O-Level English

[ChiefKiasu]

My daughter English weakness is at composition and comprehension.

Does your DD read story books, novels?

[D3@n]

My daughter English weakness is at composition and comprehension.

There are so many aspects to the four English papers that I am not able to cover them all here.
So I'll just provide some information on the two components that you highlighted. And even then I can only cover certain areas given the time and space.

There are different styles of essay questions that can come out for Composition - Descriptive, Personal Recount/Reflective, Discursive and Argumentative. Each essay type has a different essay structure and the focus a little different. The first two require a stronger vocabulary and description, on top of a sensitivity to details and emotions. The latter two will be better suited for students who are more methodical and structured in their thinking process as these essays are more based on the points they present. Bombastic words, poetic usage or emotive language are not required or appropriate here. So knowing one's own strengths and what question type suits one is crucial in the selection of one's choice, this choice will largely determine one's outcome.

For comprehension there are two different types of passages - the narrative and the factual. Most students perform badly for the first, as the question type leans more towards inference, language use, tone and effect. So students who read Literature will have an edge. Knowing the different question types and the way to answer them will make the task less intimidating. Of course, students need to understand the passage well in the first place to be able to answer the questions effectively. So having a strong vocabulary and good reading habits will surely help.

Hope this helps.

[Rachelyee9696]

There are so many aspects to the four English papers that I am not able to cover them all here.
So I'll just provide some information on the two components that you highlighted. And even then I can only cover certain areas given the time and space.

There are different styles of essay questions that can come out for Composition - Descriptive, Personal Recount/Reflective, Discursive and Argumentative. Each essay type has a different essay structure and the focus a little different. The first two require a stronger vocabulary and description, on top of a sensitivity to details and emotions. The latter two will be better suited for students who are more methodical and structured in their thinking process as these essays are more based on the points they present. Bombastic words, poetic usage or emotive language are not required or appropriate here. So knowing one's own strengths and what question type suits one is crucial in the selection of one's choice, this choice will largely determine one's outcome.

For comprehension there are two different types of passages - the narrative and the factual. Most students perform badly for the first, as the question type leans more towards inference, language use, tone and effect. So students who read Literature will have an edge. Knowing the different question types and the way to answer them will make the task less intimidating. Of course, students need to understand the passage well in the first place to be able to answer the questions effectively. So having a strong vocabulary and good reading habits will surely help.

Hope this helps.

Thank you .

[Rachelyee9696]

In sec 3, I didn't really put in much effort for English. I believed that language papers cannot be prepared. So I got B3 in MYE, A2 in EYE, but still B3 overall. Wanting an A1 for O levels, my B3 grade was less than satisfactory. So I decided that I had to at least put in some effort in preparing English. I attended tuition at British Council and attended extra lessons (4 hours a week) in school. So that's kind of 6 hours of additional English class outside of curriculum hours. In class, we do all the usual stuff. On my own, I write one essay every week. So I'll be writing at least 2 essays a week. That pulled my grade to A1 for prelim 1. Continued doing the same thing for prelim 2 and got an A1 as well. However, I was still worried, as English is usually the elusive A1 in my school. After prelim 2, I decided to up my efforts. I subscribed to New York Times (you don't have to do that; you can just read straits time) and read the opinion section. Personally, I think that section is the one which teaches how to form an opinion based on an issue. As I prefer expository or argumentative, it was just the right thing I needed. In addition, I started writing essays everyday. I alternated between free writing one day, then situational writing the other day. I also alternated between comprehension a day and summary the other. Basically, I worked on English every single day. I handed in some of my essays to my teachers to grade, and tried to improve based on the feedback I was given. Two weeks before O levels, I began memorising vocabulary (if you need any recommendation, I used the vocabulary book for O levels or something like that by Longman). It certainly proved to be helpful, as 3 out of the 5 vocabulary questions were words I had learned from the book.

At the end, I got an A1 for English for O levels.

May you recommend the vocabulary book for o level ? Thank You

[waitingyou]

My daughter is weak at writing and literature. Can anyone recommend good English tuition class or teacher for sec 1 ? Prefer in west area. Thanks.

[phtthp]

any good Sec 4 (O-level) English composition (essay) teacher to recommend, nearby Hougang / Serangoon / Kovan ?

[sembgal]

Hi

There are various magazines for secondary school
- Young Scientist Level 4
- Ithink
- Inspire
- Ace Magazine
- Heads Up
- Owl

Any comments ?

https://shop.thinktank.com.sg/collectio ... bscription

Subscribe to Present perfect magazines. Recommended by the school teachers. Check with your school English HOD if they intend to do a mass subscription for the whole level. If not, you can subscribe just for your child.

[Ene]

Thanks for your interest. PM sent.

Hi。are you giving English Tuition for Sec 3? Do u have any slots now?
May I know your name, location and rate please. Thank you.

[D3@n]

Hi。are you giving English Tuition for Sec 3? Do u have any slots now?
May I know your name, location and rate please. Thank you.

Thanks for your interest. PM sent.