No alternative to practical in the New Curriculum

New curriculum adopted by Zimsec and the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Educatioj emphasis on the psychomotor skills. It seeks to help learners prove scientific theories and allow creativity in different situations. 

Unlike Integrated Science, Combined Science no longer test 'alternative to practical' but evaluates performance of learners through actual practicals under specified conditions. For many years candidates were writing paper 3 in Intergrated science which was dedicated to experiments and most schools were not doing the actual practicals to help students understand, but emphasise on the known results of an experiment 

This was inadequate and couldn't equip students for real life situations where science applies, The major purpose of learning science is to become creative and innovative is solving real life problems, Many candidates who scored 'A's in integrated science can face challenges inserting a fuse in a three pin plug because they just read about its uses and importance in a electric circuit but couldn't practice connecting it. 

However the challenges are that, many poor schools are still to construct science laboratories, let alone buy adequate equipments and apparatus needed for the experiments. The experiments can be improvised through the use of available resources, which needs the creativity of both teachers and learners. 

Is your school fully equipped for the required experiments and practicals? 

A closer look on Tasks

Many formal schools have now fully adopted the new curriculum, with tasks received by registered schools and due for submission before end of this term.

This is a practical approach to learning and students record their observations, recite poems and totems, measure dimensions of their classrooms or identity problems of the community.

It must be noted that, the tasks are not treated like college level assignments or projects. The role of the teachers is to assist and guide the students during the task. They award marks and keep the files of all the records which will be submitted to Zimsec for grading.

The information is not yet readily available on the internet for reasons best known by the ministry and exam board. Schools who are yet to receive tasks communicates directly with Zimsec and receive instructions to download the task.

If a teacher is facing some challenges during the process, he or she must consult subject specialist at a school, zone or district for assistance.

However, some documents like marking schemes for tasks are confidential.

This means unregistered schools are not part of the new curriculum. They should either register with the ministry or adopt Cambridge IGSCE exams which don't need course work

Are you at a formal school and yet to receive the tasks?

Tasks and Projects Received In Schools

The tasks and projects for Form 3's and Lower Six have been received in many schools. There is no turning back on the new curriculum as schools are now fulfilling the requirements of the new curriculum.

Many private colleges have been insisting that new curriculum is still a pipe dream but the Ministry has exhibited its commitment to the promises made since last year. Workshops on how teachers will handle the task are almost done.

If you were contemplating to continue sending your child to an unregistered college or school, it's time you consider either to chose between Cambridge IGCSE or join the government or registered schools for the new curriculum.

Only recognized teachers will facilitate the whole process of coursework and submit the learners files for considerations to the exam board. The ministry set the minimum requirements for the teacher professional standards (tps) which is the pillar for the new curriculum. 

This means a student must register the seven compulsory subjects and other subjects that will determine A Level learning areas. The core subjects are 

1. English Language 

2. General Mathematics 

3. Combined Science 

4. Indigenous Languages 

5. Heritage Studies 

6. Agriculture 

7. Physical Education

However, these will not determine the A Level learning areas and general mathematics and combined science are not a pre-requisite to A Level Pure Mathematics and Pure Sciences. For one to study A Level Pure Mathematics or Statistics he or she must start at form 3 with expected pre-requisites.

Some of the subjects at O Level that will determine A Level learning areas are 

1. Pure Mathematics 

2. Statistics

3. Biology

4. Physics 

5. Chemistry

6. History 

7. Geography (now a science subject) 

The new curriculum emphasis On psychomotor skills and life skills that will form a strong basis for entrepreneurship in the long run. Although some were criticizing the new curriculum, the appearance and emphasis is a great deal for the future generations. 

NB: FigTree App will be offering the video content for the new curriculum for FREE starting 2018. Mathematics and Combined Science content will also be available on our Facebook page and YouTube. Like our Facebook today for updates on the new video content

External Candidates and the New Curriculum

Many candidates registered to re-sit for Zimsec O and A Level subjects because some people were speculating that Zimsec will not accept external candidates to sit for new curriculum exams.
All formal schools have since adopted the new curriculum for form 1, 3 and 5 and following the new syllabuses. From the look of things , there is no turning back on the new curriculum and you need to know the conditions for external candidates if you are planning to re-sit for exams.

Firstly, there is no way Zimsec will do away with private candidates since they contribute a lot of revenue especially in June Exams. They will risk losing revenue to other international and foreign exam bodies like Cambridge IGCE and NSC. They, however, have conditions for external conditions although it's not yet very clear at the moment.


There will be a program called Adult Education which will be available in many schools where external candidates will be able to write coursework through qualified teachers. Teachers will slot the lessons probably after school hours. The process will obviously take two years since tasks have two years time frame.

For those who fail after they have completed two years coursework, they are able to re-sit for the exam using the same coursework marks. This means they will have 5 chances to write the exam with the same coursework

Exam Structure Changes: New Curriculum

The Exam Structure will slightly change for the new curriculum. As I highlighted few years back that Zimsec is likely to follow the IGSCE exam structures, there has been a change in the structure and it will be similar to Cambridge's Mathematics Syllabus D.

The first paper will remain unchanged but in the Second paper, compulsory questions will be five (5) and four (4) optional questions from seven (7) questions in section B. The new curriculum syllabus don't specify the optional topics but the total questions for Paper 2 will remain 12.

This is likely to make mathematics exam easy since there will be a lot of questions to chose from and one can easily concentrate on specific areas to maximize the total score. However, the specific Section B areas will be known after 3 to 5 years as teachers will begin to identify the pattern of the new system.

The Exam will contribute 70% to the final score and 30% will come from coursework and projects from Junior Certificate and Ordinary Level. If candidates maximize their marks in coursework, they will need 30 to 50% to obtain grade C or better.

In the next post I will highlight some changes to the content of the syllabus. 

New A Level Pre-requisites

Many students used to decide on their A level combinations after collecting O Level results and it wasn't a topic to discuss at Form Three. You could even study Subjects that were not part of your O Level collection, like Economics, Business Studies and Divinity.

Now , the New Curriculum requires that students chose their combinations at Form Three. A Level subjects have O Level prerequisites which are added to the 7 compulsory subjects. This implies you must sit for at least 10 subjects if you are planning to study A Level. For example, you can't study A Level Pure Maths with General Mathematics as was before.

To study..,

Pure Mathematics, you need Pure Mathematics at O Level. Same goes with 

1. Statistics

2. Economics 

3. Business Studies 

4. Mechanics 

5. Accounting 

6. Biology

7. Chemistry 

8. Physics 

9. History 

10. Geography

11. Divinity

12. English Literature

These are all optional subjects at O Level and you must exhibit competence in these subjects at O Level if you are to continue with the same at A Level.

However, most poor schools and rural schools will be affected as they will prioritize other subjects which might not be preferences of all students due to staff shortage. Some might chose not to study Pure Mathematics but focus on General Mathematics, some chose to concentrate only onCombined science and ignore pure Science subjects. 

This means students cannot study Medicine or Accounting at Tertiary Level not because they don't have passion or failed the subjects but because their schools were not offering the prerequisites as options at O Level. 

Given the above, it implies that passionate students will find ways to study other subjects which are their preferred A Level Combinations, however there is need to find a teacher who will carry on the continuous assessment of their projects and course work. 

Another Important thing to note is that: A Level combinations are now affected by these developments as students can study Pure Mathematics, Statistics and Mechanics as a combination or chose Statistics, Accounting and Business Studies. 

NEW CURRICULUM COMPULSORY SUBJECTS

With only 14 months left for the first New Curriculum Exams, it's important for next years candidates to acquaint themselves with the prerequisite of the exam.

New curriculum introduced a coursework which contributes 30% of the Exam and Final Exam contributes 70%. A coursework includes
- major termly tests
- monthly tests
- projects
This means only formally registered schools with qualified staff are suitable for the process.

There are 7 compulsory subjects to be registered by every candidate
1. Mathematics (General Maths)
2. Combined Science
3. English
4. Heritage Studies
5. Physical Education
6. Indigenous languages
7. Agriculture

However these subjects don't have A Level options, which means students who want to study A Level must add 3 more subjects as their A Level prerequisite subjects

We will discuss more on A Level prerequisite in the next posts

Buy Your eTextbook here

EXAM ORIENTED EBOOKS for ZIMSEC MATHEMATICS

Zimbabwean students and candidates rely much on textbooks to prepare for the Exam and the most popular book series are the New General Mathematics Book 3 and Book 4. However, the syllabus continues to be updated frequently than the textbook, making recent textbooks better in terms of content tested by the Examination.

The major mistake candidates make is to assume New General Mathematics Book 3 and 4 have all the exam areas needed for someone to be successful on the final examination. You might have noticed that more than 7 or 8 questions from paper 1 are not covered in these books and examples includes Whole Numbers (Prime products, Roots and Squares, Series and Sequency etc), Distance Charts, LCM and HCF of index numbers. Most of these principles are covered in the Books 1 and 2, which makes them a need to the collection if you are to go with the NGM book series. All topics are essentially covered from Book 1 up to 4.

The major determinant of success especially at Ordinary Level is the ability of the teacher to interpret the latest syllabus and organize content from different textbooks and sources into exam oriented lessons. To be frank, a good teacher makes a textbook unnecessary for students since they have what it takes to score an 'A' from the teachers stuff. 

In Zimbabwe, shortage of textbooks affected most schools until EFT provided adequate textbooks and resources in schools since 2009. The textbook:pupil ratio in now as good as 1:1 but still the pass rate fluctuates between 20% to 35% yearly. Surprisingly, some schools mantain a 100% pass rate in Mathematics. This apparently shows it's the strategy and the experience of the teachers at those specific schools. 

Many students and teachers are now using technology to gather, share and organize resources that aid in studying for the final examinations. However, we are yet to see an official past paper from Zimsec in PDF format, or any textbook published as an ebook for Zimbabwean candidates. That will obviously ease the journey and yield better results as more students and candidates access recent and updated content that match syllabus requirements.

At FigTree Academy, we are now publishing ebooklets on critical topics to aid students in their studies. The ebooks are organized in lessons and only focus on specific concepts enunciated by the syllabus. The ebooklets are for FREE and published continually until all topics are covered. The ebooks are being authored by practicing teachers who also prepare video content for our android app called FigTree App.

There are now 7 ebooks that cover 10 topics including Transformations, Functional graphs and Circle Geometry. The ebooks are well illustrated and strives to demystify some areas of most challenging topics. 

     

All the concepts are explained using past exam questions that are organized under specific sections. There are meant to be a complete guide alongside video content. Students can easily understand the ebook content by reading whilst watching a video explaining the same concept. All on your mobile phone!

To access the ebooks, WhatsApp +263 733 796 118

Download Figtree Apk here

Are you facing troubles downloading figtree app?

GET IT HERE

FigTree App: Data Friendly and Fast

One of the major reasons why FigTree academy App got more downloads in less a week of launch are the features. Unlike other educational apps that are ad based and always need Internet connection to access the contents, FigTree have no ads and contents can be viewed offline once downloaded. 

There are video lessons for about six subjects in the app that were unlocked last week. Core subjects offered through the App includes English language, Geography, Accounting, Commerce, Intergrated Science and Mathematics. The content providers currently concentrate on Ordinary Level Stuff and will launch lessons for other levels by the end of the year. The content is being prepared by qualified and experienced teachers.

You don't need much data to get the videos. FigTree app offers a download option and saves your videos in order within the app. The next you want to view your lessons, there is no need for data once lessons are downloaded. Some of the lessons will be around 540kb up to 5mb per lesson. This makes the app more data friendly. 

The lessons are arranged in topics, with 7 videos per topic on average. More complex topics have 13 video lessons and simpler topics have 4. You can have a monthly package of 4 topics and the lessons need less than 50 mb, which will cost you around 50cents or less.

There are other features that will make  FigTree similar to a traditional classroom. You have WhatsApp support of tutors, you can submit you exercises in the app and receive instant feedback, explanation and corrections. There are student groups also 

You can get the app on Google play or apk file on different sites. WhatsApp +263 733 796 118 for assistance and further explanation.

FigTree App For Zimsec Video Lessons Now on Google Play Store

FigTree App Now Live On Google Play

Download the App

An Educational App for Zimsec, Cambridge igcse and NSC video lessons is now live on Google play store. The app supports Smartphones running Android 4.1 and above. This the beta version of the app and is filled with some 'cool' features.

Download Option

The App comes with ability to download video lessons, instead of streaming which consumes a lot of data that is so precious in Zimbabwe. The download option makes it easy to store the lessons within the app and the videos are for offline viewing. 

Free Videos 

Students can access free videos for more than 5 Subjects under 'free video' tab. The lessons are made by professional and practicing teachers with experience in virtual tutoring. After signing up and confirming email address, a student can have access to free videos. There is a promotion for the first hundred students to register. The promotion is worth $4 and students can have an experience of buying topics of choice using the awarded coins

Quality Content

The video content is of high quality and can be viewed on any device. Mathematical subjects like Mathematics, Physics, Accounting, Chemistry and Economics are illustrated on a whiteboard to make it easy for formula, equations and graphical demonstrations 

Other content subjects like Commerce, Integrated Science and Geography are animated to give students an actual picture of what is taking place. For instance, in Integrated Science, there are animated experiments and demonstrations of petrol engine movements. The content quality matches international standards and is really awesome

Works Well with 2G Network

The app was designed to cater for students in rural areas who don't have access to LTE and 3G networks. The app was tested using the slowest network in areas like Uzumba Maramba Pfungwe and Mudzi. 

Students can easily download content in less than a minute and the average file size of a video lesson is 2.5MB, which makes it fast and cheap to download the lessons. This also makes the app more efficient and light, saving a lot phone space by more than 60%

Affordable Prices

The premium lessons monthly package costs $9 (25% discount) and individual topics costs $3. The topics are arranged in 11 months and covers the whole syllabus. 

There are also free ebooks for challenging topics like Transformations, Functional Graphs and scale

Calculator and Math Table Tutorials

The App will have free tutorials on how to use calculators and mathematical tables. Many students fail exams because they fail to efficiently use calculators and math tables during exams. 

Some students in the rural areas still rely on mathematical tables. This is due to unavailability of calculators in rural areas and some schools still emphasize on the use of tables.

Ability to Submit Exercises

Students are also able to submit exercises to tutors for marking. This makes the App similar to a traditional classroom where students receive instant feedback and marked scripts from the teacher 

These Features separate the FigTree App from the other Educational Apps in Zimbabwe and the Region and students ought embrace the new way of learning and supplementing their studies rr

FigTree was created by teachers and programmers to provide high quality content and to add to the educational ecosystem of digital products for Zimsec Syllabi

Get your App

DOWNLOAD HERE 

Android App for Zimsec Video Lessons

The long wait is over and the new android app for Zimsec Syllabi Video Tuition is set to be released this week. There are many websites and apps for Education in the region and many edupreneurs continue to add to the growing ecosystem. The most notable websites includes ruzivodigitallearning.com, revision.co.zw and other apps like e-dzidzo, wagona maths and greenbook app.

FEATURES OF THE NEW APP

Content

The App will have more than 1 000 step by step video lessons for ordinary level basic subjects including Maths, Integrated Science, Commerce, Principles of Accounts and Geography. The app will be launched with complete lessons for the first six months, that is, 24 topics covering mostly paper 1 ZIMSEC mathematics syllabus. 

The content is being prepared by experienced teachers and virtual tutors who have a strong background in educational technology and pedagogues for online learning. Videos will demonstrate principles on a digital whiteboard using handwriting and they will be exercises at the end of each video lesson. They will be about 150 exercises for students in the first six months.

What makes this App cool is that, students are also able to submit their exercises for marking and feedback will be available in less than 12 hours. The app is just bringing a traditional classroom to your smartphone. 

Also available are free ebooks for challenging topics like Transformations, Mensuration, Circle Geometry and Statistics in the app. 

DOWNLOAD THE ANDROID APP NOW 

Video lessons for mathematics and ebooks have been tested on a pilot project for the past three years and yielded great results with 90% pass rate (14 candidates) in 2014 Nov exams, 77% pass rate (18 candidates) in 2015 Nov Exams, 97% (28 candidates) pass rate in June 2016 Exams and 79% pass rate (40 candidates) in November 2016 Exams.

Mathematics Videos will use a whiteboard and other content subjects will have animated content, video demonstrations and high quality pictures and charts that thoroughly explain principles. The app will emphasize on video content that has proved to be effective in the last three years. 

They will be free videos for samples in almost all subjects. Subjects that will be added before June includes; English Language, Shona, Ndebele, Economics, Business Studies, Physics, Biology, Combined Science, Chemistry and Additional Mathematics. 

Features 

Tabs

The App has three main tabs, i.e., for Zimsec, Cambridge igcse, and South African NSC. Candidates will have a choice from a wide range of subjects, examination boards and tutors who will be offering video tuition. Analytics for pass rates, number of students, and  student progress will be available soon

Coins

Students will unlock topics and monthly packages using coins that will be bought online using a wide range of payment options including Ecocash, Telecash, Visa, MasterCard  and VPayments (Zimswitch). You are able to control your budget and decide how to use your coins within the app. There is a lot of flexibility in buying lessons from different topic,monthly packages and subjects.

DOWNLOAD THE ANDROID APP NOW

Library

There will be a section whereby students access free and paid ebooks on different subjects from available resources. Only content from approved teachers and authors will be available in the app. The ebooks might be textbooks, lessons notes, exam tips, revisions notes and experiments

Tutor Chat Support 

Students will be able to chat with the tutor if they need assistance in different areas of the lesson or topic. This will be like a traditional classroom where students can get individual help from teachers.

Download Option

The app will have a download option instead of streaming to avoid further data consumption when a student need to access previously bought video lessons. Videos will be downloaded and arranged in the app for easier access.

Video Demos

There are video demos on how to use the services provided by the app. The video demo includes how to unlock lessons, write exercises, submit exercises and access corrections within the app. This will make it easy for the students to learn like in a traditional classroom.

Name of the App 

FigTree App

For Further details and assistance WhatsApp +263 733 796 118

HOW A TEACHER CAN MOTIVATE A CLASS

How to motivate your class or student

Mathematics is a challenging subject and needs some creative ways to motivate your students so that they enjoy learning maths. Here are some of the ways that can help you maintain their interest for the subject 

#1 Always start with easiest questions

Easiest questions motivate students and give them hope of easily solving complex questions in the same manner. 

Don't rush to test standard exam question, rather go step by step until they are ready for a complex question. 

For example if you are teaching fractions, start with 

- converting improper fractions to mixed fractions and vice versa 

- Reducing fractions to lowest term

- Addition and subtraction of fractions with same denominator

- Now introduce different denominators

- Introduce mixed fractions

Check available Video Lessons Here

You can see that when they take it step by step, it makes subsequent concepts easier than to start with an exam type question. Learn to develop simple questions for basic concepts

#2 Find Many Options for a Problem 

Not all students are comfortable with a single way of solving a math problem. There are other ways of solving the same problem. That's the beauty of mathematics, it involves many ways of dealing with the same thing

You will discover that when you use a 'one size fits all' approach, some students will start to lose heart and eventually quit the subject or totally lose interest for the subject.

Using at least two methods might motivate a student since one of the methods is obviously easier or shorter than the other. They might be both or all difficult but providing options makes the other method a life saver. 

There is always a better way to deal with the same problem to different students 

# Try Use some Teaching Aids or ICTs

Technology makes everything interesting. 

Using ICTs in mathematics is one of the best ways to raise interest of students for the subject. There are many ways you can do this. 

- a computer might demonstrate dice rolling

- Solitaire game might be useful for experimental probability

Some teaching aids that are use useful

- use cylinders and cuboids of same volume when teaching conversion of cubic centimeters to milliliters

Motivation is the source of success especially in Mathematics. That makes it one of the most interesting subject on Earth

HOW TO PREPARE FOR MATHEMATICS PAPER 1 (O LEVEL)

PREPARING FOR PAPER 1

The first paper is popular for being tricky and many candidates confirm they don't finish attempting questions within stipulated time. Today I will focus on how to prepare for the first paper and ways to perform better.

In one of the posts I wrote last year on my blog zimtuts.blogspot.com I highlighted how the first paper is designed to 'steal' your time and the biase of mark distribution. I will highlight new tricks in the next posts on paper 1.

# Tested concepts #

Paper 1 tests almost 90% of the syllabus in 25 - 30 questions. The syllabus specifies that the paper tests all the concepts. There is need to check the whole syllabus sections and compare with the textbook topics to see if it's covering the whole syllabus.

The basic topics tested in the beginning of the paper [question 1 - 13] involves 

- Prime Factors

- Type of numbers

- Square roots

- Fractions and decimals

- Volume, density and mass

- Unit conversions

- Time

- Limit of accuracy 

- Approximations and estimations 

- Scale and map problems

- Similarity

Among other basic topics

Using New General Mathematics Book 3 and 4? Check if these basic topics are covered.

# How to Prepare for the Paper #

One of the reasons why candidates fail is they assume maths is all about complex questions and waste much of their time of optional topics like Cosine rule, transformation or Mensuration.

First start to master basic concepts. The first step in Maths is to know the operands and how they apply to every situation. 

Try to master the following 

- multiples (time - table or Multiples of 1 to 12)

- Factors of numbers up to 100

- Types of numbers 

- Directed numbers 

- Rounding numbers 

- Addition and subtraction of time

- Formulas for areas and other basic calculations 

- Conversions of units 

You will find that most don't finish the paper because they fail to quickly calculate say 9 x 13, or 11 x 12. Someone scribble the whole answer space to calculate these types of basic multiplication.

It might sound fun but it's worth to start by mastering that multiple table at the back of the exercise books. Learn to memorize it by head. If possible expand it up to the multiples of 15 or 20. It will make your life easier in the next topics

The disadvantages of using Book 3 is that you miss most of the concepts covered in Book 1 and 2. It's advisable to first learn those basics before you start to use book 3.

Most teachers expect you to have covers majority of these topics at primary level or Junior Level. If you were not paying attention or did not cover the topics due to various reasons, consider revisiting the principles on your own time and learn the basic rules of numbers.

# What makes Prime Factors Important # 

Finding Prime Factors of numbers is important since it helps you in many concepts including but not limited to 

- finding roots

- Multiples

- Factors

- HCF and LCM

- Factorization 

- Indices

Master how to express a number as product of its prime factors. It will save your life in many principles. 

NB: Do you want to learn these basic principles? Ask for FREE video lessons on basic numbers on 

WhatsApp +263 733 796 118

NEW CURRICULUM UPDATES

It's been long without writing anything on new curriculum. There has been a lot of confusion over it, with some schools implementing the new curriculum to form 1 and 5 students, and other schools also including form 3s. 

According to whats on the ground, the new curriculum first exam is likely to be next year and the current form 3 students will be pioneers of the exam.  However, it's not clear how the pupils will be assessed since the new syllabus for the curriculum shows a coursework needs to start from form 1.

Schools have since introduced the new learning areas as required by the new curriculum. There are 7 compulsory subjects which included Heritage Studies, General Mathematics, General Science to name a few. 

Students are expected to sit for at least 10 subjects, of which 7 are compulsory for every student. You will have to chose three options that will determine your study area at A Level. If someone intents to study Mathematics at A Level, there is Pure Mathematics and Statistics options at O Level.

WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS 

1. New Exam structure next year

As I highlighted before, Mathematics is coming with new paper structure synonymous to that of Cambridge syllabus D whereby students have 4 options in Sections B (Old curriculum had 3 options) from 7 questions. 

Teachers and Students needs to study the new Exam Structure. I hope ZIMSEC will provide the specimen papers next year for teachers and candidates to see the structure of the papers they will be sitting for.

2. Time Up for Cottage Colleges 

The new curriculum needs a qualified staff who will be trained to assess students using new curriculum guidelines. Cottage Colleges with unqualified staff or that which is not properly registered needs to find ways to incorporate new developments if they are to prepare their students for ZIMSEC exams. 

It's almost time up for Cottage Colleges.

3. Chose schools adopting preferred learning path

Since not all schools are adopting Sciences or Arts, it's advisable to look out for schools offering pure sciences as options. General Science or Mathematics don't qualify a student to study Science or Pure Mathematics at A level. One has to study pure chemistry, biology and physics. For maths you have to go with Pure Mathematics at O level

(To be Continued...)

2017 and the New Curriculum: Speculations and Facts

The new curriculum implementation is starting this year, 2017, with Forms 1 and 5. 

The syllabus covers the years 2015 to 2022.

I received the document just yesterday and took my time reading through  to get some sense about the new curriculum since there are many confusions around it. Many teachers, candidates and students are speculating that 2017 is the last year of writing final exams without coursework. 

I have been coming across adverts on social media, posters and fliers written "Final Year to Write Exams As A Private Candidate! Enroll with us today and prepare". After reading the document, I wondered if the people speculating that have taken their time to read and study the new document on new curriculum and see the implications of the requirements. 

My first discovery in the document was this, the new curriculum is starting with Form 1 and 5 students only. The continuous assessment for O Level starts from form 1 and is done in 11 terms, the 12th term is for the Exam. There will be topic tasks, Written Tests and End of Term Tests.

Each Year is contributing 4.5% for 4 years [thats 18%] and then two Projects, one for Form 1 & 2 and another for Form 3 & 4 [meaning this will contribute remaining 12% or its 6% each]

Step by step Video Lessons For Maths. 

Click Here

This means only form 1 students are eligible for the new assessment scheme and the rest should continue with old way of doing things. They will complete their O Levels without course work requirements. 

This also literally means, Form 2 students are the last batch to write the exam without course work and they are not writing their final exams in 2017 as speculated by other people.

2017: Current Form 2

2018: they will be Form 3

2019: they will be in Form 4 [Final Exam]

2020: Continuos Assessment Completes. First Exam For the New Curriculum

Don't be fooled, you have other three years up to 2019 to write exams without coursework. 

NB: The syllabus for Mathematics started 2015 and this means you should follow the current syllabus that ends 2022. 

Hope you benefited a lot from this post. You can suggest corrections and additions to the post to make it a valuable pierce. 

Comment your thoughts on this blog

If you have anything that you us to cover concerning Zimsec Syllabus and Examinations, please let me know on WhatsApp +263 733 796 118

Basics Are Most Important

Many potential candidates fail simply because they ignore important things. They claim to have studied New General Mathematics Book 3 and 4, and follow the crowd's claim that it is the whole syllabus of Zimsec Mathematics. Zimsec don't test questions from a textbook but a syllabus. There is no one textbook that covers everything in a syllabus and it's advisable to refer to many sources.

There are four books if you prefer using New General Mathematics series. Start from Book 1 and learn all basic principles as enunciated by the syllabus. Majority of candidates think that it's easier to master O Level principles without covering the Junior Level Mathematics. O level principles build upon the foundations laid by Junior Course. 

Basic Mathematics principles are widely tested in paper 1. Many people can testify that they wrote the exam without knowledge of estimations like significant figures and rounding off figures. Some O levels chose to ignore things like type of numbers, they don't even know even numbers, prime numbers and integers. These principles are tested in sets and limit of accuracy. 

The tricky part of using Book 3 is that it has assumptions. It expects users of that book to have covered all principles in Book 1 and 2 , and continuously refers you back to their previous books in the series. 

However, nowadays New General Mathematics, Although it's still considered the best book for O Level, there are other simplified books with more relevant information to the current syllabus. Look out for books like Maths Today and Revision O Level Mathematics. 

My Advise

1. Start by learning basic principles of numbers, types and operations on numbers (BODMAS)

2. Master directed numbers 

3. Learn how to estimate numbers to decimal places, significant numbers and place values

4. Learn basic algebra and formation of algebra from a given statement

5. Learn Mensuration in Junior course, it's also tested in paper 1

6. Learn how to use scientific calculator in fractions, decimals and graphs 

7. Master units of measurements, capacity principles and time

FOR MORE TIPS JOIN OUR WHATSAPP BROADCAST LIST BY SENDING 

*your name

* WhatsApp message 'O maths tips, broadcast '

To +263 733 796 118

NB: This is a Zimsec only broadcast list