How to get A* in O Level Islamiat

How to get an A* in O level Islamiat? Indeed, a very good question. But, what is the answer?

In this article, I am going to share with you a step-by-step guide on acing your Islamiat exam. So let’s start without further introduction.

The only thing we need to know is that hard work outweighs talent. If you are talented but you do not work hard then, your talent will not help you. Instead, someone who strives hard has a better chance of success.

Now you might be thinking that this article will only stress the fact that working for hours will get you an A*.

No! This is not what we will talk about. Let’s break the topic so that it will be easier for you to understand.

O level Islamiat P1 tips:

Paper 1 consists of Quranic passages, one compulsory question (Q2) and from questions 3, 4, 5 you have to attempt any two.

Since you have a choice in the last three questions, your priority should be question 2 because it is compulsory to attempt and you have no choice.

But, what can question two be about? Question 2 is likely to be about the history and importance of the Quran or the Quranic passages.

With that being said comes our first tip which is to make your own notes because you know yourself better than anybody else. You know what do you think is important for you to learn and you know what you should leave.

Some Quranic passages are lengthy and difficult while some are brief and easy. Learn the translation of the brief and easy one’s as it will not only help you in question 1 but, you can also use them for references in other questions.

Question 3, 4, and 5 are likely to be about the life of the Prophet (PBUH), life in Makkah and life in Madina, and the first Islamic community.

I advise you to learn each and every part of the life of the Prophet (S.AW), the battles, the treaties and the early events of his life. When it comes to the first Islamic community you can leave some personalities as you have completely learned the Prophet’s (S.A.W) life in Makkah and Madina.

In past papers, we have seen some 10 mark questions based upon the personality of the Prophet (PBUH). To be honest, these questions are not very difficult because you only need to quote a couple of incidents that elaborate on that particular trait.

Now let’s see some general tips which can help you to achieve an A* in O level Islamiat:

Take breaks so you do not stress out. Exercise after you learn something as scientific studies show that it will allow you to remember the information for long.
Practice past papers and keep a stopwatch with you. Try to attempt 10 mark questions in less than 15 minutes and 4 mark questions in less than 8 minutes.
Do not overburden your mind with a lot of references from the Quran and Hadis. Learn almost 3 references for every topic and you will be fine.

For example, the Quranic verse, “Among his signs are the night and the day and the sun and the moon, adore not the sun and the moon but adore Allah Who created them if it is Him you wish to serve” (41:37), can be used in the question related to Tauheed and in the early Makkan revelations.

Do not pile your work for the last moment.

Answer past paper questions and grade them yourself. Then show the answer and the grade to your teacher and get his/her comments.

Important Note: After reading the marking scheme, open the examiner reports. This document contains extra details about the exam (and some AMAZING tips from the examiner).
So, do not miss them!

O level Islamiat P2 tips:

The paper 2 is similar to paper 1 in terms of format. The only difference is the topics.

In Islamiat paper 1, the first question is about the Quranic passages while in paper 2, the first question is about the ahadith.

The second (compulsory) question in paper 2 is about the history and the importance of ahadith.

In paper 2, you have to cover lengthy topics such as the pillars of Islam, the first four caliphs and the articles of faith in Islam. There are a lot of battles and a lot of information to learn from. What can you do about that?

Well, this depends upon the time you have. Let’s suppose that you are left with a very short period. What you can do is practice the past papers of the last five years (both variants).

The trick here is that read the question carefully. Then open your notes/book and read the topic generally. Then attempt the question. In this way, you will be able to practice past papers and learn information simultaneously.

The short questions (4 marks):

In the past few years, the four mark questions are really changing the student’s grade. If you fail to attempt these questions in a proper manner, you are likely to lose a lot of marks.

Let me tell you the proper way to attempt them.

You can understand these questions as the impression of making or breaking questions. The examiner judges the knowledge and the concept of the students through these questions.

You do not need to add references to this question, trust me you need not. What you need to do is add four relevant points to the answer and elaborate on them.

Boom, you are done. What advice I usually give is that add five points instead of four. The fifth point will work as a backup for you.

Remember, you do not need to give more than 8 minutes to this question.

Summary for the 10 mark question tips:

Do not exceed the time limit. Give not more than 15 minutes to this question.

Remember to add relevant references to the question. One relevant reference is better than five non-relevant references.

Make paragraphs or you might lose marks. Introduction and conclusion and necessary (do not miss them).

Keep your handwriting in a way that your examiner can read it easily.

The length does not matter. The content matters only.

The Bottom Line:

How to get an A* in O Level Islamiat? Well, you know the answer now.

Remember, how many hours you study does not matter. Even if you study for one hour, it is enough. But, that one hour study should be full of concentration.

And yes, try to stay stress-free. It is normal but it can impact your performance if you do not deal with it properly.

Thank You for reading. And remember, you will ace it! Just be confident.