Examinations are part and parcel of academic life, but they are still a major stressor in secondary school life.
Students are required to learn, retain and apply vast amounts of knowledge across a wide range of academic subjects — this can be a daunting task.
How can you better support your child during this crucial revision period?
"It is important to start revision early and revise consistently in order to grasp topics well and develop a strong foundation in the subject. Additionally, ensuring that your child’s revision plans are in line with the goals that he or she has set for the academic year ahead helps him or her to be more focused. "
—Ms Shuli Sudderuddin, Academic Director for the Secondary Programmes at TLL, United Square
One way your child can make revision time more manageable is by reading through his or her past work — that includes completed work, as well as corrections.
Analysing past mistakes and reviewing effective techniques for question analysis is a good way to engage in reflective learning and become more mindful about avoiding careless errors.
Some of the common pitfalls upper primary students may encounter at the SA1s include:
1. English Composition Writing: Summary points have not been rephrased properly.
Top Tip: Do not lift directly from the passage. Remember that you cannot use words that are used in the points you have identified.
2. Math Short-answer Questions: Incomplete differentiation of an expression which involves the chain rule.
Top Tip: Break the expression into multiple simpler expressions and apply the chain rule to solve.
3. Science Free Response Questions: Misconceptions.
Top Tip: For content-heavy topics, it is important to revisit the models, definitions of terms and related concepts.
Sound exam preparation starts with having a comprehensive plan. Even as your child works more independently now that he or she is in secondary school, you’ve always emphasised the importance of having a systematic approach to revising for the exams.
Allocating blocks of time to each subject with scheduled breaks in-between periods of revision helps your child stay focused. Remind your child about the benefits of having healthful meals and exercising during this period of exam preparation.
Additionally, getting adequate rest will also aid your child in getting ready to perform at his or her best during the SA1 papers.
TLL curriculum specialists have crafted a series of SA1 revision guides that will help you and your child tackle some of the common challenges students face in their examinations. Remember to keep these top tips in mind!
Enrol your child in one of our core programmes and let your child take the first step to excelling at his or her school work today.
Learn more about nurturing the love of learning in your child by visiting www.thelearninglab.com.sg or calling us at 6733 8711.