When studying a novel or play, it can be very useful to create a timeline. Draw a line on a sheet of paper and divide it into chapters or acts. As you read through, make a brief note of main events and characters. Not only will this help you to understand how the text is structured, … Continue reading Improving English: Timelines
Maths: know your weaknesses
It's very easy to lose marks in an exam or test not because of a gap in your knowledge but because of careless mistakes. These often occur when working on the easier, more basic aspects of maths: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division. You may have put a lot of effort into the more complex part of … Continue reading Maths: know your weaknesses
Lifelines: Brain dump
Sometimes there are so many thoughts buzzing round in our head that we are unable to concentrate on anything. We can't focus on one thing because we are distracted by all the other things we 'should' be doing. In these situations, it can be useful to dump all these thoughts out of our heads and … Continue reading Lifelines: Brain dump
Study skills: Know your assessment method
Whatever course you are doing, it is imperative that you have a complete understanding of the method of assessment: is it assessed by a final exam, or by coursework, or a combination of the two? If it's a combination, what percentage is allocated to each part? Armed with this knowledge, you will be able to … Continue reading Study skills: Know your assessment method
Improving English: Writing
There are many ways to improve your writing but the first and most important one is to...write. Do not worry about creating the perfect sentence or finding the exact word. Allow yourself to experiment with an imperfect draft; then you have something concrete to work on and improve. As with anything, regular practice will lead … Continue reading Improving English: Writing
