BACII: Learning Khmer like a Champion

By Bosolida Dy, ACE Student

About the Author

Bosolida Dy is an ACE Inspiring Excellence Scholarship awardee and is currently majoring in Law at American University of Phnom Penh (AUPP). Last year, she graduated from Grade 12, receiving an overall Grade A. She was an excellent Khmer student. In this article, she will give you some useful tips on how to easily obtain an A in Khmer in the upcoming BACII examination.

Preparation

Read:

• Read as much classic Khmer literature as you can.
• Ask your teachers, friends and writers on online platforms for reading recommendations, and for help with refining your writing style. Reading expands your mind and increases your understanding. In addition, the more you read, the faster you can gather information to write about.

Think:

• When you see the topic in the Khmer writing section, find some related stories and consider which parts you can write about. In your essays, analyse the story, each character’s activities, and the arguments, plot, setting and author’s purpose.

Write:

• Write each essay carefully and patiently, paying close attention to the structure, format, key vocabulary, spelling and the way you link related stories to your essays.
• From time to time, check for mistakes. I mistakenly thought I had to summarise one or two stories in each essay. In fact, you only need to understand which parts of a story are suitable for the particular topic at hand. Explain them in your own words.
• Do not try to write too many practice essays. I spent more time reading, as a result of which I observed substantial improvement in my writing. I wrote only 15 practice essays on one or two topics, and took time to work on my weaknesses, including overusing transitional words and repeating phrases.
• Learn to adjust your writing speed: this will improve the quality of your writing.

During the Exam:

• You have 90 minutes to write: spend five or so minutes analysing the topic and brainstorming ideas.
• BE CAREFUL: There is no time to rewrite. If you feel that you wrote something incorrectly, let it flow, because Khmer is highly subjective. You can correct words, but not sentences, which makes a mess of your essay.
• Spend five minutes reading your work before writing the conclusion. Spend the last ten minutes on the conclusion.

Finally, take care of your health and do not panic on the day. Focus on doing your best!

You can learn more about the scholarship here: https://acecambodia.org/ACEWebsite/Sponsorship/ACE%20Inspiring%20Excellence%20Scholarships