KiasuParents - Parenting in Singapore

My dd scored +2 for HCL & achieved A* in normal CL during her PSLE. She's not so keen in pursuing it in secondary school as her Pre-lim result is in Band 4. I'm having 2nd thought...

I've read somewhere that taking HMT in sec school will have an added advantage when choosing the route to JC. But what exactly is the Pros and Cons? Hope to learn from all parents or current students taking HMT.

insanePaPa wrote:My dd scored +2 for HCL & achieved A* in normal CL during her PSLE. She's not so keen in pursuing it in secondary school as her Pre-lim result is in Band 4. I'm having 2nd thought...

I've read somewhere that taking HMT in sec school will have an added advantage when choosing the route to JC. But what exactly is the Pros and Cons? Hope to learn from all parents or current students taking HMT.

If your dd takes HCL in secondary school and takes HCL at the O level exams in Sec 4 and passes, she gets 2 bonus points for entry to JC. That is significant.

I think your dd's Chinese should be pretty good considering she managed an A* in CL and a merit in HCL in PSLE? Why not let her give HCL a try in Sec 1. If she really can't cope, she can drop it to a CL.

jtoh, Thank You for your advise.

My friend's dd told her that sec school's HCL is a gigantic jump from PSLE. It's worrying if she can't perform to expectation. Will the school discontinue her from studying HCL if her result isn't satisfactory?

insanePaPa wrote:jtoh, Thank You for your advise.

My friend's dd told her that sec school's HCL is a gigantic jump from PSLE. It's worrying if she can't perform to expectation. Will the school discontinue her from studying HCL if her result isn't satisfactory?

That will depend on the school. There are students who've never taken HCL in primary school who are taking HCL in secondary school. And some are doing alright. So it depends on the student. If a school deems that a student is really weak in HCL and is better off taking CL, maybe that's a better route for the child?

I say let your child try it out. She may excel in it for all you know.

One more thing, if she passes HCL at O level, she can opt not to take up Chinese in JC.

Ok, I shall talk to my dd to take up HCL.

once again, jtoh.

TAKE.

Not only you get to -2 for just PASSING it, you also don't need take chinese in JC (unless you want).

Even if she cannot cope then when that happens the school will ask her to drop. Might as well take the chance. Don't close the door upon yourself.

My dd is in a similar situation.

She has an A* in CL and Merit in HCL. She has consistently perfomed well in both at the expense of other subjects. I would say she works doubly hard on that subject as we do not speak Chinese at home. Her only exposure to Mandarin is Chinese Dramas apart from school lessons and tuition. Hence, learning that HCL is a big jump from P6 to Sec 1 is disheartening.

How many more dramas can we watch ! We just do not have the environment to improve on the language.

She should be joining the IP in Sec 1. Since she does not need the extra 2points for JC, would it be wise to just stick to CL instead ?

Hi insanePaPa and watmekiasu,

I would like to share with you my DD's experience. She did not take HCL in Pri school and she only scored an A at PSLE, but she took up HCL in IP Sec school and passed. So she does not have to take MT in JC which is great as she has more time for the other subjects.

watmekiasu wrote:My dd is in a similar situation.

She has an A* in CL and Merit in HCL. She has consistently perfomed well in both at the expense of other subjects. I would say she works doubly hard on that subject as we do not speak Chinese at home. Her only exposure to Mandarin is Chinese Dramas apart from school lessons and tuition. Hence, learning that HCL is a big jump from P6 to Sec 1 is disheartening.

How many more dramas can we watch ! We just do not have the environment to improve on the language.

She should be joining the IP in Sec 1. Since she does not need the extra 2points for JC, would it be wise to just stick to CL instead ?

One advantage of taking HCL in secondary school is if you clear it at O levels, you don't have to take it at JC level, leaving you more time to focus on your remaining A level subjects. So you have to weigh which one you prefer - clear HCL at O levels, leaving you more time at A levels for other subjects, OR do CL in secondary school (which is less stressful for 4 years) but you have to cope with CL at JC. My view - take HCL now and clear it. A level results are more important than your yearly secondary school results.