BANGSAR: Studying for examinations does not necessarily have to be stressful.
Two workshops conducted recently, prepared students who are sitting for the Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) examination and the Form Three Assessment (PT3) to score for their upcoming English papers.
Organised by the New Straits Times Press (NSTP), the one-day workshop allowed students to recap basic grammar items before being guided with helpful tips to answer exam questions.
For UPSR students, exercises were given to help students tackle Section B and C of their English exam paper including exposing students to the different types of writing required in the exam papers.
Khaeesya Annasofia Khairil Amir, 12 from SK Convent Bukit Nanas, Kuala Lumpur said that she gained a lot of useful techniques to be applied in the upcoming UPSR.
“I learnt various adjectives, adverbs and proverbs which I find very helpful for me as a Year Six student.”
Noting that facilitator’s teaching style is very effective, Khaeesya Annasofia added: “Compared to other workshops that I’ve attended before which were very boring, this English workshop is very interesting and fun.”
Muhammad Luqman Shahmi Rashid, 12 from SK Seri Tasik, Cheras said: “I learnt about the new format of the UPSR paper which covered all the sections. The facilitator guided us in completing a total of seven writing exercises."
"I really like that I can really understand the facilitator. I think this workshop can help me to score an A in UPSR.”
Aleesya Nur Insyirah Muhammad Fazly, 12 who came all the way from Ipoh, Perak said that she found the seminar to be very effective.
"Even though I live in Ipoh, I attended the workshop in order to get higher marks for my English exam. I learnt how to write a better essay. With the experience I gained today, I think I will be able to improve and be more confident to write.”
For the PT3 workshop, participants underwent intensive exercises for Paper 1 (reading) and Paper 2 (writing). They were also exposed to simulations of the Listening and Speaking tests for PT3.
Roshini Venkateswaran, 15 from SMK Convent Bukit Nanas said that she learnt how to write an essay that will ensure extra marks.
“The workshop has equipped me with techniques needed for the four papers especially the writing paper.
"The facilitator taught us some interesting proverbs that we can use in our essays to clinch extra marks. The lesson was taught in a fun way with educational games and group activities, so it is easier to remember,” said Roshini.
Mohamad Omar Naim Mohamed Alias, 15 from SMK Kuala Kubu Baru, Selangor said that he finds the Listening test to be difficult.
“Today, the facilitator shared with us some useful tips for the Listening section. It will certainly help me to ace PT3.
“I also think that the module used today is a really good source material as it contains tips and short notes that students can refer to especially before they enter the classroom and the exam hall.”
Nur Iman Zulkepli, 14 from Sekolah Menengan Islam Hira’, Jeram said that the workshop enabled her to improve her essay-writing skills.
“The facilitator walked us through the different parts of an essay, from the introduction, content and the conclusion. As I am still in Form Two, I am interested to attend this workshop again next year.”
Facilitator for UPSR workshop Sri Wahyuni Mohamed Kham said: “The workshop is the final sprint before they go onto their UPSR exam. At this stage, it is important for students to do a lot of exercises to become familiar with the questions.
“Students also need to be exposed to various samples of writing as some of them may not possess a wide vocabulary on a certain topic. Hopefully, the techniques that I shared with them today will help them to excel in their UPSR English exam.”
The PT3 workshop was conducted by Lilly S.Kulanthai, an experienced English teacher of 28 years.
Lilly said: “Students must have a good grasp on grammar and sentence structure for the Writing paper. But more importantly, the examiner will look into the students’ ability to understand the questions and the relevance of their answers.”
“When I asked the students which paper is the hardest, most of them answered the Reading paper as it has a new format.
“In part one (of the Reading paper), students need to understand the content of the short text and graphic materials given. For part three, it has a strict word limit so a high level of comprehension is required. Students need to improve their vocabulary and grammar through a lot of practice to ace this paper.”
To register for the upcoming SPM workshop on September 21, you can contact the NSTP Education Vertical Department at 03-27248285 or send an email to maryam.marissa@mediaprima.com.my or baizura.ibrahim@mediaprima.com.my.