Study materials
ILAS provides its own study materials. These are issued free of charge to all registered students. ILAS COMPANION SERIES are prepared by the Institute’s Academic Manager and Principal-Mrs Gail Narinesingh and in some instances by Mr. Reagan Rowans. These study manuals are designed to highlight everything that you should be looking for in relation to particular courses in your syllabus.

The University of London also provides study guides, study packs and past papers for each course. Year 1 and Year 2 students can even look forward to textbooks for each compulsory course.

 

Getting through the syllabus
ILAS covers the syllabus at least three(3) times in your given year:

• September to December, the syllabus must be covered in its entirety.
• January to March, a review of the syllabus is conducted while maintaining a focus on answering past paper questions.
• March to May/June, intensive revision of the above is conducted. 

 

Guidance on getting through the course
Individuals differ as to how many hours per week they need to devote to study. It is very important that the hours devoted to study, whatever they may be, should be consistent.

You should recognize that a certain amount of recreation is needed to keep you alert and to enable you to absorb the material: not all your leisure time should be given to study.

Do not worry unduly if you find that the early stages of a subject take you more time than you originally allotted for study. It would be surprising if, early on, you did not need to invest more time and effort in order to build up the momentum that will take you through later stages more briskly and confidently.

Don't think too much. It may cause a decline in memory power. You should have purity, patience and perseverance. Wastage of energy diminishes memory power.

"You should welcome tests. Everything in life is a test. Test gives you rest and rest is the taste of God": Sai Baba.

Many students usually adopt the habit of reading only and attempting the skill of writing on the day of the examination for the first time. THIS IS FROWNED UPON AND DEFINITELY NOT ENCOURAGED AT ILAS. You should practice the art of applying the law during your academic year. To this extent ILAS sets strict deadlines for the submission of assignments.

 

Studying for two programmes at the same time?
It is unwise to study for another qualification at the same time that you are studying for a degree externally. If you do so, your chances of success in both examinations will be greatly reduced. Even where two syllabuses look similar, the approaches required are likely to be different so that one study programme will not adequately prepare you for the two examinations.

 

Class attendance
It is imperative that a student at ILAS should at all times attend classes and have a study period at home. Assignments should be completed on a timely basis and students are required to pre-read in preparation for subsequent classes.

Please ensure that your name goes on the attendance register which is passed around during each class. This is important for many reasons but most of all it is a requirement of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education. A student is required to maintain a 75% attendance record.

If a student misses a class he/she can sit-in, in another time option (depending on the availability of space) when the same topic is being lectured.

 

Dropping out
Students are strongly advised to speak with the principal should they even think of dropping out. The philosophy of the school’s principal is that there is a solution to every problem. Yes every problem.  This is an open invitation to call a meeting with the principal before you make your decision.

Students are required by law (set out by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education) to write a letter informing both ILAS and the Ministry of their decision to drop out.

Please note: WHEN THE MINISTRY MAKES A GATE PAYMENT FOR A STUDENT AND THAT STUDENT WISHES TO DROP OUT AND START ANOTHER PROGRAMME GATE WILL NOT BE GRANTED TO THAT STUDENT IN THE FIRST YEAR OF THE SECOND PROGRAMME.

It is therefore wise to consider all your options today. Should I even start this programme or not?

 

Meeting Deadlines
It is imperative that students meet the numerous deadlines that will be imposed upon them.

These deadlines will be posted up at the beginning of each academic year in a document entitled IMPORTANT DATES AT ILAS.  Other deadlines will be posted up when they become available. Students should also check the ILAS website on a daily basis for new POSTS.