How to get an A* in O level Pakistan Studies? The answer is that you just need to work smart and not hard. But, how can you do that?
Well, we are going to address all your concerns in this article and I will also take you through the step by step guide that will help you achieve a good grade in O level Pakistan Studies.
So, let’s dive into the topic without further introductions.
The components:
In O level Pakistan Studies, you have to undertake two exams and those are:
- The history and culture of Pakistan
- The environment of Pakistan
It is to understand that both these papers require different strategy because there are certain facts that will allow you to study effectively. In Pakistan Studies Paper 1 (the history and culture of Pakistan), you have to cover the events regarding the history of Pakistan.
However, in Pakistan Studies Paper 2 (the environment of Pakistan), you have to understand the concepts regarding topics such as agriculture, trade, population, transport and communication.
Now when you know something about these two papers, let’s find out how you can cover their syllabus which can help to achieve the desired grade.
How to get A* in O level Pakistan Studies?
Study plan:
This is the most important thing which you need to understand because “time matters“. You can adopt different study plans depending on how much time you have before appearing for your exam.
Let’s suppose that you are left with one month and some days or even less than a month, what to do? Should I panic? The answer is no!
There are definitely going to be some topics which you may have already studies or which you know something about. The tip here is to use this opportunity.
You should not waste time while revising those topics which you have already done only because you do not want to go across the difficult topics, the topics you do not know about.
There is a difference of opinion but I usually advise to start from the difficult topic, why? Look, once you finish the difficult ones, you only have to revise the other topics.
This is the best strategy because the difficult topics require more time for understanding and that is what you are exactly going to do.
In Pakistan Studies paper 1, you have different questions such as:
- 4 mark
- 7 mark
- 10 mark
- 14 mark
There is a different strategy for all these questions and those are mentioned below.
The 7 mark question:
This is one of the most easiest question you can possibly find in your paper and some students even prefer doing it first (but some prefer doing others).
In this question, just list three to four relevant points to the question and elaborate on them. The focus words are “relevant” and “elaborate”.
Related: How to get A* in O Level Islamiat
If you write those points that are not relevant and you explain them well, you will have no advantage because the examiner strictly demands the candidates to only write “focused” answers.
Do not confuse yourself too much on how to write, just remember that you have to connect your points to the question statement. In short, you should compose an answer that is highly related to the answer because out of context details will not earn you marks.
The 10 and 14 mark question:
This is the game changer and trusts me, it is. It is not because this question possesses higher marks but because you can easily score high marks in this question.
The examiner demands you to list the relevant points to the question and explain them but my this statement is not enough to tell you how to attempt this question.
Usually in this question, the examiner mentions one of the several reasons for an event or a political development. You have to explain that particular point mentioned in the question and several other points related to the question.
Tip: Always make separate paragraphs for separate reasons.
Let me explain this with an example.
Question: The Wardha Scheme was the main reason why Congress rule was disliked by the Muslim community? Do you agree or disagree? Give reasons for your answer.
In this question, you do not only have to explain the Wardha Scheme but also other Congress measures such as the “Bande Mataram” and “Congress tyrannies”.
The tip here is that whenever you complete your answer, do not consider it worth good numbers unless you write a proper conclusion. What is the conclusion and how to write it?
In the conclusion, you just have to write a brief outline of the question and the best way you can understand how to write a conclusion is an example.
To the above mentioned question, the conclusion can be:
To conclude, the Wardha Scheme was one of the most important reasons why Congress rule was hated so much. However, measures such as Bande Mataram also caused further resentment among the Muslim community.
The conclusion helps examiner understand how well you have understood the question statement.
Remember that you should not exceed the time limit while attempting this question because if you do so, you will compromise on the quality of other answers and this is not what you should do.
The 4 mark question:
This question demands you to write 4 points related to the question and that is it, you have earned four good marks. Congratulations!
If you explain a point than your answer has the capability to earn two marks for one point because it has been elaborated. However, I advise you to write four points and explain any three of them.
Tip: Do not give this question more than 5 minutes.
For this type of question, you are mostly asked about some personalities, their achievements or about some policies of them. If you read your book or notes, that will be enough to cover this question.
Note: Paper 1 will determine what grade you are likely going to achieve because I will recommend you to completely prepare this component. You should practise the past papers of the last five years (your variant will be enough).
The environment of Pakistan:
In this paper, you have a lot of choices because you have to attempt any three out of five questions which are stated on the first page of your exam below instruction.
It is all about your concepts and general knowledge regarding the following topics:
- Topography (land of Pakistan)
- Climate
- Water resources
- Forests
- Mineral resources
- Fishing
- Agriculture
- Power resources
- Industries
- Trade
- Transport and communication
- Population
The best tip I can give you for this paper is to go through your syllabus. There is a lot of extra and irrelevant information in your books which is not required.
The second advise for you is to practise past papers (which everyone says) but there is a proper way in which you should do that.
You should always attempt the entire paper (when practising) and then put the mark scheme and examiner report in front of you (which is available for all paper on multiple websites).
If you use this technique and solve even the past papers for the last five years, it will be more than enough. The students usually consider this paper to be easy.
See: Fishing Industry (2059) | GCE O Level | Best Notes
No doubt, it is easy but you have to prepare because you just do not want to pass but to get an A*. You will find plenty of “graph-based questions” in this paper so you should practise them because you will also face those questions in your examination.
In the six mark question, which usually starts with “To what extent” or provides you two statements and says “which statement do you agree with more”, you have to consider multiple aspects.
To understand, you should know that you have to mention “helping factors” and “limiting factors” and provide named examples (such as Aga Khan Rural Support Programme in case of forests). To gain 6 marks, an analytic statement at the end (conclusion) is mandatory.
You should also have some brief knowledge regarding some important terms such as “State” and “Describe”. In “State”, you only have to mention the relevant point without any explanation while in “Describe”, you are required to explain as well.
The examiner wants you to use geographical terms such as “deforestation” and “soil erosion” if you want to achieve a high grade.
The bonus tip:
This is the best tip which I can possibly give to you. Before and after your exam, prayers are what you need. Trust me, it will change your grade because you have to understand the power of God.
Even if you have messed up your exam (I wish you do not), do not lose hope because I cannot stress enough how prayers can help you succeed. There are thousands of students that are not expecting grades like A or A* but they achieve it because of their hard work and prayers.
- Do not waste time.
- Even if you have covered the entire syllabus twice, revise it one more time.
- Watch informative videos and lectures regarding your topics.
- Ask your parents or friends to question your understandings regarding a particular event or personality.
- Stay positive and hope for the best.
- On the first sight of the exam, if you think it is difficult, do not panic because it is not.
You have learned about each and everything and if you exercise your thinking, you will surely write a perfect answer. There are hundreds of candidate who find the paper difficult but still manage to bag an A* (you can be one of them).
I have done my job and now, it is all on you. I wish you the best of luck and remember that the paper will not determine you. If you do not achieve what you wanted, do not a loose heart because it is not the end of the world and trust me it is not.
Conclusion:
With this, the article regarding how to get an A* in O level Pakistan Studies has come to an end. I hope that all your queries have been answered.
You should always remember that Pakistan Studies is a subject in which getting a good grade is not a difficult job. Study smart and use to above-mentioned tips while attempting your exam.
Thank You very much for reading and staying with me till the end. Stay tuned for more.