admin1. Improve your vocab! Learn 10 new words a day. Have a small notebook with you where you write down 10 new words you learn each day.
You can get these words from the dictionary or whenever you encounter them in your reading. Learn the definitions, and try to use them in your next composition writing or in your conversations.
2. For other subjects like Maths and Chemistry, you need to practice, practice, practice. For English, you need to READ, READ, READ! Read English texts as often as you can. This could be the news, novels, or magazines.
Choose an interesting text that is not too difficult for you. Try to note down good phrases that you can use in your next composition assignment.
3. Practice writing everyday! How about starting a journal where you can write about your daily life and your thoughts, your rants etc. Ten years down the road, you can read your journal again and look back on your past. It would be fun!
4. Study with friends. You can practice doing grammar exercises together and have English conversations together. Furthermore, as you study English together, you can help each other with questions you may not understand.
O-Level English exam tips from examiners
If you find that reading over revision notes just before an exam relaxes you, feel free to do so, but be aware that in most cases it could make you more nervous; any new information is not normally absorbed at this stage.
On the day of the exam, when you are told to turn the paper over, don’t start writing until you have read the exam paper from cover to cover.
Mark the topics you wish to answer and concentrate on them. You should have an idea of how much time you are going to spend on each question with the ones carrying the most marks getting the most allocated time.
Remember that the exams are not set to trip you up, but are designed to allow you to show your knowledge of the specification. Be positive and have confidence in your ability.
Take time to consider the question. Look at where the marks are to be gained and allocate time appropriately (and stick to it). Too many candidates spend too much time earning and re-earning small numbers of marks, thereby losing time for the heavier-tariff tasks.
Remember, answering three questions fairly well is better than answering one very well and leaving two badly done. Underlining key words in the question may help to focus your mind and jog your memory.
Structure your answers by making an answer plan; writing this down will help.
Don’t forget to refer back to the question to help ensure that you answer the question asked. The examiner can’t give you marks for your knowledge and understanding of a topic if you don’t answer the specific question properly, i.e. don’t answer the question you wish you’d been asked rather that the question in front of you. Try and read your answer through before moving on to the next question.
Concentrate on your punctuation, spelling and grammar. Remember that, whilst you will not be marked down for bad handwriting, if the examiner
cannot read what you have said, then they can’t give you the marks you deserve.
Try and relax, and keep an eye on the clock without checking it every five minutes. You need to leave time to complete each question and to read through your answers before the end of the exam.
Once you have finished the exam, don’t worry about it and try to avoid comparing your answers with other students.
Tips for studying Biology
1. Always read up the chapter before the teacher starts teaching it. It really makes a difference.
2. Pay attention in your practical sessions and actually perform the experiments. If you are a hands-on kind of person, this will help you remember the facts better.
3. Make your own study notes. Draw mindmaps. This will allow you to digest the information better and then reorganize the information in a way that you yourself can understand better. Good students always make their own study notes. Remember, good results comes with putting in effort.
4. Don’t cram at the last minute! Start your revision at least one month earlier. This will give you time to revise all the chapters at least 3 times. The more times you revise a topic, the better you will retain the information in your mind.
5. Revise all your past tests, exams and assignments and understand your mistakes. Consult your teacher if you need.
6. It’s not enough to just memorise your whole textbook. You need to practice doing the questions too. So start working on your ten-years series or other good assessment books.
Once you have practiced sufficiently, you will come to realise that there is only a certain number of ways they can ask questions regarding a specific chapter.
7. I know, essay questions can be a pain in the neck. I suggest making a “??” or “secret manual” of all the essay questions in the 10-years series.
Buy an A4 ring-binder pad. Write the essay question at the top and then write out the essay yourself with reference to your textbook or notes given out by your teacher. This will take time, patience, and effort. But trust me, it will pay off. Towards your O-Level, you can just whip out your miji and memorise the essays that you have prepared beforehand.
8. Get enough rest before your exam day. Sleep early. You have nothing to worry about if you have done the previous steps because you would be very well prepared. It’s important to have a fresh mind so you can be in good shape for your exam.
Chemistry is one subject that you can easily score an A in, if you put in effort of course! Below are some tips for studying Chemistry.
Tips for studying Chemistry
1. Since there are so many formulae to remember, try writing them out on flash cards. One formula per card, along with a couple of example questions that require application of this formula. This will make it easier to refer back and revise closer to your exam date.
2. As with other subjects, you need to practice doing the questions! Find out the model answers to the questions. Understand what is required of you for each question. Many students tend to veer off when answering questions. So avoid this mistake! Consult your teacher or get a tutor. Also, learning from your own mistakes is the best way to learn.
So do as many questions as you can so you can make all the mistakes you can ever make and then when you go to the real exam, you will not make the same mistakes again.
3. Make your own study notes! List down all the key terms and definitions for each chapter, all the formulae, and other important information such as the reactivity series.
Draw diagrams too. I cannot emphasise this enough – You really should make your own notes. If you only study from your textbook, it is just like reading from a novel. You get the idea but you will probably find it difficult to recall and apply the facts.
4. Use mnemonic device – check out www.gcestudybuddy.com for several memorisation techniques.
For example, to remember the metal reactivity series, you can use this (found it in a chemistry blog. Very clever. Source: begamwithbaytrees.blogspot.com)
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