KiasuParents - Parenting in Singapore

Hi JC students:

It is imperative that you begin devoting equal attention to the General Paper subject (and Project Work for that matter) as it is often the differentiating factor for university entry. Many students neglect GP not because of a lack of interest, but usually because of the unengaging manner in which it is taught in schools. Other contributory factors include lack of personalised guidance, procrastination and low self-esteem. As a student, I used to face these problems too, until I decided to give it my best shot for the "A" Levels by studying for it at the last minute.

The truth is that GP, like any other subject, can be studied, as long as you put consistent effort into it. However, the barrier to entry is higher than what you would have encountered in Secondary School English, meaning that it is difficult to write consistently well, and even more difficult to master notwithstanding a solid English foundation. In other words, good narrative writing or composition skills at the Secondary School level does not guarantee success in GP. This is because GP is not about the ability to describe, create or narrate a fictitious story; it tests your ability to think critically, reason logically, weigh competing interests and thereafter adopt a nuanced and balanced view on a particular topic of interest.

The crux is this: GP is ultimately a reflection of a student's maturity of thought and knowledge of current affairs, which he or she must express in a logical, well-structured and cogent manner. It is about clarity of expression in writing.

In the longer term, a good grasp of the English language is critical not just for scholastic purposes, but also for personal development and increased employability, since the ability to read and write proficiently is a key requirement in just about every profession today. This is reflected in every task you perform, such as drafting emails and reports, communicating with clients and bosses, and conducting persuasive presentations.

I sent my son to tuition on GP. Every year costs $5000. But he only scored E this time in JC 1 mid year exam. What can I do now?

engp9463 wrote:I sent my son to tuition on GP. Every year costs $5000. But he only scored E this time in JC 1 mid year exam. What can I do now?

Why 'every year'? Is your son repeating JC1?

Assuming tuition for ten months in a year once a week and each session is two hours, that works out at an hourly rate of $62.50. This would be consistent with group tuition rather than one-to-one. If so, perhaps you could consider one-to-one tuition. You would have to pay a higher hourly rate but at least you would get the individualised attention.

More generally, is your son in the science stream? It is a stereotype, I know, but in my teaching experience students in the science stream simply do not take GP seriously; reading the newspapers, for instance, is an anathema to them. Then it is too late. At least in your son's case you still have one and a half years to go.

Tuition can only do so much. Success is ultimately down to the persistent effort and ability of the student.

Joy of Learning 111 wrote:
Tuition can only do so much. Success is ultimately down to the persistent effort and ability of the student.

I agree wholeheartedly.

engp9463 wrote:I sent my son to tuition on GP. Every year costs $5000. But he only scored E this time in JC 1 mid year exam. What can I do now?

Tutor can only guide him on essay writing techniques, mind mapping, summary/paraphrasing/AQ strategies, and perhaps strengthen his grammar foundation (if he didn't do well in EL or didn't take Lit/History/SS in O Levels).

I doubt IP students need any form of external help on the above.

He needs to read more and practise writing regularly. Not narrative or descriptive, but expository, persuasive, analytical, argumentative type of essays. Get him into such writing modes soon, if he hasn't started in upper sec. I changed my compo writing style in Sec 3, and started scoring. Otherwise, I was very weak in descriptive/creative writing and getting mediocre marks for compo :p

Actually, watching TV debates helps a lot, but alas, Mediacorp no longer broadcasts JC/uni debates.

Content is very impt too. Subscribe to The Economist, Newsweek, Time, History Today, etc. or borrow from JC library. Or read online versions.

Create a blog and start critiquing anything in the news NB: don't waste time blogging on petty local news or G policies, please. Reflect on global affairs, current affairs, modern history...Ideally, get acquainted with the United Nations and all its global causes, human rights issues...like I did!

Of course, if son isn't interested in intl affairs, there will always be certain topics closer to home (multiracial society/diversity), arts/philo-related qns or those mundane ones related to abortion/euthanasia/apartheid/discrimination qns to pick. I picked a familiar topic that I knew I could plonk in my knowledge on international affairs, and give solid facts to back up my thesis statement. I believe my essay was what helped me score very well.

I'm sure your son has his own pet topics/forte.

My spouse is a current GP teacher in one of the top 5 JCs. He has had more than 20 years of experience in teaching GP. He has helped quite a number of students to improve their grades if the students are willing to put in the effort. Please send me a personal message if you are keen to engage his service. Thank you.

Hi, as a current MOE tutor teaching GP, I find that students often experience an irrational fear when it comes to the subject. However, I have come to learn that they fear it because they do not understand it. This fear and uncertainty also manifests itself in a lack of desire to comment on issues, which then leads to a vicious cycle of not doing well in GP. I will be offering small-group (max. 4 students) crash courses in June that will focus on: breaking down the different P2 question types, improving their reading skills and analysing the students' P1 writing style and weaknesses, with the aim of helping them gain confidence to gain knowledge on their own in the long-haul. PM me for more information!

Hi Everyone,

I graduated from RI in 2016 and I would like to share my journey for getting A for GP in A Levels.

GP consists of 2 parts, Paper 1 and Paper 2. Both papers are scored to a max of 50 points each. To get an A, you need 70%. It is understood that essay writing is extremely tough so my strategy is to focus a lot more on Paper 2, which are the Comprehension and Application Questions.

Paper 2: In Comprehension Questions, you can actually categorize questions into: para-phrase, reading between the lines, opinionated,etc.

Para-phrase questions are actually majority of the Comprehension questions. E.g "In your own words...". The question wants you to find the part of the passage which contains the answer and paraphrase with synonyms. So, the key is to find an ACCURATE REPLACEMENT of the word in the passage. Accuracy is key. There are many synonyms to a word but the intensity of the word must be kept. E.g "Happy is not the same as overjoyed". To be frank, you do not have to understand the passage at all to answer this question. If you know that the answers are somewhere in this paragraph, you can literally paraphrase the whole paragraph. Now you know the importance of paraphrasing, here are some tips to improve on it. Download a dictionary and thesauraus on your phone. Any time you read something and you are not familiar with the meaning of the word, search it up and write down on a notebook. Also, if you have done enough papers you will realise that there are some common words that will always turn up.

For questions that require you to read between the lines, you will slowly develop this after more practices.

For Application questions, the examiners want to know what is unique about Singapore. You can give personal anecdotes (you can get away with lying about that overseas school volunteer project you never participated or that old lady you helped).

If you find my tips helpful and want to know about how to improve in Paper 1, drop me a text and I will share it for free. I do not want to share so much if nobody finds it credible or useful.

for sharing Jeriel

My JC son used to fail his A Level GP exam in school . But after attending GP lessons with Mr. Liew from EDvolution Learning Studio , he jumped to a B and eventually he scored an A in A level result . So as a parent , I am really more than happy !

The class size is very small and he can talk to students 1-1 after class . My Son found him very helpful and effective . He was previously a GP teacher from Victoria JC .

Can go to his website to find out more at EDvolution.com.sg. He has a branch at Bukit Timah and Tanah Merah.