Some parents wonder: “Is there still time for O Level or IP for my child to do well?” Anxious parents seek support from tuition centers every June holiday to get O-level or IP chemistry tuition for their kids who did poorly in their mid-year exams.
These concerns are understood. After all, the GCE O Level or their IP exam is only four months away. Doing well on the O-Level or IP exam gives your child more choices for schools and courses to further their education. Students must remain concentrated until the O Levels and follow the correct techniques to confidently prepare themselves for the examination. We propose the following to study for O level Chemistry:
Build up a Strong Foundation of Basic Concepts
The root problem observed in students underperforming in the examination was their lack of comprehension of chemistry basics. In the fundamental concepts, the degree of understanding is far below average. As students study for the O Level Pure Chemistry or IP Chemistry examination, following a topic-by-topic approach, creating a solid foundation is the key. Students must research and understand the underlying main principles of the formula for each subject before moving to the next issue.
In Chemistry, the subjects taught in Secondary three must first be learned and mastered. Students need to understand basic topics such as Chemical Bonding, Writing Balanced Chemical and ionic Equations, Acids and bases, and Mole Calculations in Secondary 3. Compared to Physics and Biology, chemistry is a much more abstract science subject since almost every issue is related to another topic, especially those discussed earlier in Secondary three.
Pay Attention to the Usage of Keywords in Structured Questions
How many tell your kids they pay attention in the classroom and should understand what their teachers teach? Their examination results, however, are dismal, and they don’t understand why. This is because it is unnecessary only to know the key concepts, i.e., “stories.” The examiners will mark them based on the right keywords or key phrases written. Answering standardized questions with a relevant, precise, complete collection of keywords is one of the main challenges facing many chemistry students.
For example, “Graphite conducts electricity due to mobile electrons” may be the correct keyword for a question. Still, the common mistake made by many students is “Graphite conducts electricity due to mobile ions.”
Rote memorization often explains this mistake without knowing the graphite’s structural properties, and they appear to write the wrong keywords in the examination. As they have their basic concepts to back up their choice of keywords, A-grade students can write the correct keywords. In addition to their application skills, Mastery of Chemistry involves strong foundations of basic concepts and clear use of keywords.
