Have you ever wondered if you / your child may be underperforming in school? Here are three simple reasons that may explain why you / your child is not achieving better results.

1. Not understanding question
More often than not, students know the concepts they need to answer the question. However, they lose marks because they fail to read the question carefully or do not understand what the question is asking for.
Always underline / circle / highlight the key words in the question and make sure that it is crystal clear what the question wants the answer to focus on. If in doubt, approach a teacher or a friend for help.

2. Unfamiliar with basics
Fundamentals are important! These serve as building blocks especially for higher order concepts and more difficult problems. When one’s basic concepts are weak, it is likely that harder questions will be even more difficult to solve as the student does not know how to apply their knowledge to solve the problem. For example, Mathematical problem sums become even harder if a student is always trying to decide between multiplication and division. Get familiar with the basics and drill practices if necessary. Soon, solving questions will become a breeze.

3. Insufficient time
In the exam
Always do timed practice papers before the real test. This will serve as a reality check to see if certain sections take more time than allocated. Doing a mock exam under time pressure is also good practice that will help to tame the nerves come exam day. This is because the practice will train the student to work faster and watch the time.
For preparation
It is crucial to allocate revision time properly to all the topics in a subject. More importantly, do not neglect subjects you dislike. Spend more time on your / your child’s weaker subjects. Within subjects, dedicate more study time to weaker topics. By practising and improving on less confident areas, one can significantly improve in terms of results as there are fewer errors from questions that test these topics.
In conclusion, focus on the process and the results will follow. As long as you / your child is using the right study strategies, improvement is definitely on the cards. Remember to understand the question, master the basics and spend sufficient time revising and doing timed practices. All the best in your learning journey!
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