2018 PSLE Discussions & Strategies (Born in 2006)

[zac's mum]

If she is not from a SAP primary school, and she chooses a SAP secondary school, be prepared there may be some culture shock.


There are many reasons why some people choose SAP schools. Let me lay it out bluntly here:

- don’t want or don’t like to mix with non-Chinese races

- the school will incoporate a fair amount of Chinese cultural events & inculcation of traditional Chinese values in their morning assembly and other school events. Parents may like this intangible impartation which cannot be easily replicated or procured via paid external enrichment courses

- nowadays the kids all prefer to speak English with each other. Even those whose parents are from PRC or Taiwan, they may “hide” their origin by speaking Singlish quite fluently. But when it comes to HCL compos and Oral exams etc, their HCL language skills are far superior to 3rd-4th-5th generation Singaporean Chinese kids because their parents still converse in perfect Mandarin regularly at home with them. Bear in mind your child’s compo etc will be marked in comparison with their standard.

So…Is SAP school still attractive to you?

[peasants]

zac's mum:

If she is not from a SAP primary school, and she chooses a SAP secondary school, be prepared there may be some culture shock.


There are many reasons why some people choose SAP schools. Let me lay it out bluntly here:

- don’t want or don’t like to mix with non-Chinese races

- the school will incoporate a fair amount of Chinese cultural events & inculcation of traditional Chinese values in their morning assembly and other school events. Parents may like this intangible impartation which cannot be easily replicated or procured via paid external enrichment courses

- nowadays the kids all prefer to speak English with each other. Even those whose parents are from PRC or Taiwan, they may “hide” their origin by speaking Singlish quite fluently. But when it comes to HCL compos and Oral exams etc, their HCL language skills are far superior to 3rd-4th-5th generation Singaporean Chinese kids because their parents still converse in perfect Mandarin regularly at home with them. Bear in mind your child’s compo etc will be marked in comparison with their standard.

So...Is SAP school still attractive to you?

My DD2 primary school top in P6 for Chinese this year is a local Chinese. She must be incredibly smart to overtake PRC pupils. Unimaginable.

[floppy]

peasants:

zac's mum:

...
- don’t want or don’t like to mix with non-Chinese races
...
- nowadays the kids all prefer to speak English with each other. Even those whose parents are from PRC or Taiwan, they may “hide” their origin by speaking Singlish quite fluently. But when it comes to HCL compos and Oral exams etc, their HCL language skills are far superior to 3rd-4th-5th generation Singaporean Chinese kids because their parents still converse in perfect Mandarin regularly at home with them. Bear in mind your child’s compo etc will be marked in comparison with their standard.
...

My DD2 primary school top in P6 for Chinese this year is a local Chinese. She must be incredibly smart to overtake PRC pupils. Unimaginable.

It's not true that SAP school doesn't have non-Chinese race. There are quite a lot of students with mixed-parentage or Eurasians in SAP schools.

Also, don't 长他人志气，灭自己威风. The Chinese standard of some of our Singaporean Chinese kids in SAP schools can and will surprise you.

[MerlionInGermany]

normal_pace:

Hi MerlionInGermany, which website is the screenshot from ?

.

The screenshot was from moe sis. I suppose you’ve got the link by now.

[sky minecrafter]

[quote]It's not true that SAP school doesn't have non-Chinese race. There are quite a lot of students with mixed-parentage or Eurasians in SAP schools.[/quote]
Yes, every batch, I seem to see an Indian, Caucasian... child, studying Higher Chinese. In fact, my child's Indochinese classmate writes Chinese characters better than us.

[zac's mum]

sky minecrafter:

[quote]It's not true that SAP school doesn't have non-Chinese race. There are quite a lot of students with mixed-parentage or Eurasians in SAP schools.

Yes, every batch, I seem to see an Indian, Caucasian... child, studying Higher Chinese. In fact, my child's Indochinese classmate writes Chinese characters better than us.[/quote]我是指马来人还有印度泰米尔人。拥有特别辅助计划的学校没有这群人吧。

[MerlionInGermany]

zac's mum:

sky minecrafter:

[quote]It's not true that SAP school doesn't have non-Chinese race. There are quite a lot of students with mixed-parentage or Eurasians in SAP schools.

Yes, every batch, I seem to see an Indian, Caucasian... child, studying Higher Chinese. In fact, my child's Indochinese classmate writes Chinese characters better than us.

我是指马来人还有印度泰米尔人。拥有特别辅助计划的学校没有这群人吧。[/quote]My kid’s SAP school has the above. They take HCL.

For the other point raised earlier...our top students are locals.

[hercules]

floppy:

It's not true that SAP school doesn't have non-Chinese race. There are quite a lot of students with mixed-parentage or Eurasians in SAP schools.

Also, don't 长他人志气，灭自己威风. The Chinese standard of some of our Singaporean Chinese kids in SAP schools can and will surprise you.

Not so much of 长他人志气，灭自己威风, but I would think of the local Chinese probably got the highest grade via tuition while the real 'Chinese Chinese' don't usually attend Chinese tuition. Exams as we know require 'technique' to score points (personally I didn't follow any 'patterns' in composition writing during my school days and would just write 'naturally' and so such 'naturally' might lose some points if the marker must die die follow a fixed pattern in marking).

In my recent survey, I gathered that it is not difficult to get an A for PSLE Chinese (even my son who is so weak in Chinese also managed an A via last minute 死背 and this gave me some 'hope' in coaching my grand niece to at least get a B) but not easy to get an A+ (I only know 1 A+ among about 12 kids). Also only one distinction (or A+) among them for HCL.

Also not easy to get an A for O level Chinese (I know of only 2 As) and only one distinction for HCL. Usually the grade is about B3 (these kids whom I know were mostly single digit L1R5 students).

So far all the kids (incl mine) whom I know can't hold a proper Mandarin conversation and have forgotten most of the Chinese characters after their uni (my daughter is still reading Chinese novels currently but she can't make it in her Mandarin speaking too coz so lacking in practice). I actually tested some of them Sec 2 text and they smiling sheepishly at me:


https://i.postimg.cc/zGVn1tGv/S2.jpg\">


That's the sad part about learning Chinese language in Singapore with most kids don't really appreciate the language itself though some managed to ace or 'star' it.

[phtthp]

zac's mum:

我是指马来人还有印度泰米尔人。拥有特别辅助计划的学校没有这群人吧。

have lah !

My kiddo's SAP school classmates are Indian children, Caucasian children studying both Normal Chinese and Higher Chinese, too.

Both parents are Indians

[sky minecrafter]

[quote]local Chinese probably got the highest grade via tuition while the real 'Chinese Chinese' don't usually attend Chinese tuition[/quote]
Facts as of Y2018: 1) A (lower primary) classmate (parents born in China) goes to 2 Chinese tuition/enrichment centres, on top of parental coaching at home 2) Another classmate (parents born in China) also goes to a Chinese tuition/enrichment centre