INSIGHTS TOWARDS O LEVEL 2016

For all Secondary Four Students, the imminent ordeal is coming on 20th this month (for most of you). Are you guys experiencing the stress that you are never able to finish everything on time? Let you give you some suggestions, which my friends and I used to overcome this major ordeal last year...

English
Many people taking O Level English think that it is very simple and easy to get the green light for a pass. That undoubtedly is a fact, but note the following:

1. If you start to forsake this key subject in your O Level Certificate, you will regret it if you do not even try to make time for it. Many people in my School have previously let go of the subject and ended up getting a C or D for the subject because they become complacent in the subject. English can be easily prepared for through the following recommended methods:

Paper 1
Please DO NOT memorise the entire essay and 'vomit' it out in the exam. 99% percent of the time, it ends up to be extremely bad and you will not score better and even score worse than a student with lots of grammatical mistakes. Cambridge has explicitly stated in the Examiner's Report that scripts with an essay that are good but out of place to the question would be heavily penalised due to its lack of originality.
  It is highly recommended that memorization is used but in a different way. Memorise the good vocabulary that teachers have given to you in your school. WORD FOR WORD. This helps to elevate the style of language used and give a better impression to the Cambridge Examiners. (If you don't have a list of good phrases or verbs, do contact me to get a recommended list for 1128 examination.)

  Situational Writing requires you to use visual text. Scripts not using visual text will not score higher than 6 for Task Fulfillment due to failure to use task requirements. Use 5 minutes to read the visual text and annotate the questions at hand.

  For Editing, please CIRCLE the incorrect words. Students not adhering to this instruction by Cambridge has been reported scoring zero for Editing.

Recommended Timing

Editing 7.5min
Situational Writing Visual Text Analysis and Question Analysis 10 minutes
Situational Writing Actual Writing 40 mins
Essay Question Analysis 5 mins
Essay Writing 40min
Checking of Grammar 7.5min

Paper 2

  The biggest sin that you can possibly make from this paper is to do the questions without reading the text, especially for NARRATIVE TEXT. Narrative Text requires the candidates to understand the flow of the story and the flow of feelings by the characters. Failure to read the text would result in candidates not understanding the actual flow of events and give invalid or vague answering, translating to no marks credited for that question.

  Though not recommended in GP Comprehension, O Level Comprehension provides a lot of time for candidates to read the text thoroughly to give insightful responses. Reading is MANDATORY in O Level English Comprehension!

Recommended flow

Visual Text Analysis 5 min
Visual Text Answering 10min
Narrative Text Analysis 30min
Narrative Text Answering 25 min
Non-Narrative Text Analysis 10 min
Non-Narrative 10m SAQ 10min
Summary 20min

Paper 3

IF YOU NEED THE RECORDING FOR THE 2014/2015 O LEVEL LC EXAMINATION OR THE QUESTION PAPER, please email me...

  As evident from last year's examination, the narrator for the Listening Comprehension Examination would be extremely fast, especially for the Note Taking component. Adding on to the only ability to listen to the recording only once, here is the method to tackle note taking:

For whatever text that is broadcast, there will be blanks for you to fill in. REMEMBER what is the phrase that is given and record on in short form on the answer booklet.

2015 paper

ancestors of modern Japanese robots

Short Form
ance. of now Jap bot

  During the 2 min buffer period at the end, change the short form to long form.

  PLEASE NOTE THAT CAMBRIDGE ONLY ACCEPT THE EXACT PHRASE AND NOT ANY OTHER OPTIONS.

Mathematics/ Additional Mathematics
With the recent increase in quality grades, Cambridge has revised the 4016 syllabi to 4048 syllabi for Mathematics. Now there is a mixture of both Basic and Applied Mathematics into the same paper. However, the need for accuracy and carelessness prevention is still of utmost importance in O Level Mathematics. When you finish the paper, check EVERY working and see whether it make sense.

  For additional Mathematics, there has been one form of question that Cambridge has emphasised greatly (Curve Sketching). They said that candidates are not drawing large enough graphs and cause them to lose marks of accuracy. Therefore, please draw a graph that is appropriate for the amount of marks awarded for that question.

Biology

  If you cannot finish remembering all of the facts, STOP now. The overarching ideas in Biology make it hard to cramp everything into your brain within such a short period of time.

  If you cannot finish, do the practice papers that are given to your teachers NOW. Get exposed to O Level Questions and know the type of answers that are given by the Answer Sheet to score decently for the examination.

Chemistry

  Chemistry has moved from a knowledge-based examination to application based subject. With the inevitable 3 pages situational question in Section B, it is important for candidates to be able to link all their understanding towards memorising and applying effectively to score well.
  Chemistry is easy to score, especially if you can understand the topics well. The common problem that students face from Chemistry is the inability to recognise the significance of trends. The atoms, molecules, structures and functions are all alive, even though the cell is the basic unit of life. You need to relate the attitudes of the different particles towards human in order to do well.
  Spend at least 45 mins on Section B, so that you can have sufficient time to read the three-page report and finish the EITHER/OR Question for that Examination.

Physics

  I'm not in the position to comment, as I have lost touch for about a year in this subject.

Combined Humanities
  Introduction

  This year is the last year of the outgoing syllabus 2204. It is noticeable of the great difference in assessment methods in Social Studies between 2204 and 2267, which is the new syllabus. People do cherish this last paper of the old syllabus, or else we will regret it.

 For SBCS, infer all the sources FIRST as specified by the question. This would help you gain the minimum mark to pass the SBCS, through mere uncritical acceptance of source.

Social Studies

Social Studies is going through a major change from next year onwards. With the change from Structured Essay Question to Structured Response Question in the new syllabus, the old syllabus is predicted to be leaning towards the style of the new syllabus. Therefore, don't think that spotting will help in this year's examination definitely. DO IT WISELY.
MERELY INFERENCE OF THE SOURCE FOR THAT QUESTION AND THE KEYWORD TO THE QUESTIONS WOULD AWARD YOU A PASS FOR THAT QUESTION.
Therefore, by merely inference of the sources in SBCS, would award you a pass for the section.
I have predicted the questions that will come out for the 2016 O Level Social Studies Paper. If you want the question, do email me, as I am not allowed to post it online.

Recommended Timing

Source Analysis 10 min
Inference of ALL sources as specified in question FIRST 15 min
In-depth analysis of question 30min
SEQ 50 min

Elective History

With reference to the Prelim Papers this year's Preliminary Examination, there is a large percentage of students betting on Cuban Missile Crisis to come out for the SBCS. I for one, believe that it will never come out this year. With CMC coming out for 2015 Pure History Case Study and with the constant pressure for CMC to come out for the O Level Examination, the more Cambridge will not come out for the examination.

MERELY INFERENCE OF THE SOURCE FOR THAT QUESTION AND THE KEYWORD TO THE QUESTIONS WOULD AWARD YOU A PASS FOR THAT QUESTION.

  The examination SEQ would be very unpredictable. However, I have spotted on three main topics that will come out for the examination. If you need it, please email me.

Source Analysis 5 min
Inference of ALL sources as specified in question (a) to (d) FIRST 10 min
Evaluation Question (USE ALL SOURCES, DON'T LEAVE A SINGLE SOURCE) 15 mins
In-depth analysis of question 20min
SEQ 50 min

All in all, good luck for your examination three weeks later! If you need any more advice or need FREE MARKING services by certified tutors (for example your essay or source based case studies, feel free to contact me at littlebunniehellokitty@gmail.com

My best wishes
Ordinary Student

GCE O Level English 1128 2016

Dear students, hope that you guys are managing the papers by far!

  English Paper 1 and 2 (70% of marks) may be over, but don't just give up on the language just yet. Regardless of how well you think you have done for those two paper, Listening is tomorrow!!! It is 10% of the total and would make a huge difference in the score of students who have different perception towards its importance.

  Even though Listening is the component of lowest percentage, just a bit of slack on the Note Taking Component would award you 0 marks for that component. That 2% of that total score. I have learnt my lesson from last year and due to my complacency in Listening, I ended up scoring C for English which could have been a B if not for my complacency. Those 10 marks may determine whether you score A1 or A2, a B3 or C5, a C6 or even a D7! Don't let your guard down!

  N Level 2016 Note Taking was rather fast, much faster than that of last year, which was a great uproar by candidates to that year. Remember the method of note taking that I suggest previously.

RECALL:

For whatever text that is broadcast, there will be blanks for you to fill in. REMEMBER what is the phrase that is given and record on in short form on the answer booklet.

2015 paper

ancestors of modern Japanese robots

Short Form
ance. of now Jap bot

During the 2 minute checking period at the end, remove these short form and write down the full form within the two minutes. Check whether you have ticked properly and filled up properly for the previous sections.

  If you need the 2015 paper recording, feel free to contact me and I send it as soon as possible.

Ordinary Student

Review on 2016 O Level 4048 Math

Hi all

  Though I am not taking O Level anymore, I have heard from my juniors that this year's Math Paper was exceptionally hard, with the question on Peter and his Magazine Company?

  Yes, the paper for this year examination is exceptionally hard as compared to previous years. This is obvious due to the syllabus change. For those taking the paper, do you notice that many questions are based on 'Explain' or 'Suggest'? That is because for this new syllabus, the percentage of marks that is allocated to reasoning and justification doubled compared to Syllabus 4016, which mainly focused on knowledge usage.

  I used 2 hours 12 mins to finish the paper, which is much longer than the usual 1 hr 30 min that I had used last year. I scored  87/100 for the paper, excluding the possible marks lost by Presentation and Units. This shows the level of thinking and processing time needed for the new syllabus.
I used 45 mins for the Peter questions due to the many minute details of the questions that need to be processed in order to gain the correct answer. The correct answer of that question is within the range of $9.22 to $20.

  Apart from that, I have noticed that the new syllabus like to merge topics together in the questions. For example Q8 required knowledge of both Trigonometry and Volume to gain the correct answer. This is an eye opener of what the new syllabus perceives students to do, which is to emphasise on Application.

Advice to Current O Level students
DO NOT LOSE HEART JUST BECAUSE OF E MATH! They are merely trying to scare you! Don't fall to that temptation to give up just yet. Once you hand up the Science MCQ PMCAS, then you can Sever ties with O Level all you want... This is not quite the time for these thoughts yet!'n
Advice to Secondary 3 2016
If you are weak in our foundation for either topics in the syllabus, use this December Holidays to work on your foundation. You WILL NOT score well if you continue to be weak on your foundation, with thoughts of the 10 Mark Application Question I the new syllabus!

  Go on! Push it!

Ordinary Student

The Jump from 'O' to 'A'

Hi Guys!

  It has been a while since I last blogged about something. JC life really is taking the life out of me... Any ways, for all those who are interested in going to a JC to peruse your tertiary education, here are some of my opinion of how JC has been like and how different is it from my O Level life.

General Comment:
1. One thing for sure is that in JC, lessons end much later than in Secondary School. For my class the earliest time that we are actually released from school is 4.15pm which I had a hard time coping with previously as I had always been released from secondary school at 2.30pm, which gave me more time to study after school.
2. Content is much more in depth and scope than in O Level. In O Level, we built up on our knowledge in the subjects that we had learnt in PSLE. If that's considered a lot in your case, then I strongly recommend that you not go for the JC curriculum that will scare the lights out of you after you enter.
3. Lessons are much more fast paced than in O Level. For example in H2 Bio, our lecture only had 2 lectures, that is one week of school to finish the chapter of enzymes, a chapter that used up almost 2 weeks of 6 lesson in secondary school to finish. Therefore, A level also has a lot of self directed learning.

In a specific note, for the various subjects...

O Level English-->A Level General Paper
In O Level English,

• Candidates are only required to read, understand, write, talk and listen in Internationally Acceptable English. Hence, as long as your language is on par, you will have no problem in scoring well, regardless of how mediocre your content is.
• It is easy to pass O Level English, as long as your essays do not have too much 'exp' OR 'ss' or 'sp' or 'ww' etc. on them.
• Time constraint is not much of a concern in O Level English, as plenty of time is given to evaluate the text and answer the questions.

However in GP,

• Candidates are now not only require to read, comprehend and communicate effectively in Internationally Acceptable English, they are also required to think critically and communicate their ideas in a mature and sophisticated manner in order to score well.
• Time Constraint is always a problem that you experience as 1 hour 30 minutes is never enough to finish 8 SAQ (Short Answer Question), one 120 word Summary and one 2 page Application Question.

I have not recalled any instances where I actually managed to pass my GP essay due to the perceived lack of  maturity of understanding and appreciation towards worldly affairs.

O Level A Math and Math--> A Level H2 Math
In O Level Math,

• Presentation is always the determinant between the A1s, A2s and B3s.
• All questions can be done through thorough analysis and formulaic approaches.

In H2 Math,

• Presentation, even though is one thing that affect marks, is not much of a concern as it can only be penalised if you even attempt the question! Once you cannot understand the question OR even know which chapter this question is testing you on, you cannot even answer the question! Many people suffer in J1 due to the lack of practice and appreciation towards the Mathematical Concept.
• Time is also a main concern, as long workings may be needed for even a 2 mark question.

O Level Biology-->A Level H2 Biology

O Level Biology

• Looks at the physiological component of life. (human body system and its functioning to sustain life).
• Split into 4 themes.
• Each theme requires at most two hours to revise before exams.
• Exam does not require detailed explanation if not prompted.   

A Level H2 Biology

• Dive further into the body and towards the molecular basis of the body. Amplified specification of some topics, such as Biological Molecules (Nutrition in Humans) and Molecular Genetics (one entire theme dedicated to this topic).
• Greater understanding and appreciation towards the half truths that O Level Biology provide.
• Split into 6 themes for new syllabus.
• Requires answering techniques that, when not applied may cause one to score 0 marks for the 20 marks essay question.
• One theme require the entire day in order to revise.
• Detailed explanation is encouraged and demanded for all questions in the Bio Paper.
• Time Constraint is a Huge Issue due to a lot of information needed to be written.

O Level Chemistry-->A Level H2 Chemistry

O Level Chemistry

• Foundation knowledge on Organic and Inorganic Chemistry
• Questions are highly predictable.
• Data Analysis questions can be answered using information from text.

A Level H2 Chemistry

• Go into depth for ALL the O Level Topics and teaches that many concepts learnt in O Level does not hold in reality in A Level H2 Chemistry.
• New Topics are included.
• Time Constraint is an issue, especially for MCQ Question.

O Level Combined Humanities--> A Level H2 Economics

O Level

• Limited skill set required (Usefulness, Reliability, etc...)
• Time Issue easily resolved, especially with revised syllabus 2267.
• Writing something with key words and just inferring sources will pass you immediately.
• Formulaic Approach are despired, but get you the A1 for CH.
• NAQ may give you 1 mark.

A Level H2 Economics 

• High level of Maturity of thought needed to tackle all questions.
• Skills are a more diverse range, must be trained and not taught.
• Formulaic Approach cannot hold in reality for Economics, and will even give you 0 marks for NAQ.
• Time Issues always a concern.

If you need more information on the JC curriculum or sample pages on notes on some of the H2 subjects, email me at littlebunniehellokitty@gmail.com

  Thank you!

For GP Students, GE2015

As this is an education blog, I would like to share my opinions that I would be making for the vote swing amongst Singapore for this General Election, and hope that it would be relevant for the General Paper, such as for your application question, etc...

  Why the power swing happened, I shall share my opinions:

1) Loss of a great leader

2015 marked the demise of a great leader, which was Mr Lee Kuan Yew. Mr Lee has led the country for the first 50 years of independence and after 50 years of independence, he has passed on. The demise of the leader had led to Singaporeans feeling afraid and insecure about the future of Singaporeans. This has made Singaporean feel that they must vote for the ruling party, which Mr Lee has groomed and helped nurture to prepare the next generation of PAP members to continue governing Singapore with his efficiency. This mentality that Singaporeans had would definitely make them vote for the PAP to secure a presumed brighter future for Singapore rather than the opposition that does not have that experience in parliament and hence may not bring good future to Singapore for the next 50 years.

2) Loss of strong opposition candidates from GE2011

GE2015 has been met with a loss of many key strong personnel from GE2011. For example, Nicole Seah from the NSP declared that she will not take part in the general elections. She was the beating heart of the NSP Marine Parade team in GE2011, evident from Nicole Seah talking most of the time in the NSP Rallies in 2011. The loss of this key candidate caused the NSP to lose majority of its votes and even a possible seat in Parliament, if Nicole Seah were to consider contesting in MacPherson SMC or something to that extent. Another was Mr Chiam See Tong, which had the MP for SPP Potong Pasir Stronghold. After the deterioration of Mr Chiam's health, he now is unable to contest in any SMC or GRC. This is added on to the inability of him to do the simplest of thing, such as to speak effectively in rallies. The lack of the strong leader has made the team seem feeble and hence unable to lead Singapore probably. These two were only some of the example of people losing confidence of political teams and hence not voting for opposition.

3) Complacency amongst opposition

Due to the excellent performance in GE2011, the opposition scene in Singapore has been with complacency and many opposition personnel have started their own political parties, such as SingFirst and PPP. The divided amount of famous opposition personnel in GRCs have made the team look very weak, compared to those stronger ones, like the WP Aljunied Teams. This caused the people to not be confident of these new political parties, as many of the candidates introduced were new and not well known among Singapore in the political arena, hence not being able to vote for the opposition.

4) Increasing confidence of Singaporeans by PAP diligence

The PAP has been very concerned about the future of Singapore due to GE2011. The decrease in vote percentage in PAP has caused them to step up their campaigning game for GE2015. By clearly describing the facts and their plans for the future of Singapore, they have made people convinced that they are the ones that would be the best to lead Singapore. Also, they have displayed their incorruptibility by informing Singaporeans their care for Singaporean, regardless of social background. The dilligence made Singaporeans feel that they will work hard and lead Singapore effectively and to the best of ability for the next 5 years, hence vote for them, causing the vote swing.

5) Unnecessary fighting amongst the Opposition

The most prominent example is the fighting between Han Hui Hui and the Reform Party. The party accused Ms Han for attempts of character assassination and her being a Socialist Front sponsored candidates. All these attempts were used to maintain the integrity of the respectively personnel, but these were viewed by the public as forms of childishness and bring about problems and conflict unnecessarily. These made Singaporean feel that these parties that argued about one another and not work together as one solid opposition made them feel that the leadership qualities of these parties were questionable and hence caused Singaporeans to not vote for the opposition, evident from the 78% given to PAP Radin Mas Candidate, Sam Tan, as compared to 2011, which was 67%.