2021 PSLE Discussions and Strategies (Children born in 2009)
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SG_KP1\" post_id=\"2035852\" time=\"1630289271\" user_id=\"188234:
Whether HCL matter or worth it will depend on the school that you are looking at. If you are considering NYGH, HCI, SNGS, CHS, etc HCL is like half a point. On the other hand, if you are aiming for RI, ACSI, VS, MGS, RGS etc, HCL or not hardly matter.
What imp75 said, Child B will come first in this scenario.
In fact, AL4 no HCL will beat AL5(D) regardless of citizenship and/or choice. This is the reason to say HCL doesn't matter or not worth it. Of course, dropping HCL does not guarantee the other subjects will score better.
Ultimately, HCL at PSLE is not a Pre-requisite for HCL at secondary level. If you are clear that SAP schools are not what you are aiming for, and you would rather focus on 4 subjects only, HCL is “droppable”. -
duplicate
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Thanks for your advice.
Frankly, I actually do not see the "reduce stress" for AL score as compared to T-score. In fact, the reverse.
Students will need to do their best to score in the PSLE so as to avoid tie-breaker scenario.
In the T-score, if you do well, you will rank higher than the next person, strictly on merit. You will secure your place first before the next person does.
In AL score, if you happen to achieve the same AL score (highly possible due to score combinations), you may be rank lower due to the order of the school choices. However, if you score lower & also depends on whether parent decide to take the chance, you may even get into your dream school RGS.
Example:
RGS remaining 2 vacancies.
Child A, SC scores AL 7 HMT (D)decided to play safe choose NYGH 1st choice instead of RGS (placed at 2nd Choice) - will post to NYGH successfully.
Child B, SC scores AL 7 HMT (D) decides to take the chance, choose RGS, 2nd Choice NYGH. Will be posted to RGS successfully. Takes up 1 seat. Assuming all other students scores AL 7 HMT(D, M, P) decided to play safe all choose NYGH first choice & RGS 2nd choice, post successfully to NYGH successfully.
Child C, SC scores AL 8 HMT (D) , decided to take the chance, choose RGS, 2nd Choice NYGH, 3rd Choice MGS. The remaining last vacancy may well belongs to her. -
Maybe the new system also forces a mindset change to parents? I would look at the AL score and decide which is the most appropriate sch and also culture fit for my kids? For eg, I wouldn’t put nygh 2nd choice if I wanted to get into RGS since culturally they are so different. I would instead put MGS then SCGS accordingly. Likewise for sap schools I will rank nygh, sngs, dhs etc… in that case I think there shouldn’t be any surprises.
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blur_mum\" post_id=\"2035900\" time=\"1630306978\" user_id=\"14009:
Look on the bright side - all those scenarios that you pointed out assumes that you have perfect knowledge, ie. all the info is available to you, which in reality, only MOE would be able to know some of that info and the rest is more game theory. In this case, ignorance is bliss.
Thanks for your advice.
Frankly, I actually do not see the \"reduce stress\" for AL score as compared to T-score. In fact, the reverse.
Students will need to do their best to score in the PSLE so as to avoid tie-breaker scenario.
In the T-score, if you do well, you will rank higher than the next person, strictly on merit. You will secure your place first before the next person does.
In AL score, if you happen to achieve the same AL score (highly possible due to score combinations), you may be rank lower due to the order of the school choices. However, if you score lower & also depends on whether parent decide to take the chance, you may even get into your dream school RGS.
Example:
RGS remaining 2 vacancies.
Child A, SC scores AL 7 HMT (D)decided to play safe choose NYGH 1st choice instead of RGS (placed at 2nd Choice) - will post to NYGH successfully.
Child B, SC scores AL 7 HMT (D) decides to take the chance, choose RGS, 2nd Choice NYGH. Will be posted to RGS successfully. Takes up 1 seat. Assuming all other students scores AL 7 HMT(D, M, P) decided to play safe all choose NYGH first choice & RGS 2nd choice, post successfully to NYGH successfully.
Child C, SC scores AL 8 HMT (D) , decided to take the chance, choose RGS, 2nd Choice NYGH, 3rd Choice MGS. The remaining last vacancy may well belongs to her.
Eg. nobody would know RGS has 2 more vacancies left by X time. Nobody would also know what other parents might or might not do.
So, the only course of action that you really have is to decide what choices to make... and not think about what others might do plus all the if's and but's. That would only induce even more stress as there's nothing you can actually do about it in a practical sense.
And of course for all those taking the exam to do their best to score well (which, incidentally, also applies to T-score system). No T-score student would go in to the exam not trying their best or stopping after determining that they have done enough to secure a slot in their dream school. -
blur_mum\" post_id=\"2035900\" time=\"1630306978\" user_id=\"14009:
Here's a different way to look at it. There is no doubt people are going to complain this December when their kid scores AL6 but gets ballot out of RI/RGS (and perhaps a few others). However, what is sometimes missed is that under t-score it is possible these same people would have come up short. I.e. COP was 260 and your t-score would have been 259. But under AL it is possible that some of these people qualify for ballot and get ballot IN. The issue is that everyone who gets ballot OUT automatically assumes he/she would have made it under the old system.
Thanks for your advice.
Frankly, I actually do not see the \"reduce stress\" for AL score as compared to T-score. In fact, the reverse.
Students will need to do their best to score in the PSLE so as to avoid tie-breaker scenario.
In the T-score, if you do well, you will rank higher than the next person, strictly on merit. You will secure your place first before the next person does.
In AL score, if you happen to achieve the same AL score (highly possible due to score combinations), you may be rank lower due to the order of the school choices. However, if you score lower & also depends on whether parent decide to take the chance, you may even get into your dream school RGS.
.....
At the end of the day both systems are a) try your best and b) hope it's enough. While the choice order requires a bit more thought as to what goes down on the S1 Option Form, I do think many kids will end up with a better fitting school should they be allocated to their 2nd or 3rd choice.
Anyways, good luck to your child for PSLE and the posting! -
SG_KP1\" post_id=\"2035925\" time=\"1630326969\" user_id=\"188234:
1)
Here's a different way to look at it. There is no doubt people are going to complain this December when their kid scores AL6 but gets ballot out of RI/RGS (and perhaps a few others). However, what is sometimes missed is that under t-score it is possible these same people would have come up short. I.e. COP was 260 and your t-score would have been 259. But under AL it is possible that some of these people qualify for ballot and get ballot IN. The issue is that everyone who gets ballot OUT automatically assumes he/she would have made it under the old system.blur_mum\" post_id=\"2035900\" time=\"1630306978\" user_id=\"14009:
Thanks for your advice.
Frankly, I actually do not see the \"reduce stress\" for AL score as compared to T-score. In fact, the reverse.
Students will need to do their best to score in the PSLE so as to avoid tie-breaker scenario.
In the T-score, if you do well, you will rank higher than the next person, strictly on merit. You will secure your place first before the next person does.
In AL score, if you happen to achieve the same AL score (highly possible due to score combinations), you may be rank lower due to the order of the school choices. However, if you score lower & also depends on whether parent decide to take the chance, you may even get into your dream school RGS.
.....
At the end of the day both systems are a) try your best and b) hope it's enough. While the choice order requires a bit more thought as to what goes down on the S1 Option Form, I do think many kids will end up with a better fitting school should they be allocated to their 2nd or 3rd choice.
Anyways, good luck to your child for PSLE and the posting!
Tscore emphasized on Merit, very fair
The student with 260 will enter first, before any 259.
All 259s must wait patiently for all the 260s to be admitted in first, before their turn can come.
2)
AL score permit luck to come in, for those border line cases, who are hovering at the Cut off point
If both students have identical AL 6, that matches the Cut off point,
the 260 unlucky Tscore student can be balloted OUT, while
the 259 lucky Tscore student can be balloted IN. Is luck, not merit anymore, for those participate in balloting at Cut off point.
Since this 2021 being the pioneer batch,
MOE will keep both sets of data (AL score + Tscore) inside her MOE database, to analyse data trend . P6 (parents + kids) will get to see only their AL score, printed out onto their PSLE results slip. Tscore is hidden from them.
After this AL score system has stabilized for a few more future generation batches, slowly MOE will remove Tscore from their database.
Other than luck taking place at the Cut off point, AL score still function on Merit, because
- All AL 4 will enter first, before any AL 5
- All AL 5 will enter first, before any AL 6 -
phtthp\" post_id=\"2035927\" time=\"1630328969\" user_id=\"35251:
What you write in 1) and the first part of 2) are factually true. I guess the difference is that I don't believe t-score is fundamentally or philosophically a \"better\" scoring system than AL. To be clear, I don't believe AL is better either; each has their pros/cons and I would be fine taking the stand to testify either way. Most importantly or at least practically speaking, I can't change the system so I just focus how to give the best shot under whatever system will be in place...
1)
Tscore emphasized on Merit, very fair
The student with 260 will enter first, before any 259.
All 259s must wait for all the 260s to be admitted in first, before their turn can come.
2)
AL score permit luck to come in, for those border line cases, who are hovering at the Cut off point
The 260 unlucky Tscore student can be balloted OUT, while
the 259 lucky Tscore student can be balloted IN. Is luck, not merit anymore, for those balloting at Cut off point case.
...... -
SG_KP1\" post_id=\"2035928\" time=\"1630329879\" user_id=\"188234:
Anyone who understands statistical distribution and z-score will tell you t-sore is NOT fundamentally or philosophically a \"better\" scoring system. Students with identical raw scores of 95, 95, 90, 90 will receive different t-score depending on the subject's mean and variance. I am not sure we can say it's fair and on merit because you scored 95 for EL and CL (but 90 for the rest), while the only fellow scored 95 for Math and Science (but 90 for the rest), therefore you should have the higher t-score.
What you write in 1) and the first part of 2) are factually true. I guess the difference is that I don't believe t-score is fundamentally or philosophically a \"better\" scoring system than AL. To be clear, I don't believe AL is better either; each has their pros/cons and I would be fine taking the stand to testify either way. Most importantly or at least practically speaking, I can't change the system so I just focus how to give the best shot under whatever system will be in place... -
How does this new scoring works? Some elite schools cut off is 6… so if a student score 6 for 4 subjects… does not mean will go in… example, some of the vacancies are already taken up by DSA… then the left over vacancies are for mainstream PSLE students… 1st batch to qualify are all the AL4 for 4 subjects… and whether you choose 1st option as the school etc, and your citizenship status etc…so very possible that even if a student hit the cut-off point of 6, does not mean can enter… so i guess the best chance is AL4 to AL5 for 4 subjects… What do u think?
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