How I improved From 3 to 7 in the IB
Standard Level (SL) Mathematics should be easy right? I mean, Higher Level (HL) Math students laugh at us, and its even said to be comparative to H1 Math in A Levels, something that basically almost nobody takes in A levels. When I received my SL Math grades in Year 5, I was greatly disappointed.
I had gotten a 3 out of 7!
For those who aren’t familiar with the IB system, grades are assigned from 1–7 with 7 being the highest grade attainable. A 3 meant that I had failed… badly. I had failed in my examinations before, but never this disastrously! It felt like a nightmare, a grade I never thought I would ever attain during my IB journey. My parents didn’t offer any comfort, but why should they? A grade like this made it seem as if I didn’t even try. So why didn’t I do well at a subject which many said was an “easy 7”?
Was it because I had an incompetent teacher in school?
Not really. The teacher who taught me Mathematics in High School was actually really wonderful. He was passionate about teaching the subject and even provided consultations.
Was it because I did not study hard for my examination?
Not really as well. I remembered studying extremely hard for it. I was thoroughly revising weeks before the examination, completing practise paper after practise paper.
So, why did this happen?
I realised that my main downfall was that my foundations were weak. I am someone who takes a relatively longer time to understand concepts compared to my peers. Therefore, I was not able to catch up with the pace of the school classes. This caused me to fall behind quite substantially which meant that the more lessons were taught in school, the more I would have to catch up.
However, I did not attain this “enlightenment” by myself. It was actually told to me by my tutor.
After months of persuasion, I finally gave in to my parents to source for a tutor. Receiving a 3 for any subject would generally drive anyone to desperately accept any way to improve.
I still remember the first day I met my tutor. He was one of the most straightforward persons I had ever met, pointing out my flaws from the start. But he was also passionate about it. He wanted me to improve and he knew that it would only be possible if I acknowledged my weaknesses first. Of course, he didn’t leave me stranded after that and soon we were working on my foundations.
His lessons were never dull. He taught Mathematics concepts with a passion, as if he respected it deeply. He would get disappointed when I could not recall them, often pointing out that he had just taught them to me. Nonetheless, he would re-teach them to me again, explaining to me all the nuances and the whys of the concepts. He saw Mathematics as a beautiful puzzle that had to be solved. One could easily tell he loved teaching Mathematics just by the way he taught it. Perhaps some of that interest rubbed off on me.
I eventually got better at Math and weirdly, I started to enjoy it. My parents said it was because the tutor taught it well but I believe there’s another reason behind it.
I believe it was because there was someone to inspire me to enjoy the subject. I had someone who would take the time to really show me why Mathematics was a beautiful thing. I had someone who taught me to respect Mathematics. I had someone who showed me how fluid it could be, if you saw it the right way. That interest prompted me to engage in Mathematics more curiously, instead of reluctantly. It allowed me to become more receptive to what was being taught, and I persistently demanded to know why a certain formula or concept was that way. Naturally, this gave me a more in depth understanding of what was taught and my foundation slowly improved.
Despite this, there was still a lot of work to be done. I remember spending countless nights practising questions and revisiting concepts I should have nailed months ago. It was really tough and this even caused me to be unable to focus on my other subjects. Thankfully, through hard work and determination from both my tutor and I, I eventually scored a 7 during my IB examinations. To some, it’s nothing to boast about; it’s something expected. But to me, it was more than a 7. It was a fresh new way of approaching Mathematics, one with passion and respect.
So what did I learn from this? A couple of lessons.
1. Acknowledge that you need help early.
Sometimes, pride gets in the way of asking for assistance. Many of us don’t like admitting that we are struggling and we needed help. For me, that caused me a really bad grade and an even tougher time trying to catch up with my peers. Perhaps if I had requested for help earlier, I wouldn’t have needed to struggle so hard. I might have had the time to focus equally on my other subjects.
That being said, its never too late to salvage a situation. With the right mindset and a little external push, attaining a good grade is not impossible.
2. An amazing school teacher may not be enough.
There are many school teachers who I am grateful for spending the extra effort to make sure we truly understand what is being taught. However, school teachers have classes with up to 40 students. Consequently, it is natural that they are unable to cater too much time to individual students. Coupled with administrative work, my experience was that a dedicated teacher would not be able to afford more than 2 extra hours a week on individual consultation. For slower learners like myself, who may not be able to grasp concepts in one sitting, this may not be enough.
Tutors can be a good supplement to school teachers. They can be a source of more practice and consultations. As they offer more individualised support, tutors will also be able to understand each students’ strengths and weaknesses, guiding them throughout the rigorous journey.
Find a tutor that isn’t afraid to point out your weaknesses. I once worked under a centre that did not dare to tell her students what they were doing well. Remember how in Rocky gave his inspirational speech to wake his son up? Without knowing your downfalls, how could you ever improve?
3. A tutor can do more than teach content.
I believe that a good educator is able to effectively teach content. Some tutors are able to achieve this. However, what makes an exceptional educator is his/her ability to inspire students to be curious about the subject and actually form some kind of enjoyment towards learning them. I have experienced what it is like to have tutors who managed to influence me to enjoy subjects I did not like before. It made the learning process so much easier and interesting. Needless to say, I would score well in their classes.
That’s also one reason I decided to start IB Lounge, an IB specialised tuition centre that has one aim: to inspire the next generation of IB students. Our hope is that our students will be inspired by our passion in the various subjects we teach and gain a sense of interest towards those subjects themselves.
Our team of tutors hope not only to teach our students about content, but also about how to appreciate the concepts that they have learnt and apply them in their everyday lives. We hope to transform the way children are learning nowadays: from mindless memorising to curious learning. (If you are interested to learn more about us, check us out at iblounge.org!)
I improved from 3 to 7 because of great tutors. But more importantly, I have been inspired by exceptional ones to see the subjects in a more fascinating and interesting light.