With finals approaching, students seem to be rushing into exam preparation.
Many new students have joined.
As we began serious past-paper practice, a problem emerged.
They had learned almost no Organic Chemistry at school.
They could barely attempt the exam questions.
They say that last year, hardly anyone received a 6 or 7 in HL Chemistry—perhaps one or two, if any.
In recent lessons, students have consistently been unable to tackle Organic Chemistry past questions.
Whenever one appears, I explain substitution, elimination, and the basic reactions to give them the foundations.
I repeatedly write the same material on the board. It takes so long that I sometimes wonder how efficient the lessons are.
As before, I gave them videos and asked them to watch repeatedly. I send students the original unedited recordings.
Some students who have studied with me are already trained and can manage the questions, but others struggle not only with Organic Chemistry
but with other topics too.
Since coming here, I have felt that school lessons alone are not enough for some students to tackle HL past papers.
Students sometimes say that their school teachers seem unsure about Organic Chemistry too.
I am planning an intensive Organic Chemistry course. Many students want it, and the need feels substantial.
HL Biology students seem better placed than Chemistry students, but 7s are still uncommon, so they need to work hard.
I emphasize Section B. I collect those questions and have students keep writing, at least five a day. After three months of that intensive
practice, they can handle both multiple choice and Section B without getting badly stuck. The difficulty is with
some recent arrivals who had not studied with me before. At first they asked questions, agreed, and even challenged what I said,
but as the course progressed, they began worrying that everything was new to them.
Quite a few feel overwhelmed by the amount.
I need to take them quickly through my core materials and then get them solving past papers.
Watching students work for the approaching exams only makes me feel that I need to work harder too.
