O level help

Lifesavers for ‘O’ level woes

By Qurratulain Qaiser a.k.a MAHAM

Everyone gets worried about his or her exams. It is a natural phenomenon. But there are a few steps which, if followed, would prevent a nervous breakdown during exam time. First, get the books prescribed by your school and go through them (just to get an overview of what the books contain!) Try to get the copies of the syllabus for the subjects you have to appear in. Don’t forget to choose the syllabi for the subjects you have to appear in and for the year in which you have to appear in the examination (e.g. choose the 2007 syllabi if you plan to appear in May/June 2007 or October/November 2007). All syllabi are luckily available free of cost at www.cie.org.uk. You need Adobe Acrobat Reader to download it though! Go through all the syllabi.

Whenever you plan to start studying properly, go through the books over and over again. Ideally, you should have one course book and two reference books (preferably from the list of prescribed texts in the respective syllabi). Cover the syllabus, moving from point-to-point, so that the whole syllabus is thoroughly covered. Do not hesitate to go a bit beyond the syllabus if the extra information helps you. This extra information might come from a teacher, a reference book, the Internet or a fellow student. A little general knowledge can gain you a lot of marks and give you an edge over other candidates. It is better to make notes as you learn important points. Also, check out the past papers on different subjects. For subjects like Pakistan Studies (the history and culture of Pakistan and the environment of Pakistan), it is best not to buy solved past papers as they are of little help. Never try to rote-learn any text. It is better to try and understand each and every concept.

Link all the information in your mind in a way that it can be used in a variety of contexts. To prevent last minute panicking, you should have ideally covered the syllabi three months before the date of your first Cambridge exam. The date sheets are also available (two months prior to the exams) at www.cie.org.uk.

GOLDEN TIP: Study what is required by the syllabus and just a little more.

REVISION: Revision is a crucial part of all examinations. First of all, you need to focus on your weak areas and grasp any concepts that are weak, properly. Then revise the whole syllabus content. Read the books in your curriculum as many times as possible. It actually helps because the layout of the page would remind you of any points you might not be able to recall during the paper. Attempt yearly past papers, especially those from the year 2000 onwards. Check the durations of all papers and their distribution of questions. Chalk out how much time you need to give to each question. For history and Islamiyat, it is best to work on your writing speed. See how many words you can write in 20 minutes. For the Islamiyat paper, you should be able to write at least 900 words in 20 minutes.

EXAMINATION: Before the exam day, don’t stay up late overnight. Eat well before the exam — a good supply of glucose to the brain helps boost its working. Go to the exam venue in school uniform. Be there in time (at 8:30am for the morning session and at 2:00pm for the afternoon sessions). Don’t lose your cool. Stay calm and composed.

Panicking is of no use. So, don’t go for revision right before the exam although it is OK to discuss your confusions with some of your friends and get your head clear.

Whatever you do, don’t listen to any know-it-all who is trying to scare you by showing off how much more he/she has covered compared to you!

ATTEMPTING THE PAPER: This is the most important part of your exams. It’s the time to bring out the best in you and give it your all.

1. Write your name (in block letters) and the candidate number on the question paper and the answer sheet. Copy it down carefully from your statement of entry (no matter how well you think you know it!

2. Read the question paper carefully before you put your pen to paper.

3. Read and re-read each question before answering it and keep referring back to it while writing the answer.

4. Do not write long, rambling and rote-learned answers. Answer the question in such a way that the examiner knows what you have written is the answer to the question being asked and not a reproduction of the text book.

5. The length of the answer should be in accordance with the marks allocated.

6. Always answer the question that is actually being asked, NOT the one you think has been asked. This usually happens when you read the first few words of the questions and shoot away. These words might actually match the starting words of a question you might have read in the past papers but if you take a closer look it might be quite different.

7. Answer the question in proper paragraphs and not in note form.

8. The distribution of paragraphs should be according to the point and reasons you need to give especially in Islamiyat and Pakistan Studies.

9. For objective papers like biology, chemistry, etc., solve the MCQs on the question papers first by putting really small dots against the correct option.

10. In the MCQs paper, it is best to first cross out the obviously wrong options — the distracters. This usually leaves you with two options. Find the correct answer by using your knowledge and common sense combined.

11. Never reproduce material learnt from elsewhere. Chances are that someone would have written the same answer.

12. Use dark blue or black ink to solve the paper and never write in the right-hand margin headed ‘Examiner’s use only’.

13. If you have been given a word limit, it is best to stick with it.

14. Leave at least 10 minutes, before the end of the paper duration for checking the paper all over and then re-checking it. If there’s something that you need to cut out or correct, put a simple, clear, single, straight line across the word or phrase.

15. For MCQs, it is extremely important to check that you have shaded the correct box against the correct question number by tallying the question numbers and answers against the question paper answers you have marked.

16. Do not use staples, correction fluids, glue, paper clips, highlighters and coloured pens or pencils unless your syllabus specifically allows their use.

17. Last but not the least; check your candidate number and name on all the sheets and question papers before handing them over.

Best of luck for whenever you appear in your exams!