From around what age do you start preparing your child for the Cambridge examination? How do you know he is ready?

Question : CIE Examination

From around what age do you start preparing your child for the Cambridge examination?
How do you know he is ready?
 

Ummibaps: 8 sons , 1 daughter,  ages 18 to 2yrs

Homeschoolers can give their O level and A level  examinations as private candidates.  This includes science subjects. They must register online and will then recieve updates through ail as well as their necessary documents through the mail.

Most O level and A teachers do provide  after school tuition or work at the various tuition centers in the city,   where they prepare both school going and private candidates for the examination.

How to know if your child is ready?

- To begin with he should be able to comprehend ,  thoroughly understand language used by the recommended text books.

- She should be able to easily compose appropriate  answers to the questions of the examination.... If the child has not reached the maturity needed to comprehend the language, you need to wait a bit.
 

Advice from a mother who also teaches o level students at school:

Duration of covering the syllabus very much depends on the student himself. I suggest 4 sciences should be taken together as they compliment each other. .... (  ut others may habe a different experience) I suggest you to take the exams easy as per child's pace n convinence.
 

 Um e Zukruf: 
Questions for mother's whose children are doing O level
Does it get too expensive for having tuitions for all subjects in grade 11?
If the child is doing privately?

 

Mrs AH:  2 sons,aged 7 and 15

Even school going kids attend tuition centres.The tuition centre my son goes to is with Lyceum teachers and all Lyceum students are also there in the evenings so comparatively it's cheaper,since we don't also pay school fees

 

Ummibaps: Tutions are expensive....but like Mrs. AH said it's cheaper than giving both school fees and tution fee ...also

- you can attend classes from a good experienced teacher of your choice  (school children can not choose their school subject teacher)

- you can prepare for  the number of subjects you want to do (  to be examined for)  ...schools have requirements about how many papers a student must give and which combination of papers they can attempt...so some school children give subjects their school does not offer or allow them to give,  as private candidates

 

Umm Raeyan : 

From around what age do you start preparing your child?

Like Ummibaps mentioned the child should be able comprehend and understand the language in recommended text books and compose answers.

From what age do you start analyzing if he is ready?

I'd rather say from which grade level do you start analyzing?
 

Eng. Shumaela: 

My child is doing O level privately. Since I am a working mother I have to arrange tuitions for all subjects that I am planning for this year. I found it more expensive as my child's learning style is suitable for only one on one learning. Teachers comes to home and teaches only him. I have to pay handsome fees to the teachers.

School was cheaper but he was not learning at all. My other son goes to school and is doing really good there.

To me is worth spending here. Also you can cut the cost by taking one or more subjects in your hand. I have found that preparing for O levels is relatively easy. The key to success is the topical past papers. I noticed that the teachers teaches him one chapter gives exercises at the end of the chapter and then ask him to do topic from past papers.

 

Ummibaps : 

Download the past papers and glance at the text books yourself...that will give you insight on if your child is ready.....its not age related. ...maturity and comprehension level is more relevant to preparing for the paper...

Parents can gauge their children's maturity themselves...look at what type of books your children read and can understand. ..

as for whether they are prepared for the examination itself. ..you can consult the tutor who is teaching and testing your child for it

 (Note: The above is a copy of a Whatsapp conversation,   partly edited for clarity)