O'LEVELS

I was blessed to make my O'Level WASSCE (West Africa Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination) once. My lowest grade was C6 and that was in Chemistry.

But I was afraid for my Physics result because I did not do well in the theoretical part at all. This was because I did not prepare well for it. I did not enjoy my Physics in my last two years in secondary school as our teacher did not teach us well. As a result, I lost interest in the subject and I could not read as I should for my exams. On the day we wrote Physics Theory, at the end of the paper, my classmates were all jubilating, telling themselves how simple the questions were. I was quiet as I knew how I perforned. On getting home, when asked how the paper went, I told them it was fine.

I was calculating, hoping and praying I would escape with a C6. And then, my dad refused to give me money to buy a GCE (General Certificate Examination) form--because I reasoned that if I failed Physics in SSCE, I would pass it in GCE and thus could combine my result.

Rewind to SSS2 (Senior Secondary School 2), I failed Physics and Chemistry in the first term exams.  My dad was angry and declared I would have to change to commercial class. I was sad. I failed these subjects because I did not like my teachers. Our chemistry teacher then, everytime we had his class would take enough time to abuse us and tell us we did not know anything, plus his teaching method was boring so that I never looked forward to his classes unlike it was with my Chemistry teacher in SS1. I had problem understanding everything he taught us and though I read for his tests and exams, yet I failed because I did not understand the topics and I did not like him.

My dad was damn serious about my changing to commercial class. Nobody could convince him against it. Thank God for our Guidance-Counsellor. It was he God used for me so that my dad reluctantly dropped the case. It was very tough, to the extent that dad said mum would have to sign if she supported my remaining in  sciences. The next day in class, my classmates knew something was wrong with me because the AY (a pet form of 'Ayobami') they saw was not the AY they knew. I was downcast and they were the ones who advised me to go see the counsellor. Some of my friends even advised me to pray about it, but I was so devastated I didn't know how to form my words wondering if you could pray about such things, I could only groan in my heart.

You can understand why it was important for me to get at least C6 in Physics else my dad would be justified for insisting I changed to commercial class.

Fast forward to the time our results came out. I went to my school to check what I had after which I would go back to pick the statement of result. The woman at the result check point observed that I was nervous, she looked at me and told me not to worry that I passed well. I did not believe her. My mind was on my Physics. As she was calling my grades, I found myself craning my neck towards her table to see what I had in Physics. Then I heard, "Physics-B3". What! How come? My heart burst with joy and praise. This could only be God's mercy. I was expecting a C6, I got a B3.

Now, a funny thing happened. I made sure I prepared properly for my NECO (National Examination Council) O'Level Physics exam (NECO is on a national level and my set was the second set that would write NECO in my country. It was newly founded then). I expected at least a B in my NECO Physics, I think I had C6. I expected at least a B because I was sure of my performance, but for whatever reason, I had C6. Same thing for other subjects, I expected a lot of A's and B's, I got a lot of C's. Anyway, I never collected my NECO's statement of result not to talk of the certificate till date (although I didn't fail or even have a passmark in any subject, but my WASSCE result was much more better) because I really do have no need of it.