For students at international schools, preparing for
IGCSE exams has long been part of the educational process and a central facet
of curriculum planning. Despite the difficult nature of the test and intense
competition that exists to achieve high scores, many students—and their
parents—view success on the exam as critical to their future wellbeing, as
attaining IGCSE qualifications can help to set students on the path to successful
academic careers.
While there are no shortcuts to attaining a high grade in
the IGCSE exams, there are some ways of developing your plan of study and
preparing for the exams that can make life significantly easier (and less
stressful) for both parents and students.
None of these tips can replace hard work and dedication, but using these
tips may help reinforce successful study habits and help students study more
efficiently, leaving them with more time to develop their interests in sports,
extracurricular activities, community service or other endeavors. Additionally,
becoming comfortable with different ways of learning and processing information
is vital for future educational and occupational development, where students
may benefit indirectly from learning how to study differently.
Below you will find three tips to help students prepare
for their IGCSE exams that will hopefully relieve stress in the process.
1. Practice makes perfect, but…
Although practice can “make perfect” in many situations,
receiving and properly making use of feedback is just as vital for continued
success, as is constantly practicing a task or studying a subject. If “practice” means doing something
incorrectly many times over, it is not nearly as helpful as constantly improving
one’s approach to the task.
This more refined approach should be applied to homework
and exams. Homework allows students to review what was taught that day. Exams
test students’ abilities to absorb, synthesize and re-produce information. Both
are helpful to a students’ development but, on their own, are incomplete
academic exercises. If students are confused or unable to solve a problem while
working on homework, you should encourage them to seek extra help from
instructors or tutors. By doing so, students will learn how to solve the
problem(s) and can then incorporate that knowledge into other homework
assignments and related subjects. This improved knowledge base can also help
improve exam scores as students’ knowledge becomes more thorough and more
complete. Old exams should be reviewed
and reworked to avoid repeating similar mistakes and to increase familiarity
with various problem-solving approaches.
IGSCE exams are very thorough and comprehensive, so if
the student is comfortable working on a plethora of different subjects and
types of problems this will greatly enhance a student’s ability to score well. By
reinforcing correct problem solving methods or writing processes through
consultation and repetition, students will also be able to respond to exam prompts
more quickly and accurately. This will allow them to answer and address a
larger number of questions, raising their potential grades.
2. Students cannot be perfect at everything, so…
The IGCSE exams encourage creative thinking, analytical
reading, problem solving and many other essential skills, applicable to a wide
array of academic subjects. In order to provide opportunities to students of
diverse academic backgrounds and with different academic interests, Cambridge International
Examinations offers qualifications in over 70 subjects and in more than 30
languages.
It is very rare that a student will enjoy and be equally
skilled in studying every subject in which an IGCSE exam is offered, let alone
every subject in academia. With only so many hours of each day available for
schooling and studying, it is important that students choose to take IGCSE
exams in subjects that they are passionate and academically strong in. This
combination of passion and academic prowess will enable students to realize
their maximum potential, both in terms of IGCSE exam grades and educational
development.
How can you ensure that students’ choices align with
their skills and passion? This is especially difficult; as many young students
may not have a very strong idea of what subjects they like or are most adept in
studying. Students—in consultation with family and school guidance
personnel—should carefully consider what exams and subjects they wish to take
in order to achieve the aforementioned outcomes. It is crucial that students do
not merely mimic the choices of their friends and peers in an effort to “fit
in” or be like everyone else.
Each school has a different approach to guiding students
and fostering their passions. YCIS
Shanghai, for example, provides students with relevant guides for a plethora of
academic subjects and topics, and challenges students throughout the term
to think creatively, analyze deeply and study passionately. Moreover, YCIS
Shanghai offers extra English classes to ensure students are able to fully
engage with their IGCSE subject material and exams.
3. Positivity is critical, therefore…
Encouraging students to have a positive attitude about
studying and school itself will pay dividends both in the classroom and in life
in general. Great emphasis should be placed on why studying matters and what
students will be able to do with the knowledge they have attained, rather than
just emphasizing the importance of attaining high grades. By keeping the
importance of tests in perspective, parents and teachers can help students to
feel less stressed and anxious about studying for and taking the exams, leaving
them with more energy and capacity to actually study and perform well.
There are several ways by which parents and teachers can
help to create a positive atmosphere for students. Adopting and maintaining a
confident attitude about students’ capabilities is an essential part of helping
students to stay positive. Parents should never compare their children with other
students or friends’ children. Instead, parents should focus on finding and
fostering the positive traits and habits that their children already possess. Making
improvements to children’s academic or extracurricular lives should be framed
as ways to be better students or more involved community members, not as a way
to become like another student or to match the accomplishments of peers. Positive feelings are infectious and children
will follow your example in embracing positivity.
Finally, children should be encouraged to be social,
treating classmates as friends instead of competition. Positive social
experiences and interactions with others are known to play a large role in
influencing how children develop and learn.
About Author:
Amber Gong is a native of Beijing, currently pursuing a career in digital marketing as a content writer and researcher. She has previous experience as a Chinese language teacher, and is currently working with Yew Chung International School, an international school based in Shanghai and Beijing.
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