LATEST! : Free Talk on JC SUBJECT COMBINATIONS Sat 31 Jan 6pm
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We regret to inform you that due to overwhelming response, REGISTRATION FOR THIS TALK IS NOW CLOSED. However, you may wish to attend another free talk on JC SUBJECT COMBINATIONS on Sat 31st Jan 2015, 6pm – 7.30pm. By then you would have received your JC posting and you may need more information on the various A-level subjects.
You can REGISTER for the JC SUBJECTS TALK by sending your <NAME><“TALK31JAN”><No. of people coming> via SMS to 97860411.
Free Talk on JC SUBJECT COMBINATIONS Sat 31 Jan 6pm
Thank you and Best Regards.
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Dear Post-O-Level Students.
If you currently have the following Questions:
(1) Should I go JC or Poly?
(2) Which subject combination to take in JC? What is H2 or H1? Take 4 H2s or 3 H2s?
(3) How to survive JC1 and Promos? How to prepare for A-levels?
(4) How different is General Paper from O-Level English? Is it important to take Economics?
(5) What is the difference between H2 and H1 Math? How different is H2 Math from A. Math?
(6) Is H2 Chemistry very difficult compared to O-Level Chemistry? How about H2 Physics?
then you are highly encouraged to ATTEND our specially prepared TALK on JC / Poly matters on Wed 14 Jan at 8pm. ADMISSION IS FREE.
Details as follows.
Date: WED, 14 JAN 2015
Time: 8.00 pm – 9.30 pm
Venue: BLK 644, BUKIT BATOK CENTRAL, #01-68, S(650644).
(Our location is just a 3-min walk from either the Bukit Batok MRT station or the Bukit Batok Bus Interchange. Buses that stop along the roads surrounding our location are numbers 157, 178, 66, 506, 173, 174, 176, 187, 985. Buses services which terminate at Bukit Batok Bus Interchange are 61, 77, 106, 173, 177, 189, 852, 941, 945, 947)
Our experienced JC Tutors as well as two current JC lecturers will be there to answer your queries.
You can REGISTER for the talk by sending your <NAME><“TALK14JAN”><No. of people coming> via SMS to 97860411.
For any queries, don’t hesitate to call 65694897 or 97860411. THANK YOU!
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TUITION CLASSES:
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EDUCATIONAL SERVICES:
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By EX-MOE TEACHERS & EXPERIENCED TUTORS
@ BLK 644, BUKIT BATOK CENTRAL, #01-68. S(650644).
CALL 65694897 OR SMS 98530744 OR 97860411.
Yay, at least two from my PSLE Science class obtained A* for Science
I normally don’t ‘kay poh’ about my students’ results so I just wait for people to tell me. So I was pleased when two of my Science tutees informed me that they each got A* for Science, something I believe is harder to achieve than the same grade for Math. Hope for more good news tomorrow when I meet the students attending my Sec 1 Algebra class.
My own daughter has qualified for most of the schools in my list of top 30 (List of ‘Top’ Secondary Schools (2014) in Singapore by Cut-Off PSLE aggregate score (2013) ) so we are now having a headache again as to which school she should go to. Since I’m ok with any school in the list, it boils down to two things only: (1) distance from home and (2) her personal feelings about the school.
If she chooses a non-IP school, I will create an Integrated Programme for her and students like her, so that she will be as prepared as, if not more prepared than, the IP students if she eventually decides to go to a JC. Yes, since IP tuition is so messy due to different curricula, I will discuss with my JC Math and Science tutors about designing and conducting a Advanced Integrated Programme (AIP), with only excelling in the A-levels as its main objective, starting from Sec 1, in a progressive yet rigorous manner; we will only teach what is directly or indirectly demanded by the A-Level exams.
Anyway, my eldest daughter will be doing her O-levels next year and I would have to prepare for her a bridging course to close the gap between non-IP students and IP students.
Ilyasa
Yay, my sec 3 NA student topped his class in A. Math.
Congratulations to Daniel Lam, from BPGHS, who obtained 39 out of 40 marks for his recent A. Math class test on Quadratic Equations.
I’m still not used to publishing testimonials from current or past students for my teaching or tutoring. In fact, I hardly record or remember their pre-tuition and post-tuition marks. It is sufficient for me that my students have stayed with me for as long as they have needed my guidance (or nagging), and that they continue to do well all the way to university.
Yes, I’m not good at marketing. Even my website is not dazzling enough. It’s ok for now, as I still get a sufficient number of students every year. I don’t even produce my own materials (but I know where to get the good ones).
So without aggressive marketing, testimonials and “own materials”, how have I been able to attract students to come and learn? And in what ways do I add value to a student’s learning? Well, you have to attend my tutorial sessions to know what thinking looks like. : )
Rgds,
Ilyasa
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:
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.
Yay, my H1 Economics tutee got a ‘B’.
My ex-tutee for H1 Econs, Jong Fei, was the first to give me good news today. Usually failing his econs tests, he just smsed me: “Thank you very much for guiding me through econs when I thot all hope is lost. I got a ‘B’ for my econs. Thank u : )”
It’s not easy to teach econs, and it’s even harder for 18 yr olds to understand economic principles and apply them to essays and case studies. I always tell my students that for microeconomics, you’d have to think like a business owner and for macroeconomics, you’d have to think like a minister. Unfortunately, most Singaporean students have neither the maturity nor experience to analyse economic issues.
It can be quite hard for JC or Poly students to master Economics because most Sporean students have not done Econs in secondary school before. However, Economics done in Spore is more a science than a humanities subject, thus it can actually be mastered, in almost the same way as you master Physics. In fact, there are only around 6 to 8 important concepts in A-Level Economics that you need to understand deeply, one of which is the concept of “margin” or being “marginal” (eg. marginal cost, marginal revenue etc).
Then you’d also need the general writing skills and the specific writing skills for Economics essays. You cannot get an ‘A’ just because you understand all the concepts in Economics. You’d need to be able to write fast and coherently, and write ‘economics’ statements that examiners want to see, just as in Physics or Chemistry.
Then you’d also need the economics acumen to answer Case Studies questions. It’s difficult at first, but after doing many case studies, you’ll begin to see the ‘pattern’ of answering.
Anyway, I wish all current Economics students all the best in your economic studies.
Rgds,
Ilyasa, M.Ed., B.Sc., PGDE, full-time tutor (h/p: 97860411)
JC Tuition:
A-Level: Math, Economics, General Paper.
(1) Economics Revision Package
(2) General Paper Resource & Practice Package
Related Links:
(1) Which subject combination to choose in JC?
(2) JC rankings by A-Level results 2012?
A former MOE school teacher, Mr Ilyasa has been coaching students in ‘A’ Level (H2/H1) Physics, Mathematics and Economics for more than 7 years, as well as ‘O’ Level Physics, Additional Math, Math and PSLE Math for more than 10 years. An alumnus of RI and RJC, Mr Ilyasa holds a Bachelor of Science degree with Merit from the National University of Singapore, a Postgraduate Diploma in Education with Credit from the National Institute of Education, Singapore, and a Master of Education (Curriculum & Teaching) degree also from the NIE, Singapore.
Improvement in a student’s math result …
Daniel, one of A. Math tutees, showed me his class test result yesterday: 34/40. The test was on Indices and Surds, Wow, excellent, I said to him. Daniel is from the N(A) stream, and usually fails his Math tests. That he could obtain 34/40 and top his class in just a few weeks of tuition was phenomenal. So I started reflecting on what went right, because there are many students, even those from top schools, who do not make such a giant leap in such a short amount of time.
So what was the major factor contributing to Daniel’s significant improvement? Well, it’s not some secret special technique. In fact, it’s a well-known technique that some students just don’t want to use – ask many, many questions, even “silly” ones, about the same topic until one is satisfied that understanding has been achieved. Daniel even questions me when he doesn’t understand the steps I show him, whereas many students simply copy or write down my solution. Daniel sometimes takes a while to process the information I give to him; he will pause and ponder, and then sheepishly asks a basic question. He will even ask questions periodically to affirm that his steps are correct.
Students need to make meaning out of what they hear or see; it’s not enough to just listen to teachers or observe what they do in class. And you make meaning when you have a dissonance in your mind; some pieces of the jigsaw puzzle don’t fit and you have the courage to ask and then ponder again.
Regarding asking questions, I have one advice though: you must attempt to answer your own questions first, for the struggle to answer your own questions will make it easier for you to understand another person’s explanation. : )
Good luck!
Rgds,
Ilyasa