All About A Levels

[pirated]

PCME is considered light for the math geeks. The only content heavy is Econs and organic chem

[sharonkhoo]

zbear:

starlight1968sg:

[quote=\"zeemimi\"]The amt of content taught in jc now is quite different from our time, which is more than 20 years ago. It not uncommon to hear students dropping to 3H2 even in the top jcs.

During my time, we had classmates doing 3H2 in top jcs too.

But now the trend in top JCs is to take 4H2.[/quote]It was the norm for stronger students to take the equivalent of 4 H2s in JC in my time, but there were a good no. who chose to take 3 H2s so it wasn't considered unusual, and I was in a JC generally accorded \"top\" status. I don't know if the proportion has changed over the decades. Many, as now, would start off with 4 H2s, and some would then choose to drop 1 to \"subsidiary\" level in JC2 if they found the load too great. Others just started off with 3 H2s.

[zeemimi]

zbear:

starlight1968sg:

[quote=\"zeemimi\"]The amt of content taught in jc now is quite different from our time, which is more than 20 years ago. It not uncommon to hear students dropping to 3H2 even in the top jcs.

During my time, we had classmates doing 3H2 in top jcs too.

But now the trend in top JCs is to take 4H2.[/quote]4H2s is the norm in the top JCs. And lest anyone should start thinking 4H2s in the norm elsewhere, it is not. In fact, to the general JC population, 3H2 is the norm. There was once when DD was overwhelmed by work, and she commented she's the only \"crazy\" one amongst her church friends who is taking 4H2. There were other friends fr reputable JCs too but all taking 3H2s. And quite a number of her classmates have dropped to 3H2s for pragmatic reasons. Students who DSA via sports mostly have to take 3H2s only too.

3H2s is by no means easy feat. Whether is 3H2 or 4H2, it makes a whole lot of difference if it is spread out over 3 years or crammed into 2 years.

Whether the current JC content is heavier/lighter/comparable to eons ago, i shan't argue. It's subjective. But that was what the P told us in the beginning of JC1, to put away the idea that H1=AO, H2=A and H3=Spaper. Things are quite different now. GP is definitely different now. And we did not have the :censored: PW in our time either.

And contrasting subjects requirement is here to stay, at least for now. I think taking a contrasting subj can push some students out of their comfort zone to learn something they probably would never have chosen if given a choice. And perhaps in the process discover new interest in the subject as many have experienced after taking Economics.

[jtoh]

My understanding is that 3H2s is the norm in many JCs, and that you have to have good O level results to apply to take 4H2s. My friend who had a daughter in a top JC was surprised to find this out when her second daughter went to a JC different from her elder daughter.


As zeemimi mentioned, 4H2s is a norm in the top JCs. But there are some students taking 3H2s in these JCs, mostly because they didn’t meet the criteria to take 4H2s. I assume there are students who will drop to 3H2s in Year 6 because it makes better sense for them to focus on 3 rather than 4 H2s, especially as UAS considers only 3 H2s and 3H1s for calculation. All the students in my dd’s class are sticking to 4H2s. Did many drop to 3H2s in your daughter’s class, zeemimi?

[starlight1968sg]

Perhaps doing 4H2 in jc1 if criteria met and then consider 3H2 in jc2 when really cant cope?

[jtoh]

starlight1968sg:

Perhaps doing 4H2 in jc1 if criteria met and then consider 3H2 in jc2 when really cant cope?

If you can't cope with 4H2s the school will ask you to drop to 3H2s. For those with the intention of dropping to 3H2s it may be better to start off with 3H2s because the focus on the syllabus is different.

[pirated]

U.K. uni look at 3 H2 only


Oz uni is on point system. 3 good H2 will be sufficient

[zbear]

jtoh:

. For those with the intention of dropping to 3H2s it may be better to start off with 3H2s because the focus on the syllabus is different.

I would think its better to take 4H2 in JC1 n then drop the weakest subject in JC2.

If you take 3H2/1H1 from the start n you later found out that yr weakest subject is a H2 subject, how to drop it?

I think the syllabus change is not so much n it's manageable.

[starlight1968sg]

zbear:

jtoh:

. For those with the intention of dropping to 3H2s it may be better to start off with 3H2s because the focus on the syllabus is different.

I would think its better to take 4H2 in JC1 n then drop the weakest subject in JC2.

If you take 3H2/1H1 from the start n you later found out that yr weakest subject is a H2 subject, how to drop it?

I think the syllabus change is not so much n it's manageable.

I agree with zbear.

[jtoh]

zbear:

jtoh:

. For those with the intention of dropping to 3H2s it may be better to start off with 3H2s because the focus on the syllabus is different.

I would think its better to take 4H2 in JC1 n then drop the weakest subject in JC2.

If you take 3H2/1H1 from the start n you later found out that yr weakest subject is a H2 subject, how to drop it?

I think the syllabus change is not so much n it's manageable.

There's a syllabus change wef 2016 which means that H1 and H2 syllabus for some subjects will be quite different. So dropping it in J2 will be disadvantageous.