<![CDATA[ADVICE ON JC1 SURVIVAL]]>JC2 life is really only 9 months. Most schools complete revision by end August. Prelims in September. More revision half of October, then study leave second half of October onwards. Consider the school carnival, speech day, prize day, bonding day, founder day, cupcake day, etcโ€ฆthe interruptions will make time fly-by so quick that some students wonder what happened to time. Most students donโ€™t realise the value of time and most schools will chant the mantra that "jc students are independent learners."


I think it is important for parents to be part of the process of revision as well. Maybe you can flip through the jc textbook or notes and say "Hey Mei Mei, what is this Kuznets curve they talking about?" A good way for your child to tell you the concept. If they cannot explain it simply enough, they dont know the concept deeply enough. Although some children will ask you not to bother them, I think if you show interest in their work, and realise how easy/difficult it is, it will eventually lead back to how to use time and plan for revision.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/topic/81992/advice-on-jc1-survivalRSS for NodeThu, 07 May 2026 15:00:56 GMTSun, 11 Dec 2016 00:51:39 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to ADVICE ON JC1 SURVIVAL on Wed, 07 Dec 2016 10:05:19 GMT]]>

zbear:
Should JC1 students start revising JC1 topics this month?


My DS who will be in JC2 next year is still enjoying his holiday break. Very hard to push him to start preparing for JC2.

I dread next year!!! ๐Ÿ˜“
Like slmkhoo mentioned, it would depend on each student individually. If the student has excellent memory, and have internalized the concepts into his/her long term memory, then perhaps it is not needed to revise.

However, I would encourage that students do some minimal revision of JC1, if possible. Even 20-30% of the full intensity of usual schooltime revision would be good.
The reason is that most JCs will do very little revision of JC1 syllabus in the 2nd year due to time-constraints, but yet JC1 syllabus makes up almost 50% of the total marks for A levels. Hence, it will be quite disastrous to forget the JC1 syllabus taught.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1738997https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1738997Wed, 07 Dec 2016 10:05:19 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to ADVICE ON JC1 SURVIVAL on Wed, 07 Dec 2016 07:56:08 GMT]]>I think it depends on whether the student has really learnt and internalized the material. If he has, then the break is ok. I am not expecting my daughter to revise as she has shown herself to be the kind who doesnโ€™t "lose" much over breaks.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1738950https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1738950Wed, 07 Dec 2016 07:56:08 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to ADVICE ON JC1 SURVIVAL on Wed, 07 Dec 2016 07:47:17 GMT]]>Should JC1 students start revising JC1 topics this month?


My DS who will be in JC2 next year is still enjoying his holiday break. Very hard to push him to start preparing for JC2.

I dread next year!!! ๐Ÿ˜“

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1738949https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1738949Wed, 07 Dec 2016 07:47:17 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to ADVICE ON JC1 SURVIVAL on Wed, 07 Dec 2016 05:11:44 GMT]]>I agree. Itโ€™s the same case for Chemistry (and other subjects as well). Most of the time, I will be reminding my tutees the topics they had covered before and then try to link them with the new topics. This will help them to remember better when they can see the links. Itโ€™s very important that they see interconnectivity across the topics and subjects (say Physics with Chem or Chem with Bio) . Afterall, for many science and math subjects they are interlinked.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1738931https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1738931Wed, 07 Dec 2016 05:11:44 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to ADVICE ON JC1 SURVIVAL on Wed, 07 Dec 2016 04:56:11 GMT]]>

LOL123kiasu:
I heard that many students use the December holidays to learn jc topics (esp maths) in advance to avoid failing ct in jc1. What are the topics/chapters in h2 maths that one can self-study during the holidays?

In my opinion, they should rebuild their foundation for O level mathematics. I have come across students who know the concepts of A level topics but lost marks in tests / exam because of fundamental O level concepts. E.g. Mistakes from topics such as law of indices, logarithm / exponential, trigonometry, etc.

Also after a couple of months of holidays after O level exams, it is pretty common for students to \"reformat\" the hard disks in their brain because they assumed O level topics are no longer required / tested. Wait until end February or March before ennrollment into JC, the hard disk is pretty much like new (empty).

My personal teaching approach / principle is that before one wants to move ahead of others, make sure the foundation knowledge is strong. Learning ahead is good but it need not guarantee a better grade at the end.

Share my personal experience. I have a new tuition student because he did very poorly for JC 1 throughout the entire year, getting consistent \"U\" grade. According to the parent, the previous tutor's approach is always teaching in advance and while waiting for promo results the tutor began to teach JC 2 topics. In the end the student failed the overall year 1 math.

I met this new student 2 weeks ago and I began to do some diagnostic test to see how good is his fundamentals. In the end, I had to reteach everything because all was forgotten 1 to 2 months after promotional exams. So throughout the year he puts in the effort but could only manage a U grade, now his mastery level has dropped further because of lack of revision. It will be a painful year 2 for this student because on 1 hand he has to pick up everything in year 1 and year 2 the school will just accelerate the pace of teaching to complete the syllabus by end June or early May.

Similarly if a student starts JC H2 Math with poor foundation in A and E math, it will be a tough journey for him.

Regards
Mr Ang
http://alevelmathtuition.sg

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1738930https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1738930Wed, 07 Dec 2016 04:56:11 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to ADVICE ON JC1 SURVIVAL on Mon, 28 Nov 2016 16:15:26 GMT]]>

LOL123kiasu:
mathtuition88:

[quote=\"LOL123kiasu\"]I heard that many students use the December holidays to learn jc topics (esp maths) in advance to avoid failing ct in jc1. What are the topics/chapters in h2 maths that one can self-study during the holidays?


The \"calculus\" topics are quite suitable for self-study: Differentiation and Integration. It builds up on the foundation of A-maths in O levels.

Another suitable topic would be AP/GP: Arithmetic Progression and Geometric Progression.

These topics may not be the first to be taught in JC1, depending on the school's syllabus, but it will certainly come in useful very soon.


Thank you. What about system of linear eq, graphs and inequalities..they seem quite \"self-studable\"[/quote]That is quite ok too. However, some parts of it require the use of the Graphic Calculator, which new students may not have bought it yet.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1736685https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1736685Mon, 28 Nov 2016 16:15:26 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to ADVICE ON JC1 SURVIVAL on Mon, 28 Nov 2016 14:24:28 GMT]]>

mathtuition88:
LOL123kiasu:

I heard that many students use the December holidays to learn jc topics (esp maths) in advance to avoid failing ct in jc1. What are the topics/chapters in h2 maths that one can self-study during the holidays?


The \"calculus\" topics are quite suitable for self-study: Differentiation and Integration. It builds up on the foundation of A-maths in O levels.

Another suitable topic would be AP/GP: Arithmetic Progression and Geometric Progression.

These topics may not be the first to be taught in JC1, depending on the school's syllabus, but it will certainly come in useful very soon.


Thank you. What about system of linear eq, graphs and inequalities..they seem quite \"self-studable\"

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1736647https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1736647Mon, 28 Nov 2016 14:24:28 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to ADVICE ON JC1 SURVIVAL on Sun, 27 Nov 2016 13:31:58 GMT]]>

LOL123kiasu:
I heard that many students use the December holidays to learn jc topics (esp maths) in advance to avoid failing ct in jc1. What are the topics/chapters in h2 maths that one can self-study during the holidays?

The \"calculus\" topics are quite suitable for self-study: Differentiation and Integration. It builds up on the foundation of A-maths in O levels.

Another suitable topic would be AP/GP: Arithmetic Progression and Geometric Progression.

These topics may not be the first to be taught in JC1, depending on the school's syllabus, but it will certainly come in useful very soon.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1736132https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1736132Sun, 27 Nov 2016 13:31:58 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to ADVICE ON JC1 SURVIVAL on Tue, 22 Nov 2016 12:48:03 GMT]]>I heard that many students use the December holidays to learn jc topics (esp maths) in advance to avoid failing ct in jc1. What are the topics/chapters in h2 maths that one can self-study during the holidays?

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1734683https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1734683Tue, 22 Nov 2016 12:48:03 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to ADVICE ON JC1 SURVIVAL on Mon, 21 Nov 2016 01:13:04 GMT]]>"Common to fail and do badly for JC1", "alot of time for revision in JC2". Sorry I beg to differ based on my experience teaching in a JC. Telling this to our students may give them the wrong impression that they are "ok" when in fact they arenโ€™t.


Most schools will speed up the teaching in JC2 as they aim to finish syllabus by mid July. That is under the assumption that the students have sufficient mastery in JC 1 topics and they are not going to do extensive revision until after August. So what the students will face is on one hand they are lacking in J1 topics on the other hand the school will pile them with new topics. Furthermore without consistent revision, students will just forget what they have learnt. Then they have to start all over again which is not time efficient.

There is a significant chance they are not going to cope well and IMHO, just drilling on questions at year end is just like asking students to memorise 101 questions they have done before and pray that a similar one will appear in A levels. The recent trend of A level, at least for Math, is that uncommon questions will be the norm, different ways to package and phrase a question that will require students to think is the key skill to get a good grade.

Other skillsets are important, but before we talk about scholarships etc, make sure the student can enroll into a university course first.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1734312https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1734312Mon, 21 Nov 2016 01:13:04 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to ADVICE ON JC1 SURVIVAL on Sun, 13 Nov 2016 05:07:32 GMT]]>My advice would beโ€ฆ JUST MUG HARD. It is common to fail and do badly etc in JC1. But the key thing is to simply get yourself promoted to J2. After that, your teachers will drill you real hard and as long as you put in the effort, I believe you will get the grades you deserve for As.


ANOTHER THING ISโ€ฆ other than academic results, focus on equipping yourself with some relevant skill set too! It will def help alot when you are interviewing for university admission and scholarship interviews. For example, I have two friends who got the chance to interview for NTU scholarship with the same results. But only one of them was granted the scholarship.

The key differentiating point is that the one who gotten scholarship took up coding class during his free time. He had his own website stating all his achievements, experience and projects he did. Key takeaway: Everyone has excellent results now and you need to differentiate yourself!

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1732819https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1732819Sun, 13 Nov 2016 05:07:32 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to ADVICE ON JC1 SURVIVAL on Wed, 09 Nov 2016 03:16:25 GMT]]>Hey all! I'm back and pretty surprised this thread is still active! A levels had started and this year's chem p2 is a bit weird. The qns are not the usual kind but doable. Except for the planning that im not confident in, and some parts in qns 3.

How did you guys feel about the chem paper? ๐Ÿ˜„

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1731842https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1731842Wed, 09 Nov 2016 03:16:25 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to ADVICE ON JC1 SURVIVAL on Mon, 07 Nov 2016 03:41:35 GMT]]>I think learning to be independent is important. There are lots of things that one needs to learn by oneself. The faster one adopts an inquisitive mind and asks questions, the quicker one exposes oneself to the challenges of JC life and the A-Level paper.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1731222https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1731222Mon, 07 Nov 2016 03:41:35 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to ADVICE ON JC1 SURVIVAL on Thu, 27 Oct 2016 00:35:16 GMT]]>

zbear:
PW is taken in JC1 n is the only A level subject to be cleared so there is really no reason not to try hard regardless of whether it has a small impact on the final outcome of A level results.


Even if it doesn't count in overseas Uni/UAS/job applications, your certificate will definitely look good if you can score As in all subjects. Every subject helps to boost your chances.

Just my personal opinion.

๐Ÿ˜„
I'm not saying don't try hard and that it's totally unimportant. But in the context of the exchange above between cyt and nucleus, where cyt, having already finished his PW, is worried about not having done well, I agree with nucleus that PW is not really important in contrast to the H2s. So since cyt can't do any more about his PW performance, I agree with nucleus that he should just focus on the H2s. I would certainly not tell any JC1 student to not work hard at PW or that it doesn't matter at all.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1728862https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1728862Thu, 27 Oct 2016 00:35:16 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to ADVICE ON JC1 SURVIVAL on Thu, 27 Oct 2016 00:09:54 GMT]]>PW is taken in JC1 n is the only A level subject to be cleared so there is really no reason not to try hard regardless of whether it has a small impact on the final outcome of A level results.


Even if it doesn't count in overseas Uni/UAS/job applications, your certificate will definitely look good if you can score As in all subjects. Every subject helps to boost your chances.

Just my personal opinion.

๐Ÿ˜„

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1728858https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1728858Thu, 27 Oct 2016 00:09:54 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to ADVICE ON JC1 SURVIVAL on Wed, 26 Oct 2016 23:22:51 GMT]]>

zbear:
nucleus80:

Don't worry, PW is not really important, focus on your main subjects!


Excuse me, may I know why do u say PW is not really important when it is one of the compulsory A level subject?

All subjects taken at A levels are important.

But the content subjects are arguably the ones that really count. PW is a smaller proportion of the UAS score for getting into local university, and doesn't matter at all for applying to overseas universities. I doubt any employer bothers about PW if the student decides to apply for a job.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1728854https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1728854Wed, 26 Oct 2016 23:22:51 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to ADVICE ON JC1 SURVIVAL on Wed, 26 Oct 2016 13:20:27 GMT]]>

nucleus80:
cyt kpopfan:

I know this may be a little late, but thanks all for your suggestions on how to survive JC1! I just got back my promo results yesterday and i was promoted, but i deproved from MYE to a BBC/DD... I got AAC/SS for mye. Now im worried for my pw results, which i dont think i did well in, esp op...




Once again, Thanks all!!! ๐Ÿ˜„

Don't worry, PW is not really important, focus on your main subjects!


Excuse me, may I know why do u say PW is not really important when it is one of the compulsory A level subject?

All subjects taken at A levels are important.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1728818https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1728818Wed, 26 Oct 2016 13:20:27 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to ADVICE ON JC1 SURVIVAL on Wed, 26 Oct 2016 11:24:57 GMT]]>

cyt kpopfan:
I know this may be a little late, but thanks all for your suggestions on how to survive JC1! I just got back my promo results yesterday and i was promoted, but i deproved from MYE to a BBC/DD... I got AAC/SS for mye. Now im worried for my pw results, which i dont think i did well in, esp op...




Once again, Thanks all!!! ๐Ÿ˜„
Don't worry, PW is not really important, focus on your main subjects!

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1728811https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1728811Wed, 26 Oct 2016 11:24:57 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to ADVICE ON JC1 SURVIVAL on Wed, 20 Jul 2016 13:11:08 GMT]]>

cyt kpopfan:
I know this may be a little late, but thanks all for your suggestions on how to survive JC1! I just got back my promo results yesterday and i was promoted, but i deproved from MYE to a BBC/DD... I got AAC/SS for mye. Now im worried for my pw results, which i dont think i did well in, esp op...




Once again, Thanks all!!! ๐Ÿ˜„
Consistency is the key! congrats! U can do it ๐Ÿ™‚

if you need help for Math, i have some free resources for your reference!

http://www.alevelmath.org/learning-resources/

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1701193https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1701193Wed, 20 Jul 2016 13:11:08 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to ADVICE ON JC1 SURVIVAL on Wed, 20 Jul 2016 12:37:06 GMT]]>My son got 1 B, 1C, 2D and 1E in RI. The president already told us not to worry about the scores this time.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1701179https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1701179Wed, 20 Jul 2016 12:37:06 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to ADVICE ON JC1 SURVIVAL on Sun, 13 Mar 2016 02:21:23 GMT]]>Any Seniors giving away or wanna exchange Prelim Papers?


Anybody willing to do Exchange of Prelim Papers with me?
-> Exchanging H1/H2 Physics 2008-2013 prelim papers (QnA) with H1/H2 Biology / Chemistry (QnA)

interested please email to : seanalevel@gmail.com

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1655297https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1655297Sun, 13 Mar 2016 02:21:23 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to ADVICE ON JC1 SURVIVAL on Mon, 29 Feb 2016 11:06:16 GMT]]>hi OP (so much spam here lol),

consistency is key for JC. all the best!

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1648808https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1648808Mon, 29 Feb 2016 11:06:16 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to ADVICE ON JC1 SURVIVAL on Thu, 07 Jan 2016 15:11:32 GMT]]>hi cyt kpopfan ,


I do hope that you are coping fine with all hols assignments and preparing for the school reopening next Monday ๐Ÿ™‚

JC 2 will definitely be challenging and we hope to hear many good news from you ๐Ÿ™‚


Regards
Team AcaNCafe

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1624825https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1624825Thu, 07 Jan 2016 15:11:32 GMT