Figaro\" post_id=\"2025838\" time=\"1622520388\" user_id=\"3620:

The median is given only by subjects. I think it'll be helpful to know the median for the GPA too....

I think it's not too difficult to guess the median GPA based on subjects median...

Agree with @slmkhoo's take on median. Good enough or not depends on your personal targets and aspirations. Median should be good enough if one is not targeting medicine or law or scholarships...

@lakesidemum, it is common for HMT to drag down overall GPA, with very few exceptional girls who is also very strong in their HMT, so don't worry too much. DD1's HMT is typically a few points below median, yet she managed to score distinctions in O level.

peasants\" post_id=\"2025440\" time=\"1622122324\" user_id=\"75885:

So year 3 is like P5 in primary school? Is it like a prep year for year 4? I think the step from year 2 to year 3 is steeper than other school.

The median for most subjects are pretty high, which means the girls are doing well and the step up is not that steep? I don't think many schools have such high median...

slmkhoo\" post_id=\"2018967\" time=\"1617096005\" user_id=\"28674:

Cbk\" post_id=\"2018957\" time=\"1617089082\" user_id=\"49917:

Has anyone done any comparison between RGS syllabus and other IP schools or O level tracks? DD1 started giving math tuition to a Sec3 kid in O level track in a neighborhood school and was surprised to find that the child is already learning math topics that RGS only covers in Sec4. Although she thinks that maybe O level schools have to compress their syllabus and teach at a faster pace so that they can have more time to do revisions come Sec4, it still shocked me.

I've not done a comparison, but I believe that they will learn as much or more by the end of 4 years. The sequence may be different - RGS may leave some topics to Y4, but teach other topics more fullly in Y3. And it's also true that O level schools do leave many more months to revise in Y4. Anyway, the proof is in the A level results - RGS girls do very well in Maths overall, so whatever RGS is doing is probably not doing them any harm, and may be doing them good?

thanks @slmkhoo. DD1 is finding JC to be very competitive as everyone is working very hard and honestly, she doesnt find them to be 'more advance' vs the O level kids, so not sure if they really learn more.

Has anyone done any comparison between RGS syllabus and other IP schools or O level tracks? DD1 started giving math tuition to a Sec3 kid in O level track in a neighborhood school and was surprised to find that the child is already learning math topics that RGS only covers in Sec4. Although she thinks that maybe O level schools have to compress their syllabus and teach at a faster pace so that they can have more time to do revisions come Sec4, it still shocked me.

Seems like self study or the more fancy term - ‘self-directed learning’ is inevitable and here to stay. So it is not a bad idea that the girls start learning this early, though I have to say that it takes a lot of self discipline and motivation and may not be suitable for everyone. At RI, lectures have all moved online. Pre-recorded lectures will be released every Monday and the kids are expected to watch the video and learn at their own pace, do the assigned homework and consult the tutors during face-to-face class hours if they have any questions or concerns.


Agree that to sleep by 10-11pm on a week night, there isn’t much time for revision or doing extra worksheets, especially for those taking on extra duties (lead board) or programs (RS). I think the education system here is so competitive that to do well, one need to be super smart or work super hard and sacrifice their leisure and sleeping hours. Just remember that every child is different and have different needs. DD2 is doing a lot less but stressing up more. So I can only tell her to try her best and don’t take on or sign up for those extra programs, or to drop a subject if it’s really too much for her. End of the day, they only need to choose 4 subjects in JC.

lakesidemum\" post_id=\"2014563\" time=\"1612849397\" user_id=\"6118:

For my girl, she has 2 CCA days, third lang and a rather demanding RS too.. So 4 days home after 7pm. By the time she settles down to work, is already close to 8.30pm.. She is one that needs lots of sleep, so she tries to sleep by 10.30pm and gets up at 6am. Hence, she has to burn her weekend to complete 95% of her work and revision to avoid having to burn midnight oil during weekdays. She is definitely not a perfectionist, so she won't spend additional hours to \"polish\" her work. From my understanding, she told me she has to spend so much time on her work is because the teachers will get them to do the assigned homework before they were taught in school, hence, she needs to do self-study before embarking on the homework. That's explain why she needs to spend so much time completing her work.

With no tuition on hand, a lot of self-directed learning is required on her own.. so far, she is happy with it.

As parents, we are just wondering why she has so much work to do and every weekends are occupied with nothing much, but her studies.. sigh...

Can I know which is the subject that require her to do the assigned homework before they were taught? I havent heard anything from DD2 and will have to check with her. With 3rd lang and a demanding RS, life is definitely not easy. I dont think they have much time for those on weeknights. 2 hours a day is probably just enough for homework daily, so yes, revisions will have to be done on weekends too.

That said, I dont think rgs syllabus is that much more demanding than other schools. Ultimately, they are prep for A level like the O level kids. At most, they are just being stretched a bit more. In my personal view, what differentiate rgs and IP schools from the O level schools are the extra curriculums, like the RS and other enrichments. But there is also a price to pay and sacrifice to make - their precious time.

Again, every kids is different. Some enjoyed doing those extras, some dont. Some needs more sleep, some less. Ultimately, they need to find a balance. Unlike the sister, we know DD2 cant cope with the demanding schedule and told her to drop her 3rd lang. She was reluctant at first, but felt that it is the best things she has done now as she can finally relax by Friday afternoon after a long week. We are prepared for her to drop a science by the end of the year if she still find it hard to cope after trying her best. Ultimately, they can only choose 4 subjects in A levels. All the extra subjects, RS and 3rd lang are not relevant when they get to JC, though they do looks good on CV and may help with scholarships applications. It is great to pursue them if the kids can cope, but if its to much for them, do let them know it is ok to drop. Their well being is more important.

lakesidemum\" post_id=\"2014453\" time=\"1612768680\" user_id=\"6118:

Actually, are students in other secondary schools as busy as our girls? When I see my girl works thru every weekends since school re-opens, so poor thing, no time to rest and relax..

Like what other parents said, it really depends very much on individual kids and how much commitment they have. Generally, I think they should be able to finish their homework in 2 hours on a normal day.

DD1 in sports cca, 3 days a week, plus 3rd lang, plus a rather demanding RS. She got home around 730pm 4 days a week. After shower and dinner, she will chill a bit and starts doing her homework at 9pm. If she is focused and not looking at her phone, she is still able to get work done by 11pm (except when there are projects due or when they have RS group calls). But most of the days she is distracted and only got to bed by midnight.

DD2 in less demanding cca and RS, dropped 3rd lang. Home by 630pm 3x a week. She is the slowmo type that takes a long time to get things done, like spending an hour on dinner. She is still sleeping at 10-1030pm almost every night but complaint about heavy workload, brain drain and tired everyday.

Most girls do get really distracted by social media. So check what your girls are doing if you are concerned that they are not getting enough sleep. I often caught them on spotify, instagram, whatsapp, hangout or reading webtoons when they were supposed to be doing work.

Scottddll\" post_id=\"2014227\" time=\"1612508255\" user_id=\"177371:

Cbk\" post_id=\"2014216\" time=\"1612501387\" user_id=\"49917:

[quote=Scottddll post_id=2014058 time=1612344408 user_id=177371]Hi, all:

My girl entered RGS this year.
In the primary, I clearly knew her academic status & could guide her up to PSLE.
However, now, I am puzzled about her academic. Is it enough only based on homework? Does the extra tuition necessary, or some extra test papers for exams? I saw her quite busy all days but seems not many academic efforts.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Tuitions are not necessary if your girl is self motivated and disciplined enough to do all her homework and supplementary work and clarify any doubts she has with the teachers. There are quite a lot of exam papers available on inet that they can do. Not aware of any extra test papers or assessments books you can buy that caters to their curriculum which is quite different from the mainstream

Thanks so much!

on inet, the exams papers are under which category?[/quote]right hand side - past year paper and eya papers

Scottddll\" post_id=\"2014058\" time=\"1612344408\" user_id=\"177371:

Hi, all:

My girl entered RGS this year.
In the primary, I clearly knew her academic status & could guide her up to PSLE.
However, now, I am puzzled about her academic. Is it enough only based on homework? Does the extra tuition necessary, or some extra test papers for exams? I saw her quite busy all days but seems not many academic efforts.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Tuitions are not necessary if your girl is self motivated and disciplined enough to do all her homework and supplementary work and clarify any doubts she has with the teachers. There are quite a lot of exam papers available on inet that they can do. Not aware of any extra test papers or assessments books you can buy that caters to their curriculum which is quite different from the mainstream

slmkhoo\" post_id=\"2011798\" time=\"1610411448\" user_id=\"28674:

qcd\" post_id=\"2011760\" time=\"1610372383\" user_id=\"190693:

Hi Cbk, thank you for your sharing, it is great to know that they can acquire useful life skill in RGS. However, the 'rumor' I heard is about the lower performance of RGS students in JC1 and A level in general. Yes, some of them will pick up the exam skills in RI fast, but it could be a painful process for quite a number of them. I just hope our daughters have the same chance to get into good universities and degrees of their choices, I am sure most of RGS girls do go to the universities. Yes, they can be very successful in working life with the project and people skills, that is provided they have sufficient knowledge to get to the interview. It would be good to learn from any parents whose daughters are already in RI and how they cope with the changes. I am sorry if I have created anxiety here, my daughter's Tscore is near the bottom line in RGS, kind of worried after hearing that. Much appreciated!

My daughter was in RGS/RI quite a few years ago (A levels in 2017), so I don't know if there have been significant changes in teaching since she was there. Most of her friends did well (from super-top grades to good enough to get into courses they wanted in local universities). There were some who didn't do as well, but they also had other issues, not purely academic.

All students face the jump between Yr 4 and A levels, and some cope better than others, whether they are in IP schools, O level schools, etc. PSLE score really means very little by that stage. Some kids may not be the top in PSLE score, but have other skills and habits which make them do better, some mature later, etc. Equally, just having a top PSLE score doesn't mean that the student automatically shines at everything all the way to A levels. Just getting into a top school in Sec 1 doesn't guarantee that a student is going to do well at A levels; neither does getting a lacklustre score at PSLE mean that the student is doomed never to achieve top grades at A levels. There are so many things that can affect grades - motivation, maturity, personal issues, distractions (CCA, boyfriend, etc.), family issues, health...

Given that you really can't really guarantee any particular outcomes, the best you can do is to make sure that your daughter develops good study habits, including discipline, time management and motivation, a keenness to learn, a willingness to ask questions, genuine interest in some subjects, etc.

Have to agree that PLSE score doesn't mean very much and doesn't determine if one will continue to do well in O and A level. Have heard cases of top scorers who didn't do so well by the time they reach S4, while those who just met the COP doing well and shining. Their self motivation and time management skills is more important. I think its rare that those who continue to stay focus and work hard don't do well.