Here are some useful questions asked by students.
Q(1). What overall study habits would you recommend?
First, remember to sleep well (8 hours), eat well, and exercise at least occasionally. You have heard this a bajillion times; but they work. You also need to understand your habits and thought processes.
- Are you a text-notes person or are you a mind-mapping genius?
- Do you process information better by reading interesting bits or must you read systematically from Chapter 1, paragraph 1, line 1?
- How long is your concentration span? (Shorter focus spans are not necessarily bad -- Shaun has a concentration span of about 45 mins before he goes looking for his cat!). If you think it helps, include iPad or YouTube sessions within your study times. I
n sum, the point is to know how yourself, and figure out how you best learn. Oh, and motivate yourself. Promise yourself that you will buy that new dress or spend a whole evening LAN gaming once you reach your study goals. You earned it.
Q(2). How do I improve my vocab for paper 1?
6 months before the examinations, read news articles (for general knowledge) and opinions (to learn argumentative writing) on a daily basis. During the exams, your goal is to have built up enough phrase vocabulary to write simple and articulate sentences. Restrain yourself from adding fancy vocabulary unless you know exactly how to use the word. Examiners seldom give you the benefit-of-the-doubt if they do not know what you are writing.
Q(3). How to do a comprehension question if you don't know the meaning of the word being used?
You have to make an educated guess. See if you can guess the meaning of the word as it is used within the passage. Try to substitute another word into the sentence, and see if the sentence still makes sense. Quite often, if you don't know the meaning of a word, so do a percentage of the other students. Examiners are aware of this, and their goal is to distinguish and reward students who can come up with a reasonable guess.