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. 

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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

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