How I passed the BECE with 8-ones when nobody expected a good result

How I passed the BECE with an 8-ones when nobody expected a good result has remained a mystery for many, including my teachers and parents, who had given up on me.

In 2021, despite my certainty that I would repeat Basic 8, I received a promotion to Basic 9. However, unknown to me, my class teacher, who doubled as the Integrated Science teacher, had called my dad and discussed my promotion to the final year with him. I learned that, despite my dad’s readiness to repeat me, my teacher recommended my promotion, given that I had already repeated each class at the junior high school level once.

Even after enrolling in Basic 9 for the new academic year, I remained uncertain about my course of action should I register for the BECE. To make matters worse, my father was deeply concerned and did not want me to take the BECE and return home with poor grades.

To help myself, I decided to get closer to Michael Adu, one of the brilliant boys in my class. He was the quiet type and had just a few friends, but he was so good in nearly all the subjects. Although we were classmates since Basic 7 and had chats, I have never told him I wanted to be his friend.

One Monday morning, just after Assembly, I got closer to him while we waited as a class for the arrival of the mathematics teacher for the first lesson of the day. I broke the pot and told him I would want him to be my friend so that he could help me study and explain things to me as well.

Michael was kind enough to accept my friendship proposal because I noticed not only the seriousness in my eyes, but also my determination to study now and the challenges I have faced since we got to junior high school.

He began to help me comprehend each of the mathematics topics taught in Form 1. Gradually, I started improving, and I wondered if this was real.

According to Michael’s advice, I began to take my studies seriously and ensured that I studied at least an hour a day after school. He even helped me draft a timetable that matched the one he used to study.

Each day after school, we stayed behind for about an hour and a half, during which he taught me either mathematics, integrated science, or social studies.

I soon began to enjoy the lessons and noticed I was able to solve some basic questions, including some of the end-of-term examination questions our teacher set for us in the Basic 8 term three examination.

I took my studies with Michael very seriously and made sure to attend every lesson that the teachers taught. It was always fun to learn from Michael, who kept on helping me. He told them that one of the reasons he decided to teach me was to help him revise what he had learned the previous day.

He went on to advise me to also learn and come and teach him once in a while. At first, that looked like a challenge for me; however, after my first two attempts, I realized that I was doing well, and Michael acknowledged my performance.

My friend had good handwriting, and he always explained the points he wrote or shared with me on any topic or question we were attempting. We were always ready to add an example to the answers he gave. According to him, the examples assist you in getting extra marks. When I heard this from him, I decided to practice the same thing.

I virtually started to improve, imitating Michael’s attitude towards studying and how he carried himself about. Indeed, Michael transformed my character and attitude, earning me a great deal of respect.

As the BECE got closer, my father and my teacher were getting excited about my performance, and they kept encouraging Michael to continue to support me. Soon, the parents got me a teacher at home to assist me, and since Michael and I lived in the same community, my dad sought his dad’s approval so that he would join me for the classes that my dad was ready to pay for.

Michael’s dad responded to the request in the affirmative, and soon, we were not only learning together at school after lessons but also at home for extra tuition for the BECE for three months.

I had never scored beyond 50 in any examination at the junior high school until I started studying with Michael. On one occasion, I scored 75/100 in the Integrated Science and Mathematics mock exam. This motivated me to work hard because I believed my hard work was going to pay off. Each time I got home, I noticed excitement in my dad, and he became very supportive.

Finally, in 2021, he sat for the WAEC-administered BECE. I managed to obtain an 8-ones in the exam, which helped me secure a Category B school to study science because I did not choose a Category A school during the school selection process. Michael, on the other hand, landed at PRESEC Legon, where he studied general science.

According to the story above, I did certain things and made choices that changed my story, and I believe they will have a positive impact on you if you do the same. The things I did are as follows:

How I passed the BECE with 8-ones when nobody expected a good result: LESSONS FOR BECE CANDIDATES FROM THE STORY ABOVE

To pass the BECE despite initial challenges and doubts, the student took several key actions and made specific choices that contributed to their success. Here’s an outline of the good things the student did:

1. Recognize the Need for Improvement: As a BECE candidates, acknowledge your personal academic challenges and sought ways to improve despite past academic setbacks.
2. Sought Help and Guidance: Reach out to a high-performing classmate, for help and guidance in studying difficult subjects like Mathematics and Integrated Science.
3. Establish a Study Routine: Create a consistent study routine, dedicating at least an hour each day to study after school, as advised by Michael.
4. Utilize Peer Teaching: Engaged in peer teaching by learning from others and reciprocating by teaching others what you learned. This aids in reinforcing understanding and retention of concepts.
5. Emulat Good Study Practices: Model your study habits after that of Michael or the best students in your class and maintain good handwriting. Do well to provide examples in answers, and overall study attitude.
6. Receive Support from Family and Teachers: Receive support from your parents and teachers, so that this can facilitate additional tutoring for the BECE.
7. Focus on Improvement: Stay motivated and focused on improvement, and work hard to improve your scores.
8. Maintain a Positive Attitude: Maintain a positive attitude towards studying and embrace the transformational impact of your effort.

READ: 2024 BECE Creative Arts Sample Questions From WAEC

We hope this story on “How I passed the BECE with 8-once when nobody expected a good result” will inspire you to work hard. You too can make good grades.

Source: Anonymous