Anglo-Chinese School (Independent)

[autolycus]

janet_lee88:

Sorry, another question.

Are there frequent pleas for donations ?

There are frequent requests for donations for a very simple reason — the facilities cost money to maintain, upkeep and run. That's what happens when you air-condition most of the campus to keep the students comfortable.

However, the ACS Foundation is taking over part of that burden in future, so you'll not be disturbed more than a couple of times a year

[janet88]

autolycus:

janet_lee88:

Sorry, another question.

Are there frequent pleas for donations ?

However, the ACS Foundation is taking over part of that burden in future, so you'll not be disturbed more than a couple of times a year

Hi autolycus,
Thanks for your reply...appreciate.
22 nov will decide which sec school my son can apply for.

[breezy]

janet_lee88:

Sorry, another question.

Are there frequent pleas for donations ?

Twice a yr. Once after Chinese new yr n the other ard mid yr for methodist church. But no minimum sum nor obligation for both.

[Snow Crystal]

autolycus:

There is one MAJOR advantage — if you have passed HCL (or any other HMT), you have met MOE's mother tongue requirements. This means that when you enter the Y5/Y6 IB Diploma Programme, you can take another language at 'ab initio' level (e.g. German, Spanish) which may be much easier for your son, give him additional functionality, and also extend the breadth of his education.

thanks v much for reply. But my own guess is most students will take Chinese B

[breezy]

Snow Crystal:

Hi Autolycus or anyone who can help answer:


Please may I know the advantages and relevance of taking HCL for ACSI IP program. For A levels route, i can understand the advantages, one being after clearing HCL at Year 4 O levels, one is exempted from taking it in Yr5/6. However i understand that most Yr5/6 ACSI IB students take Chinese B as second language. Thus please may I understand what are the advantages of a boy taking HCL in ACSI IP vs another boy who takes CL? Is calculation of 2nd language/MT marks in ACSI IP different for HCL vs CL? If not, there is actually no need to take HCL as there is no advantage in Yr5/6 IB (can exempt but have to take a 2nd language anyway so must still take Chinese B) and definitely CL is much easier to handle in Yr1-4. The reasons I can think of a ACSI IP boy taking HCL is that he really enjoys Chinese and as a backup in case the boy wants to transfer to a JC in Year 5/6. Sorry if I sound frank in my comments. Please enlighten. Thanks!

Hi,

If the student takes HCL, the marks for HCL will b taken as his 2nd language marks. Same goes for CL. So, it is true that those taking HCL will b at a slight disadvantage when it comes to reporting.

[Snow Crystal]

breezy:

Hi,
If the student takes HCL, the marks for HCL will b taken as his 2nd language marks. Same goes for CL. So, it is true that those taking HCL will b at a slight disadvantage when it comes to reporting.

Breezy thanks v much!
Yes that's what I thought too. :hi5:

If one takes HCL, although exempted from MT in Yr5, but then for IB, still have to take a 2nd lang, a boy will likely still take Chinese B as 2nd language.

My own take is taking HCL is a backup in case can't cope in this program can transfer to other IP at yr3 or 5 and not be shortchanged for Yr5 MT exemption in JC (A levels track). One less subject to take in JC. Also in a scenario where the boy enjoys Chinese v much, should take HCL.

Thanks again Autolycus and Breezy. Much appreciated for your insights.

[breezy]

Parents with kids enrolling in ACSI (IP/Express) in 2013:


FYI, the booklist is out on the school website. Under <For Students><Book Lists>

[autolycus]

Snow Crystal:

breezy:

Hi,
If the student takes HCL, the marks for HCL will b taken as his 2nd language marks. Same goes for CL. So, it is true that those taking HCL will b at a slight disadvantage when it comes to reporting.

Breezy thanks v much!
Yes that's what I thought too. :hi5:

If one takes HCL, although exempted from MT in Yr5, but then for IB, still have to take a 2nd lang, a boy will likely still take Chinese B as 2nd language.

My own take is taking HCL is a backup in case can't cope in this program can transfer to other IP at yr3 or 5 and not be shortchanged for Yr5 MT exemption in JC (A levels track). One less subject to take in JC. Also in a scenario where the boy enjoys Chinese v much, should take HCL.

Thanks again Autolycus and Breezy. Much appreciated for your insights.

If the student does two first languages, there is a bonus for entry to JC of 2 points if the student passes both languages. Note that HCL is thus -not- reported as a 2nd Language; it is a 1st Language, which if passed automatically fulfils pre-university 2nd Language requirements. This means that yes, the student does not need to do a 2nd Language for the A-levels, and for the IB must either do Chinese A or another language at a lower level.

ACS(I) offers four ab-initio (basic level) language courses — French, Spanish, German and Malay (in some years, also Hindi and/or Tamil, I believe). This means that the student who has passed HCL at Year 4 has a useful opportunity to upgrade his skills, and also one with which he is likely to score (since the difficulty level is low). Every year, about 20 students take up this challenge; average class size is about 5 students to one language teacher.

[Snow Crystal]

autolycus:

If the student does two first languages, there is a bonus for entry to JC of 2 points if the student passes both languages. Note that HCL is thus -not- reported as a 2nd Language; it is a 1st Language, which if passed automatically fulfils pre-university 2nd Language requirements. This means that yes, the student does not need to do a 2nd Language for the A-levels, and for the IB must either do Chinese A or another language at a lower level.

ACS(I) offers four ab-initio (basic level) language courses — French, Spanish, German and Malay (in some years, also Hindi and/or Tamil, I believe). This means that the student who has passed HCL at Year 4 has a useful opportunity to upgrade his skills, and also one with which he is likely to score (since the difficulty level is low). Every year, about 20 students take up this challenge; average class size is about 5 students to one language teacher.

Thanks for the insights! You are ever so helpful.
Oh so a boy which clears HCL at Year 4 has to take Chinese A or another language at lower level. He can't take Chinese B? Only CL boys can take Chinese B in Yr5?
Also, is the HCL assessment at Year 4 an internal ACSI exam and not O levels HCL?
I see your point about taking another new language. I salute these kids too :salute:
Thanks!

[autolycus]

Snow Crystal:

Thanks for the insights! You are ever so helpful.

Oh so a boy which clears HCL at Year 4 has to take Chinese A or another language at lower level. He can't take Chinese B? Only CL boys can take Chinese B in Yr5?
Also, is the HCL assessment at Year 4 an internal ACSI exam and not O levels HCL?
I see your point about taking another new language. I salute these kids too :salute:
Thanks!

You're welcome!

A student who clears HCL at Y4 can take Chinese A because it is at a higher level than his existing level of proficiency. He shouldn't take Chinese B because it is at a lower level of proficiency — IB regulations caution against it. It's like doing HCL at Y4 and then going to a JC to do CL2 as H1; the exam board won't allow that either.

The HCL exam at the end of Y4 is a Singapore-Cambridge GCE O-level paper. That's to ensure all students clear the level required for MOE exemption at the JC/Pre-U/IB level.