December 23, 2021 It’s that time again when your test results are returned. Your teacher walks across the classroom, placing students’ papers face down on their desks. Finally it’s your turn, and you exchange a brief glance with your teacher before your paper is returned to you. Was that…anger? Disappointment? With a deep breath, you flip your paper over, only to see that glaring ‘F’ grade and the phrase, short and sweet, “See me”.
Failing a test or an important exam is perhaps every student’s worst nightmare. Unfortunately, the education system is far from lenient. With most schools adopting continuous assessment structures, a failure on one small test could impact your overall grade or even be the deciding factor in whether you pass the subject. Repeated failures could pressure a student into pursuing A-math tuition in Singapore in a desperate bid to improve their grades. We often have students coming to tuition in Ang Mo Kio for this very reason – which is a good sign that they are keen and willing to improve. On the other hand, failures can also demoralise a student, causing them to doubt themselves and their ability to succeed. It’s definitely not a pleasant feeling.
The good news is that with the right studying techniques and enough help from your tuition in Ang Mo Kio, you’ll be able to turn that failure around into not just a pass, but even a distinction. Before tackling the situation, however, it is important to determine the root cause of poor grades.
Not Enough Revision
One of the most common reasons behind poor grades in school is lack of revision. With all the content required for the A-maths syllabus, you certainly can’t expect to study just a few days before a test and still ace it. Catching up on revision can become a vicious cycle – the more students procrastinate and put off their studying, the further behind they’ll lag and the more difficult it will be to get started on revision.
To be properly prepared for any exam, it is important to begin your revision more than a few weeks prior to the paper – or even longer, depending on the scope of the exam and the amount of content covered. If you are in any way unfamiliar with a concept, question type, answering technique or anything else, be sure to give yourself ample time to get it right and practice.
It is normal for secondary students to be busy with other subjects and extracurricular life, which makes planning your time even more important. Ideally, try to revise your A-maths each week, to ensure that you are fully familiar with the content. Clear any doubts early on with your teacher or private tutor. This will make your exam revision much easier without needing to cram in the entire syllabus overnight.
Poor Studying Techniques
How do you study? Is it as simple as reading your textbook, or do you need to make notes on every page of your notebook? At our A math tuition in Singapore, we noticed that a good number of students do put in effort to revise their work, but they are not internalising as much as they should be due to poor studying techniques. Since everybody studies differently, what works for another may not work as well for you. In most cases, studying for A-maths entails much more than just going through some notes – Maths is very much a practical subject, and you need to know how to do the questions like the back of your hand. If you have been studying without practicing and wondering why the concepts aren’t sinking in, it may be time to consider changing things up and trying another studying technique. Perhaps you’ll find another method that enables you to understand your Maths concepts better.
Low Interest in the Subject
Although students get to choose their subject options in upper secondary, they still need to learn a wide variety of subjects that they may not have the aptitude for. Yes, A-maths is optional, but it opens up too many doors in higher education that most students end up taking the subject even if they do not particularly enjoy Maths. If this sounds like you, don’t despair. Even if you may not have a natural inclination towards Maths, it is still possible to score well in the subject and perhaps even come to enjoy it. Sometimes, students dislike Maths because they feel that they do poorly in it. However, when they learn the concepts behind Maths and truly understand it, they are able to tackle difficult questions and find enjoyment in acing each paper. As one of the few subjects that one can score full marks on, understanding Maths is an initial hurdle that students have to overcome, but the rewards are well worth it.