Three years ago, Naledi K. was a Stage 9 student sitting in on her first Chemistry lesson with Axelarate, unsure whether Cambridge sciences were really for her. Today she’s in her second year of medical school. We sat down with her to talk about that journey — and what she’d tell any student aiming for the same path.
“I Didn’t Think I Was A Science Person”
“Honestly, going into IGCSE I assumed Chemistry and Biology just weren’t my subjects. I could memorise facts fine, but the moment a question asked me to apply something in a new way, I’d freeze. My first few lessons were really about unlearning that — realising the subject made sense once someone actually walked through the logic with me instead of just the content.”
Finding The Gaps Early
“What changed things for me was how quickly gaps got picked up. In a bigger class, I don’t think anyone would have noticed I was quietly guessing my way through titration calculations. Because the classes were small, my tutor caught it almost immediately and we went right back to basics on that one topic before it could snowball into the rest of the syllabus.”
The Practical Sessions Made Paper 3 Click
“Reading about an experiment in a textbook and actually doing it with your own hands are completely different things. The in-centre practical sessions at Fourways were where Paper 3 really started to make sense — measuring, observing, writing it up properly. I walked into my actual practical exam having already made most of the small mistakes in practice, where they didn’t cost me marks.”
Exam Technique Changed Her Grades More Than New Content Did
“There was a point in AS Level where my tutor stopped teaching me new content for a while and just focused on how I was answering questions — command words, how much detail examiners actually wanted, where I was losing easy marks. That shift alone moved me up almost a full grade boundary, and it’s the piece of advice I still give to anyone applying to competitive courses: know the mark scheme as well as you know the content.”
Her Advice For Current Cambridge Students
“Start practical papers early, don’t wait until study leave to take past papers seriously, and ask questions the moment something doesn’t make sense — not after it’s piled up for three weeks. And don’t assume you’re not a ‘science person.’ I thought that about myself for years, and it just wasn’t true.”
From A-Level Distinctions To Medical School
Naledi went on to achieve A* in both Chemistry and Biology at A-Level, results that formed the foundation of her medical school application. She’s now in her second year of study and says the habits she built during her Cambridge years — particularly around exam technique and practical rigour — are still the ones she relies on today.
Stories like Naledi’s are exactly why we built Axelarate around small classes, real practical work, and distinction-level exam technique from day one.
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