For Parents Of IGCSE Students
Depending on the particular student’s abilities to grasp concepts and take examinations, we approach each student differently. The problems (or lack thereof) of every student deserve careful thought and consideration and we endeavor to tackle his/her exact needs.
We have recommended study routines and courses of action for different kind of students. The following are situational examples of different IGCSE students. Parents are requested to glance through the examples, see which profile best fits his/her child and use our recommendations as a guideline for academic growth.
Q1) My son is receiving (3/7) or (4/7) on his school English examinations. What is your recommended course of action for the dramatic improvement in his scores that is required?
Answer:
This student probably requires immediate attention. Please set up a meeting with Richa Mahajan at the earliest. She, along with you (the parents) and the student, will draw up a cogent and deliberate game plan for the student. This plan will be designed with the consultation of all the Subject heads.
A mentor shall constantly oversee the progress of the child. The mentor shall regularly update the parents on the student’s progress. Along-side organizing bimonthly meetings between the parents and Richa Mahajan, the mentor will ensure that the student follows through on all his assignments and will give the struggling student all the additional help he or she needs.
All lapses in learning and conceptual understanding need to be compensated for. All the blanks need to be filled. To this end, the mentor will regulate the number of hours a student spends on each topic, assess the speed and efficiency of classes and will provide detailed and critical feedback to the parents every week. Once a student has begun performing well in the following months, we can lift him/her out of the Mentorship Program, with the expressed consent of the parents.
Q2) My daughter is averaging a (5/7) or a (6/7). What study routine is recommended for her?
Answer:
Your child is performing well, but leaves scope aplenty for improvement too. Our best advice is that she invests more time in every subject. She ought to study more than she currently deems necessary.
The IB curriculum is very intense and, as with all subjects, builds upon learning completed during the IGCSE years. This necessitates that the IGCSE curriculum is grasped, learnt and internalized thoroughly. Higher Level IB examinations require foul-proof understanding of past concepts, and a score of 5/6 is indicative that the learning may not be entirely foul proof.
Q3) My child is regularly receiving a (7/7) in his school scores. What is the recommended course of action for him or her?
Answer:
It is very heartening to know that your child is performing so brilliantly in his academic schoolwork. However, it is important for both the parents and the child to not become too complacent, and here’s why.
It is an oft-mentioned adage that one needs to work hard to get to the top, but even harder to stay there.
The IB curriculum is a very intense and extensive one. The pace of Higher Level Mathematics and the sciences in the IB curriculum is far more accelerated than that of the IGCSE. Students often have trouble coming to terms with the magnitude of the jump. They flounder or become demotivated when they see themselves performing poorly, as compared to their performances during their IGCSE years.
If your child is faring well regularly in his IGCSE examinations, it is probably time for him/her to redefine his/her limitations. He/She should consider starting up on the IB 11th grade curriculum.
This will serve two purposes:
1) He/She will be inadvertently consolidating learning material for the IGCSE curriculum. To learn ahead of your class means to have mastered all the learning material for your current year.
2) Once the IB years begin, the students will be juggling extra-curricular activities, applications to colleges (which can be extremely cumbersome), internships, extended essays and social service, alongside regular schoolwork. This regular schoolwork is far more challenging than the student is used to. In order to prepare for the harsh learning curve ahead, a student well-situated for the IGCSE examinations, will do well to begin preparing for the IB examinations as soon as is possible.
If the ultimate objective is acceptance into the best universities of the world, it is never too early to begin working very hard and rigorously towards academic excellence. A student would be best situated if he/she began at the very soonest.