Scoring Well in IGCSE Exams

The Cambridge IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) is a competitive and stimulating educational program for secondary school students. The strength of this program is not only its intense academic rigor but also its focus on developing critical, creative, and problem-solving skills among the learners.

Learners can score excellent marks in the IGCSE assessment if they are able to plan efficiently and follow their plan diligently. Here, we discuss a few ways in which learners can make plans that are efficient and sustainable and also the ways in which such plans can be followed to ensure that they perform brilliantly in their assessments.

Start Early

Time management and starting early are actually the two keys to success in all aspects of life. As learners gear towards their academic year, they should be able to pace their learning and ensure that they are managing their time well. This simply means that they have to be consistent with everything they are doing- mastering their academic curriculum, participating in co-curricular activities, and taking care of their physical and mental health. Being consistent will also take the edge off the learners’ minds as the assessment time approaches and help them be calm and composed for the exams to come.

Note-taking

In today’s age of mindless scrolling on the internet, the art of close reading and mindful reception is becoming rare. Learners must be able to retain what they are learning in their course. Its imperative for them to ensure that they are understanding and assimilating whatever they are being taught in their classrooms. For this to happen, learners should get into the habit of making notes to ensure that they have a concise document ready to look at and revise when the exams approach. Taking notes will also ensure that the learners are keeping a record of what they are gaining from the concepts they are studying in their classes.

Know your weaknesses and strengths

Learners must be able to assess their own weaknesses and strengths to ensure that they are able to divide their time and resources. This simply means that one needs to give more time and attention to what one struggles with more. If you think writing subjective, essay-type answers is a challenge for you, make sure that you give time to understand the basics of writing such answers and then practice writing such answers. There will always be topics and subjects you feel more confident of, and those you might struggle with. This identification will help you set goals for yourself and manage your time effectively.

Practice

This is related to the last point in the sense that once you are aware of your strengths and weaknesses, you will know which concepts/ subjects need more time and attention from you. This will help you prioritise and practice your weaker points. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t give any time to what you think your strengths are but simply that you need to put more time into practicing what might be a challenge for you as compared to what you feel confident about.