2021 PSLE Discussions and Strategies (Children born in 2009)

[Zeal mummy]

678Yess\" post_id=\"2046494\" time=\"1636989461\" user_id=\"7364:

san20sg\" post_id=\"2046474\" time=\"1636982044\" user_id=\"76391:

can I check if the child can drop HCL if he goes into Cat high IP or O? Thanks!

I think, most of the sap school will want their student to do HCL…cause this is their mission…

For SAP schools pure IP, u will have to do HCL.. that’s their mission. For SAP IP/O-levels, choice and ability is taken into consideration.

[phtthp]

SG_KP1\" post_id=\"2046463\" time=\"1636978759\" user_id=\"188234:

FantasyLandDreams\" post_id=\"2046462\" time=\"1636977845\" user_id=\"105816:

Asking the below on behalf of a friend if anyone can help?

For the below list of sap schools mainly, if a child does not take HCL in primary school, can the child continue with Normal Chinese instead or there is no normal Chinese class in these secondary school? Thanks!

River Valley High, Maris Stella, HCI, Catholic High, Bukit Panjang High

HCI, RVHS, and CHS IP will be mandatory HCL. The others (including CHS O) should allow the student to chose based on HMT eligibility.

True

1)

For pure IP track SAP schools like

(Hwa Chong, Catholic High, Dunman High, River Valley High, Nanyang Girls High, St Nick),

gao-hua (Higher Chinese) from Sec 1 onwards, is mandatory, compulsory.



2)

But,
for O-level track SAP schools like (St Nick, Catholic High, Anglican High),

depends on
whether on coming 2021 November PSLE results released announcement day, did MOE give your P6 son / daughter, the HCL eligibility letter ?

If Yes, student did receive MOE HCL letter -

then your next year Sec 1 child can proceed smoothly with learning gao-hua.


Otherwise if No, child never received any MOE letter,
Sorry, cannot.
Pupil do Sec 1 bu-hua.

But luckily, this is not the end yet. Because there is still a \"second\" chance rescue offer, ray of HOPE !

Why ?

Come year end Sec 1, after one year time lapse had passed,

if a student perform well enough in bu-hua \"overall\" in his (her) Term 4 October year end exam, ie. able to meet the Secondary school's HCL requirements, then your child can raise his (her) appeal request to the school's Chinese HOD, ie. start learning HCL, from Sec 2 (January) onwards.

This is great
because means that
O-level student can take O-level (gao-hua) National exam paper in Sec4, can minus away 2 points in L1R5, Admission into Junior Colleges !


3) however, certain rare & unique O-level track schools like

(Chung Cheng High Main, not the Chung Cheng Yishun branch, and
Maris Stella High),

these two O-level schools are a bit rare in that

even if your P6 child had never taken gao-hua before in PSLE, never mind ! Starting from Sec 1 onwards, gao-hua is compulsory for them.


Why like that,
so weird, set apart a different behavior, from rest of the other typical O-level schools ?


This is because
the Chinese Department from these two rare SAP Sec schools have over-ridden the MOE HCL eligibility letter. This is how their Chinese department set their own internal school policy, concerning HCL.
That is, we want ALL our Sec 1 students admitted in, to be proficient in HCL early. Hence, Sec 1 gao-hua, is compulsory.


=========================

Conclusion

Different O-level Secondary schools set different school policy regarding HCL, inside their own school.

Apart from
( Chung Cheng High Main and Maris Stella High ),
if you happen to come across other Secondary schools that also behave like these two,
please share openly in this forum,
so that we (parents) are alerted, when come to choosing the list of 6 Secondary schools for our child, in our S1 posting (AL score). Thank you. Appreciated


Example


How about these two \"Nan\" schools ?

Nan Chiau High and
Nan Hua High ?


How do they treat Sec 1 Higher Chinese ?

[blur_mum]

For SAP pure IP schools, u do not just learn higher chinese for academics only. U get to appreciate the beauty of Chinese e.g. through appreciation of chinese culture, chinese chess, Poems.

[SG_KP1]

phtthp\" post_id=\"2046503\" time=\"1637015104\" user_id=\"35251:

=========================

Conclusion

Different O-level Secondary schools set different school policy regarding HCL, inside their own school.

Apart from
( Chung Cheng High Main and Maris Stella High ),
if you happen to come across other Secondary schools that also behave like these two,
please share openly in this forum,
so that we (parents) are alerted, when come to choosing the list of 6 Secondary schools for our child, in our S1 posting (AL score). Thank you. Appreciated


Example


How about these two \"Nan\" schools ?

Nan Chiau High and
Nan Hua High ?


How do they treat Sec 1 Higher Chinese ?

I believe Maris Stella High will still allow the student to select normal CL if desired. For the other two, as far as I know NCHS requires HCL (possibility to drop in Sec 4 on case by case basis) and NHHS follows the MOE eligibility/choice.

[phtthp]

Just saying …


suppose
November 2021 psle results are out and your child qualify only for O level schools but none of the IP schools,
eg.
1) scored AL 10,

And


2) did not receive MOE HCL Eligibility letter.


Would there be parents here, say their P6 child previously come from certain primary schools where many of their school-mates / class-mates disliked Chinese,


yet still
want to send their sons to either Chung Cheng High (Main) or to Maris Stella High,
because

from Sec 1 onwards, ALL students admitted in can start gao-hua (Higher Chinese), as these two High schools have over-ridden MOE HCL eligibility letter ?

Which one you think is easier ?
Assuming that
you are very keen, to minus away 2 discount points from your L1R5, for clearing O-level (HCL) in Sec 4.
Because if don’t clear HCL, continue to take H1 (Chinese) in A-level JC, this will eat into your precious time, preparing for either A-level (4H2 or 3H2 + 1H1).
subjects. Study 1 subject lesser, means lesser burden in your A-level JC.

a)

to enter into a Secondary school whereby default, straight away right from Sec 1 day 1, school give you the head-start, to learn HCL right away ?


OR


b)
study very hard in your Sec 1 bu-hua, make sure you do well enough at year end Sec 1, so that you can start Sec 2 (HCL) in January ?

[zac's mum]

Hi for Maris Stella,


https://marisstellahigh.moe.edu.sg/admission/secondary/faqs

- Can choose to take CL from Sec 1
- if choose to start with HCL in Sec 1, encouraged to continue until Sec 3, which is when they will take the O level CL exam. After that, see the results and decide what to do for Sec 4 (I suppose the options are: take HCL exam in Sec 4/take a 1-year break from CL in secondary & continue H1 Chinese in JC1 if going JC/re-do CL exam in Sec 4)

[blur_mum]

I hve come across many students who takes 普华in Primary School. When they entered pure SAP IP 高华, they are given the environment to learn and exposure. Students speak Chinese not only during chinese lessons but in between as well. With hard work, they manage to score A2 during exams. Some even got A1. I believe the pre-requisite is you must not hate chinese. Students in IP SAP schools are also good in English language arts as well. They are billingual.

[Zeal mummy]

Yes the environment plays a great role in getting the kids to learn the Chinese language. In addition, everyone takes Chinese. The interest is also built up from having friends who love the language too.

[678Yess]

If take HCl in o level, no need to take Chinese in JC

[MrsKiasu]

Even when we see there is no real need to take HCL, if school offers it for P5, just take and try…I think should be quite ok right? Let kid try for a year since she says she wants it.