When I first stepped inside my O Level business class, every thing seemed alien, and rightfully so
considering that I had left school for a year in eighth grade. With my rusty academic concepts and almost-forgotten
basics, I was determined to build myself from the scratch in the first year of O Levels and somehow succeeded
in doing so. Just when the lady luck drifted towards my side and things started to take a positive turn, mother fortune struck her cards and the
global pandemic doomed us in March of 2020.
During such apocalyptic and trying times, the only glimmer of hope
glistening in my future was the extra time that I had gotten to prepare for some of the O Level subjects
way before my peers. As a result of constant digger dedication, I appeared in English Language and Business Studies the
following year, securing two A*s in my academic portfolio; a much-needed confidence boost this accomplishment was.
With the same
motivation and discipline, I continued to appear in three of my compulsory exams as well as Commerce in
October of 2021 and was left behind with just Mathematics, Economics, Accounts and Additional
Mathematics. Having given all my sweat and tears to my academics, I had hoped for a stellar O Level
results and felt like all the universes had aligned for my happiness when I received a total of 9A*s and
1A in August 2022.
Just when, for the first time in what seemed like an eternity, I got the chance to sit back and relax
during my summer sabbaticals, and this is when life had more twists to offer: due to some family reasons I had to
switch my field from business to engineering and appear in O Level Physics, Chemistry, and Computer
Science for my equivalency in the future. Now that I look back, life had given me yet another chance to
prove myself and I did. Despite the shortest time left in October exams and A levels starting
simultaneously, I bagged three more A*s, getting my total to 12A* and 1A. It was a moment of utter joy,
relief, and overflowing gratitude.
My triumph has made me an empathetic and I wish every Cambridge student the same road to glory. My guideline for the O Level students is:
1) Do not take your sabbaticals for granted. It is the golden time for you to prepare yourself for CAIEs
and do something productive. Trust me, any O Level subject can be prepared within three months of hard
work.
2) Don’t appear for the subjects early if you think you are not well-prepared. Rushing into your CAIES is
more detrimental than you think. It has dire consequences. CAIE has no sympathy for complacency.
3) Only appear in extra subjects, the ones you’re confident about getting outstanding grades in. If you plan on studying in Pakistan know that, in the end, your prime concern is
getting a good equivalency for the universities which is only calculated from the 8 subjects.
4) Always consult your teacher or an academic counselor before appearing in any subject earlier than
usual. He need his expertise to know where you exactly stand.
5) Ensure you appear in all your school exams and mocks as they’re the perfect way to weigh
your preparation under actual exam conditions.
Last but not the least, knowing that grades are not the end of the world is a must. Our only task as students is to put in
our best endeavors, enjoy the learning process, and move on to bigger challenges in life. As much as your
grades provide you with a path to follow in life, they are not the path itself. The only thing that counts towards the end is what you learned, your discipline towards academics, and the efforts that you put in.
