ideological, commercial, and structural biases in news production), and source
attribution (who is quoted and what that reveals about the editorial perspective). These concepts
can be covered in 4-6 weeks of focused study.
The eStudyUniverse app’s AI Tutor can help you think through media analysis problems.
Describe a media extract you are analysing and ask the AI Tutor to walk you through the analytical
framework identifying the framing choices, the news values, and the likely editorial perspective
of the source.
Preparing for the ESSTIC Oral Examination
The ESSTIC oral is a language and analytical thinking assessment. Examiners will speak to you
in French and English, raise a topical issue and ask for your analysis, and test whether you can
defend a position clearly when challenged.
Set aside 20 minutes every day to speak on a current affairs topic aloud and formally. If you have
a study partner, take turns posing and responding to current affairs questions in both languages.
This builds the fluency and the habit of forming clear analytical responses under conversational
pressure.
Two specific skills the oral tests.
First: structured analytical response. When asked a question
about a current issue, respond with structure state your position, develop it with two or three
specific points, acknowledge a counter-argument, and conclude.
Second: defending a position when challenged. Examiners sometimes push back to see whether you reason under pressure or collapse. Prepare to say ‘I hold that position because…’ and give a specific reason.
The Five Mistakes That Cost ESSTIC Candidates Their Place
Mistake 1: Treating language papers as secondary. At ESSTIC, the French and English
papers combined carry the same weight as the highest-weighted papers at other concours.
Candidates who invest primarily in general culture and neglect the language papers consistently
fall short of the merit list.
Mistake 2: Not practising the media analysis paper before the exam. The media analysis
paper tests a specific skill critical media analysis that most candidates have never been
assessed on. Arriving at ESSTIC without specifically practising media analysis using real media
examples is equivalent to arriving at ENSP without having done any past papers.
Mistake 3: Reading only international news. ESSTIC general culture is heavily weighted
toward Cameroonian media, culture, and social issues. Candidates who read only BBC, Le
Monde, or Al Jazeera without also following Cameroon Tribune and Le Jour are not prepared for
the specific topics the general culture paper tests.
Mistake 4: Arriving at the oral unprepared. Unlike most concours where the oral is a qualifying
formality, the ESSTIC oral has eliminated candidates with strong written scores. Practise
speaking analytically in both languages every day from month two of preparation onwards.
Mistake 5: Writing generic essays without specific arguments. The essay papers reward
candidates who take a clear, specific position and defend it with specific evidence. An essay that
lists advantages and disadvantages symmetrically will be outscored by an essay that argues a
clear position and develops it specifically. Take positions. Defend them.
Frequently Asked Questions About the ESSTIC Concours
Do I need to have studied journalism or communication to pass ESSTIC? No. ESSTIC
admits candidates from many backgrounds. The essential requirements are strong formal writing
in French and English, genuine intellectual engagement with media and current affairs, and the
analytical thinking ability the media analysis paper tests.
Is ESSTIC preparation different from preparing for other humanities concours? Yes,
significantly. ESSTIC’s emphasis on language quality, media analysis, and oral communication
makes it qualitatively different from ENAM (which emphasises administrative analysis and law) or
IRIC (which emphasises international affairs and diplomatic writing).
Can the eStudyUniverse app help with ESSTIC preparation? Yes ,ESSTIC past papers
with model essay answers, general culture practice tests, and an AI Tutor that handles media
analysis questions, current affairs discussions, and formal essay feedback are all available in the
app.
Download Free ESSTIC Past Questions
Download free ESSTIC past questions for Journalism, Communication and PR, and other tracks
on the eStudyUniverse app. Access model essay answers, annotated media analysis responses,
and AI Tutor support all offline after downloading. tests, and AI Tutor support. Search ‘eStudyUniverse’ on Google Play or the App Store.
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Cameroon | How to Pass the ENSET Concours.
ESSTIC Concours in eStudyUniverse
Practise ESSTIC entrance papers offline and use the AI Tutor for essay and analysis questions.
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Related articles: IRIC guide | Concours hub | GCE past questions
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