The fifth year of Extratime Tutoring’s online seminar starts September 6 with classes in biology and chemistry for high school students. Dr Gayan Smith, founder of the Kingston-based school, told Observer Online that the objectives are similar to previous years.

The goals are:

— To educate fourth, fifth and sixth form chemistry and biology students about the structure of the CXC syllabus;
— The real-life application of core objectives;
— The structure of school-based assessments;
— The grading scheme; and
— How to prepare for exams in 34 weeks.

Smith said the free seminars began in 2021 during the COVID-19 lockdown and lasted three days.
Extratime Tutoring, which she started in 2018, got the word out through social media, and the inaugural year attracted 85 students from Jamaica and the Eastern Caribbean.

“Since then we have hosted it annually as a way of starting the new academic year. The average participant is a curious high school student who needs to achieve a distinction in their CSEC/CAPE exams in order to matriculate into a very competitive programme,” she explained. “They want to gather all the information they can get in order to achieve this objective.”

Last year had over 90 students participating.

Smith, a physician, is a graduate of the University of the West Indies. Prior to entering the medical field, she was an educator, teaching at Merl Grove High School, St Andrew High School and Quality Academics.

Based on student response, she believes the seminars have lived up to expectations.

“In our post-seminar survey, our students report over 95 per cent satisfaction for attending. They report gaining clarity about how best to prepare and the scope of the work that they have before them,” said Smith.

– Howard Campbell