Twice as nice - Queen's Prep students get perfect score

Both Melissa Dell and RieAnna Barclay of the Queen's Preparatory School in St Andrew struggled to write simple stories as they prepared for the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) examinations. However, both gained perfect scores when the results were released recently.

Barclay told The Gleaner in an interview recently that the grade-six journey presented many challenges, but with the help of her parents and teachers she managed to overcome.

Students who sit the GSAT are expected to do communication task, which involves story writing, letter writing and other activities which demonstrate their literary skills.

"Since grade five, I have always had problems writing stories. I never had the creativity. I really struggled in that area. I read a lot, but somehow writing wasn't my best subject," she declared.

"I also remember when I was going through some of the questions with my mother after the exams, I was almost sure that I got a couple questions wrong so I didn't expect perfect scores," she said.

The 11-year-old, however, got perfect scores and gives credit to her mother, who she said, assisted her in practising proper time management.

"I worked very hard, but my mother always ensured that on Saturdays I had time to rest and unwind. She didn't want me to stress too much. She always told me that if I am too nervous, I would forget everything. I was very calm throughout the process," Barclay told The Gleaner.

Dell also noted that she was surprised by her results.

Better than expected

"I was expecting good grades, but not perfect scores. Social studies was a bit difficult for me, but I knew I did my best. My parents too were not hard on me at all. I studied during class time, but on weekends, they made sure that I got time to rest," she said.

"At first, when I heard perfect score, I was wondering what that meant; however, when my teacher told me that I got 100 per cent in all subjects, I was quite poised - quite sophisticated," she said laughing.

The students' teacher, Marcia Jamieson, pointed out that she had always admired their work ethic, noting that they were rounded students.

"What I love about these students (Barclay and Dell) is that they are not only book focused, they are involved in swimming, track and field and, most importantly, they love to read. That will be a critical factor going forward," she said.

"Most of the students did very well. I actually expected more students to achieve perfect scores. They made sure they understood every detail and that they grasped the concepts properly," Jamieson said.

Come September when the new school year starts, RieAnna will take her place at Immaculate Conception High School with the other students there, while Melissa will be off to Ardenne High School.