A-level results 2012: ...mixed feelings

I was both happy and sad yesterday. One of my students obtained all A’s and another didn’t get a single A. Both were from IP schools. I tutored them in H2 Math and Physics. Both were very bright and fast learners. So what happened?

I don’t know what happened during their actual exams, but I do know that one of them adapted to secondary and jc school life and the other didn’t, with regard to studying. You see, both of them scored many A-stars at PSLE, and PSLE is one of those exams where you don’t have to study much; PSLE is almost like an olympiad test, especially for Math. But the A-levels is a different ball game altogether, where I dare say that your intelligence counts for only 20% of your marks. The rest is about how much Knowledge you have – Factual, Conceptual, Procedural, Conditional and Metacognitive. Put it simply, students who are smart but lazy can do well at the PSLE but will perform terribly at the A-levels.

IP students also have one disadvantage, compared to non-IP students. Because they skip the O-levels, IP students may not have sufficient exposure and training to do a high-stakes, content-intensive all-in-one-sitting exam like the A-levels. This may result in underestimating the time needed to have a complete revision of all the topics needed for the ultimate exam.

But IP students have the advantage of learning some A-level topics earlier than non-IP students. However, bear in mind that for a memory-intensive exam like the A-levels, learning things earlier is not always better.

What to do if your A-level results are bad

A-Level Tuition