As the Ugandan school year comes to a close, our High Schoolers are on leave for another week before returning for Third Term. For Secondary Four (S4) and Secondary Six (S6) students this will bring the moment of truth starting in October and November, respectively. A week or more of National Exams, in up to nine subjects for the S4 and three or more for the S6 students.

Performance on these standardized tests will define eligibility for continuing education, which can have a determining impact on one’s future. Leading up to this, students have been revising (reviewing) their notes which they made in the prior weeks, months and years. Most students don’t have their own copy of any textbooks and, in fact, sometimes teachers don’t even use books. Instead, a carefully cultivated set of notes is one of the keys to success.

The better schools will have prepared their students to think critically about questions while the majority have simply emphasized memorization of the 3-18 (depending on the question) bullet points which form a top-scoring answer. Those who learned critical thinking skills in the Ordinary Level (O-Level is comprised of S1-S4) will start their Advanced Level (A-Level is S5-S6) at an advantage.

The results of the Mock Exams, practice tests that don’t count, but are scored by the National Examination Board, will greet them when they return on September 7th. There is a short period of a few weeks to focus revision efforts to tune up the weaker areas.

We wish our students the best possible performance. We have supported you in all the ways we know how, now it is your turn! Good Luck!

NOTE:
Here is a synopsis of how the Ugandan Educational Levels work:
Primary: Primary Education is from Grade 1 to 7 which includes ages 7-13
Middle: Lower Secondary – Ordinary Level: Ages 14 to 17 (students must pass their O-Levels before proceeding further)
Secondary: Upper Secondary, Advanced Level is two years (A successful A-Level pass opens up the possibility of tertiary education for the lucky few who made it this far)
Vocational: is 3 years
Tertiary: This would be University but for those that qualify, only 50% can get in.
Please read more at Classbase: Education System in Uganda