IP, IB vs A Levels
-
Original Title: To risk or not to risk...
I'm confused now. Should we take up the IB DSA offer, or should we wait for PSLE results and try for the regular A-level programme? Conservative guess-timate of results would be 250+ so what would be some good options for schools? Would value feedback from anyone who has been in my shoes last year or before... :? -
If your kid gets 250+, he/she should be able to go into most of the schools, except RI/RGS, HCI/NYGH…
-
So your son has an offer at ACS(I) IB? If he prefers an ‘O’ and ‘A’ level route, can’t he request for this at ACS(I) instead of IB?
-
What is the reason for not going to the IB programme. I would say GO for it, it is quite sought after and ACS(I) is a good school.
-
harini:
What is the reason for not going to the IB programme. I would say GO for it, it is quite sought after and ACS(I) is a good school.
Agree. Even the son of our PM was one of the graduands of the 1st batch (i think) of the IB programme in ACS(I) . :lol: -
Thanks for all your input, parents. I suppose it would be silly to let go of a place in ACSI-IP, but truthfully, I'm just not sure if my boy is cut out for the heavy workload and long hours (I've heard) IB schools expect students to put in. He did okay for PSLE (he thinks, and I hope! ) only after a lot of pushing on my part to put in the required hours of study. I don't know if he is one of those self-motivated kids - the last thing I need is for me to have to go through the same stress all through secondary school!
-
kelly1:
Thanks for all your input, parents. I suppose it would be silly to let go of a place in ACSI-IP, but truthfully, I'm just not sure if my boy is cut out for the heavy workload and long hours (I've heard) IB schools expect students to put in. He did okay for PSLE (he thinks, and I hope! ) only after a lot of pushing on my part to put in the required hours of study. I don't know if he is one of those self-motivated kids - the last thing I need is for me to have to go through the same stress all through secondary school!
Kelly,
You are right. Though IB is a highly-recommended program, we need to understand our children and their learning style to make the right decision for them. As far as I know, students who have interests in humanities and enjoy writing (lots of writing assignments - reports and expository writings) will have an advantage.
Students who are vocal will stand to gain too. (lots of oral presentations which are graded)
Having said that, there is always a hope that the above opportunity may provide an opportunity for a child who is not as vocal or as good in writing to develop that part of him to be a better and different person.
I am one of those introverted and shy students who have become a different personality after being in a profession that requires me to speak up. -
Thanks CSC - your input makes me see things better. I guess it is easier to let him start off in IB and then move to O-level if I feel he isn’t coping, rather than change my mind later and try for IB again… Meanwhile I can judge if he is indeed cut out for it. Think I’m going to go for it!
-
ACS(I) did very well in the IB examination, with 13 perfect scorers out of 27 perfect scorers world-wide. Also, 85.4% of the cohort taking IB in ACS(I) scored at least 38 points, making them eligible for schools like Oxford and Cambridge. Does this imply that that it will be easier to enter top universities using IB? If so, why aren’t other schools offering IB?
-
insider:
In my opinion, IB is more valuable than A levels. I prefer their subjects more than those offered in the A levels in a sense coz more 'well rounded' (A levels still very academic based which to me is more towards 读死书、死读书、读书死).
& I am one of those churned \"products\" :laugh: At least can laugh at myself, not so bad lah.
My preference is IB too for DS ... then again - it'll be ages down the road.
PM's son was from IB, that says something as well isn't it? -
Sorry for being ignorant about ACS.
What is the difference between the 2 intake in ACS ?
IB is overseas O level where as A level is like a IP program ? Is my guess correct ?
Thanks -
Is it true that RI may be offering IB soon ?
-
harini:
Is it true that RI may be offering IB soon ?
At this rate, in 5 to 10 years time, perhaps RI will be offering degree liao !! -
Mathematician:
ACS(I) did very well in the IB examination, with 13 perfect scorers out of 27 perfect scorers world-wide. Also, 85.4% of the cohort taking IB in ACS(I) scored at least 38 points, making them eligible for schools like Oxford and Cambridge. Does this imply that that it will be easier to enter top universities using IB? If so, why aren't other schools offering IB?
Just some answers that will hopefully be of help...
1. The IB exams are taken in both May and November; ACS(I)'s results are relative to schools that are mostly in the Southern hemisphere.
2. Yes, they are eligible to apply, but of course not all will make it through the application process. It's not necessarily easier for IB students to make it in; after all, the Singapore-Cambridge GCE A-Level exam is not the same as other A-Levels — it's generally tougher — but Singaporeans do just fine and universities can take that into account.
3. Lots of other schools offer the IB, but MOE schools ('independent' or not) are constrained by MOE permission. Last I heard, RI(JC)'s application was rejected by MOE. I'm sure the IBO would have accepted them.
Thanks! -
autolycus:
Thanks for the info !!Mathematician:
ACS(I) did very well in the IB examination, with 13 perfect scorers out of 27 perfect scorers world-wide. Also, 85.4% of the cohort taking IB in ACS(I) scored at least 38 points, making them eligible for schools like Oxford and Cambridge. Does this imply that that it will be easier to enter top universities using IB? If so, why aren't other schools offering IB?
Just some answers that will hopefully be of help...
1. The IB exams are taken in both May and November; ACS(I)'s results are relative to schools that are mostly in the Southern hemisphere.
2. Yes, they are eligible to apply, but of course not all will make it through the application process. It's not necessarily easier for IB students to make it in; after all, the Singapore-Cambridge GCE A-Level exam is not the same as other A-Levels — it's generally tougher — but Singaporeans do just fine and universities can take that into account.
3. Lots of other schools offer the IB, but MOE schools ('independent' or not) are constrained by MOE permission. Last I heard, RI(JC)'s application was rejected by MOE. I'm sure the IBO would have accepted them.
Thanks! -
ST Forums;
Mon, Jan 25, 2010
The Straits Times
Have more IP schools
THE Integrated Programme (IP) is creating unnecessary pressure on primary school pupils embarking onward to secondary school education. Only recently, National Junior College, among other schools, joined the IP bandwagon so it would not lose out on its share of academically smart primary school pupils entering Secondary 1.
But this widening net of IP schools has also created problems for well-performing O-level students who find it harder to win a place in the top five junior colleges.
Because the IP cohort gets larger and larger, enabling more secondary students to gain automatic A-level places without having to sit for the O-level examinations, vacancies in the top junior colleges shrink to the disadvantage of O-level students.
Perhaps the best way to arrest the problem is to enlarge the IP programme even more - to schools with a history of consistently producing bright students such as Victoria, Cedar Girls’, Crescent Girls’, Methodist Girls’, Singapore Chinese Girls’, Catholic High, St Joseph’s Institution, Anglo-Chinese Secondary, St Andrews’, Bukit Panjang Government High and CHIJ St Nicholas’.
If the IP net is not widened enough, the space crunch in Singapore’s top JCs will intensify.
David Goh
Jan 30, 2010
ST Forum
Restrict IPs to students who will gain from it
I REFER to last Saturday’s letter by Mr David Goh, ‘Have more IP schools’.
He advocates increasing the number of places in the integrated programme (IP) to ensure that top performing O-level students enter top junior colleges (JCs). I feel that it is fairer to ensure that students with the highest academic ability get to enter top JCs, and offer IP places only to those who can gain more from the IP than the O-level track.
Mr Goh’s argument rests on the assumption that top performing O-level students are necessarily those with the highest academic ability. This leads him to conclude that it is unfair that a top scorer in the O levels cannot enter the JC of his choice.
While I do not deny such occurrences, it is worth pointing out that it is now relatively easy for a student to be a top performer in the O levels. This occurs because the O levels are marked on a bell curve, and with many academically talented students skipping the O levels, the remaining ones taking these exams face less competition.� In other words, an excellent O-level score is no longer the best proxy for academic achievement, so this is not a sufficient reason to argue for a need to provide extra places for these students.
However, this argument assumes that academic ability at Primary 6 correlates exactly with academic ability at O level. Mr Goh is right in pointing out that the IP puts a lot of pressure on Primary 6 pupils, since the Primary School Leaving Examination determines their entry to these schools. After which, they may have an easier path to one of the top JCs than a late bloomer who performs well only come the O levels.
In that case, instead of reflexively opening more places in the IP to reward these late bloomers, perhaps the criteria for promotion of these IP students should be made stricter, to ensure that entry into JC is based on� strong academic performance in secondary school, rather than in primary school.
We should not increase IP places merely to satisfy people. The IP has restrictions of its own - students who are more inclined towards the polytechnics are denied these choices, and IP students interact with a much smaller group of people than their non-IP counterparts. In that respect, these IP students may understand less of the concerns facing those who are not their six-year IP mates, which may hinder their interaction with others in the future.
Chua Xin Rong (Ms)
Feb 6, 2010
My Point
O-level disadvantage
‘Six A1s and four A2s - but failed to win a place in first-choice JC.’
MS TOH SIEW TIN: ‘I agree with Mr David Goh (‘O-level’s A-level disadvantage: Have more IP schools’, Jan 23) that the Integrated Programme (IP) has created a space crunch in Singapore’s top junior colleges (JCs). My daughter scored 10 distinctions - six A1s and four A2s - but failed to win a place in Hwa Chong, her first-choice JC. Distinctions in two additional subjects, Music Elective Programme and Higher Chinese, give no added advantage over IP students. Naturally, I regret not enrolling her in the IP or channelling her to the direct school admission programme earlier. Perhaps Hwa Chong or the Ministry of Education can explain why she failed to gain entry to her first-choice JC?’
Feb 8, 2010
My Point
Admission blues
‘The cut-off point is calculated using the L1R5 scoring system, and not the number of distinctions attained.’
DR HON CHIEW WENG, principal, Hwa Chong Institution: ‘I refer to Ms Toh Siew Tin’s letter on Saturday, ‘O-level disadvantage: Six A1s and four A2s - but failed to win a place in first-choice JC’. We congratulate Ms Toh’s daughter on her good performance. The cut-off point is calculated using the L1R5 scoring system, and not the number of distinctions attained. This scoring system takes into account the student’s first language (L1) and five relevant subjects (R5), which must include at least one from Mathematics, Science and Humanities. Each school’s cut-off point varies from year to year, depending on the number and quality of applicants who apply under the Joint Admission Exercise. This year, Hwa Chong’s cut-off point for both the Arts and Science streams is 3. This includes bonus deductions for passing Higher Mother Tongue and outstanding Co-Curricular Activities records. We regret that not everyone who puts Hwa Chong as his first-choice school was posted to us. We wish Ms Toh’s daughter all the best.’
Feb 10, 2010
My Point
JC problem
‘There must be something amiss if a student must score three points or lower to qualify for an elite junior college.’
MR PHILIP TAN: ‘I refer to Hwa Chong Institution principal Hon Chiew Weng’s reply on Monday (‘Admission blues’). There must be something amiss if a student must score three points or lower to qualify for an elite junior college. Is this the result of the Integrated Programme in which schools admit most of their students after the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE), thereby depriving capable students who may be late bloomers of a chance to enter such schools? The successful students who did well for their PSLE are assured of an education in an elite school up to the A levels. This, I assume, will eventually leave few places for equally capable students.’
Not good enough
‘An A2 is considered a blight.’
MR MATT HOWE: ‘If the cut-off point for Hwa Chong Institution was three points last year and there are not many places left for O-level students, it must be a cause for concern. I have heard students commenting that they can afford no less than A1s in their O-level exams. An A2 is considered a blight.’
30 years ago
‘Six A1s and four A2s was a 50-50 chance back then too.’
MR ANAND A. VATHIYAR: ‘It is unfortunate that Ms Toh Siew Tin felt she made a mistake (‘O-level disadvantage’, last Saturday) by not enrolling her daughter in the Integrated Programme. The space crunch in junior colleges should not be singled out for blame. It has been almost 30 years since I sat for my O-level exams and an achievement like Ms Toh’s daughter’s - six A1s and four A2s - was a 50-50 chance, at best, in landing a place at Hwa Chong back then too.’ -
Good point to ponder.
I have seen many late developers in life who’s so so in Pri, so so in Sec and even so so in JC, but score 3 distintions in Uni’s subjects.
But do not lose heart, acadamic is only one of the path which all can take as a ticket to maybe “better life”, but it is not the only way. -
JonC:
I took around 30 modules (subjects?) in university and more than half of them are distinctions (A and A+). I think it is quite common to get distinctions in Uni.Good point to ponder.
I have seen many late developers in life who's so so in Pri, so so in Sec and even so so in JC, but score 3 distintions in Uni's subjects.
But do not lose heart, acadamic is only one of the path which all can take as a ticket to maybe \"better life\", but it is not the only way. -
Hey ks2me & 25hourmaid,
do you think I should start commenting again ?
:lol: :lol: :lol: :rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao: -
VitoRelax:
*kaypo auntie mode on*Hey ks2me & 25hourmaid,
do you think I should start commenting again ?
:lol: :lol: :lol: :rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao:
why ah why ah ah pek ...
comment on what?? whats so funny, pray tell leh ...