Grade 12s in South Africa face a great deal of pressure.
Years of secondary school culminate in a short year, with three terms of
teaching, and one filled with the all-important final examinations. One
can argue that, by the time you have reached grade 12, you have become used to
the culture of examinations. While this may be so, the final examinations are,
of course, a whole different ball game.
For one, it is an external examination -
the first you will encounter. For most, including the entire household,
this equals anxiety. Secondly, there is so much riding on your
performance. It is both a certificate that will remain with you for life,
and one which will determine some possibilities in your immediate future. Some
of the National Senior Certificate’s several objectives include being an
indicator for admission to higher education, providing a passport to employment
and citizenship. Thirdly, your confidence in, or trepidation at, writing
the final NSC examinations stems from your academic performance in earlier,
internal school examinations. Average students are significantly more
anxious at writing the finals, and as a result often do not fulfil their
potential in these examinations. Throw in the fact that most South
African school-leavers do their schooling at under-resourced high schools, the
pressure is on, plain and simple. So, with that in mind, here are my
hints to have a good year.
Tip 1: Manage your time
Grab hold of a calendar today, and count
the school days to 28 October 2013, the day the NSC examinations commence.
Tip 2: Focus on your problem subjects
If you are one of those students who gravitate
towards their favourite subjects, in which they are doing okay, instead of
spending more time on problem subjects, it's time to rethink.
Tip 3: Watch your extra-murals
However noble and fulfilling it is to
represent your school at sports, or in a society, extra-mural activities have
the potential to consume many, many hours.
Tip 4: Understand the extent of the
syllabus
Do you have a high-level view of your
syllabus for each subject? What are the major sections, chapters and
sub-sections? Get organised, and know your way around your work.
Tip
5: Plan early for the future
Gather information on prospects for your next year after school,
as early as possible. This is YOUR
responsibility. Be realistic about your
prospects, and develop a plan.
Tip 6: Get through your applications by
the end of your midyear break
You do not want to be busy with
applications to institutions as you approach your final examinations.
Tip
7: Choose your friends carefully
Unfortunately, sometimes those who call
you their friend, do not have your interests at heart. At a critical period in your young life,
avoid destructive ‘friendships’.
Associate with people who will uplift you and on whom you can have a
positive influence.
Tip 8: Temper your rebellion
I have some sympathy for you. In some ways you are a product of society,
which has taught all young people to be independent thinkers and shun
conformity. The extent to which this
sometimes degenerates into indiscriminate rebellion is sad, because it robs the
individual (you) of opportunities to learn and grow personally. Consider how many young people you know, even
you yourself, are more eager to take the advice of adults they do not know,
than listen to their parents.
Tip 9: Look on the bright
side
If you think life has dealt you a poor hand, look around and think
again. Try your best to be optimistic in general, and develop a positive
attitude towards challenges that will come your way.
Tip 10: Aim high
I recommend a simple exercise to school
learners. List your school subjects, and
alongside them, list the percentage which you really believe is the highest
possible you could achieve in the final examinations. Every time I do this exercise, I get a range
of percentages, and nobody has ever listed 7 scores of 100%. If you, like I, believe in the power of positive
thinking, and the limiting effect of a lack of confidence, then you should be
aiming to achieve much higher than your own impression of your abilities.
Good Afternoon Carl!
ReplyDeleteI am currently in matric and these tips are so incredibly helpful.
However I am more anxious than your typical average student as I have a chronic Medical condition and had to have open heart surgery last year which meant I had to miss about 6 to 8 months of school in my grade 11 year. This has played a major factor in the marks I'm getting now.
I am getting the minimum I need to study at a university but I know this is not adequate.
After missing so much school I am afraid that my best may not be enough!
Rethabile:
DeleteThank you for sharing.
It may be true that you are unable to achieve the performances of which you know you are capable. It is certainly true that individual circumstances cannot be addressed with general solutions. However, you may want to remember the following -
1) you may easily make a great success of your life without attending a university immediately;
2) if you intend studying after school you should first explore options that suit you (!) before deciding on the type of institution, or which one exactly, you wish to attend;
3) if you have been inadequately prepared at school, you may not want to go to university immediately, since the gaps in your schooling will probably present you with challenges in higher education.
4) opportunities surround us; we are just so used to believing there are none! I will be publishing one or two inspiring stories in the near future; look out for it!
Best wishes
Carl