Every JC1 student dreads the day they sit for and then receive the results of their promos at the end of the year. Often, students may feel overwhelmed and stressed due to the high workload in Junior College, and they may not be so sure how they will perform at their promos. Sometimes, students may do badly for their promos as they have not prepared enough, or severely underestimated the amount of studying they would have to do for the entire year. After a failure, how do students bounce back in time for A Levels and make up for lost time?

Instead of feeling terrible about their failures, students should instead figure out a plan of action to turn things around before it is too late – after all, their A Levels are extremely important.

Talk to your teachers to figure out what you lack

The most important thing for a student to do is to assess their position and where they stand academically. Students could talk to their teachers to figure out what they lack and where they went wrong in their promos. Teachers are the best people to identify a student’s weaknesses so they can improve. Teachers can also point the student in the right direction to figure out an action plan so they can improve themselves in time for the actual A Level exam in a year’s time.

2.    Try to revise what you didn’t know during the holidays.

Students should use the two months of holidays they have at the end of their first year of Junior College to revise what they did not manage to do during the year. Although it may not make the student master everything in the syllabus, something is better than nothing. It is a saying that the best time to do something was yesterday, and the next best time is today. Students should not spend too long feeling demoralised that they have failed their promos and instead take concrete steps to improve themselves. With consistent effort, they will slowly but surely improve.

3.     Find out where your common mistakes lie

Sometimes, it is not that the student has not studied enough of the content knowledge they need to know for their exams, but that they are rather weak in answering questions either by the way they write answers or by the careless mistakes they are making during the exam. Students should go over their promos paper to find out where their common mistakes lie. By identifying where they are weak, students will know how to correct their mistakes in time for their A Level.

4.    Seek help

Students may need some sort of help, whether from their teachers, well-meaning seniors, or tuition teachers. It is important for students not to live in denial and find help before it is too late to do anything. Sometimes, students are not capable of studying and mastering the concepts they need to know for the exam on their own and need others to help them understand.

5.    Practice with past year papers (actual A Level papers)

Students may sometimes come from schools which have promos papers which are vastly more difficult than actual A Level papers. Instead of being discouraged that they have not met their impossibly difficult school paper standards, they should focus on practicing with actual A Level papers instead. They need to remember that A Levels is a marathon and not a sprint, and that their Actual A Level grades and not their in-school tests count towards their results.

Even though students may have failed their promos, they should not feel too discouraged – instead, they need to be proactive and turn their circumstances around so they can achieve the best A Level grades they possibly can. It is important that students make the best of their situation and not spend too long feeling sorry for themselves, as such behaviours are useless.

Ace your A Level Chemistry exams with Focus Chemistry!

Focus Chemistry boasts 30 years of experience in teaching Chemistry to all levels of students. Whether you are looking to prepare for exams, go for Chemistry competitions, or simply bolster your foundation of basic Chemistry concepts, Focus Chemistry is the go-to Chemistry specialist in Singapore. 

With time and effort, every student will surely be able to achieve their desired grades in Chemistry. Focus Chemistry has a tried-and-tested teaching method and specially curated materials and question banks to help you prepare for every Chemistry exam.

Feel more confident when you step into the exam and hall and gain knowledge and experience answering many different permutations of Chemistry questions so that you will be well prepared to handle any question in your Chemistry exam paper.

Click here to book your slot with Focus Chemistry today!

Frequently Asked Questions:

a)     Which is the best H2 chemistry tuition in Singapore?

Focus Chemistry is the best H2 Chemistry tuition in Singapore as they are a Chemistry specialist catering to various levels. Focus Chemistry has curated materials and a tried-and-tested teaching style which enables students to achieve true understanding of the concepts tested.

b)    How much does tuition cost in Singapore?

The cost of tuition depends on how many classes taken, and whether they are group classes or individual one-to-one tuition classes.

c)     What is the difference between H1 and H2 Chemistry?

H2 Chemistry is more difficult than H1 Chemistry as H2 Chemistry focuses more on organic Chemistry concepts. H1 Chemistry does not place a heavy emphasis on Organic Chemistry, instead focusing more heavily on polymerisation and nanomaterials.

d)    Is H2 Chemistry easy?

H2 Chemistry is challenging for students without a good foundation of Chemistry concepts. Focus Chemistry can help H2 Chemistry students improve their grades by helping them achieve true understanding of the concepts which are being taught at school.