While the pressures of PSLE slowly fade into a distant memory, the realities of higher academia slowly take its place in the form of Secondary School O Level preparations. Choosing your child’s secondary school is just one of many major considerations – knowing how to maintain their momentum of learning is another, bearing in mind that they’ll eventually have to choose their subject combination in Sec 3. Education can be a lifelong pursuit for many of us who maintain an open mind and drive for personal improvement. How we make use of our limited time resources can help prepare us for opportunities that may come our way in the future
My Higher Academia
Steeper learning curves, higher expectations, heavier study loads, a greater demand for critical thinking capacity and tougher literacy standards may await students as the culture shock of Secondary School suddenly kicks in. Using the holidays productively and preparing for admission into Secondary School is one such area of early assistance WRITERS AT WORK English tuition classes are able to offer to both parents and their children stepping out of Primary School. With your child’s progression into Secondary School, there are two key aspects that will demand from them new sets of skills to utilise. These challenging components in Secondary School English would naturally be examinations and weighted assessments.
Tip 1: English Paper 1 Essay Writing
Early in Secondary 1 English exam papers, students will already encounter familiar curriculums in their exams, with sections similar to that of situational writing. Instead of composition writing, Secondary school students will have to produce essay writings, where a key area of contrast in Secondary School English is that the word count for situational writing increases from 150 words to 750. To hit the coveted grade of English A1, students must be prepared to write extensively beyond the minimum required word count of 350. However, simply increasing word volume alone won’t guarantee a distinction right off the bat. Students must be able to demonstrate in their writing coherence and relevance to the exam question, in a meaningful and constructive manner. The sheer increment in word count may catch some students flat-footed, especially those who are not quite accustomed to writing at greater lengths than usual. Also bearing in mind that students will also require more motor stamina to execute in handwriting, the increased word count and produce an essay of quality within the stipulated time limit, on top of the fact that exam paper durations will subsequently be longer and more strenuous.
Tip 2: English Paper 2 Comprehension
With progression into the Secondary School curriculum, students will be confronted with a familiar segment of English comprehension – which Paper 2 is entirely composed of – at a higher level of difficulty. Here, English Paper 2 comprehension questions become significantly complex and language-specific, involving more language devices, more detailed descriptions, statistics and information.
Tip 3: English Oral Examination
n Paper 4, students engage in Oral Communication, which carries a weightage of 30 marks. This segment places emphasis on effective communication skills, with the main difference of Secondary School that reading aloud is no longer included. In its place, a planned response section now involving media literacy, requires students to prepare structured responses within a limited amount of time. Moreover, the spoken interaction between student and invigilator requires them to think quickly on their feet while articulating with clarity. With a weightage of 15%, this component plays a significant role in assessing students’ spoken English proficiency. The duration for this section would be approximately 20 minutes.
Feeling the Weight
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What Are the Basic Steps in Creative Writing?
2. What Is an Enrichment Class in English?
An enrichment class allows your child to not only learn the basics of the mechanics of English such as good grammar and sentence structure, but it also teaches your child to appreciate the nuances of the English language. Students in an English enrichment class will learn skills like inference and critical reading – these skills are highly important even when students graduate out of school and go into higher education or the working world, as it will teach them to process and filter information to determine what is being said and evaluate the veracity of the information.
3. How Does My Child Benefit From Writing Classes?
4. Which Tuition Centre Is Good for English?
