Pretoria - Crawford International Pretoria’s matric learners, who shone brightly in the IEB matric results, have advised the class of 2023 to cultivate their relationship with themselves and to bear in mind that the effort they put to get good marks will benefit their future selves.
That mindset, as well as learning to discipline oneself were, according to 18-year-old twins Kauthar and Firdous Adams what helped them achieve top marks in their final exams.
With the girls being part of the group that commenced their Grade 10 right before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, Kauthar said she was initially excited to be stuck at home.
It was challenging at first to study from home, but it did wonders for her mental health. She had time to focus on herself, which improved her mental health and learning discipline.
“It wasn’t easy to study online because obviously, as learners, sometimes you make excuses not to attend class. You pretend your camera doesn’t work, or your microphone is off, or not having data … I was just like that.
“I was very lazy, but I made the time to catch up with my work, and even ended up getting the best marks for my schooling career at the time. However, I was relieved to be back at school full time and took it as my cue to get serious and discipline myself to focus on the task at hand.”
Kauthar said deciding to focus in class paid off and boosted her, so by the time the final examinations came around it was easier to study as she was already familiar with the work.
“I didn’t have to study as long, and I was able to manage my time effectively. That enabled me to still make time for my friends and family. I achieved 86% overall and I am content with it … just slightly disappointed.”
Firdous, on the other hand, said she too struggled with staying disciplined while studying at home, and then having to adjust to classes in person.
However, she said she too was relieved to return as she thrived best by having access to a teacher.
The most important thing she took to heart in matric was to push herself to focus on the task at hand, despite losing two family members.
“I believe God has a plan for me, but that doesn’t mean I don’t get disappointed. I would urge the class of 2023 not to think of setbacks as failures, but rather as something leading them to the path they’re meant to be on.
“I would also advise them to keep the right kind of company. My friends and I respected each other’s time, so we didn’t try to distract each other.”
And although both sisters received an 86% average, they said they did not have any rivalry, but instead kept each other motivated.
At the same time, one of the school’s learners ranked in the top 1% nationally, for achieving high marks for mathematics literacy.
Declan Naidoo achieve this feat despite being diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, which affected the left side of his face. Declan said being diagnosed with Bell’s palsy made him doubt he would be able to achieve his matric goals, but the support and assistance he received from family and the school made a world of difference to him. “I had goals I wanted to achieve when I started matric, and through these results, I’ve achieved at least 90% of them. I knew I was going to do well because I started studying months in advance but even I had not expected to get picked in the top 1%.
“Using past papers helped me a lot. I’d advise the class of 2023 to use that and work at a pace they can manage.”
Declan achieved 94% in mathematics literacy. Crawford obtained a 100% pass rate with 87% being bachelor’s degree passes.
Pretoria News