New L1R4 system for JC entry
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@SG_KP1 the current range at my son’s school is 6-8 subjects (with the “better” classes taking 8), so i guess the new range would be 5-7. I wonder whether the timetable will change to earlier dismissals due to 1 less subject?
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@zac-s-mum said in New L1R4 system for JC entry:
Sigh. I heard that some schools are considering not offering any pure Humanities for next year’s sec 3 batch (the first batch using L1R4 for JC entry). Their assumption is that double science combis will still be more popular & therefore no demand expected for double Humanities. What a sad consequence of this system.
What? possibly no option to take even a single full Humanities? That is really sad to me.
In the UK where higher education is known to be pretty narrow/in depth, the norm is to do 8 to 10 GCSEs (i.e. O level subjects). I’m a big advocate on broad exposure in the early years. Singapore’s primary school education is already narrow to me, and would prefer that students get more opportunities for academic breath in Sec School.
How many kids would have the courage to read Lit, History or Geog at A levels if they had not done so at O levels? Ditto with Physics, Chem, Bio and arguably Computing.
Is this a drastic reduction of workload for teachers then? First, school assessments have reduced by much. From CA1/SA1/CA2/SA2 full exam papers, now teachers are setting and marking much smaller tests. Second, if students take 7 instead of 8 subjects, does this mean each school need fewer teachers?
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Is it now the policy that all schools restrict students to a max of 7 O levels? Or is that the “normal” with exceptions possible? In my day, the “normal” was 7 O levels, sometimes 6, but most schools would allow some students to take 8, even 9 O levels. And the no. of subjects required for JC entry was 5, just like now.
It’s really sad if students cannot take more humanities subjects at O levels unless they choose to drop sciences. That’s even worse than in my day, before the Humanities scholarships were introduced! Like reversing the past 40 years. I hope there will be enough sensible pro-Humanities people who will make a fuss about this. Why do we have so many experts in the field of education who can come up with this kind of policy?
And given the recent articles about how students are using gen AI to write, and students who use more gen AI are less creative, it really does seem that the human race is going backwards rather than forwards!
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If fewer schools offer full Literature (which contains an additional Paper 2 on a Drama text), then I really weep for our local Performing Arts scene as well.
This was a play that I’d brought my son to watch, the performance of which was excellent. The subject content, very relatable for teens, and for parents - a lens into their teenager’s world.
It would have benefitted a whole generation of O level students to study this Lit text in school & have some soul-searching discussions on the themes. I am still crying.
“We are thrilled to learn that HARD MODE, written by Associate Artistic Director and playwright Faith Ng, will be offered as an examinable text for the GCE ‘O’ Levels Literature in English! It will be the sole Singapore text included in the 2028 syllabus for Paper 2: Drama.
We have always felt it crucial that our youth are immersed in our own narratives, language, and issues – and for them to see Singapore stories represented on an international stage. Having HARD MODE on the syllabus showcases an important voice of contemporary Singapore writing, and provides an entry point to Literature, English, and Drama that’s immediately relevant to all Singapore students.
We are incredibly proud of Faith, the entire Checkpoint Theatre team, and the HARD MODE creatives who have worked tirelessly to bring this original Singapore story to the stage, including director Claire Wong and dramaturg Huzir Sulaiman.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to the National Arts Council for commissioning the work and to the Ministry of Education for taking this hugely significant step.
And thank you, dear audience, for the support you’ve shown this original Singapore story, allowing it to reach and touch the lives of many more young people, and for supporting the work we do at Checkpoint Theatre.”
(Quoted from Checkpoint Theatre’s Facebook page)
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I guess it would be even worse for the non-science kids that want to take 2 humanities (1 full and 1 split with ss). At the As, I guess you could take whichever one you took in upper sec, Econ, and then ELL? Or take a swing at History (if you took EL Lit in upper secondary)? If one didn’t take in upper secondary, I feel like History is probably easier than Lit to take at the As.
Computing probably has a large self-selection bias of kids that can already do most of the stuff. I don’t think that many schools have a full computing class in upper secondary (I believe many have modules or ways to gain some exposure).
I’m also for more breadth at the secondary level. Unfortunately, the focus tends to gravitate towards exam scoring or perceived stress/workload rather than actual learning/acquiring different skills/knowledge.
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One of my kids was from a Secondary School which made Literature a full compulsory, grade counting subject for all for years for IP kids. For O level kids, it is compulsory minimally as a half subject in upper Sec, and a full subject in lower Sec.
I was one of those who could not for the life of me understand why a School would stand by such a decision - shouldn’t it be to prioritize the L1R5 or overall grades of all their students at Sec 4? After all, Literature is subjective.
Or so I thought.
Gradually, I became a convert and now I hope the School can preserve this policy/tradition for as long as it can - though I know its hard as there will be many parents and kids who believe in choice and maximizing grades.
Every other subject taken in school that is examinable, is a language or a STEM subject, to build immediately ‘useful’ foundations or skills. But which subject at the Secondary School level allows one to explore human themes, emotions, situations? Which subject allows you to engage with the material to build empathy, draw connections between various points, and have you immersed in certain circumstances and settings? A single subject, even if you score a C5, will pull your L1R5 down unless it is your single humanities.
The engagement with reading and with text, goes a little further with taking Literature throughout Sec School.
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On a separate note, I feel that the creative arts scene in Singapore has come a very long way. Many people may not be aware of how far SingTheatre has come, and how high the sciptwriting standards and production standards have come. I would encourage families to watch a Wild Rice or Pangdemonium production - it makes for a great family outing. Hotel is particularly good and I believe Wild Rice is running it again this year.
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@doodbug I have not watched the more adult local theatre shows (yet) - waiting till my son reaches a more suitable age. But so far the local kids plays by SRT (Singapore Repertory Theatre) - they even do Mandarin plays - and the teenager-friendly ones by Checkpoint Theatre have been really good. Not many in my circle are interested in local performing arts. I hope the SG Culture Pass – releasing soon in September 2025 - will make it more affordable for everyone to attend.
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@SG_KP1 said in New L1R4 system for JC entry:
I guess it would be even worse for the non-science kids that want to take 2 humanities (1 full and 1 split with ss). At the As, I guess you could take whichever one you took in upper sec, Econ, and then ELL? Or take a swing at History (if you took EL Lit in upper secondary)? If one didn’t take in upper secondary, I feel like History is probably easier than Lit to take at the As.
Computing probably has a large self-selection bias of kids that can already do most of the stuff. I don’t think that many schools have a full computing class in upper secondary (I believe many have modules or ways to gain some exposure).
I’m also for more breadth at the secondary level. Unfortunately, the focus tends to gravitate towards exam scoring or perceived stress/workload rather than actual learning/acquiring different skills/knowledge.
Rgdg O level Computing, true that the kids were already quite proficient in it prior to Sec 3. For NT (G1) they have a compulsory N level subject called CPA (Computer Applications) which is a very different matter though.
In Zac’s school, the O level Computing classes are subject-banded classes. So the timetable for that period indicates Literature/Geography/Computing/POA in the double science classes. And Literature/Computing/POA in the combined science classes. Triple science classes do not take Computing.
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@zac-s-mum When you hear of anything interesting, post on KSP? Could be a good chance to meet too! Especially since we will have money to spend!
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