Anglo-Chinese School (Independent)

[Funz]

DS will be in Yr 5 next year. No tuition so far. Chinese and Lang Arts are his weak subjects.


I did ask him if he thinks he needs tuition for any of the subjects but each time he says no, he can just consult with his teachers, peers or even seniors.

DS had Chinese tuition all through primary school. At Sec 1 it was not easy for us to let go of that crutch but we did and it did not make much of a difference in his results. The pros though is money and time saved.

[autolycus]

enoid\" post_id=\"2050090\" time=\"1638319984\" user_id=\"30053:

Thanks, Esteema!
I was all ready to enrol into Findings until I saw a disturbing review on its facebook page.
Any other parents have any feedback on this centre? :please:
Anyhow, we will still go for the trial before deciding

Ahaha, I know which review you're talking about. Just two things to remember (I think touched on by others in this group already): 1) students need to drive the agenda and tutors respond, or else you're back to teacher-centred old-school paradigm — the IP->IB is designed to prepare students for university-style thinking down the road; 2) interaction via Zoom cuts effectiveness down as much as 70%, especially if students turn up unprepared and tutors have to figure out how much they really know (since they can't ask to check the student's prep material on the spot, really, and the student can just say their prep is all in their head). It's difficult all round!

And yes, you could hold off on tuition until it is clear that for some reason the student can't figure out what's happening in school.

[enoid]

Funz\" post_id=\"2050111\" time=\"1638323111\" user_id=\"6230:

DS will be in Yr 5 next year. No tuition so far. Chinese and Lang Arts are his weak subjects.

I did ask him if he thinks he needs tuition for any of the subjects but each time he says no, he can just consult with his teachers, peers or even seniors.

DS had Chinese tuition all through primary school. At Sec 1 it was not easy for us to let go of that crutch but we did and it did not make much of a difference in his results. The pros though is money and time saved.

Good that he is already in Yr 5 next year. Heard CLB in year 5 should be a breeze and they usually score 6 or 7 easily.

[enoid]

autolycus\" post_id=\"2050112\" time=\"1638323202\" user_id=\"16143:

Ahaha, I know which review you're talking about. Just two things to remember (I think touched on by others in this group already): 1) students need to drive the agenda and tutors respond, or else you're back to teacher-centred old-school paradigm — the IP->IB is designed to prepare students for university-style thinking down the road; 2) interaction via Zoom cuts effectiveness down as much as 70%, especially if students turn up unprepared and tutors have to figure out how much they really know (since they can't ask to check the student's prep material on the spot, really, and the student can just say their prep is all in their head). It's difficult all round!

And yes, you could hold off on tuition until it is clear that for some reason the student can't figure out what's happening in school.

Thanks for your advice, Autolycus! Can't help but feel the jitters for DS as he enters sec school with twice the number of subjects. However, I know they will somehow survive with the help of teachers and friends, as long as they are willing to seek help.

One question though - it seems impossible to find past year papers online. Where do we get them? From the school library?

[Estéema]

enoid\" post_id=\"2050117\" time=\"1638323830\" user_id=\"30053:

Thanks for your advice, Autolycus! Can't help but feel the jitters for DS as he enters sec school with twice the number of subjects. However, I know they will somehow survive with the help of teachers and friends, as long as they are willing to seek help.

One question though - it seems impossible to find past year papers online. Where do we get them? From the school library?

Yes, all at the school library. Just ask the librarian to show him. He will hv access.

[enoid]

Estéema\" post_id=\"2050125\" time=\"1638325337\" user_id=\"66413:

Yes, all at the school library. Just ask the librarian to show him. He will hv access.

Great!!! I assume there is a photocopier for us to make copies at the library ? I just need to make sure I top up his ezlink card to make payment?

[Estéema]

enoid\" post_id=\"2050136\" time=\"1638326926\" user_id=\"30053:

Great!!! I assume there is a photocopier for us to make copies at the library ? I just need to make sure I top up his ezlink card to make payment?

Exactly. Paid Copier

[Funz]

enoid\" post_id=\"2050114\" time=\"1638323442\" user_id=\"30053:

Good that he is already in Yr 5 next year. Heard CLB in year 5 should be a breeze and they usually score 6 or 7 easily.

Yes, that's what he says as well.

[SG_KP1]

Hello, my child is not in ACS(I) but may I ask a question about IBDP? Is it correct that if you take HCL O Level exam in Sec 4 then you cannot take Chinese again under the Language Acquisition category (MOE will not let you take something that is deemed to be at a "lower level" than what you’ve already passed)? In contrast, if you just stick with Normal CL in Sec 1-4 then you can take Chinese B under the Language Acquisition category (which similar to H1 Chinese is generally assessed to be "not too tough")?


If the above is true, I guess the advantage of clearing the HCL O Level exam on the A Level side is somewhat higher in that you don’t need to take H1 CL or anything else in Year 5-Year 6. However, even if pass HCL O Level in IBDP, you still need to take Language ab initio under the Language Acquisition bucket.

Don’t mean to turn this into an A Level vs IBDP debate, but specifically wondering if this is correct w/regards to the CL/HCL component in Sec 1-4. Said another way, if I have to do something in Year 5-6 is Chinese B vs. something else ab initio more manageable (i.e. more advanced but have 10 years of instruction vs. beginner level but new)? Thanks.

[autolycus]

SG_KP1\" post_id=\"2050155\" time=\"1638333210\" user_id=\"188234:

Hello, my child is not in ACS(I) but may I ask a question about IBDP? Is it correct that if you take HCL O Level exam in Sec 4 then you cannot take Chinese again under the Language Acquisition category (MOE will not let you take something that is deemed to be at a \"lower level\" than what you've already passed)? In contrast, if you just stick with Normal CL in Sec 1-4 then you can take Chinese B under the Language Acquisition category (which similar to H1 Chinese is generally assessed to be \"not too tough\")?

If the above is true, I guess the advantage of clearing the HCL O Level exam on the A Level side is somewhat higher in that you don't need to take H1 CL or anything else in Year 5-Year 6. However, even if pass HCL O Level in IBDP, you still need to take Language ab initio under the Language Acquisition bucket.

Don't mean to turn this into an A Level vs IBDP debate, but specifically wondering if this is correct w/regards to the CL/HCL component in Sec 1-4. Said another way, if I have to do something in Year 5-6 is Chinese B vs. something else ab initio more manageable (i.e. more advanced but have 10 years of instruction vs. beginner level but new)? Thanks.

It's not that MOE won't let you take something that is deemed to be at 'lower level'—it's the IB that won't let you do that, because language acquisition isn't tested if you already know the language at a higher level!

The advantage for the 'A' level is that you don't have to take MT again—true.

The advantage for the IB is that you can now study another language of your choice at ANY level, which advantages the linguists and those who want to learn a new language for future career prospects. At ab-initio level, you are talking about tourist-level learning: how to get around in Paris, for example. It's fun and people tend to score well.

To compare the two, remember that the A-level Certificate is designed to show your specialist proficiency in something, whereas the IB Diploma is designed to broaden your learning for international flexibility. Different things.