Tips for Students: Starting Your Secondary School Journey

By WR!TERS@WORK

Secondary school may be an exciting yet daunting journey for students. There will no doubt be an increase in difficulty in the content students will need to study. Students who are going to a different school will experience new dynamics and school cultures, and they may have a different group of friends and peers and a new location to travel to every morning.

It is normal to feel lost and anxious as a newcomer into any secondary school as it is a foreign and new environment. Despite these feelings, here are 3 helpful tips to help any student not only survive, but thrive in their new secondary school!

Tip 1: Embrace Your New School!

It is important to be happy wherever you may be, regardless of whether the school is your first choice or not. There are many opportunities out there in every school, and every student has the chance to carve their own place in the new school environment. Although there may be some feelings of resentment or negative emotions swirling around if you didn’t get your first choice, there is nothing you can do about it now except focus on the future.

It is good to start your schooling life in secondary school with an attitude of cautious optimism, as students need a strong mental fortitude to face the coming years. Although the environment will be different, with different expectations from your parents and teachers and a new set of friends, it is important to have a good attitude so that you can tackle the challenges in secondary school with an open mind. Being regretful does nothing for you, and it may blind you from opportunities to be happy and find new friends and things you like to do in your new school.

Tip 2: Get to know Your Environment and The People In It!

It is important to have a good circle of friends and a support system so that you don’t have to do everything alone. Friends can encourage you when you’re down, motivate you when you feel lazy, and going through common experiences in school may help you bond and increase your friendship. Being friendly is a sure-fire way to have others treat you the same way, so don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and find friends in your new school!

Although some students may be afraid of rejection or being awkward, chances are that everyone else is feeling the same as they are – they’re all in an unfamiliar, new environment, and they also want to be accepted by their peers and “fit in”. Keeping a positive attitude will certainly help you make new friends in your new school environment, as people are drawn to others who exude cheerfulness and a jovial nature.

Don’t be afraid to interact with seniors and teachers as well, as having been in the school for some time, they will have good pieces of advice you can use to navigate your new secondary school! Seniors and teachers will be more than happy to help you out if you need directions or need to know what the procedures are like in the school to get certain things done. Establishing a good rapport in future with seniors may also help you in your CCAs, as you will have an opportunity to make more friends and have fun both inside and outside the classroom!

Tip 3: Have a Plan!

It is very important to plan before entering a new school, as knowledge is power. Knowing what the school is like by reading up online about it may help students feel more confident when they enter it for the first time. Students may feel less anxiety as knowing more information will help them feel a sense of control and familiarity especially during the first few weeks, as the information being presented to them during briefings will not be entirely new.

In secondary school, there are 2 main areas to plan for: (1) academics and (2) CCAs.

(1) Academics

Secondary school is vastly different from primary school as the number of subjects will increase from 4 to up to 8 or 9. These subjects may be occasionally foreign to the student, such as Literature, History, and Geography, and the student should read up on the syllabus or look at practice questions from exercise workbooks in the bookstore. Knowing what each subject entails before undertaking it could help students feel more confident and less confused when studying.

Another helpful area to plan for is time management, as students will need to plan their schedule wisely to cover all the content for their subjects. Students may be better at studying for some subjects than others, and they will need time to bolster their weaknesses as well as hone their strengths. Students should strive to revise regularly instead of leaving a large mass of content to cram for when examinations are nearing, as they will feel less stressed this way.

(2) Co-Curricular Activities (CCAs)

Students should allocate time to choose their CCAs wisely, as there are possible opportunities for different CCAs to take part in competitions outside of school. Moreover, there are certain demands in terms of time commitment for different CCAs which students should meet to be a good, well-rounded student in secondary school. Students should think about how their CCAs affect their application for the next stage of life, such as polytechnic or Junior College.

CCA points do contribute to the student’s final O Level score by 1 or 2 points depending on the student’s performance, so every student should endeavour to participate and contribute to their CCAs. Students should make sure that they have enough time to complete their academic workload in addition to the commitments in CCA.

Transition From Primary School to Secondary School with Ease!

At WR!TERS@WORK, we are committed to providing the smoothest learning experience for your child sitting for their English exams at both primary and secondary school levels. With our carefully curated methods of teaching English for PSLE, O Levels, and A Levels, your child will be able to identify the answers to the questions and present them in a concise manner in no time.

English is a compulsory subject that has direct impact on your chances of advancing to upper secondary. Overall, English tuition and writing courses can help primary school students enjoy a smoother transition between education levels by reinforcing their language skills and providing a strong foundation for academic success.

Engaging in English tuition and writing courses can greatly assist students in smoothly transitioning between education levels. These programs reinforce their language skills and establish a solid foundation for academic achievement. For more exam tips, parents and students can explore our website and watch our YouTube videos.

If you are interested in our primary English tuition and secondary English tuition in Singapore, WR!TERS@WORK has expanded to 8 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 WR!TERS@WORK.

Frequently Asked Questions about Secondary School

1. How do I find the best English tutor?

Firstly, research and ask around for good recommendations from family or friends. Next, research online and read the reviews of tuition centres to find suitable candidates. A good idea is to drop by the tuition centre and let your child experience a trial lesson to find a good tutor.

2. What is the purpose of an English tutor?

An English tutor is supposed to guide your child to their full potential in terms of mastering the English language. Different children have different skills and capabilities in their academics, and the job of the tutor is to identify strengths and weaknesses of the child and help them accordingly.

3. What skills should an English tutor have?

A tutor should have a discerning eye for strengths and weaknesses of the student, patience to deal with different students, the requisite qualifications and experience, and they should be up to date on the relevant changes in the Singaporean English syllabus.

4. What are some important skills in English?

The English language requires the understanding of simple rules such as grammatical rules and sentence structure. Moreover, it requires more complex skills such as inference and synthesis which come later on as the student progresses to more difficult exercises.

5. Which English language skills is most difficult?

Synthesis is one of the most difficult skills in the English language as it involves using present ideas to generate new opinions and viewpoints.

6. What is the most difficult part of English class?

The most difficult part of English class is to understand how to craft your own ideas from an existing body of work, and how all the individual parts of English – grammar, vocabulary, sentence structure, clauses, etc. – fit together in an essay as a whole.