KiasuParents - Parenting in Singapore

Hi everyone, Im a student in pjc jc 1 this year, based on my seniors experience in jcs, i have heard that failing subjects and getting U or S grade is quite common, and that jc curriculum is really tough, so other than consistant work, is there any other factors that is a must to score well (A and B) in JC1?
Another thing is that since im from science course do you think H1 geography is better or H1 econs? I took elct geog back in sec sch. My subj combi would be either bcmg or bcme. Thanks!

If you have good lecture notes(not necessarily from good jcs) but must be concise and easy to understand can you share it too? If your selling then pm me.

cyt kpopfan wrote:Hi everyone, Im a student in pjc jc 1 this year, based on my seniors experience in jcs, i have heard that failing subjects and getting U or S grade is quite common, and that jc curriculum is really tough, so other than consistant work, is there any other factors that is a must to score well (A and B) in JC1?
Another thing is that since im from science course do you think H1 geography is better or H1 econs? I took elct geog back in sec sch. My subj combi would be either bcmg or bcme. Thanks!

To do well, need to be consistent in revision, and get any doubts cleared as soon as possible to prevent doubts from piling up. Another useful tip is to study in advance, taking advantage of the school holidays.

Lastly, practicing ten year series/prelim papers is the best method of revision once you have grasped the essentials of the subject and can start the question. Ten year series/prelim questions are often of a higher level than tutorial questions, and it takes a certain level of competence to even begin doing the ten year series.

In Math, students who are not at the Ten year series level yet can try simpler tutorial questions from school notes or assessment books to boost their foundation. This is the main step for students who are often stuck and can't start the math question.

For Math, learning and practicing how to check answers for careless
mistakes is a valuable skill and can save marks that can make a great difference. The GC (Graphical Calculator) is a powerful checking tool, which can check (and even give the correct answer sometimes) if used correctly. This is the main skill to be mastered for students who tend to make careless mistakes, but can actually do the question.

The highest level of competence in H2 Math is to understand and be able to derive the formulae, e.g. the formulae for Arithmetic Progression, Geometric Progression, Integration by Parts are all possible to be derived rather than memorized. (Note: This is highly recommended but not entirely necessary to get an A in H2 Math, as just applying formulae correctly with very few mistakes is sufficient to get an A in H2 Math)

Good luck! I can't really comment on the other subjects as I took them quite a long time ago.

Yes it is common to score S and Us, but I highly recommend that you do not get 'used' to doing so even if you have many friends who score the same as you. It is still very possible to score at least Ds and Es with studying and paying attention in lectures/tutorials.

Do not skip tutorials. Do your tutorial questions in advance. I feel that this is especially impt for chem and math, as you need to try the qns in advance. Just bc you go for the lesson and you understand the solution the teachers show doesn't mean you can replicate the result and solve it in the actual exam.

Lectures imo are less important than tutorials, but try not to skip them anyway. Esp for large topics bc once you skip one you'll be lost for the rest of the topic eg. ionic equilibrium in chem

Seek help when you need it. Don't be afraid to approach your tutors. Even if it seems super kiasu or whatever, just ask if you are not sure. Not only will this help you understand better, it will give your teachers a better impression of you and that goes a long way when it comes to end of J2 year when you have to get testimonials and rec letters for uni/scholarships.

And get enough sleep. Try to get at least 4 hours. Anyth less and you won't be focused/fall asleep in classes. Personally I had around 6 hours a day, and even then by 1pm in school I would be tired.

Get used to the taste of coffee. Take anything that will keep you awake and running, even if it makes you fat. Study, study and keep studying. Try not to study in groups, it can get distracting, unless your group of friends are all muggers too. DONT study in places that are too far away. Some students want to feel hip and study in starbucks, cafes and even universities. Dont. You will be traveling far, these places are not suited for studying, and in places like universities, you are not familiar with the place and might end up wasting time finding a place to study. Stick to studying in school. Most JCs are open on Saturdays as well. National libraries are also great places to study, pick one near your house and queue before it opens on weekends. On weekdays, just stick to studying in school or at home. The caffeine content in a starbucks coffee is not as much as what you can just whip up at home with Nescafe beans.

As many of the previous posters said, it is about consistency.

2 hours of study a day is sufficient to get you a grade of B-C. 4 hours of study a day is sufficient to get you A. That said, studying must be smart studying. Focus on what you don't know and then consult your friends or teachers. Studying does not mean go out in a group and study together. That usually doesn't work.

You're in JC, the initiative is on you to ask questions and to take your results into your own hands.

I suspect you know the obvious things such as don’t fall behind, ask questions if you don’t understand, find someone who can explain things clearly, and study consistently. Here’s another idea that relates to learning how to understand difficult things:

Organize your thoughts on a subject by making your own outlines. Chem and Bio have a lot of content to them – much more than at O’Level. Make an outline on your own of each topic and subtopic. This way the subject gets organized in your own mind. As you are doing this it may become clear to you what you do understand well and what you don’t understand well. When you are first starting a topic, make a short outline. When you have studied a topic for a while, go back and make a more detailed outline. What you are doing is making it more likely that you will remember things for a longer period of time rather than using mostly short term memory. The brain works best by seeing patterns and organization. Try to appreciate why a certain topic is arranged into the subtopics.

This exercise should also involve knowing what kinds of problems you will need to solve. If you can see the categories of the types of problems, then you can go practice them. Then build up your problem solving skills in each subcategory. After that, move on to problems that integrate multiple subtopics or topics. The more organized it all seems to you, the better off you are. If it seems like a bunch of random disconnected problems, then go back and try to appreciate how it all fits together.

Make up your own practice test. If you were the teacher, based on your outline, what are the key types of problems you would put on a test? If you go through this thought process yourself you will learn the material better and you will begin to develop the skills that you need to understand difficult things on your own.

For example if a student in a class asks me a question like “ How does the ideal gas law relate to thermodynamics?” or “What do mutations have to do with natural selection?” Then I know they are trying to understand how things fit together. By the time you get to the A’Level, you want to be able to see a question and have a feel for what the question is really driving at, and which portions of your knowledge apply to a question you may not have seen before.

Ask to clear your doubts
Be proactive
Consistent
Disciplined

Nope it is not common to score Us and S's. End of the day the school would not want to have majority of the cohort failing too. If you are talking about Cs or Ds, then maybe so.

Don't let this be an 'excuse' that it is ok to be scoring Us and Ss because that will mean you will probably get retained.

angwc wrote:Nope it is not common to score Us and S's. End of the day the school would not want to have majority of the cohort failing too. If you are talking about Cs or Ds, then maybe so.

Don't let this be an 'excuse' that it is ok to be scoring Us and Ss because that will mean you will probably get retained.

Depends on your school. My child from RI scores at around 1 S/U in each exam, but that's average. You should start being worried when your child scores more than 2 U/S