2014 PSLE Discussions and Strategy

[ngl2010]

jedamum:

Thanks!

Yes, must balance concepts understanding with answering techniques. A lot to do this June.
Must tackle compre both languages and Compo too.
Age old question, was told scoring well in languages helps the overall aggregate more than scoring well in ma and Sci. True?

That's what DS's FT told his class last year. He was told that languages worth more than Maths and Science.

If this year's PSLE difficulty level is the same as last year's, I think compo for English and Chinese will be extremely important. It can be the differentiator.

[Jamesbond]

Any comments abt the vocabulary book by TAS? Anybody tried it? Is it good?

[janet88]

jedamum:

Age old question, was told scoring well in languages helps the overall aggregate more than scoring well in ma and Sci. True?

yes. English and MT will affect the total score more than math and science combined.

[sleepy]

janet_lee88:

jedamum:

Age old question, was told scoring well in languages helps the overall aggregate more than scoring well in ma and Sci. True?

yes. English and MT will affect the total score more than math and science combined.

Why?
I thought equal weightage 100% each

[janet88]

sleepy:

janet_lee88:

[quote=\"jedamum\"]Age old question, was told scoring well in languages helps the overall aggregate more than scoring well in ma and Sci. True?

yes. English and MT will affect the total score more than math and science combined.

Why?
I thought equal weightage 100% each[/quote]languages carry more weightage.

[sharonkhoo]

janet_lee88:

sleepy:

[quote=\"janet_lee88\"]
yes. English and MT will affect the total score more than math and science combined.

Why?
I thought equal weightage 100% each

languages carry more weightage.[/quote]This is not accurate info. The weightage is the same, but the because the spread of the marks affects the T-score, where the child stands in the different subjects will affect the T-score differently. Actually, I remember my husband telling my daughter that if she did very well in Maths, it would be better for her T-score than doing well in English. I think it's because Maths marks are generally more spread out than language marks. Can't remember the details now as I don't really understand statistics.

[jedamum]

I also don’t understand statistics.

Quite surprised to hear from an ex teacher friend that languages score matters more than ma and Sci. Is that why periods of teaching allocated to Sci is so lower in the school timetable? I thought all same weight age too. On one hand, heard that Chinese easy to get A by looking at the % of A achieved by past candidates, then heard that because it is so, it has more impact on the score than other subjects. Is this how the ‘bell curve’ works? So is the ‘more weightage’ of languages, actually more weight age (Eg languages upon 100, but ma Sci upon 50 each etc) or the work of bell curve?

[MotherHen]

I always thought the 4 subjects have the same weightage. My understanding is that if one does well in a subject that is hard to score, then based on the formula, one will get a higher T-score in that subject (since the mean/average of that subject will be lower).


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I guess if the subject is hard to score, resulting in extremities in scores (ie, very high scorers and low scorers), then the Standard Deviation will also be greater.

Thus, High Raw Score + Low Average Score + High SD = High T-Score (?)

I suppose this scenario is especially true in languages, which one cannot really mug for. So, scoring well in languages will help to pull up overall T-score?

[lurline]

It is difficult to get high scores (90 & abv) for languages as compared to Maths &

Science.

[ngl2010]

Jamesbond:

Any comments abt the vocabulary book by TAS? Anybody tried it? Is it good?

We took a look at it and we think it is too easy.

To improve vocabulary, you can ask the child to circle the words he/she doesn't understand when he/she reads The Straits Times, check the meaning in the dictionary and write it in a small book.