It is the home stretch for hundreds of thousands of matrics who start their final exams in a week, and several schools in the Bay have introduced focused learning sessions to minimise exam anxiety and distractions for their pupils.
On Wednesday next week, about 103,312 matric pupils from 939 public schools in the province start their final school examinations.
Arcadia Secondary School in Bethelsdorp, Newell Public High School in New Brighton and Ndzondelelo High School, Phakamisa High School and Sakhisizwe High School, all in Zwide, are among a number of schools in the city that have opted to hold special study camps for their matrics.
Arcadia principal Gregory Prince said the main purpose of the camps was to get matrics to focus on their books and build solid study momentum.
Prince said his pupils were following a rigorous schedule comprising 14 two-hour study sessions in the camp, which started at the school on Monday.
“On Thursday, we had a meeting with the parents from all the grades and we spoke to them about the importance of study time, with a special focus on the grade 12s,” he said.
“We have children [who] cannot study at home for various reasons, such as overcrowding, and then there’s also gangsterism.
“What we decided as a school is that a week before exams start we have a study camp,” Prince said.
“The pupils have access to the teachers when they struggle with anything. We have also put together a timetable where we have scheduled two-hour study sessions.”
Newell High School deputy principal Nomtha Mazwai said it first introduced pre-exam camps in 2018 and was happy with the results.
“[In 2018] we started working in June and by November we had doubled our [aggregate mark] percentage.
“This year we are improving our timetables, we are aiming for a 100% pass mark this year,” Mazwai said.
In 2018, the school achieved a 53.2% pass rate.
Almost 60 pupils from Newell are camping at the Willow Grove resort in Schoenmakerskop for a week, where they start each morning with an aerobics session and a motivational talk by members of wellness NPO Kubooooo Active.
More than 200 matrics from Ndzondelelo are roughing it in their school hall.
School Principal Dan Ncape said after he assessed the group’s performance in June and September, the school decided to hold an intensive learning programme.
With the permission of their parents, the pupils have been camped at the school for 42 days and are expected to head home on Wednesday afternoon.
“We had to isolate them, implementing a timetable we developed that started at 3pm,” Ncape said.
The strict principal said during the study camp the pupils went to bed at 10pm.
“We have been teaching, reteaching, and also giving them time to study on their own.
“They must burn the midnight oil – discipline is a military command and they shall have to up their discipline [and] endure the pain and suffering of studying,” he said.
Provincial education spokesperson Malibongwe Mtima said the final exam timetable had been issued to all districts and examination centres in preparation for the exams.
Mtima said the department was aiming to achieve a 75% matric pass rate in the province in 2019.
The class of 2018 achieved a 70.6% pass rate – an 8.5 percentage point increase from 2017.
How to get a grip on exam anxiety
Sharing study tips on dealing with exam anxiety, educational expert Professor Susan van Rensburg says anxiety always disables a pupil and the only way to avoid freezing during an exam is by planning properly.
“Unfreeze by effective planning,” Van Rensburg said.
“Ask yourself ‘what is my timetable? How can I still prepare for what and when? How much can I help myself with and for what do I need a teacher?’ Take responsibility for yourself.
“There [are] grade 12 mobile applications for Android. [The apps give you] access to question papers and answers at the tip of your fingers. Set aside enough time for each subject.
“You don’t need a teacher. Each paper has very easy, medium and difficult items according to the curriculum.
“The examiner sets a paper according to his instructions. Don’t [strain] your head on very difficult stuff. See that you know everything about the syllabus that is easy and average to handle.
“Write short sentences and practise answering against time allocations,” Van Rensburg said.
The educational expert said focused learning should not be about cramming, but rather a period for a pupil to fully understand the syllabus.
“Your nerves will get better. Leave some breathing space [and rest].
“Start buddy support groups or encouragement groups on WhatsApp or sms. When you are studying, put your phone off.
“No clubbing until all is over!!!”
Van Rensburg cautions pupils to get enough rest the night before an exam.
“During the exam, read your questions well and answer what is being asked, not what you had memorised,” she said.
Nelson Mandela Bay matrics raring to go for finals
Image: Zizonke May
It is the home stretch for hundreds of thousands of matrics who start their final exams in a week, and several schools in the Bay have introduced focused learning sessions to minimise exam anxiety and distractions for their pupils.
On Wednesday next week, about 103,312 matric pupils from 939 public schools in the province start their final school examinations.
Arcadia Secondary School in Bethelsdorp, Newell Public High School in New Brighton and Ndzondelelo High School, Phakamisa High School and Sakhisizwe High School, all in Zwide, are among a number of schools in the city that have opted to hold special study camps for their matrics.
Arcadia principal Gregory Prince said the main purpose of the camps was to get matrics to focus on their books and build solid study momentum.
Prince said his pupils were following a rigorous schedule comprising 14 two-hour study sessions in the camp, which started at the school on Monday.
“On Thursday, we had a meeting with the parents from all the grades and we spoke to them about the importance of study time, with a special focus on the grade 12s,” he said.
“We have children [who] cannot study at home for various reasons, such as overcrowding, and then there’s also gangsterism.
“What we decided as a school is that a week before exams start we have a study camp,” Prince said.
“The pupils have access to the teachers when they struggle with anything. We have also put together a timetable where we have scheduled two-hour study sessions.”
Newell High School deputy principal Nomtha Mazwai said it first introduced pre-exam camps in 2018 and was happy with the results.
“[In 2018] we started working in June and by November we had doubled our [aggregate mark] percentage.
“This year we are improving our timetables, we are aiming for a 100% pass mark this year,” Mazwai said.
In 2018, the school achieved a 53.2% pass rate.
Almost 60 pupils from Newell are camping at the Willow Grove resort in Schoenmakerskop for a week, where they start each morning with an aerobics session and a motivational talk by members of wellness NPO Kubooooo Active.
More than 200 matrics from Ndzondelelo are roughing it in their school hall.
School Principal Dan Ncape said after he assessed the group’s performance in June and September, the school decided to hold an intensive learning programme.
With the permission of their parents, the pupils have been camped at the school for 42 days and are expected to head home on Wednesday afternoon.
“We had to isolate them, implementing a timetable we developed that started at 3pm,” Ncape said.
The strict principal said during the study camp the pupils went to bed at 10pm.
“We have been teaching, reteaching, and also giving them time to study on their own.
“They must burn the midnight oil – discipline is a military command and they shall have to up their discipline [and] endure the pain and suffering of studying,” he said.
Provincial education spokesperson Malibongwe Mtima said the final exam timetable had been issued to all districts and examination centres in preparation for the exams.
Mtima said the department was aiming to achieve a 75% matric pass rate in the province in 2019.
The class of 2018 achieved a 70.6% pass rate – an 8.5 percentage point increase from 2017.
How to get a grip on exam anxiety
Sharing study tips on dealing with exam anxiety, educational expert Professor Susan van Rensburg says anxiety always disables a pupil and the only way to avoid freezing during an exam is by planning properly.
“Unfreeze by effective planning,” Van Rensburg said.
“Ask yourself ‘what is my timetable? How can I still prepare for what and when? How much can I help myself with and for what do I need a teacher?’ Take responsibility for yourself.
“There [are] grade 12 mobile applications for Android. [The apps give you] access to question papers and answers at the tip of your fingers. Set aside enough time for each subject.
“You don’t need a teacher. Each paper has very easy, medium and difficult items according to the curriculum.
“The examiner sets a paper according to his instructions. Don’t [strain] your head on very difficult stuff. See that you know everything about the syllabus that is easy and average to handle.
“Write short sentences and practise answering against time allocations,” Van Rensburg said.
The educational expert said focused learning should not be about cramming, but rather a period for a pupil to fully understand the syllabus.
“Your nerves will get better. Leave some breathing space [and rest].
“Start buddy support groups or encouragement groups on WhatsApp or sms. When you are studying, put your phone off.
“No clubbing until all is over!!!”
Van Rensburg cautions pupils to get enough rest the night before an exam.
“During the exam, read your questions well and answer what is being asked, not what you had memorised,” she said.
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