Hacks to acing your final exams this year
JOHANNESBURG – As the start of the final examinations draws to a close, this year's Grade 12 learners have to work extra hard as these final results play an important part in their future.
An education expert has advised the Class of 2019 to study and practice using as many past examination papers as possible.
The Independent Institute of Education’s Faculty of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) senior head of programme Wonga Ntshinga said that completing previous exam papers helps your preparation on several levels.
“In addition to covering the material you studied in a practical way, you also get a deeper understanding of how you need to pace yourself to ensure you complete a paper within the required time. So you get used to the stress of being faced with problems and questions in different formats and the way papers are structured, as well as deep practice applying your knowledge. You also get a more thorough insight into your work, which you can’t duplicate by simply reading and re-reading your textbooks until the day of the exam,” he said.
Ntshinga also said in order for learners to get a good understanding of where they need to focus their attention the most, they need to reflect on their performance during the June exams. “It is particularly those subjects in which you struggled, or in which you could have performed better, which can benefit from the completion of past exam papers.”
According to Ntshinga, learners should commit to practising a past exam paper every week until exams especially papers of those subjects that could do with a boost. This is in addition to their existing revision strategy. “The benefit of taking this approach is that it will give you a much greater return on the investment of your time and focus than almost any other form of revision.”
Some learners may not have easy access to past exam papers but teachers sometimes do hand them out for practice, however, it is the responsibility of the learner to find past papers themselves. There are a number of ways to access past exam papers. “Most schools should make past papers available to their learners, but it is also a good idea to get ones in addition to those provided by your school,” said Ntshinga.
He also said learners can find countless past papers on the Internet and on educational and government websites. Additionally, good higher education institutions also help matric learners by providing past papers. You can visit a registered and accredited institution close to you and ask for assistance from their student advisors. On top of making past papers available, the benefit of speaking to a student advisor is that you can discuss your struggles and concerns with them and they can advise you on additional ways you can conquer your work.
While the final exams may feel rather far away at the moment, the last few months of the matric year will fly by in the blink of an eye, and learners should start preparing without delay. Ntshinga advised learners to make every day and week count. “Don’t wait until next week to start your final countdown. Make sure you have your study roster in place, that you consistently stick to your plans, and that you stay on top of things. Discipline during these next few months and the small victory of making your daily targets will build confidence and capability. And doing just that extra little work every week on the subjects that need greater attention, will make a substantial and potentially decisive difference to your final results,” Ntshinga concluded.
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