MORE THAN 600 students from high schools across the island attended The Gleaner's Youthlink magazine third annual Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) workshop yesterday at the Girl Guides' Headquarters on Waterloo Road, St. Andrew.
The tutors, who are also weekly contributors to the Youthlink CXC Study Guide, offered tips and new ways of getting over the hurdles of the CXC exams. Against a multi-coloured background, created by the wide variety of school uniforms in the hall, students listened attentively to the subject area tips in English language, mathematics, principles of accounts, information technology, social studies and geography.
"Generally, what I do is to point out some of the difficulties with the exam and try to give them some tips on how to avoid making some errors that we are finding repeated year after year," Karen Radcliffe, geography tutor at the workshop, explained. Mrs. Radcliffe, who teaches at Glenmuir High School, Clarendon, added that she was particularly concerned with the 'map work' section of the geography syllabus, "so I did a little bit on the weaknesses on the map work paper and how they can overcome those."
Doris Mayne, who has tutored at the seminar for the past two years, was back this year to share her over 40 years of knowledge of the English language.
"I think they (the students) all need to realise that they are not the only ones, that other people are just as worried as they are and there are people out there who can help them. When they get it all together here, it does help them," she remarked.
Darren Murphy, a student of Excelsior Community College said the workshop was beneficial to his preparation for the CXC exam. "It focused on some key issues and principles in topics that are not easy to learn," he said.
