Direct School Admission (DSA) students in Integrated Programme schools:
Parents of children who have been admitted into IP schools have expressed their concern to me on their anxieties, mainly whether their child will be able to cope with the rigorous educational standards of the top schools even though many of them do not meet the cutoff scores of their individual schools. I can assure you that with enough preparation, your child will be ready to meet the expectations of their IP schools and do better than their peers. I will cover this issue in the points below.
- Your child’s PSLE grade is low because of their success in the DSA interview.
Once a 12yo child is informed that he/she has been admitted into a top school before taking the PSLE, their typical response will be a sigh of relief and a more relaxed attitude towards one of the most stressful exams in Singapore. Most of my DSA students, and including my friends who have been successful in DSA applications into IP schools, have told me that the days leading up to PSLE have been stress-free, and they are able to focus more on their CCAs instead of just pure academics. This is shown in their lower PSLE scores as compared to their peers in their respective IP schools, who have been spending a lot of time hitting the ten year series as their spots in the IP schools are not secured. I assure you that if your child studied more during those days, he/she would see a significant jump in their PSLE scores as well. They are by no means lacking in terms of intelligence compared to their peers.
- There are quite a few skills or chapters covered in the PSLE that have insignificant impact on secondary school life
In the chapters of Science, only human/plant systems, forces, energy, man and his environment are tested in Secondary school. The bulk of what they learn in Primary 6, which is animal based such as environmental impact, web of life, adaptation, is completely untested at the Secondary level. For Math, the skills used in the last 20 marks of the exam, which essentially act as a gatekeeper to A* grade, are used to tackle open ended problem sums with abstract concepts. These skills may not be of great value in Secondary level Maths which focuses more on laws, procedure and presentation. In English, compositions test students on creative narrative writing, whereas Secondary level English tests them on argumentative essays, which place more importance on current affairs, and debating of key points rather than narrative and creative writing. In Secondary school, discipline and conscientiousness is more important, as compared to primary school which values open ended problem solving through problem sums and seemingly out of textbook structured question answers.
- The schools provide extra assistance to their DSA students
It should come as no surprise that the DSA students are valued members of the school as they are their representatives in CCAs. If students are taken out of class due to CCA commitments, there will be avenues for the teachers to cover those lost lessons with them again. CCAs are also expected to stand down during exam periods, especially during finals where the weightage of the exams are the highest.
That being said, DSA students should never rest on their laurels. IP is a competitive system that has sieved out most of the academically gifted children in Singapore. To do well in such an environment requires intense efforts from both parents as well as students to ensure that they do not stray from the path of academic excellence.
Mr Y.S Pang, IP Math and Science tutor at Singapore Learner
OUR IP TUTORS:
Mr Pang: Mr Pang graduated with a B.Eng(Honors) from NUS, and has been coaching students in O-level/IP and A-level Mathematics and Science for more than 5 years. An alumnus of RVHS(IP) and an experienced tutor in IP/A-level education, Mr Pang is a results oriented tutor whose students do very well in exams through efficient learning methods and exam preparation skills. Mr Pang employs a variety of teaching methods to cater to every type of learner, as well as teaching them the skill of self diagnostics, giving them the ability to constantly spot and rectify their own errors. He takes pride in inspiring his students to become confident learners and critical thinkers.
Mr Ilyasa: An NIE-trained Teacher, Mr Ilyasa has been coaching students in O-Level & IP Chemistry, Physics and Math for more than 12 years. An alumnus of Raffles Institution, Mr Ilyasa holds a a Bachelor of Science degree from the NUS as well as a Master of Education (Curriculum & Teaching) degree from the National Institute of Education. Mr Ilyasa’s thinking and metacognitive approaches to problem solving has helped many students of varying abilities to excel in Math and the Sciences. He has coached students from many different schools and streams, including IP, SAP, and IB.
For INDIVIDUAL (1-1) TUITION, you may contact Mr Ilyasa at 97860411.
Bridging the gap from AL2-3 to AL1 in P6 Science
Many parents of academically gifted children are often perplexed by their inability to secure an A* for Science, especially if their child is already doing exceedingly well in other subjects such as Mathematics, which also requires higher order thinking. Based on my experience from training such students, as well as my personal experience, I can offer some insight into this matter.
1) Primary level Science, unlike Mathematics, follow a strict marking scheme with a range of keywords. Mathematics on the other hand, accept a wide array of solving techniques, even if they are of a more advanced nature. (i.e. using simultaneous equations to solve problem sums is a valid technique, even if it involves competencies which are taught in Lower Secondary maths) A strong Maths student at P6 may find themselves knowledgable on Science, but unable to be a high achiever because their phrasing is not within the acceptable parameters of the P6 Examination. A very knowledgable student in Science can still fail to get A* if they do not use the correct terminology. Drilling of keywords is necessary, but can be memory intensive and inefficient. It is important to teach them that there are a set of keywords instead of just one acceptable answer, so their thinking is nimble, and able to adapt to different questions. It is also less taxing on their memory.
2) Carelessness in MCQ. Even after the changes to MCQ section, moving from 30 questions to 28 questions, the MCQ still forms the bulk of the grades in the PSLE. Securing near full marks in MCQ is vital to securing A*. As a parent, you must understand that almost every year without fail, there will be an extremely challenging or creative section B question which most students cannot handle. In order to hedge against the scenario that your child might be unable to get the question right, you must have near perfect MCQ grades. That marginal difference in MCQ means that carelessness cannot be tolerated, and MCQ techniques or skills have to be properly taught to them, and it has to be taught early. Last minute preparation will not serve you well.
3) Overanswering in section B may cost you more than you think. Parents, students, or even some teachers, may have the mentality that overanswering is the way to go, and better be safe than sorry. This tactic will not serve you well if you are aiming for A*. Overwriting often leads to less time allocated to reading long questions and understanding complex diagrams. This is costly as the students might find themselves misinterpreting the question and going out of point. It is much more efficient to learn how to interpret certain prompts(state, explain, describe) in the questions and answer accordingly. (i.e. not all 2 marks questions must have lengthy answer, and not all 1 mark questions are that straightforward. The specific wording used in the question will determine the depth of your answer)
4) Last but not least, a healthy interest in the pursuit of Science is important. A driven and motivated child will be well read, and in turn, that makes the child very resilient to challenging questions which involve scenarios that test heavily on external knowledge. It is not surprising that many of my students who eventually made it into specialist science schools (SST, NUS High) have a deep interest in the sciences, and are very well read or engaged(perhaps even more knowledgable than myself in certain aspects, which is a very impressive feat). Providing them with an environment which encourages the pursuit of science beyond grades alone, will actually improve their grades in the long run.
Mid-year (SA1) results important for DSA to JC or Poly
I think many students are not aware of this. If you are good in sports and intend to apply to a JC or Poly via DSA in June, they will look at your mid-year exam results. Thus you should aim to at least pass all your O-level subjects with a B4/B3 average at the least, else the JC or Poly would tell you to re-apply again with your prelim results instead.
The problem is, the S4 mid-year exam is always the hardest exam to do well in due to the following reasons:
(1) Teachers would have just finished teaching some topics and then the exam comes;
(2) There is little or no revision time for older topics;
(3) It tests the S3 topics as well and in the case of Math it tests all the topics from S1;
(4) Exam-setters typically make it very hard in order to “wake-up” the students.
Thus S4 students often fail most of their subjects for SA1. The results don’t matter much if you are NOT applying to JCs or Polys via DSA in June. But even if you don’t intend to use DSA, poor results at SA1 doesn’t bode well for your performance in the prelims, which in turn will not give you the confidence you need to face the O-levels.
THUS DOING WELL AT SA1 IS STILL IMPORTANT NO MATTER HOW BUSY YOU ARE. PLEASE PRIORITIZE YOUR TIME CORRECTLY AND AIM TO DO WELL IN ALL EXAMS.
Ilyasa
Direct School Admissions (Secondary) Exercise (DSA) 2014 – 2015
My P6 daughter is also applying to some schools via DSA and since it’s quite a hassle to visit and explore every desired school’s website to look for DSA deadlines and such, I shall do interested parents here a favour by putting up the necessary info and links on a single page.
If you wish to view the Flowchart of Stages in 2014 DSA-Sec Exercise, click here.
If you wish to view the List of Secondary Schools Participating in 2014 DSA-Sec Exercise — for Admission to Secondary One in 2015, click here.
DSA for Integrated Programme (IP) and Specialised Independent schools:
(click on the school name to visit its DSA web page)
1. ACS (Independent). Deadline: 20/06/2014.
2. Catholic High School. Deadline: 01/07/2014.
3. Cedar Girls’. Deadline: 04/07/2014
4. CHIJ St Nicholas Girls’ . Deadline: 01/07/2014
5. Dunman High. Deadline: 01/07/2014
6. Hwa Chong Institution. Deadline: 02/06/2014
7. Methodist Girls’ Sch (Sec). Deadline: 20/06/2014 and 01/07/2014.
8. National Junior College. Deadline: Not stated but should be 01/07/2014.
9. Nanyang Girls’ High Sch: Deadline: 04/07/2014
10. NUS High School: Deadline: 20/06/2014.
11. Raffles Girls’ Sch (Sec). Deadline: 01/07/2014
12. Raffles Institution. Deadline: 01/07/2014
13. River Valley High Sch. Deadline: 30/06/2014 with GAT taken.
14. School of Science and Technology, Singapore (SST). Deadline: 07/07/2014
15. School of the Arts, Singapore (SOTA). Deadline: Not stated but should be 30/06/2014.
16. Singapore Chinese Girls’ Sch. Deadline: 01/07/2014
17. St Joseph’s Institution. Deadline: 01/07/2014
18. Temasek Junior College. Deadline: 30/06/2014
19. Victoria Sch. Deadline: 01/07/2014
Regards,
Ilyasa
Note:
(1) Starting from 2013, Catholic High School, CHIJ St Nicholas Girls’ School and Singapore Chinese Girls’ School will be offering both the GCE ‘O’ Level Programme and the Joint Integrated Programme. The Joint IP will lead up to the GCE ‘A’ Level Programme offered at a new government Junior College.
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Suggestions on how to answer DSA (P6 to Sec 1) essay questions
Related links:
O-LEVEL | SEC | PHYSICS TUITION
O-LEVEL | SEC | A. MATH TUITION
O-LEVEL | SEC 1-4 | MATH TUITION
O-LEVEL | SEC | CHEMISTRY TUITION
O-LEVEL | SEC 1-4 | ENGLISH TUITION
O-LEVEL | SEC 1-4 | MALAY LANGUAGE TUITION
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The DSA tests can consist of many parts and vary from school to school. Typically you will have MCQs and short structured questions on English, Math and Science. The hardest section of these MCQs would be on Abstract Reasoning (AR), because students are not prepared for it. (Thus I intend to conduct a holiday workshop for AR in Mar and June 2014. For this year, I may conduct an AR course in Sep, Nov or Dec for those who want to be exposed to it early).
Another difficult section of the DSA tests is the short essay part, where you will be asked to write, in about 300 words, about something you are passionate about, or why you want to enrol in the school, or about your personal characteristics. I believe Singaporean students find difficulty in writing such essays, probably because (i) their passion in something non-academic has never been encouraged or groomed, (ii), they are applying to the schools only because their parents ask them to and (iii), they are not sure about their own strengths and weaknesses in non-academic areas.
Since some parents have asked me to give advice on the matter, I shall write about my suggestions on how to write the essays in a manner that might catch the assessors’ attention (but if everyone of you were to follow my suggestions, then you WON’T get the assessors’ attention, so you’d still have to innovate and add the flesh of the essay yourself).
Let’s examine a typical essay question that you might get:
Q1. In not more than 300 words, describe something you are passionate about or something that is important to you, as it helps us to understand you better.
My advice:
(1) DO NOT WRITE MORE THAN 300 WORDS (or whatever they specify, such as ‘Do not use more than the space given’), not even 301. You must at least show that you understand English, that you can count, and that you can take serious instructions seriously. I’m serious. Ignore me at your own risk.
(2) If they ask you to write and not type, then they are studying your handwriting as well. Please check up the internet on what your handwriting tells others about yourself. But it’s hard to change your handwriting, and many horrible hand writers become doctors anyway.
(3) You should not be writing about what you USED to be interested in (because if you are passionate about it, why did you stop doing it?) or what you would like to explore in future (because if you are passionate about it, why haven’t you started on it?). What you are passionate about is something which you have started some time ago, which you are currently doing, and which you intend to bring to greater heights in the future. It can be anything from a musical instrument to a sport or even a CCA. It should NOT be something academic; imagine writing that your passion is to attend lessons in school, or having tuition, or doing lots of assessment books or reading textbooks ( do you realise that most applicants to top schools are already doing all these intensely?) So let’s say your passion is badminton (I hope you realise that LIKING to play badminton is different from being PASSIONATE about IT). You should be describing about how and when you got introduced to it, why you liked it, how often you play it and where, the big brands and the big names in the sport, the major tournaments, your discoveries about the sport, your efforts to improve your performance in the sport etc.
Q2. In the space given, write down the reasons why you would want to be enrolled in our school.
Here, you have to praise the school. You’d need to do a quick research on the school’s history, motto, emphasis, strengths and niche areas, and why the school would be able to allow you to reach your full potential, and if you can, why only this school would be able to accomplish that.
Q3. Describe some characteristics about yourself that might differentiate you from other applicants.
Here, you have to praise yourself a bit, in a confident way without sounding arrogant. Besides personal traits such as diligence, persistence and resourcefulness, the school would also be interested in your leadership and inter-personal skills. You can’t just say that you are a team player; do you have evidence to prove it to some extent?
Q4. Write about your academic interests or your reflections on your studies.
Here, you can’t be writing about how you love reading books, doing homework and completing assessment papers. It’s about how deep your interest is in certain subjects and what you do to nurture that interest. As for reflecting on your studies, you’d need to be metacognitive in your approach; what your academic strengths and weaknesses are and your learning styles.
Q5. Write about your future plans.
Here, it is not just about what your ambition is. It should be more about how the school you are applying to will facilitate your entry to the next stage. For example, if you ultimately want to be in a certain college, course or university in the future, how would the secondary school you are applying to prepare you to succeed at these future stages. But for the short term, you can still write about how you can contribute to the success of the school, for eg., in CCA and so on.