Posted in Educational Advice, Exam Results

What to do if your O-Level results are bad ….

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR PRIVATE CANDIDATES

The registration for ‘A’ and ‘O’ Level exams as a private candidate usually opens around mid-April (Please check SEAB website) and closes before mid-May. If you are registering for a Science subject (Physics, Chemistry, Biology or Combined Sciences), at the time of registration, you will be asked whether you have done any science practical training in any school, centre, or institute. Thus you must begin your science practical training before April. Science practical training in Singapore Learner qualifies as practical training for the purpose of registration for Science subjects for the ‘A’ and ‘O’ level exams.

Thus if you are considering Singapore Learner as your science practical training provider, you must register with us and complete at least 4 practical sessions for each subject by 31st April for us to certify that you have attended science practical training. As students usually do about 10 practical sessions per subject to be competent in practicals, the rest of the lab sessions can be done from May to early October, including the prelim/mock practical exams.

To proceed, please click on the following:

O-LEVEL PRACTICALS


 

What I mean by bad O-level results is that you neither qualify for JC nor Poly. And like I’ve said elsewhere, it’s ok if you cried at first, because chances are, you are below 21 and legally, you are still a child (I had a 43 yr old O-Level student once though). But let your sadness be for just one day, and no more after that. The past is over. You cannot change it, but you can still influence your future.

What to do (and what not to do) if your O-level results are bad:

(1) Do not blame others. The first step in making any kind of improvement to yourself is not to blame your teachers, your tutors, your textbooks and certainly not your pet who once chewed up your homework (or so you claimed). Blame yourself. It was YOUR show. Only YOU can fail your self and only YOU can make your self succeed. Got it? Thank you.

(2) Reflect on yourself. What went wrong – your lack of revision, your poor time-management, your addiction to computer games etc.?

(3) Search and find your true self. What are your real interests? What is your passion? Maybe you are not the type to just sit still and study? Maybe you have real talent in Music or the Arts instead?

(4) Plan your next course of action. What can you do with poor O-level results? Here are some options:

(a) Redo your O-levels. If you are below a certain age (check with the MOE), you can redo it in your sec school; you’d still need the right environment and the support. But if you dislike the teachers in your former school, then you either self-study (but don’t forget to register for the O-levels), get tuition, or enrol yourself in a private school or a private education programme. But re-taking O-levels will not bear fruit unless you do steps (2) and (3) above properly; if you continue your bad habits and bad strategies or you simply did not like the subjects you were taking, it’d be very hard for you to be self-disciplined and to maintain focus. You don’t get different results by doing the same things the same way over and over again (in fact, Einstein called that kind of expectation, “insanity”).

(b) Apply to the ITE. No, it’s not The End. But what course to do at the ITE? Don’t go to the ITE with the aim of working for someone later in life. Instead, go to the ITE in order to pick up a skill that will allow you to set up your own business. So what technical skills are good for business? What can you find in all homes and buildings that no ordinary person can install or repair? I can think of three: air-cons, electrical wiring and water pipes. In fact, you need a license from the government in order to do electrical wiring or plumbing work. Some day, you can become the owner or managing director of an electrical or plumbing company. Or you can migrate to Europe, America or Australia which are all in need of skilled personnel, instead of university graduates. And talking about skilled work or migration, don’t ignore nursing as a career. The thing is, don’t be lazy. And have some courage.

(c) If you are very very talented in some sport, music or the arts, apply to a school catering to such talent whether local or overseas (which might be more forgiving of your past). Or try to catch attention by posting a video of your gig on Youtube. Ask Bieber and Psy what happened to them. And some day, Jack Neo might come looking for you …. The thing is, don’t be lazy. And have some courage.

(d) Work first to get some experience of what you like doing. It would be good if you can be an apprentice in some place where there is skilled work, such as in a spectacle shop, watch shop, jewellery shop, air-con repair shop, bakery etc.

(e) If you are eligible for NS, do NS. Who knows, you might actually like working in the armed services, where food, clothing and accommodation (and even car park lots) are provided free. Before you think I’m crazy, why not you add up the total of cost of food, clothing and accommodation for some 30 years of work!

(f) Set up a business. No, you are not too young to set up a business. In fact, you can be a millionaire by the time you are 21. Do an online, e-commerce business, or simply a popular website that companies are dying to advertise in. The thing is, don’t be lazy. And have some courage.

(g) Apply to do a diploma or even a degree in a private school here, such as SIM. However, such a diploma or degree may not be recognised by the Singapore government for employment purposes in public service or even in govt-linked companies such as SIA or Singtel. And schools like SIM may require you to first complete a foundation course before you can be enrolled in a diploma or degree course. I know many students who have done poorly at the O-Levels will choose this option, because it makes them feel better this way, even if the diploma or degree is an external one, but let me tell you one thing – if you didn’t get 5 O-Level passes including passes in English and Math, it might come back to haunt you some day, because I’ve met adults who can’t be promoted or can’t change their jobs because of their grades at O-levels.

(5) Take action. Strategise. Gather resources. Believe in youself and your abilities. Adopt the right values and attitude. Set your short-term and long-term goals clearly. Write these down somewhere. Be positive, and be with positive people.

You see, there are so many ways to move on. Do not let setbacks affect you too much. Pick up and join back the pieces. Get up if you are down. Spend time with your loved ones. Remember these lines from Miley Cyrus’ song (if you don’t hate her of course):

“But I gotta keep tryin’. Gotta keep my head held high. There’s always gonna be another mountain. I’m always gonna wanna make it move. Always gonna be an uphill battle. Sometimes I’m gonna have to lose. Ain’t about how fast I get there. Ain’t about what’s waitin’ on the other side. It’s the climb.”

Do not worry about being left behind as your friends move forward. Chances are, you are going to live for another 60 years or so. When you look back someday, it wouldn’t matter that you ‘lost’ one or two years somewhere along the way. Setbacks happen to everybody; I had my fair share of failures and setbacks. How we respond to these setbacks matter.

If you still feel down, then please watch this video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOlTdkYXuzE. It might help you a bit. : )

Good luck and take care.  : )

Ilyasa

 


 

 

 

 

For Practical courses, mock exams or schedules, please click on any of the following:

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O-LEVEL SCIENCE (CHEMISTRY) PRACTICAL

 

O-LEVEL SCIENCE (BIOLOGY) PRACTICAL

 


Singapore Learner @ Bukit Batok

Blk 644, Bukit Batok Central, #01-68. S(650644).

Tel: +(65) 6569 4897,   +(65) 87762711

Email:  principal@singaporelearner.com

If you wish to visit us, kindly call or sms first. Thank you.

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Posted in Educational Advice, Exam Results

What to do if you get bad SA1 results?

Nope. The answer is not to immediately look for a private tutor. It actually depends on the level and subject for which you get the poor results, and how badly you had performed.

(1) If you are in Lower Primary (P1 to P3), chances are, it is because your foundation in English and Math is weak. Buy good assessment books and start practising right away, with coaching from family members.

(2) If you are in P4 or P5, it is quite a serious matter as it means you are not coping well with the introduction of more complex questions. You may need to get private tuition before it is too late.

(3) If you are in P6, chances are, it is because your school wants to ‘wake you up’ before the PSLE. So don’t panic (just continue doing your assessment books or exam papers), unless you have been doing badly since P4 (in which case you’d need individual tuition as it is quite late already).

(4) If you are in Lower Sec, it depends on the subject for which you did badly. If you need to improve your grades in the languages, do more reading and practise exam papers. If your bad grades are in History or Geography, read the textbook more often and make your own notes. If you had performed badly in Science, start reading Upper Sec Physics, Chemistry or Biology books as practically all the lower sec science books do not contain enough information. If you had done poorly in Math, focus on Algebra and Arithmetic (BODMAS) for the next few weeks.

(5) If you are in Sec 3, it means that you have not adjusted to the O-Level standard of answering questions and/or you underestimated the difficulty level of the Pure Sciences and Pure Math (A. Math). You have to spend the June holidays reading, understanding and practising answering questions and solving problems, else you’d perform worse in the SA2 exams as things don’t get easier.

(6) If you are in Sec 4, you had probably encountered ‘killer papers’ meant to ‘wake you up’ before the O-levels. Thus don’t be demoralised. Sec 4 students seldom do well in their SA1 exams because they don’t have enough time to revise BOTH their Sec 3 and Sec 4 work, yet teachers gleefully set very difficult questions in the name of “stretching” their students. However, you can still learn about some of your weak points from the exam papers and practise doing questions for those topics or writing essays for languages and the humanities subjects. Focus on doing well for your Prelim exams and have your own master revision timetable based on your own needs. Ignore your school’s revision schedule if it is not aligned to your needs. Write your own notes and read and understand solutions to difficult problems.

(7) If you are in JC1, you probably have not adjusted to the pace of JC life. In a way you are in serious trouble because the academic pace in JC is very fast and the learning curve is steep. You have to spend the June hols revising all your weak topics and must be on your toes in the second semester as the Promotional exams are purposely set at a difficult level to ensure that you will be ready for JC2. Read recommended textbooks, and not just your own notes.

(8)  If you are in JC2, focus on doing well for the A-levels as there is still time to revise EVERYTHING. Ignore your Prelims as it will come before you are ready and it is not important anyway, unless you need your prelim results to apply to overseas universities. Write your own notes, and read up on good solutions to tough questions. Concentrate on topical revision first of weak topics and then move on to do past year papers. For some really tough topics such as Complex Numbers in H2 Math you may need to consult a tutor if you still can’t grasp it after reading many times.

Good luck!

Ilyasa

(You may contact me at 9786 0411 if you have more queries)

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Posted in A-Level, Educational Advice

A-Level Results: What to do if you get BAD or DEAD, i.e., the ‘middle class’

I guess I have to write a bit for this group of students, who will not be allowed to redo their a-levels in their former schools (unlike students who obtained SUC for their H2 subjects), yet they’d find it difficult to be accepted into popular courses in the university.

With grades like BAD or DEAD, you might still be able to get into a local university, if you choose unpopular courses such as engineering, social work or nursing (I’m not sure if a degree in nursing is available in a local university, but if it does, you should seriously consider it). It also depends on what you had obtained your grade A for. It’s not that these courses don’t require academically bright students (can you imagine the impact to society of incompetent engineers, nursing managers or social workers?), but they are somehow very unpopular with university applicants in Singapore.

With a grade like BAD, you might even get a place in an arts or science faculty (but beware, these faculties have their pride too), and if you possess good O-Level results as well, you might even get a place in the NIE to train to become a teacher (to be admitted to NIE, you must have been at least in the top one-third of your O-level cohort; assuming NIE or MOE has not changed this requirement).

Grades like CCD or CDD might still get you into a university, for very unpopular courses. I’ve not heard of anyone getting into a uni with DDD though, or with anything lower. DEAD might get you somewhere because of the A, if there are very few good competitors for that same course. (Btw, if u obtained ACE, don’t say A,C,E, when anyone asks, just say Ace, so it sounds like AAAs).  : )

So should you still accept the offer of a local uni if the course offered is not what you really want? Or should you just retake your A-Levels? If I were you, I will not retake the A-Levels if my grades can send me into any general course in an accredited or recognised university. A general course is typically one of those found in the faculty or school of science or arts. Yes, it’s ok to do an arts or science course or even engineering if you can’t get into the more popular courses such as medicine, law, accountancy and business. Why?

Please don’t forget there is such a thing as a Postgraduate First Degree, or Graduate Programs Leading To A First Degree. WHAT IS MORE IMPORTANT IS TO FIRST GET INTO ANY RECOGNISED UNIVERSITY AND WORK HARD TO GET AT LEAST A SECOND UPPER HONOURS DEGREE. Then you can apply to any graduate first degree programme. For example, if you want to be a doctor, lawyer or accountant, you can still become one if you have a very good honours first degree, through the Duke-NUS Doctor of Medicine (MD) course, SMU’s Jurist Doctor (JD) program or SMU’s Master of Professional Accounting (MPA) program, respectively. Or you can apply to any postgraduate program you like, whether it leads to a first degree, master degree or even a direct Ph.D program.

My point is, your first degree may not determine your career, and it need not be in something YOU THINK you are passionate about. It is more important to get into ANY recognised degree programme, and work very hard to achieve at least a 2nd Upper Hons degree ( I didn’t get one, so I had a hell of a time trying to get into a master degree programme. Luckily, NTU gave me a chance and I proved myself right about myself by getting a CGPA of 4.55, out of 5, for my master degree program. I’m still angry with NUS for thinking that I wasn’t good enough for their postgrad programs. Now I intend to a do Ph.D program, and it’ll be interesting to see which university would take me in).

Please also remember that some employers, like banks and the govt, will take you in if you have a very good first degree in ANY discipline. Hence please don’t be fussy about your first degree. I’ll always remember what my father told me when I asked him what course I should do at uni. He said,”Just get yourself into a university and graduate”.

Lastly, dont be fussy about your first job too. In today’s economic environment, having a job is better than having none at all.

Good luck!

Rgds,

Ilyasa

Related post:   What to do if your A-level results are bad …


SCIENCE PRACTICAL TRAINING

We provide A-Level / H2 and O-Level Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Science (Physics/Chemistry/Biology) Practical Training for private / school candidates and homeschoolers, for both local (eg. H2, Singapore-Cambridge) and international exams (CIE, IGCSE). School candidates who need more FULL PRACTICAL PRACTICE are also welcome.

You may need science practical lessons if you are a private candidate who needs a science lab and apparatus as well as practical coaching, or you are a school candidate who needs more practical training or timed practice for a FULL PRACTICAL.

For details on Practical Courses, Mock Exams or Schedules, kindly click on any of the following links relevant to the exam and level you will be doing:

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Singapore Learner @ Bukit Batok

Blk 644, Bukit Batok Central, #01-68. S(650644).

Tel: +(65) 6569 4897,   +(65) 87762711 (SMS)

Email:  principal@singaporelearner.com

If you wish to visit us, kindly call or sms first. Thank you.


 

Posted in A-Level, Educational Advice, Personal

What to do if your A-level results are bad …

It’s ok if you cried at first, because chances are, you are below 21 and legally, you are still a child. But let that be for just one day, and no more after that. The past is over. You cannot change your past, but you can still influence your future.

(1) Do not blame others. The first step in making any kind of improvement to yourself is not to blame your teachers, your tutors, your notes, your handphone etc. Blame yourself. It was YOUR show. Only YOU can fail your self and only YOU can make your self succeed.

(2) Reflect on yourself. What went wrong?

(3) Search and find your true self. What are your real interests? What is your passion?

(4) Plan your next course of action. What can you do with poor A-level results? Here are some options:

(a) Redo your A-levels. If you didn’t get an overall pass, redo it in your own JC; you’d still need the right environment and the support. If you obtained a bad pass, you will not be allowed to redo it in your JC, yet you will not be given any place in any local university. So you either self-study, get tuition, or enrol yourself in a private school like SLA or MDIS College. But re-taking A-levels will not bear fruit unless you do steps (2) and (3) above properly; if you continue your bad habits and bad strategies or you simply did not like the subjects you were taking, it’d be very hard for you to be self-disciplined and to maintain focus. You don’t get different results by doing the same things the same way over and over again (in fact, Einstein called that kind of expectation, “insanity”).

(b) Go overseas (if you have the money or get some kind of sponsorship, loan or bursary). Do the SAT and go to the US, or do a foundation year in Australia and move up.

(c) Apply to a local polytechnic to get a Diploma (but make sure you do steps (2) and (3) carefully first). With a good poly diploma, you can still get into a local university. But I think you should apply to a poly using your O-level results instead (it worked for some students before). With a poly diploma, you may even apply to be admitted directly into the 2nd or 3rd year of a recognised overseas university. REMEMBER THAT MONEY IS NOT THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR. IF YOU HAVE TALENT OR PROVEN ACADEMIC ABILITY, THERE WILL ALWAYS BE A SPONSOR.

(d) If you have poor A-level results but very good O-level results, you might want to apply to the NIE to become a teacher; either you will be allowed to do a degree course or you might have to become a non-graduate teacher first before moving up later. Remember that a non-graduate teacher can become a graduate teacher via the Open University Degree Programme run by SIM. But the non-graduate teacher scheme is gradually being phased out.

(e) Apply to SIM to get a Diploma in something you like. Some SIM Diplomas are sought after by employers.

(f) Apply to a private education provider like MDIS, Kaplan, Stansfield or PSB Academy to get a Diploma or if you have two A-level passes, you might still get to do a degree course. But bear in mind that these degrees or diplomas may not be recognised by the Singapore government. But if you intend to work in the private sector, it should be alright.

(g) If you are tired of studying, work for at least two years first and when you reach 21, apply to SIM University (UniSim) if you have two A-level passes. UniSim degrees are recognised in Singapore, even by our government.

(h) If you want to be an accountant, self-study for the exam conducted by the ICPAS.

(5) Take action. Strategise. Gather resources. Believe in youself and your abilities. Adopt the right values and attitude. Set your short-term and long-term goals clearly. Write these down somewhere. Be positive, and be with positive people.

You see, there are so many ways to move on. Do not let setbacks affect you too much. Pick up and join back the pieces. Get up if you are down. Don’t go anywhere near Bedok reservoir (oops!). Spend time with your loved ones instead. Remember these lines from Miley Cyrus’ song (if you don’t hate her of course):

“But I gotta keep tryin’
Gotta keep my head held high

There’s always gonna be another mountain
I’m always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Sometimes I’m gonna have to lose
Ain’t about how fast I get there
Ain’t about what’s waitin’ on the other side
It’s the climb.”

Do not worry about being left behind as your friends move forward. Chances are, you are going to live for another 60 years or so. When you look back someday, it wouldn’t matter that you ‘lost’ one or two years somewhere along the way. Setbacks happen to everybody; I had my fair share of failures and setbacks. How we respond to these setbacks matter.

If you still feel down, then please watch this video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOlTdkYXuzE. It might help you a bit. : )

Good luck!

Best Regards,

Ilyasa

Related page:   A-Level Results: What to do if you get BAD or DEAD, i.e., the ‘middle class’

private-candidates

_______________________________________

SCIENCE PRACTICAL TRAINING

We provide A-Level / H2 and O-Level Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Science (Physics/Chemistry/Biology) Practical Training for private / school candidates and homeschoolers, for both local (eg. H2, Singapore-Cambridge) and international exams (CIE, IGCSE). School candidates who need more FULL PRACTICAL PRACTICE are also welcome.

You may need science practical lessons if you are a private candidate who needs a science lab and apparatus as well as practical coaching, or you are a school candidate who needs more practical training or timed practice for a FULL PRACTICAL.

For details on Practical Courses, Mock Exams or Schedules, kindly click on any of the following links relevant to the exam and level you will be doing:

A-LEVEL H2 PRACTICALS

CAMBRIDGE CIE A-LEVEL PRACTICALS


 

Singapore Learner @ Bukit Batok

Blk 644, Bukit Batok Central, #01-68. S(650644).

Tel: +(65) 6569 4897,   +(65) 87762711 (SMS)

Email:  principal@singaporelearner.com

If you wish to visit us, kindly call or sms first. Thank you.