Logo
    • Education
      • Pre-School
      • Primary Schools Directory
      • Primary Schools Articles
      • P1 Registration
      • DSA
      • PSLE
      • Secondary
      • Tertiary
      • Special Needs
    • Lifestyle
      • Well-being
    • Activities
      • Events
    • Enrichment & Services
      • Find A Service Provider
      • Enrichment Articles
      • Enrichment Services
      • Tuition Centre/Private Tutor
      • Infant Care/ Childcare / Student Care Centre
      • Kindergarten/Preschool
      • Private Institutions and International Schools
      • Special Needs
      • Indoor & Outdoor Playgrounds
      • Paediatrics
      • Neonatal Care
    • Forum
    • ASKQ
    • Register
    • Login

    HCL- To-Take or Not-To-Take

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Secondary Schools - Selection
    37 Posts 16 Posters 33.1k Views 1 Watching
    Loading More Posts
    • Oldest to Newest
    • Newest to Oldest
    • Most Votes
    Reply
    • Reply as topic
    Log in to reply
    This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
    • S Offline
      Skyed
      last edited by

      mummy so kiasu:
      Skyed:

      [quote=\"mummy so kiasu\"]My boy is in the top 10% of the PSLE cohort & he did not do HCL. He only get A for his CL, do you think he will be able to cope with HCL?


      Yes probably. When I did my PSLE I got A as well and did not do HCL. But at O level midyear managed to get b3 even though my chinese is really quite bad (never speak chinese even during chinese class, memorise cheem phrases and regurgitate when writing essays).

      And in most secondary schools as long as you get b3 for chinese they allow you to continue taking hcl. Many of my friends who take HCL got B3 for normal chinese as well.

      Thanks for sharing. B3 for HCL in Sec is consider good. Keep it up! Hope to hear others' experience as well.[/quote]
      I got B3 for CL, not HCL :3 I didn't choose to take HCL in Sec 1 and have regretted since, as I didn't know about the -2 thing when I was in sec 1 :razz:

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • emohE Offline
        emoh
        last edited by

        Anyone know the cut off for HTML based on the following:


        Top 10% of PSLE cohort

        11% - 30% of PSLE cohort meeting the criteria of A* in MTL or at least Merit in HMTL

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • S Offline
          Skyed
          last edited by

          emoh:
          Anyone know the cut off for HTML based on the following:


          Top 10% of PSLE cohort

          11% - 30% of PSLE cohort meeting the criteria of A* in MTL or at least Merit in HMTL
          Top 10% this year is 249 apparently.

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • emohE Offline
            emoh
            last edited by

            Skyed:
            emoh:

            Anyone know the cut off for HTML based on the following:


            Top 10% of PSLE cohort

            11% - 30% of PSLE cohort meeting the criteria of A* in MTL or at least Merit in HMTL

            Top 10% this year is 249 apparently.

            Ok, so all the 249 and above got offered HMTL ? Then 248 and below may not get offered unless they meet the 2nd condition of at least A* in MTL or at least Merit in HMTL?

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • S Offline
              Skyed
              last edited by

              emoh:
              Skyed:

              [quote=\"emoh\"]Anyone know the cut off for HTML based on the following:


              Top 10% of PSLE cohort

              11% - 30% of PSLE cohort meeting the criteria of A* in MTL or at least Merit in HMTL

              Top 10% this year is 249 apparently.

              Ok, so all the 249 and above got offered HMTL ? Then 248 and below may not get offered unless they meet the 2nd condition of at least A* in MTL or at least Merit in HMTL?[/quote]I suppose so yes.

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • P Offline
                pixiedust
                last edited by

                jtoh:
                wiimum:

                [quote=\"jedamum\"]Must qualify that clearing hcl at year 4 to benefit year 6 may not be so clear cut benefit for IP-IB. Based on what I read.


                For O level need the HCL to less 2 points for JC entry. For IP, the benefit is no need to take CL in Year 5 and 6 so got more time for other subjects. (one heavy burden off esp . for those who really have no interest in the language)
                For Year 5 and Year 6 IB, it seems Chinese is still part of the curriculum so maybe no benefit, those who are taking IB may be can confirm this?

                For IB, you need to take a second lang in Years 5/6. If you cleared HCL at O levels, you'll need to take another lang like Spanish, French etc.[/quote]
                Hence, can we conclude that for IB, there is NO ADVANTAGE in taking HCL ?

                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • Z Offline
                  zeemimi
                  last edited by

                  pixiedust:

                  Hence, can we conclude that for IB, there is NO ADVANTAGE in taking HCL ?
                  dont be so pragmatic la. have some advantage la. learn more chinese. 😉

                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • jedamumJ Offline
                    jedamum
                    last edited by

                    No advantage is one thing, but will it be disadvantage tottake hcl for IB? Year 5-6 need to take another language if past hcl at year four. What are your views?

                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • P Offline
                      pixiedust
                      last edited by

                      Agree with jedamum. Hope to hear some feedback for parents/kids in IB track.


                      What happens if one takes HCL and passed at year 4 ? Year 5 & 6 need to take another language eg Spanish, French ? Would it be better to do CL and then Yr 5 & 6 do Chinese (HCL) ?

                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • J Offline
                        julialai
                        last edited by

                        jtoh:


                        That will depend on the school. There are students who've never taken HCL in primary school who are taking HCL in secondary school. And some are doing alright. So it depends on the student. If a school deems that a student is really weak in HCL and is better off taking CL, maybe that's a better route for the child?

                        I say let your child try it out. She may excel in it for all you know.
                        Hi jtoh,

                        You mentioned that there are students who have never taken HCL in primary school who are taking HCL in secondary school. I thought that only if a student scores merit or distinction in Higher Chinese at PSLE can he/she continue with Higher Chinese at Sec 1? At least this is the case with my DD when she was in Sec 1 some years ago.

                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0

                        Hello! It looks like you're interested in this conversation, but you don't have an account yet.

                        Getting fed up of having to scroll through the same posts each visit? When you register for an account, you'll always come back to exactly where you were before, and choose to be notified of new replies (either via email, or push notification). You'll also be able to save bookmarks and upvote posts to show your appreciation to other community members.

                        With your input, this post could be even better 💗

                        Register Login
                        • 1
                        • 2
                        • 3
                        • 4
                        • 3 / 4
                        • First post
                          Last post



                        Online Users
                        guhanavelG
                        guhanavel
                        IvyBellaLeeI
                        IvyBellaLee

                        Statistics

                        4

                        Online

                        210.7k

                        Users

                        34.2k

                        Topics

                        1.8m

                        Posts
                        Popular Topics
                        New to the KiasuParents forum? Tips and Tricks!
                        Choosing and Evaluating Primary Schools
                        DSA 2026
                        PSLE Discussions and Strategies
                        How much do you spend on the kids' tuition/enrichments?
                        SkillsFuture + anything related to upskilling/learning something new!

                          About Us Contact Us forum Terms of Service Privacy Policy