Night Webinar – Choosing Your Secondary 3 Subject Combination

By WR!TERS@WORK

Choosing your Secondary 3 Subject Combination

As students approach Secondary 3, they may feel the pressure of having to choose their subject combination for O Levels. This is a highly important decision for students as it will affect how well they do for an important academic milestone – the O Level qualification (soon to be the SEC qualification) has far-reaching impacts on where a student is going to go after secondary school. Having a good score will allow students greater freedom to go to the institution of their choice, take the subjects or courses they want and WRITERS AT WORK offers English enrichment courses to aid students in that academic journey.

Here are some considerations for students and their parents to take note of:

1. What is the SEC System Replacing the O Level Exam?

The Singapore-Cambridge Secondary Education Certificate (SEC) will replace the O Level exams. Secondary 1 students in 2024 will be under the full subject-based banding curriculum. The Express, Normal Academic (NA) and Normal Technical (NT) streams have been abolished. Instead, students are allowed to take subjects at different General Levels (G1 to G3) in secondary school. This system is more inclusive, as students will be able to take subjects at the level they are good at, depending on their aptitudes and abilities in school.

This is a good thing – students will know roughly from primary school what their favourite subjects are, or which subjects they score well in. By having a subject-based banding system, students will be able to take the subjects at their level. For students who have not yet been affected by the change, they will still need to remain with the previous O Level system.

2. What are the Subjects Offered By My School?

At the upper secondary level, there are standard subjects (English, E Maths, A Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Social Studies, Geography, and History) along with elective subjects (like art, exercise and sports science, principles of accounts, design and technology, nutrition and food science, computing, economics, and literature in Mother Tongue). There are some subjects which are compulsory, such as English, E Maths, and Social Studies. There are also combined subjects comprising any two subjects from the following: Biology, Physics, and Chemistry. Pure subjects (Biology, Physics, and Chemistry) are more difficult.

Parents wanting to find out which schools offer what subjects should contact the school. When choosing electives, students should think about what they like and what they are good at. The electives offered by each school are specific to the institution. These subjects offer a unique advantage to your child because these subjects are rare. If students show aptitude and talent for these subjects and wish to take them, they should be encouraged to do so. These specialised subjects can be used as a strategic choice for students to apply to your chosen institution, such as Junior Colleges or polytechnics. For example, if your child is good at computer science, they should consider enrolling in a school with the Computing elective.

3. How Do I Decide My Subject Combination?

Students deciding on their subject combination should talk to their parents, teachers, or seniors before making a choice. These trusted individuals should be able to shed some light on your present situation and provide a more objective view about your skills and abilities.

There are a number of questions students should ask themselves before deciding:

• Would you like to go to JC or polytechnic?
• Which subjects have you been consistently doing well in?
• Which subjects do you have additional help for?
• Based on your projected subjects, what are your best and worst case scenarios for L1R5 or ELR2B2?

After mapping out all these factors, students should look at the subjects offered by the school and decide to forgo the ones they are not as good at, and take the ones they have a good chance of doing better in. Remember – there are still compulsory subjects to take, namely E Math, English, and Social Studies. English is a highly important subject, considering that the bulk of the syllabus in schools are taught in it. WRITERS AT WORK aims to help students make adequate preparations for them to cope with the increased demands in of English comprehension and writing aptitude for both primary and secondary school.

4. Other Considerations

Perhaps the age-old question many students and parents are thinking about is whether it is necessary to take Triple Science. There is no hard and fast rule – it depends on your child’s proficiency in Science. Typically, students are only encouraged to take Triple Science if their Secondary 2 Science grades are above 80%. Although many parents will view it necessary to take Triple Science, they should ask their child what they truly want to do, and whether it makes sense to take such a heavy academic workload considering their other responsibilities.

Another question many students will need to think about is whether they are going to go to polytechnics or a Junior College. Now, there are many pathways to university – Junior College is not the only way. To substantiate this statement, let us bring out some important statistics. 65% of JC students are able to go to a local university, while 30 to 35% of polytechnic students go to a local university. Students should not be worried that there is a one-size-fits-all method to success – doing well in life comes in many different ways.

When thinking about these questions, students should work backwards to meet their objectives. They need to do some reflection, future planning, and critical thinking. Students who want certain careers such as being a doctor, or a lawyer need to go to Junior College – this route has a higher bar to entry and a heavier academic workload. In contrast, entering a polytechnic allows students to choose more specialised courses, but students will take a longer duration of 3 years to complete, and they must manage multiple assignment deadlines.

How is the English language important in deciding my subject combination?

English is a core subject at every point of the student’s academic journey, and even when they go beyond their schooling years and on to employment, they will need to write and speak in English. The communication, writing, and analytical skills which English offers goes beyond mastering the subject. By learning English, students will be able to pick up soft skills such as critical thinking and analysis, which will serve them well in all walks of life. Entry to all polytechnic courses, JC, and university requires good English skills, and it is vital that students master the secondary school curriculum for English, which is more difficult.

Many students tend to get complacent with English in secondary school. There are higher expectations, higher weightage, and soft skills like logic and critical thinking involved in the exercises students need to master before they sit for their O Level paper. The passages studied in English are of higher literacy value, and students need to pick up skills such as inference to do well in their exams. When students go to Junior College, they often struggle with the General Paper when they take A Levels as they have limited exposure to writing essays.

WRITERS AT WORK takes a skills-based approach to language and literacy which allows students to understand the various demands of the English syllabus. Textual and media literacy, communication confidence, academic writing – these are what we have included in our curriculum to ensure that it is pragmatic to the students! With our passionate team of teachers and our relevant curriculum, we teach the skills your child needs to learn not only to pass their secondary school exams, but also to serve them well throughout all aspects of life.

Prepare for Secondary 3 and 4 with WRITERS AT WORK!

English is a compulsory subject which all students must undertake. However, mastering the English language is not something which happens overnight – it takes consistent practice and effort to learn the nuances of the language. Students must read more and practice writing to gradually improve. Cramming for a language subject nearer to the exams is an impossible feat. After all, Rome was not built in a day! Attaining such a skill will have positive implications for not only your child’s education in school, but also employment prospects in future.

At WRITERS@WORK, we are committed to providing the smoothest learning experience for your child sitting for their English exams. With our carefully curated methods of teaching your child how to write well, your child will learn how to present their thoughts and arguments in a coherent and concise manner. W@W reinforces your child’s language skills and provides a strong foundation for their academic success, keeping up with all aspects of their progress both inside and outside of the classroom to nurture them holistically. For more information about how W@W makes a difference, feel free to explore our website and watch our YouTube videos!

If you are interested in our primary English tuition and secondary English tuition in Singapore, WRITERS@WORK has expanded to 9 convenient locations. To find the nearest location that suits your needs, please explore our options. If you have any inquiries regarding our range of programs or class schedules, please feel free to contact WRITERS@WORK!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):

1. Is Creative Writing Good for Kids?

Creative writing is good for children as it teaches them how to use their imagination. Children have a vivid imagination and will enjoy coming up with different storylines and characters. Through the use of creative writing, children can express themselves using the English language, which is also good for their emotional development and maturity.

2. What are Good Creative Writing Topics?

A good start is to write about what you know. Students can start by writing about things that are familiar to them, such as school or family. Then, students can move on to more complex topics, requiring them to use their imagination about events which would be unlikely to happen in real life, such as a fairytale or an adventure story. Older students can write descriptive essays about being in a situation or about more abstract concepts, such as regret.

3. How to Begin a Story?

A good story should have just the right amount of exposition to illuminate the setting and the characters for the reader without giving away the entire plot. The story should begin where it is relevant, and the general gist of the situation should be outlined. The writer should know how to move the plot along from where they start easily, and the story should flow logically.

4. What are the Basic Steps in Creative Writing?

A good first step would be to plan out the story – it is important that the story follows a Plot Curve which has a logical sequence of events and a clear conclusion. The main and supporting characters should be clear – there should not be a whole village of characters – just enough to further the plot. Moreover, the central conflict of the story should be clear.