Farewell Speech-by Jonny Liang

Time usually passes quickly for feeling, especially when you have spent a colorful life and it's the moment to leave there. Unfortunately, I have to say goodbye to all you oisers. Fortunately, I have realized how considerably I do love here.

I still remember when I first came here, I could just understand the accent of two Korean girls Hyejin and Jiyoung but couldn't talk normally with non-Chinese guys. I didn't know the differences between written English and oral English exactly. Also I was not accustomed to speaking a foreign language all the time, which made me overwhelmed in the first two weeks. However, I have gotten myriads of help from OISE. I don't wanna talk how much I have improved, but now English has already become more friendly to me and I'd like to communicate with others by English.

Thanks for all the teachers. Thanks Hannah, who has taught me around 50 percent of the whole classes. You have given me much guidance about grammar, vocabulary collocations and reading skills. Thanks Tony, who has taught me adequate knowledge of idioms and phrases, which are really pragmatic and useful. Thanks Paul, who helps me a lot of preparing for IELTS examination and offers relevant training regularly. Thanks Anna, who is always affable and usually encourages me. Thanks Margaret, who is patient all the time and does me a lot of favours in SAC. Thanks Helen, who is my coach and usually helps me correct mistakes I've made. Thanks Andriana, who is always smiling and supportive in speaking classes. Thanks Jenny, who did lots of assistance in my daily school life. Thanks Gwen, who has found a really comfortable host family for me. Thanks Jo and John, who give me plenty of instructions both in school and outside. All of you dear teachers are not only my teachers, but also the sunshine in my life road.

Farewell, my dear classmates. I have enjoyed a happy life with Ibra, Smiling Heralds, Adeldel, Abdu , Playboy Fabrizio, Herald II , Jiyoung, Hyejin, Aseel, Shoug, and my little Chinese brother Owen and David. I will never forget those days we spent time together in classes and social activities. By the way, thanks Jose for teaching me Spanish. Besides, someone although I had met for just one or Two weeks but have a pleasant time together such as Gab, Fran, Stephan, some French guys, Henry, Emmanuella, Lauren, Clara, Martin, Anne( the difference of our definition to beauty is like the distance from Beijing to Paris). Also many other students, I still have a nice time with all of you. It's my honour to recognise and make friends with you guys, thank you very much!

Finally I didn't get and ideal score of IELTS, but nothing is perfect. The experience from here will be never delible and always memorable. Time and space can't really separate us from each other. In the future, we can also contact with one another. Of course, welcome to China if you have a time and I'm glad to accommodate absolutely. From now on, in less than two hours, I'll be 23 in China time. What a special and unforgettable birthday! I'm gonna invite you my dear teachers and friends to have some Chinese desert and tea. Jonny Liang, is happy to be at your service!

How does social background affect a child's prospects in life- by Jonny Liang

People born in different circumstances have various social backgrounds. Some people argue that social background has a remarkable effect on a child's prospects in life. For instance, wealthy parents, a high social status and a privileged education can dramatically influence a child's future development. In my opinion, I think it should be understood more completely that social background has an impact on a child to a large degree. In the next paragraph I will provide more details.

Firstly, social backgrounds give children their experience. That means, a child grows up in the environment which is determined by his or her social background. Take Bill Gates, the former CEO of Microsoft as an example. He was born into an IT family and his mother was a manager at IBM. Therefore, he had ample opportunity to practice computer programming before he established his company. Furthermore, he received his first order thanks to his mother. Suppose Bill Gates was born into a poor family, he wouldn't have had the chance to be exposed to computing early owning to the prohibitively high price of the hardware at that time so he would not have been able to show his talent when he was a child. Besides, without the influence and support of his mother, he would not have found his clients easily because of the lack of business contacts. In fact, all these factors were given by his social background. There are also many other examples and we can see how they influence a child considerably.

Secondly, social backgrounds give children their knowledge and form their value systems. A perfect student group called Skeleton at Yale University, is a perfect example. All the members come from rich or powerful families. Those young people get together and exchange knowledge regularly. By communicating, they form their own methodology so that their value system will becomes fully established. When they grow up, the majority of them become the elite in different occupations in America.

However, I will not go so far as to say that social background can determine a child's whole life because it is clear that the individual's endeavour is also crucial. We cannot change our social backgrounds when we are children, but we are able to change them when we grow up.

The Languages in Belgium - by Thomas

In Belgium, we have three different languages – we do not have only one official language. Belgium is divided into three parts: in the north of the country we speak Flemish, the same as in the Netherlands, in the south we speak French, the same as in France, and on the east side we speak German, the same as in Germany. Moreover, we have plenty of different dialects for the three languages.

In Europe, no matter which country, we write from the left to the right. French is a “Romance” language, as are Portuguese, Italian, Spanish and Romanian.

German and Flemish are called “Germanic languages”. Germanic languages include Flemish, Dutch, Swedish, Danish etc. In the European alphabet we just have 26 different basic letters.

In Brussels people speak French and Flemish. For the government French people speak French, Flemish people speak Flemish and German people speak German. However in the European Commission, people speak their own languages or English. The road signs are just a little bit different, only when something is written.

Many people say, “I speak French because I live in Wallonie” It's the same with the Flemish people but because they live in Flanders. In Belgium we do not have many bilingual people. I'm not bilingual because I can't speak more than one language very well, even though my mother speaks French and my stepfather speaks Flemish, I would say that French is my mother tongue. 

Revision without stress - by Khaled I

'I am not only the person in this world who has to do it'

Always remember this sentence every time you are going to do something difficult. People face many difficulties in this life; finding a job, a life partner, friends, passing exams or how to deal with them and so on. There is a solution to any problem and we will focus on dealing with exams in two ways; nerves and how difficult is the subject it self, there are many ways to solve these problems as mentioned below.

Of course, subjects should be studied thoroughly if the student wants to get high-marks. There are many easy ways to get the highest marks, for instance: the student should focus in lessons, organize his time, not ignore anything even if is it less important than the rest. To set an example, one of my relatives got a first class in his bachelor's and I asked her about the secret as she always stay with us, chatting, playing and so on. She told me that she made a timetable for herself and keeping to it without forgetting herself by relaxing, playing or having fun.

Dividing the subjects into small parts will help the student to concentrate more and finish faster. To set an example, if you have a maths exam, firstly you should study chapter by chapter starting with the easiest one. Taking at least 15 minutes break after each hour of studying is necessary to refresh your mind and prepare for more information. Some research I read once showed that if you are studying using a computer, every half hour you should take 5 minutes break concentrating on a spot on the wall to let your eyes relax.

Many students do not suffer from difficulties with the subjects themselves but they feel nervous the night before the exam, they think that they will fail. Sleeping well is one of the solutions. In addition to this, the student should enter the exam with confidence. Furthermore, the student should always remember that it is not only him who has to take the exam.

To sum up, you always have to remember that others are not better than you. Try not to stop the time you made a mistake because you should know that this mistake is only the beginning your new road to success. Finally, always remember Bill Gates and Steve Jobs are not better than you because they built their own lives themselves after failing at school. I hope that all my tips will help you.

Revision without stress - by Abduallah Hadi

To be honest with you, I couldn't care less if I pass the final exams or not. I always do my best to chill out and not to let tension and stress overwhelm me as the time of exams approaches. The method I usually follow to do so, is to repeat these philosophical words of wisdom such as; everything will come to an end, death is inevitable, so relax, you will not get anything but your fate, and so on.

In order to be relaxed, there are some preparations that need to be considered. First of all, you need to break down and simplify the subject you will revise into small parts. This will really give you a boost towards being a more confident and relaxed candidate. Secondly, make a plan that consists of the following;

place: where you are going study

tools: what you are going to use (pens, highlighters, dividers, etc.)

time: when you will do it

subject: what you are going study and in what order, for example for maths, first read the daily notes, then solve the book exercises, after that test yourself using the previous module's answers.

Thirdly, make sure before starting to revise that you have your brain switched on, and that can be achieved by imbibing natural drinks, like an orange juice or a banana milkshake. Finally, try to vary the methods you follow to study, writing, repeating, oral memorising, or even linking, using heuristic techniques.

The practical tips mentioned above will help you to avoid stress and feeling depressed. However, sometimes you cannot avoid it, so you should deal with it: many students just cannot find a way through to get rid of the stress that climbs on their shoulders as the exams approach. Well, here are some things that could wipe out the tension on your way towards success. One major piece of advice I would highly recommend is to play some kind of music whilst studying, just try and you will see the difference. Most importantly, you should get enough sleep before start revising. What is more, choosing the ideal room to study will be a great help to be even more focused. Last but not least, be optimistic, be happy, it is just an exam, not the end of the world!

Don't let nerves ruin your chances of exam success - by Adel Albloushi

People all over the world have a problem with stress during or before exams. But some of them use stress as a motivational force, to make themselves focus and work harder, whereas some of them can't control their anxiety and they forget what they prepared instantly, unless they find a way to deal with it.

To be honest, I myself have a problem controlling my nerves during tests. For example, in my first IELTS speaking exam, I was so anxious and my whole body was shaking. My friend told me that I looked like a zombie. When the speaking review started the examiner asked me “What's your name?” and because I was so nervous I forgot my own name!!! The examiner stared at me – I was so embarrassed that I didn’t answer her question. After this horrible day, I tried hard to relax and I gathered lots of tips from different people which helped me to control myself and they worked. I hope they will work for you dear readers.

Obviously, the final exams are coming up and here are some tips to help you to revise for them. First, make an overview of what you want to revise and break each subject down into manageable chunks, then make headings and allocate each subject on a monthly or weekly planner. Aim to break your revision with five minutes rest after every hour. Develop a technique for question analysis and planing answers to use in the test. One tip could be to make answers in funny way to make them easier to remember.

There are also some tips which can help you to deal with stress. You shouldn't drink a lot of coffee, tea and energy drinks because the caffeine will hype you up and make your thinking less clear. Try out some yoga, tai-chi and relaxation exercises because they help you to keep feeling calm and balanced. Try to use stress in a a useful way, i.e. to help you to focus more, work harder and prevent you from making mistakes.

All in all, you are not the first or the last person to do exams. Therefore, don't let your failures and mistakes slow you down: you should learn from your mistakes and try to not do them again. This will make you more successful not only in your studying, but also in your whole life. Finally, if none of the above tips have helped you, see your doctor.

Revision could become a good time - by Clara Gans

I will begin by telling you a story that I will never forget. I have a friend who is studying medicine, the hardest degree in France, and her dream was to become a surgeon. However, in order to achieve her goal she worked all the time without taking a break and she did not sleep or eat enough. If she had slept she would haven't fainted. I think that if she had slept and eaten more and if she had taken more free time she would have felt better during her exam and she may have passed it. I am going to give you advice in order to do productive, and not boring, revision and to arrive in the best condition for the exam.

First of all, I am going to give you practical advice about organising your time and to be productive

If you want to work usefully, do not work more than eight hours a day, have a break, of five or ten minutes, every forty five minutes because you cannot concentrate much longer than that. During the break you can eat and drink a little in order to be full of energy but you can also phone a friend to talk about things other than work.

You can also make index cards with the principal ideas for every subject and read them before going to sleep trying to remember what every main idea refers to. Another good way is to revise with friends. For example, every day meet your friends in a quiet place and ask each other questions about one subject you had chosen from a common timetable. You can also share out the work and the making of the index cards between you in order to work faster.

You have now some principles to organise your work. If you want to come to the exam without any stress don't work all the time and take free time every day

Drawing on my own experiences, I advise you to sleep eight hours a night and to eat three meals a day because you NEED energy. Try to eat food from different groups everyday with vegetables and proteins.

To my mind, it is a good thing to go outside once a day for one hour to see friends or just to walk on the street to alleviate stress. You should go to places that you like or to see people who are not going to take an exam. Because if in your free time you see people who are stressed it will not be a good thing for you to think about other things than your exams.

If you have to remember one thing, remember revision should not be a torture for you. Try to organise your time between working and relaxing. If you work all the time, you will not come to the exam in good condition because you will be tired and you may not remember all you have studied. However if you take free time you will arrive at the exam relaxed and ready to use what you have learnt. My friend is now studying medicine to be a physiotherapist and she passed her exams because she changed her working habits. She slept and ate more, took more breaks and went outside once a day to see friends. You too can learn to manage to organise your time and then to pass your exams.

Revision without stress - by Jonny Liang

My cousin, like many students, suffers a great deal from stress before examinations. Although he usually tries not to be nervous, he can't help being really stressed out the night before the exams or even classroom tests. One day, he actually passed out in the examination room because he couldn't fall asleep the night before. In fact, I find more and more Chinese students have experienced exam stress so I would like to give some advice to help you.

Timetable

One of the main reasons which makes students feel anxious is that they don't revise the subjects thoroughly before the exams. Making a timetable and keeping to it can be helpful. First, a student should determine to review relevant knowledge before the examination. Then come up with a plan and put it into a timetable. Finally, you should stick to the timetable without delay or abandoning it. If you prepare for the exam according to the timetable, you can finish the revision by the end. Moreover, you would feel more confident or even the pressure could be removed entirely. Of course, it is more likely for you to have a satisfactory performance.

No tea and coffee

In the past, before an exam, sometimes I drank some coffee or tea in order to refresh myself in the day time. However, when I decided to go to bed, I found it hard to fall asleep quickly. If this lasted too long, I felt quite nervous because I was afraid that lack of sleep would have a deleterious effect on my performance. According to my own experience, I strongly recommend not drinking tea or coffee the night before exams or tests.

Encouragement

If you are not confident enough, just try to encourage yourself. At the same time, try to make exclusively positive comments about your achievement. Just remember one thing, you don't need to worry about uncertain things, keeping calm and enjoying examinations are the best ways to fight against challenges.

It's my pleasure to present my opinions and I hope it could help a little.

How to cope with stress - Aseel's last post

Every time, the day before the exam, I spend the whole night vomiting!. When I go into the exam room, turn the paper over and read the difficult questions, suddenly my mind goes blank. This is a really horrible moment when I always feel desperate and lost, I wish I could be somewhere I didn't have to worry about the exam, somewhere far away from worries and stress!

I suffered a lot with this problem for many years, so now I'll tell you some tips in how to cope and deal with stress before the exam. First of all, don't miss any sleep!. Many studies show that the human body needs to sleep 7-8 hours a day so the body will be able to carry out all the vital functions and be ready to work hard. Once in the exam I saw my friend was very tired and she felt sleepy during the test and when the teacher asked her why, she answered that she hadn't slept at all the day before, so it affected her badly. Secondly it is important to do some physical exercises like having a break every 40 minutes while studying because scientific research has found that the brain cannot understand and receive more information after 40 minutes of studying the same subject, so the brain should take time off and to relax each part of your body, from your head to your toes. Also its important to eat three meals a day. Here's a good tip: eating nuts will lead to better concentration. As well as eating a dark chocolate or drink a cup of tea while you are studying or revising which helps to keep on taking in information and concentrating. Also be careful of drinking red bull or coffee as they are unhealthy drinks for the body. Always you have to think positive and to be optimistic. You should put in your mind “YES! I CAN DO IT” and this will encourage you to study hard.

There are also some practical tips you should follow to avoid stress before the exams. Firstly, make a timetable and keep to it, it will help you to revise your subjects in the right order. Secondly, it will be a good idea to choose a quiet, comfortable and organised place to study in, where your concentration will be stronger because no one can study in a noisy and messy place. Before starting to study, bring and prepare everything you need, the pens, the notes, the books and your brain! Also, when you start studying, try to write the main points and information in notes and summarise them to make it easier for you when you are revising them. Finally, revision is the best way to make the important points stick in your mind.

Once in the exam, my teacher told me when I feel panicky and my mind goes blank, I should take a minute to do a breathing exercise and to give myself time to calm down. After the exam is over, I have to try to forget about it and to focus on the next one. She also advised me and told me: “facing up the to worst will enable you to look at how you might cope and what you could do next!”

To sum up, everyone has different qualities and skills, so everyone can achieve at different levels. No matter what I achieve today, the important thing is what I'm going to do tomorrow.

Stressed out? You can do it! - Shoug's last post

Two years ago, I had a final mathematics exam and I was so confused about it because I was so bad at maths, while studying I was always thinking that I’d fail and everything would be difficult. I cried and told my mother that I wouldn't go to the exam. Anyway, what I did to get rid of this tension was to just sit in a quiet place saying to myself that failing an exam wouldn't be the end of the world and a lot of my friends were bad at maths but they tried their best; that really gave me confidence that I could do it and be better than the others. Trying and not being afraid has always been and still is a solution to achieve what you think might be too difficult for you. Fortunately, I finished the exam and I passed!

If you have a similar problem I feel your pain, so here are some practical tips to be prepared for any exam. First of all, it'll be really good if you avoid studying in an area where there will be distractions, so try to find a quiet place. Secondly, set out a timetable for your subject and break down each subject into small parts, that will reduce anxiety. Also try to stick to your timetable which will help you to finish studying all the subjects on time. An important tip is, while studying don't only read, but write down what's relevant, because writing will help you to remember the information and never forget it during the exam.

For sure dealing with stress is another problem for many students, not only me. So what can we do to avoid being stressed out? In my opinion, having enough sleep is the most important thing. Also it's good if you break up your study time, because studying for a long time won't help you to remember all the information and you'll get bored quickly. For those who are addicted to chocolate, medical research has shown that eating dark chocolate will give you energy, let you concentrate more and it's healthy too. The most important thing is always think positively instead of being negative during your study and remember that you can do it no matter how difficult the exam is.

To sum up, it's normal that all students have that feeling of being stressed and confused while studying, so you should always be relaxed. Failing in exams will always the right thing which helps you to learn from your mistakes. So my advice to you is try doing the above & I am sure that it'll help.