Wolmerian Adrian Mignott Excels in CSEC

IF TACKLING eight Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations isn’t already stressful enough, try taking on 10! That was the reality faced by the then15-year-old Adrian Mignott when he began preparing for his first CSEC paper, mathematics, when he was still in fourth form. Following up on the grade one he achieved in that exam in 2016, this year Adrian secured five additional ones in biology, chemistry, accounting, business and information technology, and twos in English, history, physics and additional mathematics.

“It was a bit of an anxious wait as there were some issues with the system when the results were to be made available,” reveals Adrian. “Even though I was a little disappointed with my overall results, as I was aiming for straight ones, I am very happy about my performances in biology and chemistry, as well as accounting, which I did in one year,” he explains.

In preparation for his exams, Adrian sought a private tutor to assist him with the sciences. Although he had performed fairly well in both biology and chemistry at the third-form level, he felt he needed more support. Upon the recommendation of his aunt, Donna Lincoln, Adrian enrolled in Bio & Chem Tutoring, a private, Kingston-based tutoring programme headed by Dr Karla Hylton. There, he enjoyed an intimate learning environment with small class sizes of five to six pupils and the personalised attention he craved.

“Students sometimes view a particular subject area as difficult and may become concerned about their ability to earn a good grade,” says Dr Hylton. “I generally try to begin my sessions with simple principles and gradually build up to more complicated concepts. It’s very important to ensure everyone thoroughly understands each lesson and is able to clearly explain it, even if that requires working on a topic for a prolonged period. Ultimately, my goal is to ensure all my students are comfortable with the entire syllabus and go into their exams feeling confident,” she shares.

In addition to private tutoring, Adrian and his mom, Naddene, created a study schedule, a tactic they had previously utilised for GSAT when he was a student at Emmanuel Christian Academy. Over time, Adrian tweaked his timetable, grouping reading subjects together and separating math and the sciences, to ensure his calendar wasn’t too stressful. To avoid cramming, he studied one subject for 45 minutes each day and, as it got closer to June, he joined a study group with his friends and began practising more past papers.

Despite his comprehensive preparations, Adrian was still full of nerves before every exam. Though he had studied for months, he couldn’t resist the urge to discuss potential questions with his peers and bury his head in a book right before each test. As he prepared to sit his exams, Adrian adopted a strategic approach to get through his papers. After a quick prayer, he scanned all the questions, initially working through his strongest topics, leaving more time to deal with his weaker areas. For math, he handled the optional questions first then worked his way back.

For physics, he initially tackled the graphs, while in English, he started off with the summay, followed by comprehension, persuasive writing, declarative/narrative writing and lastly, multiple choice. For all his papers, he completed every question, not squandering any chance to pick up extra marks.

With the exception of add math, Adrian generally had a good feeling about his performance after each exam. Today, he is grateful to have secured passes in all 10 of his subjects and credits early planning, private tutoring, daily studying and practising past papers for playing a key role in his academic success.

Nowadays, Adrian is busy preparing for the next chapter of his educational journey, enrolling in sixth form at Wolmer’s High School for Boys.

“Over the next two years, my plan is to sit CAPE biology, chemistry, pure mathematics and communication studies,” says Adrian. “I’m considering a career in medicine, but I’m still young, so I may end up in another field I wasn’t expecting,” he muses.

‘ I’m considering a career in medicine, but I’m still young, so I may end up in another field ’ I wasn’t expecting.