2023 PSLE Discussions and Strategies (Children born in 2011)

[laughingcat]

Year in Year out every year, parents will share about whether to do IP or just into O level.


At the end of the day, whatever the debates it all boils down to the parent's assessment on your own child. Don't compare. No need to compare whether who and who have more tuition in primary school. No need to debate who are bored in primary school will ultimately survive in IP environment.

IP program isn't for every kid. The rigour in IP is not the same as O level route - projects, presentation, writings and the academic contents are heavy. Some kids love it. Some kids don't really fancy it. Some kids strive in systematic study environment which is O level route. Some kids automatically rather independent and will navigate seamlessly. Some kids can balance between studies and outside curriculum. Some kids just cannot balance at all. Some kids strive in that environment. Some kids barely float and get demoralized. Some kids just sink.

Just last year, I need to help my son's ex-classmates out of his depressing mode and school is not helping to address this. He was a high achiever and had Edusave Merit Award in P1-P4 and Edusave Scholarship in P5-P6 and a holder of ESIS. His PSLE score almost the same as my son. Smart boy I must say. Everyone thought he can strive in IP (one of the top school) but everything just went downhill at the end of Y1 IP and then the struggles. Both my son and myself suspect his study method is all wrong. Decided to pull the plug, went on to register Poly using his Y4 result. Thank goodness he got into his choice course. At Poly, he strives. Not only strives but came in top in Semester 1 and now a happy boy.

So as parents, nothing is lost. Choose wisely with your kids. Don't compare. You know your kids, you put in your best analysis for your own kids.

Also choose a school that can address/help demoralized students. Some school know of such problem but simply not doing much.

[laughingcat]

Imp75\" post_id=\"2122400\" time=\"1699588007\" user_id=\"2358:

One observation I was told is that the IP ones are less hardworking while the O level kids are very hardworking. Probs due to drilling for O levels and the really hardworking ones do very well in IPJCs as well while the IP ones are still slackers. Maybe true test will come at A level where everyone starts getting more serious and after stepping down from cca which are very time consuming (it is also noted that most leadership pos may likely hv been taken by the IP ones).

I totally agreed with you. The IP students are slacker. Maybe not all but mostly. Also concur by teachers as well. Is largely because no heavy drilling for CA and the academic syllabus is somewhat not very structured and set. Generally at Year 5, most start to wake up but the engine is slow to start. But they will pick up.

[MrsKiasu]

When the IP prog is so rigorous to have presentations and with heavy acad contents, how do these IP students find time to slack? Is it more of team work therefore some chose to be not so participative ie to say these students will actually do better on individual basis?

[MrsKiasu]

Suddenly I feel that I like IP coz of presentations etc..googled for IP cut off..around 8 :yikes:

[laughingcat]

MKS, it all really depends. Some are group work and some are individual work.


I may not be able to answer fully on why some IP students can find time to slack even though the curriculum is rigorous.

[MrsKiasu]

laughingcat\" post_id=\"2122428\" time=\"1699613341\" user_id=\"3309:

MKS, it all really depends. Some are group work and some are individual work.

I may not be able to answer fully on why some IP students can find time to slack even though the curriculum is rigorous.

It is ok lc..not easy to identify the issues I believe as there are so many factors combined.

[mystique_j]

laughingcat\" post_id=\"2122428\" time=\"1699613341\" user_id=\"3309:

MKS, it all really depends. Some are group work and some are individual work.

I may not be able to answer fully on why some IP students can find time to slack even though the curriculum is rigorous.

I feel it’s becoz they have so few test or exams a year. It’s like maybe one common test in the first half of the year and then EOY straight away. The rest of the time, they are graded on their projects. So no exam, no need to study, mah.. 😅 I think it’s slack in this sense. But if they do their school work and follow along well, some still do very well without much effort or they can cram just before exams and still do well. Then there are some who just slack all the way and not do well too. Well at least, this is what I observed in Y1.
So it really depends on the kid, parents know yourself. If your kid is not the super motivated kind or the genius type, pls don’t listen when other parents say, “Just let go… they can manage on their own”. This mantra does not work for all kids.

[mystique_j]

Just to share, not all IP schools are similar in terms of pace. Some IP schools follow the S1 express syllabus very closely, but of coz they just have more projects to handle. So the pace is more manageable.

For some IP schools, the pace of learning is breathtaking, at least from my point of view. Need to learn not only S1 topics/concepts but S2 topics/concepts as well. For one particular subject, it’s almost 2 years worth of topics all taught and tested in Y1. It was quite shocking to me 😅

[mystique_j]

Just to share, not all IP schools are similar in terms of pace. Some IP schools follow the S1 express syllabus very closely, but of coz they just have more projects to handle. So the pace is more manageable.

For some IP schools, the pace of learning is breathtaking, at least from my point of view. Need to learn not only S1 topics/concepts but S2 topics/concepts as well. For one particular subject, it’s almost 2 years worth of topics all taught and tested in Y1. It was quite shocking to me 😅

[manorway]

MrsKiasu\" post_id=\"2122425\" time=\"1699612278\" user_id=\"43981:

When the IP prog is so rigorous to have presentations and with heavy acad contents, how do these IP students find time to slack? Is it more of team work therefore some chose to be not so participative ie to say these students will actually do better on individual basis?

There are some slackers who don't contribute to projects and some who don't submit their work or listen in school.
It is the same everywhere. Even with annual exams in OP, there are also slackers. Just because there is an exam at the end of their year does not make everywhere work consistently too. The exams are just paper and pen assessments.
In IP, the assessments are NOT just made up of exams. I cannot speak for all IPs. Can only refer to my kids' experience.