Thinking about how to gear up for your IGCSE examinations can be scary and overwhelming, so it’s far better to start early.
As the great Chinese military strategist Sun Zi said, “know yourself and your enemy, and in a hundred battles you will not know defeat”.
You also do not have to fight your IGCSE battle alone. Our Singapore teachers at The Learning Lab Asia are at hand to provide you with expert guidance and to arm you with the techniques and strategies you need to prove victorious at the end of the day. Here is how you can get an early head start in preparing for the IGCSE.
1. Lay Plans and Make Adjustments
Firstly, you have to be clear-minded about and aware of the conditions you are “fighting” in.
This means different kinds of content you have to learn and different ways of being assessed, and that’s before we even factor in increased responsibilities in your extra- curriculum activities. You and your parents will need to make a series of small but important adjustments to be able to stay on top of all these changes.
For example, you will likely need to make changes to your weekly routine, balancing how much time you devote to working on each subject with getting adequate rest and break time.
2. Make Every Second Count
Secondly, you will need to come up with a strategy or game plan for the IGCSE. Your approach and expectations will differ respectively, as will the approach of our teachers.
You will need a more focused approach, concentrating on areas of weakness and common mistakes, and working to eliminate them. Our teachers will be working with you to draw up a study and revision plan to ensure maximum time management for each subject.
3. Rise to the Challenge
Thirdly, you will have to be prepared to work through more advanced content. At The Learning Lab Asia, our curriculum and lesson materials are very closely aligned to what you will see in school, with a little more difficulty.
We also expose our students to advanced concepts and complicated real-world issues through video clips and articles for them to read on their own time. This challenges students to think deeper and more extensively, drawing on multiple topics or sciences when approaching questions.
When you have had more experience with higher-order thinking questions or application questions, you will be more confident and capable of answering the questions. And don’t worry about not being able to deal with the harder material. There are students of varying abilities at TLL and in class, there are always check-ins where teachers will ask you if you are able to follow, and to repeat back what you have learnt in your own way!
4. Consult Battle-Hardened Experts
Lastly, proactively communicate with your teachers and help them help you. Our teachers make a habit of asking what you are up to in school, but they will be able to have a much clearer idea of your progress, including what you may be struggling with, if you take the initiative to inform them.
Come to each lesson prepared with questions or material that you are having a tough time tackling. You may even want to talk about what has worked for you, to let your teachers know that you are on the right track together.
Each school has slightly different requirements when it comes to assessment, and the more your teachers hear from you, the more they will be able to understand how they can help you succeed.
Check with your TLLA teachers on how best to communicate with one another so that you may seek assistance from them beyond the classrooms.
Forging Ahead with the IGCSE
Getting an early start in your IGCSE preparation is crucial for laying a strong foundation that you can build and rely on in your upper secondary years.
At The Learning Lab Asia, you will be immersed in a rigorous curriculum that stretches you intellectually, and be plugged into a supportive environment that enables you to seek help for and overcome your areas of weakness.
This means not only imparting the requisite skills to you but also the right mindset and attitude to approach any challenges that life puts in your way.
Click here to find out more about how your child can emerge victorious from the IGCSE examination.