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One of the two boys who tied for the highest marks is St Gabriel’s student Ethan Cyrus. Ethan tied with Charles F Broome Memorial student Scott Johnson. The pair gained a total converted score of 239.76. Both boys got 96 in English, 100 in Mathematics and an A in Composition.
The school also carries bragging rights for another year, with student Allyse Bernard not only placing fourth overall amongst the island’s top performers, she was also the only student of the registered 3,170 students to get a raw score of 100 in English for this year.
Of the top 24 students comprising 15 girls and nine boys, St Gabriel’s had the most students with four girls and one boy in the top performers; that equals to 20.8 per cent of the top performers on the 2023 examination.
How long do you stay on a question if you’re stuck? Underlining key words in the Comprehension
Loop sat down and had a chat with St Gabriel’s Principal Alexina Chandler about the work that goes into prepare their students.
Chandler said that she is proud of the performance of all 48 students who sat this year. “We are thrilled. All of our students have done very well.”
With many talking about the prominence of private schools amongst the top performing students, Chandler explained what goes on behind the scenes at the school to not only produce good 11-Plus performances, but to yield well-rounded students academically and outside of the classrooms who can take any test, not just the BSSEE.
Working out which strategy works for them, whether it’s taking Section C first or the first sections
Asked how the students prepare for the English papers, she shared:
“The students and teachers work very hard… I must say that we don’t stop all of our other subjects just to prepare for the exams, so our students are well-rounded. They are exposed to Drama and Science and Arts still, but a lot of preparation goes into how to take tests as well as in the actual subject area.”
Recognising that many people do not know how they themselves learn or only realise it in their tertiary schooling years, Chandler said that at the school, they try to raise student awareness on this front from early.
“We encourage them to try different ways in terms of the test taking, so some students do better if they take for instance, the Comprehension sections first, and then do the Grammar after. Some do better starting with the Grammar when they’re fresher.
“How long do you stay on a question if you’re stuck? Underlining key words in the Comprehension to help you find the answer, the spelling.
“All of those are things that we teach students, so that it’s not just a matter of knowing the subject matter but how to apply it.”
Year after year, the Mathematics paper – Section C poses a challenge for students.
So my advice would be not to stop
On the topic of Maths, Chandler explained that it is all about helping the students determine which strategy is a best fit for them and their learning style. “Working out which strategy works for them, whether it’s taking Section C first or the first sections, also applying their knowledge to a variety of situations, because a lot of the questions are very similar it’s just slightly different wording.” So she said that they help demonstrate and show the students to be aware of the subtle differences so that they realise it is actually something they know how to do but worded differently. “So a lot of practice!”
Chandler also gave her take on a move being practiced by some parents where from Class 3 and Class 4 they zoom in on only the core subjects – Maths and English. The principal advised parents to know if their children need to reduce the hours devoted to their hobbies or clubs, but otherwise, she encouraged, saying let them continue with their extra curricula activities.
“Don’t stop those activities if the children really enjoy them…because that balance between the different activities teaches them life lessons that are important for the rest of their lives.
“Some children can’t manage it and might have to scale back a bit, but for majority of them it is is excellent when they keep up with their other activities as well as preparing for the exams. So my advice would be not to stop.”
In most cases, the students from St Gabriel’s private school will be going on to public secondary school and Chandler said that they try to prepare the students for this eventuality as well.
She said as part of the effort, they have past students come in and give talks to the students, invite past students to graduation to give the keynote address and share their experiences too.
The Top Girl in 2022, 2020 and 2019 all hailed from St Gabriel’s Primary, with last year’s top girl Renelle Best being the top performer overall with a raw score of 100 in English and 100 in Mathematics and an A in Composition.