2019 Secondary 4 Week 45 Update

Week 2 of the O level exams is done and with that Hell Week is also over. This week was the toughest of the whole exam period with back-to-back exams every single day and multiple exams on some days for both GG & BB.

So far, both say the exams have been decent and don’t want to jinx anything by saying they did well. Surprisingly, for an exam where they don’t get to take back the question paper for many of the subjects, in less than an hour, you can find the both the question paper plus answers online. For some subjects where they have checked their answers against the solved answers, they seem to have done decently, but for some of the other subjects, they don’t want to check the answers.

At the end of the day, even if you anticipate a certian percentage of marks, it all depends on Cambridge examiners and then the good people at SEAB who decide on the marks moderation. So you could do better than expected or if the moderation is not in your favour, then you do worse than you think.

Next week is a lighter week with BB having 2 exams and GG having 3. The week after is the last exam with GG just having 1 paper and BB having his last two exams!

Have a wonderful Sunday!

2019 Week 44 Update

It has been such a hectic week! We finished week 1 of the O level and today starts hell week for them aka the content heavy week with all matters of subjects – humanities, sciences and even a maths paper!

Our work in the volunteer activity I have been doing for the past month or so is coming to an end and I have really enjoyed my tome there. Met some really interesting people and even though it has been very intense and hectic sessions, the time really passed very fast!

The next few weeks are also going to be busy and I want to finish up my to-do list before we head out for our long awaited holiday

Have a great week folks!

2019 Secondary 4 Week 44 Update

Happy Diwali! May the festival of light bring the light of happiness, joy and prosperity in your lives!

This week marked week 1 of the O level written exams. One week down and three more to go. They mostly had the papers which are common to the entire cohort, which is English and E-Math.

Next week is a content heavy week with humanities and some science papers. The week also has both BB & GG have two exams on some of the days which means they need to be in school by 7 and only end their day around 6!

As for this week’s exams, it was ok in their words. I would say GG seemed more confident compared to her previous outing in a national exam and I am confident that she will do as expected or better. BB says his math papers were good, but as usual, he has made some careless mistakes which can cost him up to almost 5-7 marks each. I wonder if there ever will come a time when he comes out a math exam without making any careless mistakes!

Anyway, our countdown is firmly ticking and before we know it, we will be done with the exams and off on our holiday. Can’t wait!!

Have a great weekend and if you are celebrating the festival, once again a very Happy Diwali to you and your loved ones.

2019 Week 43 Update

The O level written exams start today and I think I am more nervous than the children. I flash back to the time I took the exams equivalent to the O levels and wonder if my parents were as stressed out as I am now. It’s only when you walk in their shoes, you feel the pain.

GG is someone who is not very good with formal exams and sometimes second guesses herself and makes a mess of her answers. This is only true for national exams and she is ok with school internal exams. My prayers for her is to be cool, calm and collected and not second guess herself. She should be sure of what she has written and unless it’s a completely wrong answer, should stick with her original answer.

BB is the chill guy. He is the exact opposite of his sister and has been super calm and collected leading to the exams. This first week for him is just Maths and English, so he is chill this week since they are his strongest subjects. It’s next week that will be testing times for him as he has his sciences and humanities then, which are not his strong subjects. GG on the other hand find STEM subjects taxing and revels in the humanities!

As for me, I have also been under work stress, but hopefully I am going to manage it well this week. It was a busy last week for me and this week also promises to be a busy one.

I have also started prepping for Diwali and every day prepare something for the festival.

Have a great week folks and Happy Diwali to everyone!

2019 Secondary 4 Week 43 Update

This is it! The O level written exams start tomorrow and you can imagine the stress levels in the house.

GG is extremely stressed and it shows. She is now perpetually grouchy and annoyed at small things and seems to have forgotten to smile!

BB on the other hand is very chill. Yesterday I asked him if he was worried and he says, “Umm, both yes and no”. I have now started calling him Teflon Boy because nothing seems to stick to him.

I am thinking once the exams start, they take a life of their own and before we know it, we will be looking at the last exam and the holidays, but till then it’s stress town for us.

Please keep GG & BB in your prayers and send positive thoughts our way, if possible.