A guide about iGCSE
You might be a student that is preparing for IGCSE, or maybe someone who is preparing for your mock exam. I have been in those shoes myself, and I would like to share my experiences on that, and also some tips that I wished I knew before coming into the exam hall. Here is a no-fuss guide on how to prepare for your iGCSE journey.
If you don’t know what iGCSE is about, or you are unsure on what the Cambridge iGCSE course is about, check out the official Cambridge website on that.
- Do not panic!
It seems so cliché, but it’s true. IGCSE isn’t as daunting and scary as people say it is. The key to staying calm during the course is to have a clear goal on what you want to achieve most. Is it to achieve new skills? Is it to get a high score on your exams? Whatever the case may be, a clear goal can guide you to achieve success.
- Procrastination is your nemesis.
The sooner you start to overcome the bad habits of procrastination, the better. This is a tip that I wished I knew earlier. Say you have an assessment in two weeks on a subject that you’re not confident in. Unless you do well under pressure, if you leave the revision until the very last day, the consequences will be present in your score. The reason why they set assessments for you is that they want you to set good revision/studying habits early on. This is to set you up for more important exams later on your IGCSE journey.
If you want to follow a study routine, here’s a routine you can follow. After every school day, you revise the topics you learned that day. It doesn’t have to take long, around 20–30 minutes is good. This will help you retain the information you learned and also develop a better study habit. It’s a no-brainer. Stop procrastinating!
- Have a clear revision schedule.
Speaking of routines and schedules, I think it helps tremendously to have a clear revision schedule for your exams. If you are already organized, this tip doesn’t have to apply for you. But for those who are disorganized, like me, this is an essential tip that you can take into consideration. If you have a schedule, you know exactly what to do in each time period, thus being less anxious.
One way you can plan it out is to allocate all of the free time you have in the day, and then split it into smaller chunks. Also, remember to diversify your topics, so that you aren’t bored of doing the same thing.
- Past Papers!
I cannot stress this enough, but doing past papers have basically been a part of many IGCSE student's life. When I found out about past papers, it changed my perspective on how I practice for exams. If you don’t know what they are, they are simply examination papers that have been used in previous exams. Past papers is a great opportunity for you to check how much information you have learned. It also give you the ability to see what the examiner wants from you in the mark scheme. You should start doing past papers early, ideally before your mocks. This way, by the time your finals exams rolls around, you know what to expect in your exams.
There are lots of past papers websites online, but the website I found to be most reliable is PastPapers.co and PapaCambridge. Those are the website you can use to do your past papers on.
- Keep your notes clean and organized.
It is essential to have all your notes organized, and all in one place. This is something that some teachers will keep on saying, and for good reason too. If you leave your notes in different places, then you will feel anxious when you need to revise, and regret on why you didn’t organize your notes sooner. If you develop a habit of organization early on, it will benefit you better later on.
Conclusion
In order to be a student of high caliber, you can follow these tips to guide you through iGCSE, and also further on your educational career. If you want to further enhance your understanding of the iGCSE course, then please check out my other articles I have done. If you want to follow along my International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) journey, feel free to follow me and give me any tips you have. It’s always nice to help each other out!
