I was trying to motivate my year 4 IP students yesterday by telling them to work smart, not to get too stressed out and that the most important thing was to get to year 5. But they told me it was not enough to just get into year 5.
For example, they must get at least a C5 in their year 4 chemistry to be allowed to do H2 chemistry in year 5. Now that is quite a challenge, for students in a top school to get at least a C5 in their own INTERNAL exam. Getting at least a B3 in the O-Level exams is much easier than getting a C5 in an exam paper set by a top school, believe me.
I’ve said this before and I will say it again: Students in IP schools have to work much harder just to be allowed to do the same subjects in JC as the non-IP students, and many don’t make it. Students in top O-Level schools have to work much harder in school than their neighbourhood counterparts just to be allowed to do the same pure subjects for the O-Levels, and even end up with the same grades because students from these popular schools are OVER-TRAINING for the O-Levels and just like the IP school students, end up being demoralised.
Thus as parents, be careful where you want your child to be. PSLE results are a poor predictor of performance in secondary school and in JC. You must know your child well enough when selecting a secondary school. Don’t just go for brand name schools, no matter how tempting it looks. Be aware that top schools would rather RETAIN your child in the current year of study or even ask your child to LEAVE THE SCHOOL than to promote your child and take the risk of having their national exam results adversely affected.
Heard O-Level (2015) Math Paper 2 was “easy”.
I smsed a few tutees about Math Paper 2, and the responses were:
- “easier than paper 1”
- “much better than p1 yay”
- “got all correct except Q7b”
- “finished in 1.5 hrs”
Okayyy, I get the message. So all of you are going to get A1 for p2 but when combined with p1 you are going to get A2? Just joking. What is more certain is that since p2 is easy, the examiners will “find fault” with your answers in any way they can – presentation, d.p., sig fig, labelling on graphs, units, reasons for trigo etc.
Anyway, pls focus on A. Math tmr. Get some sleep.
Rgds,
Ilyasa
Yay, my FMSS student got 90% for his Sec 1 Science SA2
Today I received good news during tuition class from Afiq; he obtained 90/100 for Science. That is amazing given that the lower sec science class is hard to conduct as different schools have different lower sec science syllabus. In fact most tuition centres do not provide S1 or S2 Science tuition.
The trick in lower sec science is to do upper sec science questions, but you must select the topics and questions carefully as the two syllabi overlap only partially. Like my S1 daughter, Afiq also reads upper sec science textbooks, as lower sec science books are not rigorous enough.
There is one problem though; I can’t teach the Bio parts. For the Bio parts, I let them read good materials and then attempt questions. It works because Bio is not as mentally challenging as Chemistry or Physics, and also because I make them read upper sec Bio books.
I’m now planning for Sec 2 Science headstart as well as our strategies for next year. Certainly I would want Afiq and my daughter to excel in Science again next year, especially since it would be their streaming year. It is important to be able to do at least two Pure Science subjects in Sec 3.
Rgds,
Ilyasa
If you had done badly in your exams, don’t give up.
A picture is worth a thousand words. So I suppose a video is worth at least 3.0 x 10 ^ 8 pictures? And real life is worth at least 6.02 x 10 ^ 23 videos?
Since I may not meet you in real life, at least I can suggest that you view a video clip about not giving up, instead of just saying it right?
Ok, so here is the video. Enjoy!
You see, there are many ways to master an academic subject. Have you thought of them all? Have you tried reading several books or notes on the same topic? Have you tried asking different people to explain to you a difficult concept? Have you tried different ways of memorizing tons of facts? Have you tried different ways of thinking about something, and different ways of looking at the same thing? The worst thing to say, in any kind of venture, is, “I’ve tried everything possible.”
And it is not helpful to say “I’ve tried my best”. Because you’ll never really know when a particular action of yours is the best you can possibly achieve. “I’ve tried my best” has become more of a self-consolation than a determination to improve oneself.
As for outcomes, at the end of the day, it is really your effort that matters. We all want good outcomes, but outcomes don’t all come at once. If you think something is really worth doing, then keep doing it and improving the way you do things, then the desired outcome will eventually arrive. Of course we normally would want the desired outcome to arrive fast, but it is more important that the desired outcome comes at the right time. : )
Ilyasa
One Way of Choosing JC Subject Combinations: Begin with the end in mind
Step 1: Choose the Course in a local university that you want.
Step 2: Check out the university’s Indicative Grade Profile (IGP) to estimate your chances of getting into the course, or how much effort you need to put in to get the minimum grades (eg. AAA/A is needed for Law in NUS, so you’d have to work very, very hard).
Step 3: Check out the University’s Course Pre-Requisites so that you know which A-Level subjects are mandatory requirements for that university course (eg. H2 Chemistry is compulsory for Medicine):
Step 4: Decide whether you’d want to do 4 H2 subjects or 3H2 and 1 H1. If you want a prestigious scholarship go for 4 H2s.
Step 5: Check whether the subject combination you want is available in your JC.
Step 6: If unsure, choose PCME.
Step 7: If still unsure, go to Step 6.
Ilyasa
Related links:
(1) The minimum requirement to enter a local university.
(2) Possible Subject Combinations for the A-Levels.
(4) A-Level FAQs.
(5) Which subject combination to choose in JC?
(6) Our JC1 H2 CHEMISTRY, MATH & PHYSICS classes will start on Sun 14 Feb
(7) Our JC1 GENERAL PAPER (GP) class starts on Sat 13 Feb 11.30 am
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It doesn’t really matter which JC you are posted to.
I know many students and their parents don’t like to hear this (the same way some people don’t like it when I said that being in an IP school doesn’t guarantee academic success). BUT IT IS TRUE.
All JCs have qualified teachers and good facilities. What will prevent you from getting good A-level results is your attitude towards your studies, your teachers and your school. For some strange reason, there are students from “branded” schools who just cannot get over being posted to a “neighbourhood” JC.
Whether you are in the “top” or “bottom” JC you will still end up doing the SAME A-level exams. And four As at the A-levels is computed the same way by universities for the purpose of admission, after taking into account subject prerequisites, NOT the JC you come from. Also, no point judging the teaching quality of a JC by the percentage of its students who make it to university. Obviously a JC which takes in only top students will generally have better A-Level results. So it largely depends on the students. Some “unbranded” JCs may have outstanding and caring teachers who add value to students; they take in weaker students and yet are able to coach them to get good A-level results.
Rather than appealing your posting, or moaning or sulking about your JC posting, you are better off hitting the books straightaway as your A-levels is about just 84 weeks away and your crucial Promos less than half of that. You know, teenagers can waste away 80 weeks quite easily.
However, appealing may be necessary if you have a physical or medical condition and it may be understandable too if the school you are posted to is very far from home. And if you are enrolled in a Poly course that you don’t want, then your posting DOES matter as poly courses are narrower in scope and you don’t want those industry-specific tasks to dominate your life for the next three years.
JC courses are broader, dealing with centuries-old themes such as the humanities, the languages and the sciences. This means to succeed in a JC, you’d also need to employ a centuries-old technique – READ. And read a lot you must, and think about what you have read, and think about the ways you think.
Every year, about 1000 JC1 students don’t get promoted to JC2. Thus you might want to seriously consider studying right away.
Ilyasa
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Heard something abt the cut-off point (cop) for PJC for 2015
Today an ex-student informed me that the COP for both PJC’s Science and Arts streams is 13. If it is true I’m not surprised. PJC is an up and coming JC and I’m quite impressed with the attitude of my tutees who are from there. Being an “unbranded” JC, its students tend to be humble and willing to learn.
One of my first few tutees went to PJC, and now he has graduated from the NUS. Another two ex-tutees from PJC are now in SMU.
Ilyasa
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Here’s a song dedicated to those getting their exam results soon :)
Ride of Your Life (by John Gregory)
Wishing on a shooting star
But dreams alone won’t get you far
Can’t deny your feelings anymore
The world is waiting right outside your door
What are you waiting for?
Come on, here’s your chance
Don’t let it slip right through your hands
Are you ready for the ride of your life?
Your dreams are riding on the wind
Just reach out and pull them in and
Get ready for the ride of your life
The ride of your life
In your heart, you know what must do
You’ve only got yourself to answer to
Don’t let fear of fallin’ hold you down
Your spirit’s flying high above the clouds
You’re glory bound
Come on here’s your chance
Don’t let it slip right through your hands
Are you ready, for the ride of your life
Your dreams are riding on the wind
Just reach out and pull them in and
Get ready for the ride of your life
You are on your way no looking back
There’s no future living in the past
You’re free at last yeah
You’re free at last
Come on here’s your chance
Don’t let it slip right through your hands
Are you ready for the ride of your life yea
Your dreams are riding on the wind
Just reach out and pull them in and
Get ready for the ride of your life
Ride of your life
Come on, come on get ready
Yea, yea, yea
Your dreams are riding on the wind
Just reach out and pull them in
Get ready for the ride of your life
Sec 1 Posting Exercise 2014-2015
My daughter will get her posting tomorrow. I hope she gets her first choice school as it is the nearest good school to our home. If she does, all three daughters will be in different schools for the first time in our family. Thus in 2015, I may end up driving to 4 different schools in the morning, as my wife is teaching in a school which our children are not old enough to attend.
I would like to wish all the best to all who will be receiving their Sec 1 posting tomorrow. If you get the school you want, good for you. If you don’t, stop being sad and get on with life. Sec 1 is just the beginning of yet another long journey. It is more important that you are prepared for Sec 1 than getting the school that you or your parents want. Remember, the end is more important than the beginning. Which ever school you start with, you will still end up taking the same A-levels, IB exams or the SAT. You can do well in whichever school you go to if you work smart and stay focused.
Rgds,
Ilyasa
Related links:
Sec 1 (2015) Arithmetic & Algebra Math Holiday Enrichment for Post-PSLE students (starting 29 Dec)
Sec 1 (2015) Extended Algebra & Indices Math Holiday Enrichment for Post-PSLE students (starting 29 Dec)
Choosing a sec school: Is it more important to be in a ‘Top’ school or the Top class?
If you are confident of being in the top class of a top school, go ahead and choose that school. This normally happens to students who have PSLE aggregate scores of more than 270. But if you happen to be in the bottom 20% of those admitted to a particular school, chances are, you will eventually not be in the top class of that school for your level.
What are the implications of not being in the top 20% of a school? In many schools, only the top 80 pupils get to do the Triple Pure Sciences plus A. Math in Sec 3, the subject combination that gives you the most choices when choosing subjects to do for the A-levels. Some schools even have only one such class. These top students are selected based on their end-of-year streaming exams in Sec 2.
The exams in top schools are of course difficult, thus many Sec 2 pupils in top schools find themselves disqualified from doing the Triple Pure Sciences (TPS) in Sec 3. If you are in IP school and doing badly, you may be barred from doing at least one Pure Science subject in Year 3. Thus a student who scored 240 in the PSLE may end up doing TPS in a ‘neighbourhood’ sec school whereas one who scored 252 to enter a top school may eventually be deprived of doing A.Math or one of the pure sciences only because the latter school set much harder exam questions in Sec 2!
Parents often forget that their once top-performing children may end up being the worst performing students in a top school, a result of being a small fish in a big pond, a possible reality that many students and their parents are not ready to face, after spending 6 years in a primary school where the child was the “darling” of the principal, HODs and teachers. Let me give you a few examples of the devastating effects of being an average or bottom student in a top school. I shall begin with my own experience:
(1) I did not work hard enough when I was in Sec 2 in RI in 1986. RI test and exam papers were tough so I had mediocre grades. Thus I was not given the option of doing Pure Biology. I could only take the Physics-Chemistry-History-Literature combination, in addition to other compulsory subjects. That meant I would not be allowed to do Biology at A-level, and at that time, Biology was a compulsory subject for choosing Medicine and Dentistry at the NUS. Thus many of us could not eventually become doctors simply because we did not do very well at RI’s sec 2 exam papers. Had I gone to a school near my home then, I’m sure I would have been in top 20% of that school as I was already in the top 2% at the national level for my cohort!
(2) Very recently, an NJC student has not been allowed to do H2 Math or H2 Chemistry in his Year 5. This means he will be excluded from ALL Science, Engineering or Medicine-related courses at most universities. With a PSLE score of 257, I’m sure he wouldn’t have been in the same predicament had he gone to do O-levels in a sec school whose COP is around 235-240, as NJC papers are way tougher than the papers of most schools at Sec 4 level.
(3) An RVHS student was retained in his Year 4 because of poor results. Imagine that your friends from non-IP schools getting places in JCs while you still have to struggle to pass your own school exams in Sec 4 again chiefly because your school sets harder exam papers. Repeating a year can be very hard for a student, both academically and psychologically.
(4) A HCI student was asked to take the O-levels instead because of poor performance. I found his academic standards below that of students from lesser known schools. This must have been a case of being demoralised from right from Sec 1. And he was NOT the only such case from HCI or NYGH that ended up with me since I started tutoring in 2004.
The above are just a few real examples. There many more cases of IP students being asked to do O-levels or leave the school to find an O-level school, or students in some top schools (IP or non-IP) being retained. The less serious cases involve students in top schools not being allowed to do certain subjects such as A. Math or a Pure Science. My point is that these very good PSLE performers might have fared better in less ‘prestigious’ schools, acing the O level exams and going on to top JCs and eventually getting 4 A’s at the A-levels. For example, I had a tutee (with very good PSLE score) who came from Tanglin Sec, went on to PJC and obtained enough A’s at the A-levels to get a place in a much-sought-after course in a prestigious university.
Some parents and students also have this mistaken idea that top schools have better teachers and better academic materials. BOTH of these perceptions are often wrong. If you are in a top school, most of the teachers EXPECT you to be either smart (can’t blame them on this right?) or have tuition. They teach fast and set very hard test and exam papers. Do they sound like nurturing or caring teachers to you? Top schools become top schools simply because they take in top students to begin with, not because they take in poor-performing students and are able to turn them around through skilful teaching.
In summary, to me, consistently being in the top class of your school is very important, regardless of which school you are in. And it’s just common sense that it is easier to academically dominate a good school than a top school.
There is NO NEED to compare your results or choice of school with friends or relatives or neighbours, or desire to be part of a ‘Top’ school. There is no need to be egoistic or elitist. There is no need to be exclusive, else you’d find yourself being excluded from many good things in life. Let others do what they want. You must have your own clear idea what success means. The end is almost always more important than the beginning. How you END your formal academic training matters more than how you started.
Ilyasa
About myself:
I was a secondary school teacher for 3 years before becoming a tutor in 2004. I also taught in a private school and in an international school. I’ve taught Math, Science, Physics and Chemistry to all kinds of students from Pri to JC and from all streams: Express, NA, NT, IP and IB. From my students and their parents I’ve learnt a lot about the various schools in Singapore, their problems, their strengths and so on. I also come from a family of teachers, and many of my friends are also teachers, HODs, VPs and Ps. I tutor my own children and they all have become proficient in Math and the Sciences. My youngest daughter just got her PSLE (2016) results and this will be the 3rd time I’m going through this school selection process. If you have any questions regarding schools, education or about tuition, feel free to contact me at 97860411. I will help answer your questions as best as I can. All the best!
(1) Choosing a secondary school …
(2) Beware the critical years in math education in Singapore …
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