zac's mum\" post_id=\"2127932\" time=\"1706144296\" user_id=\"53606:[quote=\"zac's mum\" post_id=2127932 time=1706144296 user_id=53606]
A side qn: why is it that ACS International is allowed to publish how many perfect scorers it has from its 2023 batch? I thought there was some ban on revealing how many perfect scorers from this batch onwards? Since neither SJI nor ACS Independent reported to the media this statistic in Jan 2024 (when they had always previously done so), i inferred that there was a change in instructions from the top somewhere. MOE or IB itself?[/quote]

ACS (International) isn't an MOE-system school. SJI (Independent) and ACS (Independent) are.

lee_yl\" post_id=\"2127931\" time=\"1706143609\" user_id=\"17023:

My few friends with kids in various international schools, don’t expect their children to score perfect 45pts.

In fact, they are happy that their kids can score, say, IB38pts to be able to make it to the local Uni. All are thankful that there is an alternate route for their kids, or else they felt that their kids would probably have taken the Poly route joined the workforce before going for further studies.

I don’t know why the need to emphasize “only three perfect scores”. We all know if really want to score 45pts go ACS(I) not ACS International.

I'm just pointing out that the score range tracks with the intake range. It isn't unexpectedly good nor bad. It is what it is. As for ACS(I), it's not that if you want 45 pts you go to ACS(I): it's if you can get into ACS(I), statistically you must be academically advantaged enough to get 45 pts.

Useful data from ACS (International): [ https://www.acsinternational.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/ACS-International-IBDP-2023-Results-Report-Website.pdf ]


\"ACS (International) is pleased to announce that its students have achieved a pass rate of 96.55% and an average score of 35.41 for the IBDP. This average is likely to be revised upwards after the appeal process is completed. 90.8% of students scored above the world average of 30.24 (May figure), and 19.5% of students achieved a score of 40 or more.\"

Only three perfect scores. And you should see what subjects did particularly well, at the end of the document linked.

lee_yl\" post_id=\"2127921\" time=\"1706104529\" user_id=\"17023:

The same logic applies when comparing with A level kids. RP90 BCME students who never meet the pre-requisite also cannot qualify for local medical school. The RP and IB scores are just proxies to simplify the discussion.

I think that's an oversimplification because it doesn't at all take into account the subject distribution, nor the peculiar nature of A-level scores (which almost always include GP/PW) as measured against IB scores (all of which include an English Lang/Lit component, for example). I'm entirely sure that the IB has advantages over the SG-Cantab A-levels. I'm equally entirely sure that those A-levels may have some advantages especially in the local arena.

lee_yl\" post_id=\"2127917\" time=\"1706103076\" user_id=\"17023:

BCME with H1 Bio would not qualify for med course. We are digressing as the main point is that IB’s inherent advantage is that Singapore students are pitting against international students.

It's not that much of an advantage in those terms: remember that there are a lot of excellent IB candidates in the May exams who apply to the same overseas universities as SG students do. The main advantage in many cases is that it is seen as a broader preparation for a university education. This is reflected in the way some universities use the UCAS tariff system or equivalent (UK) and in the way universities in other countries view the full IB diploma.

I guess the most important thread in this discussion is that students taking the IB in SG have chances that are at least as good as those taking the SG-Cambridge A-levels, but for different reasons and in different contexts. Truly talented kids should probably aim for a specialist institution (SOTA, NUS High etc), but the academically bright should choose something they are comfortable with.

One thing I've learned over the last few years since we introduced the IB as a mainstream element in SG education is that parents really need to ask someone with detailed curricular and experiential knowledge. A lot of misinformation goes around, and this leads parents to make choices for their kids that may be less helpful than intended. Sometimes the choices are counterintuitive, you might need to make a tougher choice to give the student better options, for example.

lee_yl\" post_id=\"2127915\" time=\"1706102206\" user_id=\"17023:

Of cos there are pre-requisites to meet before one can apply for certain courses. RP90 student without H2 Bio also won’t qualify for local med course. So what is new about it?

Actually, you can. H2 Chem + H2 Physics meets local requirements.

Link: [ https://medicine.nus.edu.sg/prospective-students/nus-medicine-pre-requisites/ ]

lee_yl\" post_id=\"2127853\" time=\"1706059727\" user_id=\"17023:

Maybe you are not aware, even if I were to take double Sc at a lower tier JCs or MI, very likely I only have a 30% chance of making it to a local Uni. If you do a search, you will be surprised that only few students from lower tier JCs manage to score RP90.

I'm fully aware of this; it is my research area after all. This is why I used the phrase you highlighted: it is technically possible based on subject choice. The range is huge, at RJC it's only about 25% getting RP90, it seems. Roughly one in four. RP90 is no mean feat, of course; and based on the subject distribution (best proxy, see how many people do H2 chemistry), a lot of potential candidates for something like medicine. I'm not surprised at all.

(Well, actually it might be argued that people with a 30% chance of making it to a local university end up in a lower tier JC doing double science.)

usaik881\" post_id=\"2127867\" time=\"1706062914\" user_id=\"199461:

You have said it very well. Thank You.

The primary reason for the IB advantage = the moderating hand of MOE is off.

MOE by its national development policies penalizes our academically average youths unnecessarily (artificially restricting many deserving from a local U education). Mockers might want to argue. They forget that the world average is not the Singaporean average. The Singaporean average, when pitted against the world average, is top class. The Singaporean average is only average under the MOE moderating hand. The IB advantages, as things stand, are real.

I totally agree with you about these points; our (formerly streamed) Normal is the world average. But one thing I am curious about is your use of the word 'mockers'... who are these mockers? What kind of mockery are they engaging in? What are they mocking? I really want to know.

lee_yl\" post_id=\"2127842\" time=\"1706055170\" user_id=\"17023:

If we take HCIS for example, looking at their website, more than half the school cohort scored at least 38 points at IB. Which means an average kid inside international school student can meet most UK medical schools’ entry requirements of 36 points. Not something we can claim for most JCs.

So I would think an average kid, or those who didn’t do too well in PSLE and O levels, would benefit from IB

Yeah, but we don't know the subject distribution for those 38 points, including 0-3 bonus points. We don't know if they qualify for medical school, considering many UK medical schools like triple-science candidates and the IB doesn't normally allow those. Apples, durians. We do however know that the vast majority of JC students are double-science and can technically qualify for a local medical school (chemistry plus one other science). The JC distribution is much larger, you will see a kind of regression to the mean; the MOE IB schools (SJI, ACS(I)) and SOTA are pretty selective.

Maybe it just means that HCIS (per your example) has a lot of breadth in its educational offerings, or that these kids are scoring amazingly well at their SL subjects (sort of equivalent to acing your H1s but stumbling a bit in your H2s).

bbbay\" post_id=\"2127844\" time=\"1706055539\" user_id=\"175278:

A separate query: why only 2 MOE IB schools? Why not more?

Because MOE doesn't control the IB exam board, but they have full control over the SG-Cambridge curriculum and exam setting parameters. At the same time, it is good policy to have some diversification in any portfolio. So when Tharman ran JCUSE in 2002/3, exceptions were carved out for 1-2 IB schools, a sports school, an arts school (also IB, it turned out, but technically not MOE), and a maths/science school. RI qualified to be an IB world school but that would have been a bridge too far for MOE.