Tokidoki:

Only this yr then i realise top 30% of cohort will be awarded the HCL bonus points.

Anyone can confirm if tscore > 250 is actually top 10% of cohort or it's top 30%?

I read somewhere that:
T score of more than 270 is top 1%.
MOE EESIS cut off which is usually more than 260 is top 3%.
T score of more than 250 is top 10%.

raisintan:

For those whose kids are in the 2nd group oral today, did they have to wait for everyone in the batch to complete before they can be dismissed?

Hi Raisintan,

Group 2 students can leave immediately after oral. The reason why group 1 students have to be held back because they need to make sure all the group 2 students are reported at school before they release the group 1 students. Both groups of students cannot be in contact at all as the oral topic is the same for both groups. The oral topic is leaked the moment the group 1 students are released.

xn_mummy:

hear is english - teachers' day, chinese - helping friends

English is using the context of writing poems to teachers for teacher's day celebration to discuss the topic of showing gratitude.
Chinese video is on helping others but the third question reveals the topic of friendship.

Yngmng:

DD does not read Chinese papers. I bought a few reference books on the common phrases and terms used for the different topics. The challenge is how to get DD to read them...

It is very common for our kids not to read Chinese books and papers. My daughter is also like this. I also bought reference books for her but she hardly read them. For the preparation of HCL, she discussed the current affairs with me in Chinese to develop the contents and vocabulary that she needed to write her compo. Out of all the components in HCL, she did well in Compo and Compre. Her oral and 语文词汇 were weaker.

Now that she no longer need to study Chinese, I tell her to continue to speak and read in Chinese so as to maintain her oral and reading/comprehension skills. Eventually, she will lose her writing skill in Chinese since , just like me in the past.

PiggyLalala:

thanks....yep...maybe 说明文和议论文 (actually i also do not what exactly they are... ) the contents (factuals) can be similar just different structure...

记叙文 is story writing.... ds likes to choose this....he is still using his primary sch writing for sec

agreed reading of Chinese news will help in both oral and compo....but how to get them to read.... :sad:

:thankyou: for yr sharings.

Oh yea, I totally forget 记叙文 is actually story writing. She did not focus on this type then. She did 说明文和议论文 (including the speech). She memorised the format / structure and those opening and ending phrases and then focus on content for these types of compo. I do not think it is easy to score for 记叙文 at the secondary level.

PiggyLalala:

thank you, alng

yep.....oral is another component that ds will have problem in. Do u have any idea which is easier to score 记叙文、说明文和议论文（包括演讲词).dont think that my ds can master three....thinking if he shld just focus on 2?

Hi,

I was not too involved in the Chinese compo. But I remember my daughter said that the differences of these compos are just format/structure and some standard phrases to write for each type. So she pick the compo to write based on topics instead. She said that content is important in scoring so she would only write those topics that she has substance to write. We did discuss the contents for some topics (eg discussion of a topic from different perspectives - personal, society, national level, etc). And she memorised the formats/structure of each type of compo.

Reading of Chinese news help in both oral and compo.

PiggyLalala:

Thank you for the link, alng.

yep....totally cant understand the 古文。
Is yr child taking HCL O level chinese soon? any idea what is the format now esp the Paper 1?

ok... i have googled.... and this is the format for HCL O level.
http://www.seab.gov.sg/content/syllabus/olevel/2017Syllabus/1116_2017.pdf

试卷一 ：写作 2 小时 80 分

这份试卷包括实用文和作文两部分。考生在写作时，可以使用考评
局规定的词典。

第一部分 ：实用文
考生必须从两道试题中任选一题，字数在 220 以上。考生可以根据
所提供的电子邮件内容或材料写一则电邮；也可以针对话题，结合
所提供的言论，发表看法（包括：博客、网上论坛等）。

第二部分 ：作文
考生必须从三道试题中任选一题，字数在 500 以上。考查的文体包
括记叙文、说明文和议论文（包括演讲词）。

Hi,

My daughter took HCL O level last year. She is in J1 now. I remember the biggest challenge was the new HCL Oral which involved a video (like the new PSLE Chinese Oral). And last year oral topics were more specific and narrowed so the topics were tough. For example, instead of the general topics on environmental friendliness, earth hour came out last year.

Some of the oral topics were compiled in this forum: https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/forum/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=86869

Chinese is taught as a second language here in Singapore and most of our kids are not interested in learning Chinese. Introducing 中国古文 will not generate any interest in Chinese learning in our kids. In fact, these 中国古文 will put the kids (and adults too) off.


My daughter's secondary school Chinese Teachers have introduced short Chinese articles to the students to encourage reading. I started to read these articles and came to know this author 刘墉. He has very interesting articles. Here is one:

Source: http://yuedu.mipang.com/sanwen/lizhi/liuyong/

刘墉励志散文精选

　　谈戒慎：《当习惯成了自然》

　　今天真是好险，妈妈和爸爸下午出去的时候，差点出车祸。
　　那时妈妈由咱们家的车道开进大马路，她只顾左转，没想到右边正有辆计程车快速开过来。幸亏爸爸看到了，及时提醒妈妈踩煞车，那白色的计程车才擦身而过。愈是在习惯的地方，愈容易疏忽。这种在自家门前出车祸的事，我真是见多了——
　　二十五年前，我才来美国，住在维吉尼亚州一个教授家里，有一天朋友来访，决定一起出去看电影。岂知才出门，教授的车就拦腰撞上来访朋友的车，原因是他只顾习惯地倒车，却忘了朋友的车正停在车道上。
　　还有个车祸是为我们装修的小李叔叔说的，他说有一家人翻修浴室，特别请他申请了一个装垃圾的车斗。车斗到的第二天早上，那家主人照例开车上班，才倒车出去，就狠狠撞上了车斗，把车尾巴都撞烂了。
　　小李叔叔还说，到人家做工最要小心了，绝对不能蹲在车房外面和院子转弯的地方工作，因为每家人都习惯倒车出车库，和从外面开车转进自己的院子。这条路屋主闭着眼睛都能开，所以当他突然看到工人的时候，常常已经撞上了。他还说有好几个搞装修的朋友，都因为没注意，受了伤。
　　我们常说“习惯成自然”，许多做过千百次的动作，都会成为“习惯动作”。
　　举个例子，如果你每天进房间，都伸手到墙上拨电灯开关，有一天你回家，打开门，灯虽然是亮的，你还是会伸手往墙上摸对不对?
　　但是你也要知道，习惯动作也常使你忘记用脑，而铸成大错。譬如有一天，你开门，嗅到屋子里有浓浓的瓦斯味，明明知道开灯可能引爆瓦斯，但是想到时，手却可能已经拨了开关。
　　这也是我为什么每次到学校接你，带你走过草坪、穿越停车场的时候，都叮嘱你，要看清楚左右，确定没有来车的时候再走。
　　因为很少有人走学校的侧门，也很少有人从草坪那边走上车道，那些开车的人已经习惯每天快速地倒车开车；他们急着去接子女，你又急着回家，这些急切的心和习惯的动作反而成为最危险的事。
　　最后让我说两个报上刊登的真实故事给你听吧——
　　有个年轻妈妈带着新生的娃娃去超级市场。
　　买完东西，先把放娃娃的篮子搁在车顶上，再把买好的东西放进后车箱，然后开车回家。
　　车子直接上了高速公路，突然四周的车子都对她按喇叭，她先是觉得奇怪，看四周门都关得好好的，大家为什么急成那样?接着，才想到她带了娃娃出门，娃娃在哪里?
　　天哪!娃娃还在车顶上，所幸路上平稳，那装娃娃的竹篮子居然没掉下来。
　　另一个家庭就没那么幸运了——
　　有个十三四岁的男生，每天下午做完功课都跟同学出去打网球。
　　网球场远，由同学的爸爸开车，每次都是车到门口，再用手机打电话叫他出去。
　　这一天，他妈妈正给他的小弟弟洗澡，突然有电话来，他去接，是妈妈的，就叫妈妈。
　　妈妈说小弟弟在澡缸里，你帮我看一下，于是出去接电话。他才要进浴室，却听见拍门声，是来接他打球的同学，因为电话打不进来，而在外面叫他。
　　他就照例拿起球拍和球袋出门。
　　岂知当他打完球，回到家，家里空无一人，邻居过来说他妈妈送他弟弟去了医院。
　　这时候，他才想起妈妈不是叫他看弟弟吗?
　　他怎么都没想到，就在妈妈接电话、他离开家那么一点时间，他年幼的弟弟已经死在浴缸里了。你想想上面两个意外都是怎么造成的?
　　都是因为习惯啊!
　　去超级市场的妈妈，太习惯买完东西往车箱一放就开车回家的动作，小男孩又习惯每天拿起球具就跳上车的动作，他们却都忘了“那天不一样!”
　　孩子!你十四岁了，也就累积了十四年的习惯动作，你的功课愈来愈多、心愈来愈多，也就更容易分神。这也是我由今天下午的惊恐中发现，不能不叮嘱自己，也叮嘱你。
　　“愈在熟悉的地方，愈要谨慎”的原因。

老师， 不知你得罪了谁，有位仁兄既然刻意建立一个账号来批评你。有建设性的批评还好，但是他还做了人身攻击。

To the male driver of vehicle number SLL7419A:


I hope you or your wife is a member of this online community. What you have done this morning at the school entrance was very dangerous and inconsiderate. Since you were coming from Commonwealth Avenue 6, you should be turning left at the school entrance and not suddenly cutting into my lane by turning right, risking an accident. Please observe and respect the school’s guidelines on the vehicular flow; and be considerate to the other drivers. Remember your son is observing you.