Meet En-Li, Doverian since 2016 and current Year 12 IBDP student. En-Li achieved an impressive straight-nine for his I/GCSEs at the end of Year 11. He also scored the highest mark in Singapore for his early entry IGCSE mathematics exam, which he took in Year 10.
A keen piano player, En-Li is a regular performer at our Friday lunchtime performance series, Piano Paws, that he is curating this year. He has also taken on the role of conductor, leading our Secondary Orchestra as they performed his own composition at last year’s Secondary musical showcase.
En-Li's story is one of the many success stories from our diverse student community.
We sat down to have a chat with him about his achievements, life at Dover and more.
Q. Congratulations on your I/GCSE achievement! How did you feel about it?
A. I was slightly speechless and extremely happy about it, I couldn’t ask for more!
Q. What subjects did you study?
A. As for my four electives, I took geography, history, computer science and music. That gave me a good balance.
Q. How did you prepare for the exams?
A. It was a combination of long-term revision, mainly doing past year papers. In terms of short-term preparation, I looked at concepts that I had to remember the most right before the exams and tackled those areas first.
Q. What’s one tip you would share with students taking the I/GCSE?
A. One tip I would give students who are going into their GCSE years is to choose the subjects you enjoy as you’ve got to do them for three years, and then another two years, later in IB. If you enjoy the subject, you’ll naturally want to learn and read more!
Also, during the exams, don’t think you have too much time. You really must use your time wisely and check your answers. Get started straight away and don’t make silly mistakes.
Q. You’ve been at Dover since Year 5. How has Dover supported you through your journey and milestones?
A. All the teachers I have had have made a significant impact on me and they have helped me enjoy learning the subjects.
The Secondary Transition Day in Year 6 helped to give me an idea of what kind of subject we would be taking and what to expect in Secondary School. A lot of my teachers back then were very supportive too and it really helped ease the nervousness.
Now that I’m in Sixth Form, the amount of work has gradually built up over the years, from Year 7 through to Year 11. I’m easing into it and feeling more prepared and organised compared to the beginning of the year thanks to the support from the approachable teachers.
My form tutor, Mr Caspar Yim, has helped me a lot, by answering queries on my timetable and any questions I have.
Ms Hani Rahman, our Careers and Higher Education Guidance Counsellor has also been very supportive in giving us tips on refining our CV, encouraging and giving us emotional support in preparing for life after Dover.
What are your plans after Dover?
I plan to attend a university in the United Kingdom or an English-speaking country. My childhood ambition is to be a teacher and my maths teacher in Years 7-11 had a lasting impact on me wanting to pursue a career in teaching mathematics!
What makes Dover Court special?
Dover Court is special because of its approach to learning, it’s a warm and inclusive place, with the whole diversity of people here! The amount of support from teachers makes it special too. All the teachers are supportive and positive, which helps in my passion for learning new things - something that I feel is really important!
