- 03 Jul, 2023
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How to Prepare for an IGCSE Exam?
IGCSE stands for International General Certificate of Secondary Education. It is a highly popular international certificate required before diving into pre-university studies. It has a total of 70 courses out of which students have the option to choose from a minimum of 5 to a maximum of 14 subjects for an IGCSE exam. The most common subjects being almost compulsory are English, Mathematics, & Sciences.
Many students want to score an A*, adopt different ways and methods for that purpose. Now that you are familiar with what IGCSE is, let us go through the 5 steps on how to prepare for an IGCSE exam.
1. Using Multiple Sources:
Many students have one textbook that they use in their schools, and in their homes as well. This one textbook is typically recommended by the school and there is no harm in using that textbook. However, a smart strategy that is being used by many students is considering other sources to study. We have to understand that IGCSE has two boards, CIE (Cambridge) & Edexcel. IGCSE CIE creates one syllabus which is then used by multiple publishers, and the same goes for IGCSE Edexcel.
If a student will only stick to one course material then it will result in study gaps in understanding the entirety of the syllabus. Using other sources or course material will help a student fill in those gaps thus making it easy for the student to score an A* in his IGCSE exam.
2. Obtaining private tuition:
Private tutoring is the one and only quick method to ace an IGCSE exam. We have to face the fact that in a normal classroom, a student will never be able to concentrate because the school teacher has to focus on everyone in the classroom. This results in the student not being able to properly understand the concepts. With the help of private tutoring, a tutor would be able to concentrate fully on one student thus making it easy for the student to understand the concepts.
There are many platforms that provide private IGCSE tutoring sessions, but there is one that not only provides highly effective IGCSE tutoring but also helps the student focus on the marking schemes, past paper techniques, and paper reports. Cerebral Tutoring has more than 500+ private tutors that are highly qualified and trained by IGCSE professionals. These private tutoring lessons are comfortable and flexible. Along with that the IGCSE tutors at Cerebral Tutoring also make sure that the students cover a majority of past papers, especially IGCSE past papers in the lowest time possible making the preparation easy for the students for an IGCSE exam.
If you feel that your child needs an IGCSE assessment then you may apply for a free evaluation in which the company will provide a free consultation as well.
3. Practicing through past papers:
Many students study 6 to 7 hours a day but there is no point in putting that much energy into studying if one would not be able to practice it. Practicing and studying are two different sides of the same coin and a student must be familiar with both. Practicing through past papers is the most effective way to monitor your study progress. It is highly similar to real-life final-day training. Even if a student hasn’t covered the entire syllabus, he has covered most of the past papers thereby raising his chances of acing his exam.
However, the exact trick to breaking down a past paper in order to obtain the highest grades lies in its entire structure. When it comes to IGCSE past papers a student should not only solve those completely, but also focus on the presentation techniques, marking schemes, and figuring out the pattern of the questions. One should know that most of the questions are not from textbooks but from past papers, and practicing the questions from previous exams helps the student improve his skills.
The best advice is to avoid cramming as much as possible. You should maintain a balance between studying and solving past paper questions. Doing lots of mock tests, that contain questions that have been repeated more than 3 times in IGCSE past papers will definitely help a student perform well. You should accept the fact that bright students do with this technique the most. If a student won’t cover the past papers then he will definitely perform poorly, but if the student has covered the past paper thoroughly then all of the questions would be easy to solve.
4. Setting high goals:
While it is good to obtain the highest grades such as an A* or an A, specifically aiming for those grades isn’t a great idea. Is it good that everyone should aim for an A* but even if you don’t get all A*s in every subject then you should know the fact that you gave your very best. That thought keeps you motivated and you might be surprised to discover your true potential.
Setting high goals for yourself will actually help you in achieving better grades. When it comes to an IGCSE exam, the important thing to understand is to set up a goal and not make it a dream. Goals are easy and short and that is what the students need since an IGCSE exam keeps on changing most of the time.
5. Making a study plan:
Many students study only a day before the exam which is not a smart idea for every person. You’re desperately flipping through the pages of your textbook and reviewing your notes, trying to make sure that you understand each and every concept. In such a short amount of time, deciding what to skip and what to prioritize can be highly difficult. This is not a long-term solution, and when the next test or quiz comes up students repeat the same behavior again.
The perfect solution to this problem is to make a study plan. Every test that is being conducted either by the school or your tutor eventually would lead up to your IGCSE CIE and IGCSE Edexcel final exams. Preparing thoroughly for those tests would be slow and eventually, it will lead you to your final destination which will be your IGCSE exam in which you will definitely succeed. Succeeding in those normal tests would make sure that you understand and grasp every concept.
Conclusion:
Preparing for an IGCSE exam may be overwhelming for the students but it is still highly possible for them to obtain the highest score. Understanding the above-mentioned points and practically focusing on them can bring much better results. It is also highly important to get your child evaluated by a specialist for which Cerebral Tutoring will be more than happy to assist.