Studying Tips: How to use Spaced Repetition to Study for Exams

By WR!TERS@WORK

As an O-Level student juggling multiple subjects, it is understandable that you might be overwhelmed by the extensive amount of content. But not to worry! WRITERS AT WORK teachers have your back! WRITERS AT WORK is an education centre offering some of the best English enrichment courses for primary and secondary school students in Singapore.

So here you are, having done understanding and memorising all the keywords, only to realise you have forgotten most of it by the time the exam looms near. What can you do? One strategy that top students employ is Spaced Repetition – a technique that involves spacing out your revision and revisiting subject matters at designated intervals over an extended period of time.

Over time, the ability to retain information and knowledge decreases at an exponential rate, a common phenomenon known as the “forgetting curve”. However, by increasing the frequency we are exposed to the content, and the more spaced out the repetition is, we would then be more likely to encode the information into our long-term memory. Essentially, we are tricking the brain into forgetting content in a controlled manner, challenging our mental processes into a forced state of information retrieval. This cerebral exercise helps to ensure that the active recall process is applied, hence reinforcing and grounding the content within our memory for longer periods of time.

Spaced repetition is a technique that can be used across all subjects, and it is up to students how they would like to plan their schedules. While this exam-preparation strategy might seem more direct for content subjects like the sciences, where there are different chapters and areas to focus on, it might seem difficult to apply spaced repetition for language papers like English. Often, students have the misconception that English is a subject that they cannot prepare for. On the contrary, there are many skills and techniques that English O-Level students have at their disposal, many of which WRITERS AT WORK educators will cover in our English tuition classes. As such, we will explain how you can effectively utilise Spaced Repetition to help you prepare your revision for your upcoming O-Level English examinations.

1. Listing the Topics/Areas of Focus

WRITERS AT WORK students learn to organize their thoughts and writing points during their English enrichment classes. This can done by compiling a list of the topics you wish to cover for a particular subject, arranging them in a column on a spreadsheet. This ensures that you have covered the entire scope of the syllabus and not miss anything out. It is recommended that you create one sheet per subject, and these can be further organised into the different papers if you prefer to.

To quote an example, preparation for the O-Level English Oral (Paper 4) can be done this way. Using past year O-Level English Oral questions as a guide could ease your categorisation of oral examination topics.

Topic: Environment

2023 O-Level Day 3 Planned Response: “Do you think there should be more open spaces like the one shown in the video? Why or why not?”

Topic: Arts and Culture

2019 O-Level Day 1 Spoken Interaction: “Do you agree with the view that we no longer need museums because we can find out everything we need to know from the internet? Why, or why not?”

Note: For more O Level English oral exam tips, do check out our website and other blog posts!

2. Planning Your Revision Intervals

Mark out days at specific time intervals where you would like to review your content material, ideally through active recall. For starters, one recommendation would be to double the intervals you study a particular topic (Day 1, 3, 7, 15 etc.) but it depends on the complexity and scale of the area of focus, as well as your personal grasp of the content.

In order to maximise the amount of information you can retain, you should take time to review your notes within the first 24 hours of the initial intake of content, keeping it fresh in your mind. After which, try to actively recall it after a day (Day 1).

Now, preparation for the English O-Level Paper 2 can be done this way too, by categorising the areas of focus as the different types of comprehension questions: Literal, Inference, How Language Achieves Impact, Quotation, Summary etc. For each session, not only should you review past questions that you have attempted, but also try out 1 to 2 new questions from other papers. The techniques and skills are largely the same throughout, but how you would apply them could differ according to context.

2019 O-Level Summary Question: “Using your own words as far as possible, summarise the actions the organising committee have to take before and during the race to make it a Gold Label marathon.”

2017 O-Level Summary Question: “Using your own words as far as possible, summarise the challenges that road builders have faced, and the improvements they have made to overcome each of them, during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.”

It is crucial that you go through the same learning process by recalling the same information and doing active learning at the optimal intervals you have previously set. This ensures that for each different topic or question type, you are continuously exposed to it throughout the weeks/months leading up to your examinations.

WRITERS AT WORK believes that a key factor to performing well at the O Level English examinations is going in with a sound strategy. Having a good organisation system and spreadsheet can help you identify your learning gaps and you should adjust your schedule to focus more time on those areas instead, reducing the frequency of reviewing topics you are already confident in. Colour coding the topics according to how well you can actively recall it each session could help. At the end of the day, spaced repetition is a technique that takes time and effort before you will be able to see the results. Just remember to be patient and diligent when sticking to your study plan, and you should be able to retain more information effectively soon.

Attain Stellar Results with W@W!

If you are interested in our primary English tuition and secondary English tuition in Singapore, WR!TERS@WORK has expanded to 8 convenient locations. To find the nearest location that suits your needs, please explore our options. If you have any inquiries regarding our range of programs or class schedules, please feel free to contact WR!TERS@WORK!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):

1. Is It Possible to Fail O Level English?

It is possible to fail O Level English, which is the minimum requirement to further your education in a Junior College. O Level English is a compulsory subject and it is essential for every student to pass this subject if they want to have a good prospect of further education.

2. How Can I Improve My English Skills for O Level? 

First, students should look at practice workbooks for O Level English and ascertain what they need to know about the exam structure. Next, students should engage with previous past year papers to familiarize themselves with the required skills. Lastly, students should learn how to write essays and integrate all the technical aspects of the English language, such as grammar, vocabulary, and punctuation to craft essays which are greater than the sum of its parts.

3. Is Passing O Levels Challenging?

Achieving success in O Levels isn’t arduous if the student knows the syllabus and puts hard work and effort into studying for all their subjects equally.