schooling
KEEP calm( ish)
Matric exams don’ t just test learners – they test the whole household. As pressure builds and routines unravel, knowing how to support your teen without adding to the stress becomes essential.
Matric exam season has a way of taking over the entire household. It’ s a high-stakes time for learners, but also for parents trying to offer the right balance of support without adding to the pressure.
“ In the South African context, this pressure is intensified by the significance of the National Senior Certificate( NSC) as a gateway to higher education and career pathways, as well as broader concerns about youth mental health and academic competitiveness,” explains Shaakera Subjee, educational psychologist at Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls.
For her, the key to success lies not only in effective studying.“ Academic performance and emotional wellbeing are not separate domains during exam season; they directly influence one another.”
Here’ s how families can approach matric exams with a little more clarity and a lot less panic.
Work smarter, not just harder
It’ s tempting to think that long hours equal better results, but that’ s not necessarily true. Subjee emphasises that effective study techniques are rooted in strategy.“ Learners achieve stronger outcomes when they engage in active, structured, and reflective learning processes rather than passive revision,” she says.
Encourage your teen to start with the“ big picture”: what they already know and where the gaps are.“ This allows for intentional prioritisation and is an important metacognitive skill,” explains Subjee.“ Cognitive science evidence indicates that learners who actively monitor their own understanding( metacognition) perform significantly better in high-stakes assessments than those who rely on repetition alone.”
Success in exams is not only about exposure to content, but about how well a learner can retrieve, apply, and adapt knowledge under pressure. Practical tools like mind maps, flashcards, and structured notes can also make revision more engaging and effective.
Juggling multiple subjects
With up to seven subjects on the go, it’ s no surprise learners feel stretched. The trick lies in planning, and understanding that not all subjects require the same approach.
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